The siege could not be judged only by the troops on the isthmus. Gibraltar entered the blockade with enough stores for many months and perhaps years, giving Britain time to assemble a deliberate relief. Rodney's January 1780 convoy added the 73rd Highlanders, British stores, and the provisions from a captured Spanish convoy. His route also turned Spanish interception into the Action of 8 January and the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. Rodney consequently reached Gibraltar with more ships and supplies than he had brought south, making naval command translate directly into garrison endurance.
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Rodney's first relief turns supply into naval victory
The first relief of Gibraltar shows how a convoy mission became a captured Spanish supply convoy, a reinforced garrison, and a fleet victory off Cape St. Vincent.