British ships pursued and attacked Spanish groups spread across a broad area after the Spanish formation broke apart. Separate clashes unfolded during a general chase instead of between two orderly battle lines. Paintings that compress every ship into one scene make the action look more coherent than it was. The forces also mixed second, third, fourth, and fifth rates rather than relying on a standardized line of large ships. Cape Passaro is best understood as a dispersed pursuit rather than the kind of set-piece fleet battle familiar from the Napoleonic Wars.
Notable Point · 25:01-26:48
Cape Passaro's dispersed running engagement
Cape Passaro was a dispersed chase and series of clashes, so paintings that gather every ship into one scene can mislead viewers about how the fighting unfolded.