List of naval battles

This is a chronological list of naval fleet battles, major other naval events and significant single-ship actions. See also Category:Naval battles.

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Ancient

494 BC Lade
480 BC Artemisium
480 BC Salamis: Athenian navy defeats the Persians
474 BC Cumae
460s BC Eurymedon
450s BC Salamis (in Cyprus)
433 BC Sybota
429 BC Naupactus
425 BC Pylos
411 BC Cynossema
405 BC Aegospotami
394 BC Cnidus
376 BC Naxos
306 BC Salamis (in Cyprus): Demetrius I Poliorcetes defeats the fleet of Menelaeus, brother of Ptolemy I of Egypt
260 BC Lipara Islands
260 BC Mylae
258 BC Cos
256 BC Cape Ecnomus
249 BC Drepana
241 BC March 10 Aegates Islands: Roman victory over the Carthaginians, ending the First Punic War
201 BC Philip V of Macedon defeated by the Egyptians, Rhodians, and Pergamese
190 BC Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeat a Seleucid fleet commanded by Hannibal
190 BC Myonessus
31 BC Actium: Octavian decisively defeats Antony and Cleopatra

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Middle Ages

677 Syllaeum
c. 1000 Swold
April 25, 1185: Battle of Dannoura, off present-day Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan
1213 May 30, 31 Damme: English under William Longsword, sink most of fleet of France's King Philip II in the harbor of Damme
1217 August 24 Eustace the Monk off Dover
1296 Marco Polo

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14th century

1340 Sluys: Edward III of England beats Franco-Genoese fleet of Philip VI of France off the coast of Flanders and gains control of the English Channel
1350 August 29 (Old Style) L'Espagnols-sur-Mer Edward III and the Black Prince defeat 40 Spanish ships
1354 Sapienza: Genoans destroy Venetian fleet
1372 Spain defeats England near La Rochelle

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15th century

1416 English defeat French near Harfleur
1417 English defeat French and Genoans
1453 April 20 Turks and Genoans fight near Istanbul
1499 August Zonchio

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16th century

1509 February 2 Diu: Portugal's India viceroy destroys Moslem fleet off Western India, controls spice trade
1535 20 Sweden/Denmark/Prussia ships defeat 9 Lubeck ships
1535 Sweden/Denmark/Prussia defeats 10 Lubeck ships
1538 Preveza: Ottoman fleet defeats Spanish-Venetian fleet
1545 July 19 Mary Rose sinks off Portsmouth
1545 August 15 English and French fight off Portsmouth.
1558 Portuguese fight British and French off Guinea
1558 July 13 English under Count Egmont defeat French under Marshal de Thermes off Gravelines
1563 May 23? Swedish defeat Danish
1563 September 10 Inconslusive Denmark vs Sweden
1564 May 30, 31 Sweden vs Denmark and Lubeck
1564 July 12 Denmark defeats Sweden
1564 August 12, 13 Denmark vs Sweden SE of Oland
1565 June 4 Denmark and Lubeck defeat Sweden
1565 July 7 - 49 Swedish ships defeat 22 Danish and 14 Lubeck ships
1566 July 26 Swedish defeat Danish/Lubeckers
1571 October 7 Lepanto: Christian coalition decisively defeats Turkey in a large galley fight off western Greece
1574 June - 19 Swedish ships capture 3 Lubeckers plus 15 merchantmen
1500s? Terceira - Spain defeats Britain and France
1588 July Defeat of the Spanish Armada off southern England
1600 December 14 Manila Netherlands vs Spain

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Early 17th century

1607 April - Gibraltar
1610 August 21 - Tuscany vs Turkey
1610 October 10 - Tuscany vs Turkey
1611 August (end)? - Minor action between Danes and Swedes in Kalmar Sound
1612 October 29-31 - British defeat Portuguese near Surat, India
1615 January 20-? (Old Style) - British defeat Portuguese in mainly minor skirmishes
1616 July 14-16 - First regular action between galleys and sailing ships
1617 November 19 and 20 - Inconclusive battle between Spain and Venice
1620 May 11 - Venice defeats Spanish under Ribera
1622 October - France vs ? near La Rochelle
1625 February 1 and 3 - British/Netherlands defeats Portugal
1625 June 26 - 6 Bizertans defeat 5 Maltese galleys near Syracuse, Sicily
1626 late - 8 Danes defeat 12 Dunkerque privateers
1627 November 18/28 Oliwa Poland defeats Sweden
1629 September 16 - Sweden defeats Holy Roman Empire near Wismar
1630 September 4-8 - Denmark forces a retreat of Hanseatic ships in Elbe River
1639 October 31 The Downs: Dutch under Tromp defeat Spanish under Oquendo in the English Channel
1644 May 16 - 9 Danes defeat 26 Dutch ships which have been hired to support Sweden
1644 May 25 - 13 Danes get slightly the better of 33 hired Dutch ships
1644 July 1 Colberger Heide (Colberg Heath) - Danish and Swedish fleets fight an inconclusive battle off NE Germany
1644 July 7 - Denmark defeats Sweden in small battle
1644 August 10 - Dutch fleet under Thijsen brushes past Danish fleet under King Christian IV in Kjoge Bay, Denmark
1644 October 13 - Combined Swedish/Dutch fleet badly defeats Danish fleet near Femern, Germany

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Cretan Wars (1645-69)

1645 September 28 or 29 - Christians vs Turks between Suda and Canea, Crete
1645 October 1 - Christians vs Turks near Canea, Crete
1646 May 26 - Venice defeats Turkey at the Dardanelles mouth (details)
1646 August 14 - Inconclusive fight between Christians and Turks near Canea, Crete
1647 August 25 - Inconclusive skirmish between Christians and Turks
1647 September 9 - Inconclusive skirmish between Christians and Turks
1649 May 12 Focchies 19 Venetians defeat large Turkish fleet near Western Turkey
1651 July 8 and 10 - Venetians under Mocenigo defeat Turks
1654 April - 4 Maltese defeat 13 Turks near Rhodes
1654 May 16 - Turks under Murad defeat Venetians under Giuseppe Delfino in Dardanelles
1655 June 21 - Venetians defeat Turks in Dardanelles (details)
1656 June 26 and 27 - Venetians and Maltese defeat Turks in Dardanelles (details)
1657 July 17 - Venetians, Maltese and Papal forces defeat Turks in Dardanelles (details)
1659 August 26 or 27 - Contarini (Venice) vs Kapudan Pasha (Turkey)
1661 August 27 - Venice and Malta defeat Turkey near Milos, Greece
1662 September 29 - Venice defeats Turkish "Alexandria Caravan" between Kos and Kalymnos, Greece
1665 March - France defeats Algeria
1667 February 25 and 26 - Venice defeats Turkey near Crete
1668 February 8 and 9 - Venice defeats Turkey near Pelagia, Greece
1668 (late) - Barbary "Turks" defeat Venice south of Crete

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Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-73)

1652 May 29 Goodwin Sands: Off Dover, British under Blake fire on Tromp's fleet without declaring war and initiate the First Anglo-Dutch War
1652 August 26 Plymouth: De Ruyter's 36 men-of-war hold off Ayscue's 45 men-of-war, driving them away.
1652 August 28 (Old Style) fight near Elba
1652 October 8 Kentish Knock: Blake beats back de With
1652 December 10 Dungeness: Tromp defeats Blake
1653 February 28–March 2 Portland (3 Days Battle) - Tromp, outnumbered, loses a dozen men-of-war and 50 merchantmen to Blake
1653 March 13 Leghorn: Johan van Galen's ships defeat Badiley
1653 June 12-13 Gabbard
1653 August 8-10 Scheveningen (Ter Heide, Texel)
1665 June 13 Lowestoft
1666 June 11–14 Four Days'
1666 August 4–5 St James's Day (North Foreland)
1667 May Raid on the Medway: Dutch raid Medway river near London
1672 June 7 Solebay
1673 May 28 (Old Style) Second Schooneveld
1673 August 21 Texel (Kijkduin)

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Later 17th Century:

1670 August - British/Dutch ships defeat an Algerine force near Gibraltar
1671 May - Privateers beat off a force of Turkish galleys near Egina, Greece
1676 January
1676 January Alicuri France vs Netherlands and Spain
1676 Palermo French-Netherlands/Spain
1676 June 1 Baltic Sea
1677 February? Tobago French vs Netherlands
1678 Gibraltar Straits French defeat Netherlands
1682 French attack on Algiers
1686 July 12
1686 October 4
1688 June 15
1689 Bantry Bay
1689 near Casquets
1690 July 10 Beachy Head (Beveziers)
1690 near Madras France vs Britain and Netherlands
1690 September 8 - Venice fights the combined fleet of Turkey, Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis near Mitylene, Greece
1692 May 27 - June 3 Barfleur and La Hougue: Decisive defeat of France in the War of the Grand Alliance
1695 February 9 - Turkish fleet defeats Venetians under Zeno
1695 February 19 - Turkish fleet fights Zeno again
1695 September 15 and 18 - Venice under Contarini vs Turkey under Mezzo Morto
1696 August 22 - Venice under Contarini vs Turkey under Mezzo Morto
1697 British vs French
1697 July 6, September 1, September 20 - Venice under Contarini vs Turkey
1698 September 20 - Venice vs Turkey, Tripoli and Tunis near Samothrace, Greece

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18th century

1704 August 13 (Old Style) - British/Dutch narrowly defeats French near Malaga
1705 June 26 - Swedish ships attack Russian base of Kotlin
1709 March 2 - Britain vs France
1713 - Portuguese defeat Indians near Cheul
1716 July 8 - Venice vs Turkey
1717 June 12 and 13 - Venice vs Turkey
1717 July 19
1718 - Portuguese defeat Indians near Karwar
1718 July 20-22 - Venice vs Turkey
1719 May 24 Osel Island - Russian battleships fight Swedish ships
1744 February 22 Toulon - draw between British and Franco-Spanish fleets south of Toulon
1749 April 29 - Pocock (British) defeats d'Ache (French)
1749 August 3 - Pocock defeats d'Ache
1749 September 10 - British fight French and are too damaged to pursue
1759 November 20 Quiberon Bay - British defeat French
1770 May 27 - British vs Turkish battleship fight
1770 July 5-7 Chesma - Russian fleet defeats and burns Turkish fleet off western Turkey
1772 November (early) - Russia vs Turkey
1773 September 3 - Russia vs Turkey
1773 September? - Russia vs Turkey
1774 June 20 - Russia vs Turkey
1774 July 19 - Russia vs Turkey
1776 October 11 Valcour Island - Benedict Arnold escapes the British fleet under Guy Carleton
1778 July 27 First Ushant - Keppel (British) with 30 battleships fights an inconclusive action against d'Orvilliers (French) with 28
1780 January 16 Cape St Vincent (Moonlight Battle) Rodney (British) defeats de Langara (Spanish)
1781 September 5 Chesapeake Bay De Grasse (french) drives off British
1781 April 16 La Praya - Suffren (French) vs British, near Cape Verde Islands
1781 December 12 Second Ushant - British capture French merchant ships
1782 February 17 Sadras - First indecisive fight between Suffren (French) and Hughes (British) off SE India
1782 April 12 The Saintes - Rodney (British) with 36 battleships defeats De Grasse (French) with 34 in the West Indies
1782 April 12 Providien - Second indecisive fight between Suffren and Hughes off SE India
1782 July 6 Negapatam - Third indecisive fight between Suffren and Hughes off SE India
1782 September 3 Trincomalee - Hughes fleet damages Suffrens but withdraws
1783 June 20 Cuddalore - Suffren drives Hughes off shore of Cuddalore. Last of the five battles between Suffren and Hughes
1788 July 25 Ochakov - Russia defeats Turkey in Black Sea
1789 June 23 - Russia vs Turkey
1789 July 19 (Kerch Strait) - Russia vs Turkey
1789 September 8 - Russia vs Turkey
1791 August 8 Cape Kaliakra - Russians defeat Turks

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Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)

1788 July 17 1789 May 21 Cutter Mercury under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Roman Crown captures Swedish 40-gun frigate Venus, which according to tradition joins Russian navy under the same name.
1789 October 11 1790 May 2 Revel: Swedish fleet of 22 battleships and 4 frigates under command of Admiral Duke Carl of Sondermanland attacks Russian fleet under admiral Chitchagov (9 battleships, 5 frigates) anchored off Revel. Attack proves unsuccessful, Swedes lose two ships of the line and withdraw.
1790 May 4 Second Rochensalm: Decisive victory of the Swedish galley fleet

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French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793–1802, 1803–1815) and other

1793 November 18 Short, inconclusive British-French battle
1794 June 1 The Glorious First of June (Third Ushant): British fleet defeats French fleet in North Atlantic but French grain convoy makes it through to Brest
1795 June 20 Hood (British) with 14 battleships defeats Villaret-Joyeuse (French) with 12 (?)
1797 February 14 Cape St Vincent: 15 British battleships under Jervis defeat 27 Spanish off Cape St Vincent near Gibraltar
1797 October 11 Camperdown (Kamperduin): British fleet under Admiral Duncan defeats a Dutch fleet
1798 August 1–3 The Nile (Aboukir Bay): Nelson (British) defeats a moored French fleet under Brueys in Egypt
1801 April 5 Copenhagen: Nelson destroys moored Danish ships off Kobenhavn to prevent France taking them over
1801 July 6–12 Algeciras: French defeat initial British assault, British counter-attack and defeat French-Spanish force.
1805 October 21 Trafalgar: Nelson defeats combined French/Spanish fleet off south western Spain, losing his life but gaining control of the oceans for Britain for the rest of the war
1807 February 6 Duckworth (British) defeats Leissegues (French)
1807 February 19 British battleships under Duckworth defeat several Turkish ships in Dardanelles
1807 June 30 Lemnos (Athos): Russian fleet under Admiral Alexei Seniavin defeats Turks in Aegean
1807 September 2–7 Copenhagen: British land and sea forces under Admiral Gambier and General Cathcart capture Danish fleet
1812 March 13 War of 1812
1812 July 19 USS Constitution (Isaac Hull) defeats HMS Guerrière
1812 October 18 USS Wasp (Jacob Jones) defeats HMS Frolic
1812 October 25 USS United States (Stephen Decatur) captures HMS Macedonian
1812 December 29 USS Constitution (Bainbridge) destroys HMS Java
1813 May 28–29 HMS Shannon captures USS Chesapeake (Lawrence). Lawrence says: "Don't give up the ship"
1813 August 14 HMS Pelican captures Allen's USS Argus
1813 September 3 USS Enterprise captures HMS Boxer off New England Coast
1813 Lake Erie
1814 September 1 USS Wasp sinks HMS Avon
1814 Lake Champlain: and Plattsburg (September 11): US squadron under Thomas Macdonough defeats British under George Downie
1814 Plattsburg
1815 February 20 USS Constitution captures HMS Cyane and HMS Levant
1815 March 23 USS Hornet captures HMS Penguin

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Later 19th century

1816 August 27 - Bombardment of Algiers (details)
1822 June 18–19 1827 October 20 Navarino: British/French/Russian squadrons, under Admirals Codrington, Rigny, and Heiden, destroy Turkish/Egyptian/Tunisian fleet of Tahir Pasha off south-west Greece
1833 July 5 1853 October 30 Sinop: Russian battleships defeat Turkish frigates at Sinope, Turkey
1853 November 5: Russian steam frigate Vladimir defeats and captures Turkish steam frigate Pervas-Bahri
1862 March 8, 9 Hampton Roads
1864 February Eckernfjorde: Danish ships defeated by Germany
1864 March 17 Jasmund - Prussia vs Denmark
1864 May 9 Helgoland: Prussian/Austrian fleet defeats Danish fleet in North Sea
1864 June 19 USS Kearsarge sinks CSS Alabama off Cherbourg
1864: Spain in various battles
1866 July 20 Lissa: Austrians under Admiral von Tegetthoff rams and drives off superior Italian fleet under Persano
1879–1883 the War of the Pacific
1882 July 11 - Bombardment of Alexandria
1885 September Foochow: Small French squadron annihilates Chinese force at Foochow (Fuzhou)
1894 July Feng-tao Japan defeats China
1894 September Yalu River: Japan defeats Chinese off Korea
1898 May 1 Manila Bay
1898 July 3 Santiago de Cuba

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Early 20th century

1904 Yellow Sea
1904 February 9 Varyag sinks
1905 May 27–28 Tsushima Straits: Japan easily defeats Russian fleet between Korea and Japan
1912 Dardanelles
1912 October Lemnos

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World War I (1914–1918)

1914–1918 First Battle of the Atlantic
1914 August 28 Heligoland Bight
1914 November 1 Coronel: German cruisers under von Spee defeat British force off Chile
1914 December 8 Falkland Islands: British cruiser force all but wipes out von Spees squadron in South Atlantic
1915 January 24 Dogger Bank Blucher sunk by British battlecruisers in North Sea
1916 May 31–June 1 Jutland
1917 Raid on the Otranto Barrage

1919 British raid on Kronstadt

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World War II (1939–1945)

1939–1945 Second Battle of the Atlantic
1939 December 13 River Plate
1940 July 3 Mers-el-Kebir: British fleet attacks French fleet in harbour in Algeria
1940 July 9 Dakar
1940 November 1 Taranto: British fleet attacks Italians anchored at Taranto, inspiring the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
1940 November 27 Cape Spartivento (Cape Teulada) - British fight back an Italian interception
1941 March 28 Cape Matapan: British fleet defeats Italian fleet
1941 May 24–27 - Hunt for Bismarck
1941 December 7 Pearl Harbor
1941 December 17 1942 February 27 Java Sea: Japanese destroy ABDA fleet
1942 March 22 Second Syrte
1942 May 8 Coral Sea
1942 June 4–5 Midway: US fleet sinks four Japanese carriers in western Pacific Ocean
1942 August 8 Savo Island: Japanese destroy a US cruiser force
1942 August 24 Eastern Solomons: Japanese aircraft carrier Ryuho sunk
1942 October 12 Cape Esperance
1942 October 26 Santa Cruz Islands: near Guadalcanal, USS Hornet sunk, but Japanese withdraw
1942 November 12–15 Guadalcanal: four days and nights of fighting
1942 November 30 Tassafaronga
1943 January 29 Rennell Island: USS Chicago lost
1943 March 26 Komandorski Islands: US cruiser force turns back a Japanese fleet
1943 November 2 Empress Augusta Bay
1943 December 26 North Cape: British ships sink Scharnhorst off northern Norway
1944 June 19 Philippine Sea: US shoots down hundreds of Japanese aircraft
1944 October 23–26 Leyte Gulf: Gigantic battle consisting of four main actions; in the Sibuyan Sea, Surigao Straits, off Samar, and off Cape Engano

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After 1945

1964 Gulf of Tonkin
1971 December 9 Pakistani submarine Hangor sinks Indian frigate Kukri (first submarine sinking since World War II)
1982 May Falklands War


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