Two additional Spanish ships were captured during the Moonlight Battle but subsequently returned to Spanish control. The dispute concerns the timing of their recapture and the terms under which Spanish prisoners helped keep the ships afloat in the storm. The British account treats the recapture as a breach of parole, while the Spanish account places it after the prisoners had fulfilled their obligation. Both accounts had reasons to present the sequence in a way that preserved national and personal honour. The chronology remains uncertain, and conditions aboard storm-damaged prizes make a confident verdict difficult.
Notable Point · 1:24:27-1:27:01
The disputed recapture of two Spanish prizes
Conflicting British and Spanish accounts turn on whether prisoners had fulfilled their parole obligations before retaking two ships.