Battle of Winchelsea

The Battle of Winchelsea or the Battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer , was a naval battle that took place on 29 August 1350 and was a victory for an English fleet of 50 ships commanded by King Edward III over a Castilian fleet of 47 larger vessels commanded by Charles de La Cerda. Between 14 and 26 Castilian ships were captured, and several were sunk. Only two English vessels were sunk but there was significant loss of life. The battle was part of the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

English trade, war finance and ability to bring force to bear against France was heavily reliant on seaborne transportation, especially to its territory in Gascony. With its own ability to raise and support a fleet much reduced by English activities, the French hired Castilian ships to blockade English ports. Frustrated by their effectiveness, Edward III himself led the fleet which intercepted them and inflicted heavy losses. In spite of this success English trade and ports had little respite from French, and French sponsored, naval activity. At La Rochelle in 1372, the Castilians killed or captured thousands of Englishmen and destroyed almost their entire fleet in return for only minor losses.

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