Spanish expedition to Oran ( 1732 ) The Spanish expedition to Oran of 1732 or the Spanish conquest of Oran and Mers el - Kebir , took place from 15 June to 2 July 1732 , between the Kingdom of Spain against the Ottoman protectorate of Algiers . The great Spanish expedition led by Don José Carrillo de Albornoz , Duke of Montemar and Don Francisco Javier Cornejo defeated the Ottoman - Muslim troops under the command of the Bey Hassan , and conquered the fortress - cities of Oran and Mers el - Kebir , ruled and administered by the Ottoman Empire from 1708 , during the War of the Spanish Succession , when both cities , ruled by Spain , fell into the hands of the Ottoman Dey of Algiers . Background . During the War of the Spanish Succession , the strategic African cities of Oran and Mers el - Kebir , which until that time , had been under Spanish control , were taken by the Ottoman Dey of Algiers , taking advantage of the difficult time that Spain was going through . With the war having ended , and with the resurgence of the new Spain as one of the major European powers , the King Philip V of Spain , organised an expedition to recoup the lost cities . The expedition was , in part , funded by the successful offensive to the Republic of Genoa , led by the Admiral Don Blas de Lezo , in which Lezo demanded a payment of 2 million pesos , and to pay homage to the Spanish flag , or else he would bombard the city . The Genovese finally accepted all the terms of the Spanish Admiral . Of the 2 million pesos , a million and a half was to be destined for the new expedition . The rumour that Spain was preparing for another expedition , was cause for alarm for the Emperor Charles VI , thinking that Spain , wanted to occupy the Italian territories held by the Austrians again . When all the preparations had been concluded , with the aim of calming the other European powers , Philip V published a decree which stated his intention of reconquering Oran . Preparations of the expedition . The expedition began to organise itself on 16 March 1732 , in the port of Alicante . The person responsible for the preparation of the expedition was the Prince of Campo Florido , Captain - General and Governor of the Kingdom of Valencia . The city was overcome with the challenge of containing such a large number of troops , sailors and noblemen . The authorities estimated more than 30 , 000 present . At the time , the city received most of its merchandise via the port , with some help from nearby towns and cities , but finally the supply to the city was a success . On 7 June , Don José Carrillo de Albornoz , Duke of Montemar , who Philip V had chosen as leader of the expedition , attended the Convent of " Santísima Faz " , to pray for protection and the success of his plan . The port began filling up with masts , and every type of sail , conceivable , and by the end of May , Campo Florido informed the Spanish General , Don Alejandro de la Motte , that he had solved the embargo of all the transport ships nearby . Everything had been planned , down to the last detail , and the expedition was ready to set sail . The fleet . The great fleet consisted of 12 ships of the line , 50 frigate s , 7 galley s and 26 galiot s , 4 brig s , 97 xebec s , several gunboat s and bomb vessel s , approximately 109 transport ships , and several minor ships and vessels of different classes , in total , the ships of the fleet numbered about 500 – 600 , and the supreme commander of the fleet was the veteran naval officer Don Francisco Javier Cornejo . The fleet caused great astonishment in all Europe , and as a writer of that time , said : The army . The army was led by the Duke of Montemar . The contingent consisted of 23 generals , 19 brigadiers and 129 officers . The infantry consisted of 32 battalion s ; the artillery battalion ( 600 men and 60 pieces of artillery and 20 mortars ) , the regiments of " Spanish and Walloon Guards " ( each with 4 battalions ) , the regiments of " Spain " , " Soria " , " Vitoria " , " Cantabria " and " Asturias " ( each with 2 battalions ) , the regiments of " Ireland " , " Ulster " and " Namur " ( each with 1 battalion ) , the regiments of " Aragon " , " Hainaut " , " Antwerp " and " First and Third of Swiss " ( each with 2 battalions ) , and a company of riflemen , guides , all born in Oran , and administrative , legal and medical personnel . In total 23 , 100 men . The cavalry was composed by the regiments " Queen " and " Prince " ( each with 417 men ) and " Santiago " and " Granada " ( each with 419 men ) , and another 4 regiments of " Spanish Dragoons " ( each with 3 squads ) . In total 3 , 372 men . The expedition . On 15 June 1732 , with all troops on board , and all preparations completed , the fleet was at anchor , and the next day the fleet began its departure in perfect formation , offering a wonderful spectacle . The Spanish soldier and poet , Eugenio Gerardo Lobo , who took part in the expedition , dedicated his poetry to the Spanish expedition : A few days after , the fleet was obliged , due to contrary winds , to take cover near the Cape Palos , but on the 24 June , after overcoming its difficulties , it continued its journey towards Oran . On 27 June , the fleet arrived at the coasts of Oran , and the Duke of Montemar , ordered the troops to disembark on the Aguadas beach , near Mers el - Kebir , but this could not take place till the next day . At dawn , the troops began to disembarked with barely any resistance . The Ottoman - Algerian troops , who up to that time had remained in defensive positions , began to attack the Spanish troops ; however , the firepower of the Spanish ships , in particular the ship of the line " Castilla " , under the command of Don Juan José Navarro , made a big contribution in covering the landing troops by the use of his naval guns , decimating and forcing the Muslim troops to flee . Before midday , all the infantry had disembarked , and the cavalry followed soon after . Conquest of Oran and Mers el - Kebir . After midday , the grenadiers together with the cavalry , gradually began to gather on a small hill , where the only fountain to be seen , around lay , and from where the Spanish troops had formed and taken control , and which the moors wanted to take hold . The Duke of Montemar ordered a small fort to be built to ensure communication with the fleet . A company of fusiliers was set up to protect the workers on the Fort , but they were under continual attack from the large number of Ottoman - Alegerian troops , and finally , due to lack of ammunition , they began to retreat . This retreat gave the moors heart and they cautiosly advanced . Montemar , noticing this , sent 16 companies of infantry under the command of Don Alejandro de la Motte , and 4 squadrons of " Spanish Dragoons " to attack the front line of muslin troops . The onslaught by the cavalry and infantry was so energetic , that they caused many casualties in the enemy , and forced the Moorish troops to retreat to another distant mountain amid the great confusion . Counting Janissaries , Moors and Turks , they came to about 20 , 000 to 22 , 000 men in total . De la Motte and his army continued to advance till they reached Mers el - Kebir , where they discovered a field in which the Janissaries had gathered in , it was promptly destroyed , making about 300 Janissaries flee , all of which belonged to Mers el - Kebir ' s garrison . Terrified by the intense firepower of the grenadiers , the troops of the Castle of Mers el - Kebir capitulated , on the condition that they would be allowed to retreat to Algiers . Immediately after , De la Motte´s army besieged Mers el - Kebir . Montemar , seeing how successful this had been , then sent his army to the nearby mountains where the majority of the enemy lay , but these , terrified and demoralised , retreated that very night to Oran , which was also abandoned along with all its forts and castles used for defence . The quality and discipline of the Spanish army , without a doubt terrified Bey Hassan ' s troops . The next day , 1 July , Montemar , through a message from the French consul in Oran , found out about this news and immediately sent ot a detachment to confirm this . The news was in fact true , and the French consul himself , came out to receive the Spanish troops , which entered the city without any trouble , as it was almost desserted , as was the Palace of Bey . The Spanish captured 80 bronze pieces of artillery , 50 iron pieces and 12 bells , and innumerable artifacts of war , and supplies , enough to supply the city for at least three months . Finally , the next day , 2 July , the city of Mers el - Kebir also capitulated to De la Motte ' s troops . Consequences . On 5 July a solemn " Te Deum " was sung in Oran to commemorate the victory . The news soon reached Spain and spread to the rest of Europe , where the famous victory was celebrated with festivals and religious ceremonies . The Pope Clement XII was greatly contented to hear of the reclaiming of the cities , thanking and full of praise for Philip V of Spain . A month after the recovery of Oran , on 1 August , having secured the city , Montemar made back to Spain with the majority of his troops , leaving behind a garrison of 6 , 000 men . Montemar was received with great expectation in Seville on 15 August , Philip V presented him with a chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece , a reward for the service to his country . Also Don José Patiño was rewarded with the same honour , as he had planned the expedition . Bey Hassan wasn ' t resigned to the loss of his beloved city . Regretting the cowardice he had shown by abandoning the city , he tried a many times to retrieve it , by attacking it over the following months . At the end of August he closed in on Oran with more than 10 , 000 troops , but they were defeated by the Spanish , causing them more than 2 , 000 casualties . The city was to remain under Spanish control till 1792 .