On this day 6 May - a British-Spanish Tango

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On the 6th of May 1801, the HMS Speedy captured the El Gamo of the Spanish Navy off the coast of Barcelona. At dawn, HMS Speedy, under the command of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, spotted and closed on El Gamo, under the command of Don Francisco de Torris. At 9:30 a.m., El Gamo fired and raised the Spanish colors. Speedy replied by raising American colors. This tactic enabled the Speedy to get closer to the Spanish ship, upon which Cochrane raised the British colors, having successfully dodged two broadsides. The Speedy ran alongside El Gamo, entangling both ships rigging. The Spaniards were unable to effectively shoot the Speedy due to the British ship lying lower than the Spanish guns, and instead fired through the Speedy’s sails. The British responded with double- and treble-shots that ripped through El Gamo’s sides and decks, killing de Torris and his boatswain. El Gamo’s second-in-command ordered the boarding of HMS Speedy, but Cochrane pulled away and battered the Spanish boarding parties with cannon shot and musket fire. Three times, the British prevented the Spaniards from boarding. With the Spanish returning to their cannons, Cochrane placed his entire crew into two parties and boarded El Gamo. Only the British doctor was left to man the Speedy. Half of the British crewmen had their faces blackened, which caused the Spaniards to waver long enough for the other half of the boarding party to attack. During the fight, Cochrane ordered the removal of the Spanish colors, and called to his doctor to send over the remaining crewmen, of which there were none, to assist in the fight. The Spanish crewmembers ceased fighting, believing their officers had surrendered. What distinguishes this engagement is that El Gamo was a 32-gun xebec frigate with a complement of 319 men, and was armed with 8- and 12-pounders and 24-pounder carronades. The HMS Speedy, on the other hand, was a 14-gun brig with a compliment of 54 men, and was armed with 4-pounders. El Gamo was four times the size of HMS Speedy, had six times the crew, and more than seven times the fire power in pounds.

Thomas Cochrane:

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The Battle:

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For more on today's event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_6_May_1801