The Battle of the Bay of Velez was a naval battle between the forces of Salah Reis and a Portuguese flotilla in which the forces of Salah Reis emerged victorious.[1][2]
| Battle of the Bay of Velez | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Portuguese Empire |
 Regency of Algiers | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Salah Reis | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 40 vessels | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown deaths, all captured | Unknown | ||||||
The winter of 1552–1553 in the Regency of Algiers, was devoted to outfitting a fleet.[3] In the beginning of June, Salah Reis embarked from Algiers and set out with a fleet of 40 vessels, galliots, galleys and brigantines.[3][2]
On July 5, 1553, while at sea with his squadron, Salah Reis came across and defeated a Portuguese fleet at the bay of Velez.[2][1] The entire flotilla and its caravels were captured and the Portuguese and Moroccans were taken captive and brought to Velez.[3]
The booty was offered to the Saadi ruler as a token of friendship and neighbourliness and also to dissuade him from launching raids on Oran.[3] Despite this offer a new border incident occurred, and Salah Reis spent his winter preparing an expedition against Morocco, after which he defeated the Saadi ruler in the Battle of Taza.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c Salmi, Abdelhadi Radjai. "Irregular naval warfare in early modern age: the case of Algerian privateering in the 16th and 17th century. الحرب البحرية غير النظامية أوائل العصر الحديث: حالة حرب القرصنة الجزائرية في القرنين 16 و17 الميلاديين." مجلة الدراسات التاريخية العسكرية 4, no. 3 (2022): 153-168. p.155.
- ^ a b c d Algeria and Transatlantic Relations. United Kingdom: Brookings Institution Press, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Braudel, Fernand. La Méditerranée et le monde méditeranéen à l'époque de Philippe II. (The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Era of Philip II) France: A. Colin, 1966.