The Battle of Cape Palos was the last battle of the Second Barbary War. The battle began when an American squadron under Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. attacked and captured an Algerian brig.
Background.
After capturing the Algerian flagship "Meshuda" and sending her to Cartagena under the escort of USS "Macedonian", Stephen Decatur and his squadron continued on their way towards Algiers. On June 19, 1815, they sighted the 22-gun Algerian brig "Estedio".
Battle.
Decatur began pursuit of "Estedio" and chased her into shoal waters near the coast of Spain off Cape Palos. Fearing that his larger vessels might get beached, he sent the smaller vessels in his squadron, the USS "Epervier", USS "Spark", USS "Torch", and USS "Spitfire" to deal with the brig. Here the vessels fought half an hour before the Algerians began to abandon their vessel and surrender. As "Estedio"'s crew members began to flee towards the cape in her boats, the American vessels fired on them, sinking them. The surviving 80 crewmen of "Estedio" surrendered. Besides the 80 captured, "Estedio" lost at least 23 men killed.
Aftermath.
After the battle, a prize crew took "Estedio" to Cartagena, where Spanish authorities interned her. They returned her to Algiers at the end of the war, but then on July 18, 1815 the Algerians declared war on Spain so the Spanish government seized both her and the frigate Mashouda, which Decatur had also captured, at Cartagena.
Decatur's squadron regrouped and continued on its way to Algiers to force Dey Omar Agha to terms.
Sources.
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