Battle of Winchelsea

Timeline

1. 1350English Channel · English ChannelRelations between Castile's King Alfonso XI and England deteriorated; Castilian fleets raided English merchant shipping in the Channel and threatened southern ports. Edward III assembled about 50 warships and, with the help of the Black Prince and others, sailed from Southampton and elsewhere to intercept the Castilian fleet passing through the Channel.
2. 1350Off Winchelsea · East SussexThe two fleets met off Winchelsea; both sides rammed and grappled their ships, with crossbowmen and longbowmen exchanging fire at close range. The large Castilian warships, though well equipped, were outmaneuvered by the coordinated English fleet and fire attacks, and many ships were captured or sunk.
3. 1350Winchelsea · East SussexThe Castilian fleet was forced to withdraw, and England won a decisive victory, capturing much booty and many ships. Though it did not change the land balance of the Hundred Years' War, the battle greatly boosted English confidence in controlling the Channel and became an important case in late medieval naval warfare, often referred to by the later French name "Les Espagnols sur Mer."