The Cabinda Expedition was a military action carried out by Portugal, departing from Brazil, against British positions established in Cabinda, Angola. It was the only recorded conflict between the Portuguese and the British during the reign of King John V of Portugal.
Expedition
The Conselho Ultramarino decided to conduct an expedition with the objective of expelling the British, which were supposed to depart from Brazilian territory. The governor-general of Brazil, Vasco Fernandes César de Meneses, was tasked with mobilizing troops for the expedition and providing ships from the Brazilian fleet for it's naval operations.
On the 16th[1] or 17th[2] of May 1723, the ships Nossa Senhora da Madre de Deus, of 60 guns, and the Nossa Senhora da Atalaia, of 52 guns, along with 16 merchant ships, departed from the Tagus River headed for Bahia. The fleet was commanded by captain José de Semedo Maia, accompanied by commander Estêvão José de Almeida.[1] Upon arrival, Nossa Senhora da Atalaia was sent to Angola with the mission to destroy a fort built by the British. Semedo arrived in Luanda on September 12, and headed north on October 6th to scout the area occupied by the British.[1]
After two weeks, the ship discovered that the British positions included: a newly built fort, armed with 30 cannons, two sloops-of-war with fewer than 18 cannons each, and a merchant ship. Following the orders of King John V, Nossa Senhora de Atalaia, commanded by Estêvão José de Almeida, demanded the surrender of the British fort.
When the British refused, the Pará commander opened fire, initially targeting the two British ships, forcing their crews to abandon the vessels and flee to their fort. Following this, the Portuguese ship and the British fort engaged in two days of intense gunfire, culminating in the British surrender. In exchange for their surrender, the British requested the captured ships from the Portuguese-Brazilian forces, which they used to return to Europe.
Thus, after taking possession of the fortification (which has been maintained by the Portuguese since then), Portugal reaffirmed its position on the west coast of Africa and in the South Atlantic trade, while no protest was sent to King John V by the British.
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