Armada of 1779

The Armada of 1779 was an exceptionally large joint French and Spanish fleet intended, with the aid of a feint by the American Continental Navy, to facilitate an invasion of Britain, as part of the wider American War of Independence, and in application of the Franco-American alliance. The initial Franco-Spanish plan was to seize the Isle of Wight, and then capture the British naval base of Portsmouth which France planned to retain after the war. Ultimately no fleet actions were fought in the Channel and the French and Spanish invasion never materialised. The threat to Britain drew comparisons with the Spanish Armada of 1588.