Lagos belongs to a cluster of recurring battle sites around Cape St Vincent, Trafalgar, Cádiz, and the Strait of Gibraltar. Fleets leaving the Mediterranean faced a geographic choice shaped by winds and currents. They could stand out into the Atlantic or remain close to the coast, where an opponent could predict and intercept their route. The passage turns a battle name into a lesson about how physical geography channels naval movement.
Notable Point · 3:00:23-3:01:30
Why fleets repeatedly met off Lagos
Winds, currents, and the choice between an Atlantic passage and a coast-hugging route made the approaches to Lagos a recurring interception zone.