Action of 19 January 1799 The Action of 19 January 1799 was a minor naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars fought in waters of the Strait of Gibraltar , off Punta Europa . A Spanish squadron of 14 gunboat s with a mistico as flagship , commanded by Francisco Mourelle de la Rua , attacked a British merchant convoy escorted by several Royal Navy warships , among them a 74 - gun ship of the line . The British warships failed to defend the convoy , losing a gunboat sunk and another captured . The convoy also lost a ship and two brigs . For this action Mourelle de la Rua was promoted to frigate captain . Background . Once the Spanish Navy realized how useful gunboats could be in naval warfare , they establish a base for them at Algeciras . The deployment had two objectives : first , impede British naval trade with Gibraltar and second , protect Spain ' s own commerce . During the Great Siege of Gibraltar Admiral Antonio Barceló commanded the naval forces responsible for blockading the bay that included a fleet of several xebec s and gunboats . One of his successors was Francisco Antonio Mourelle de la Rua , who was appointed to Algeciras in 1797 and took part in more than 41 actions against the British . Action - the Spanish account . At 2 PM on 19 January 1799 a British merchant convoy consisting of four ships and three brigs sailed from Gibraltar escorted by a 74 - gun ship of the line and a 18 - gun brig of the Royal Navy . As they left Gibraltar , three gunboats accompanied them out of the bay to defend them against the Spanish gunboats based in Algeciras . Fourteen of them and a místico under Lieutenant Francisco Antonio Murelle de la Rua sailed an hour later to intercept the convoy , forming a line of battle , while four remained in reserve and two were dispatched to Punta Europa to attack the rear of the convoy . After several hours of harassment , at 7 : 30 PM , Mourelle managed to cut off a ship and two brigs from the rest of the convoy . The three British gunboats immediately came to their assistance . One of the British gunboats sank and the remaining ones were captured , along with the merchant vessels . Gunfire from the British shore batteries of Punta Europa and the unexpected sally of seven boats from Gibraltar allowed one of the prizes to escape , though the Spanish were able to fend off the counterattack . Action - The British account . In the afternoon of 19 January , HMS " Strombolo " , a gunboat armed with one gun and under the command of Lieutenant William Davies , sailed to cover the departure of a convoy . She towed " Transport 55 " clear of the mole at Gibraltar and then returned to bring out another vessel . The activity drew the attention of the Spanish , who sent out a flotilla of gunboats and launches . " Strombolo " cast off her tow and moved to intercept the Spanish . Eight Spanish vessels surrounded her and in the exchange of fire , a Spanish cannonball holed " Strombolo " at the larboard bow . She rapidly filled with water so the crew abandoned her ; the Spanish picked them up from the water . The second British gunboat lost that day was HMS " Wilkin " , under the command of Lieutenant Henry Power . She had towed the " Esther " clear of the mole when the Spanish gunboats approached . She too sailed to meet them and too found herself surrounded by eight gunboats and launches . Her long gun misfired so the crew was reduced to using small arms to defend themselves . In the short engagement " Wilkin " lost her main topmast and mizzenmast . When the several Spanish boats came alongside , she struck her colours . Aftermath . Shortly thereafter , the Spanish squadron entered Algeciras towing the four prizes with 120 prisoners , among them the commander of the British gunboats of Gibraltar . None of the later British countermeasures to beat the Spanish gunboats , which included the use of grapeshot from a distance , had any effect . The Spanish gunboats proved their worth in subsequent years when they defended two major merchant convoys .