The Battle of Cape St. Vincent became known as the Moonlight Battle because combat continued from the afternoon until around midnight. Night action was unusual and made cohesion and ship handling especially important. Rodney's fleet was copper sheathed, reducing fouling and helping preserve speed during the interception. A material maintenance improvement became an operational advantage in a convoy campaign.
Notable Point · 1:31:01-1:31:57
Copper sheathing gives Rodney freedom in the Moonlight Battle
The Gibraltar relief includes a rare night fleet action in which copper-sheathed British ships held a mobility advantage over the Spanish squadron.