Second Battle of Algeciras

The First Battle of Algeciras was a naval battle fought on 6 July 1801 (17 messidor an IX of the French Republican Calendar) between a squadron of British Royal Navy ships of the line and a smaller French Navy squadron at anchor in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras in the Strait of Gibraltar. The British outnumbered their opponents, but the French position was protected by Spanish gun batteries and the complicated shoals that obscured the entrance to Algeciras Bay. The French squadron, under Contre-Amiral Charles Linois, had stopped at Algeciras en route to the major Spanish naval base at Cadiz, where they were to form a combined French and Spanish fleet for operations against Britain and its allies in the French Revolutionary Wars. The British, under Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, sought to eliminate the French squadron before it could reach Cadiz and form a force powerful enough to overwhelm Saumarez and launch attacks against British forces in the Mediterranean Sea. Sailing directly from his blockade station off Cadiz, Saumarez's squadron consisted of six ships of the line, twice the number under Linois's command. Discovering the French at anchor in Algeciras on the morning of 6 July, Saumarez launched an immediate attack on the anchorage through the complicated shoals of Algeciras Bay. Although the initial attack caused severe damage to the French ships, light winds and shallow water led to the British ship HMS Hannibal grounding under heavy fire while the French vessels were driven on shore to prevent their capture. With his intentions frustrated, Saumarez ordered his squadron to withdraw, five of his ships limping out of the bay while the battered Hannibal remained trapped. Isolated and unable to manoeuvre, Captain Solomon Ferris on Hannibal endured the enemy fire for another half an hour before surrendering his ship. Both sides had suffered severe damage and casualties, but both were also aware that the battle would inevitably be rejoined and so the aftermath of the British defeat was one of frenzied activity at Gibraltar, Algeciras and Cadiz. While the British and French squadrons conducted hasty repairs, the French and Spanish fleet at Cadiz was prepared for a rescue mission, a heavy squadron arriving at Algeciras on 12 July. As the Spanish squadron departed with Linois's ships, they were attacked again by Saumarez's squadron at the Second Battle of Algeciras and caught at night by faster and more manoeuvrable ships, which resulted in the British inflicting heavy losses on the Spanish rearguard but failing for a second time to destroy the French squadron.

The Port of Algeciras is the port and harbour of Algeciras, a city located in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is a commercial, fishing and passenger port. Primarily a transshipment port, its position near the Strait of Gibraltar and key east–west shipping routes establishes it as one of the busiest transshipment hubs in the world. It competes with Tanger-Med for the local transshipment market. It consists of numerous maritime infrastructures scattered throughout the Bay of Gibraltar. Although only the town of Algeciras and La Línea de la Concepción overlook the bay, there are port facilities in the rest of the bank, also belonging to the municipalities of San Roque and Los Barrios. It is managed along the port of Tarifa by the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay.

The auxiliary ship Olterra was a 5,000 ton Italian tanker scuttled by her own crew at Algeciras in the Bay of Gibraltar on 10 June 1940, after the entry of Italy in World War II. She was recovered in 1942 by a special unit of the Decima Flottiglia MAS to be used as an undercover base for manned torpedoes in order to attack Allied shipping at Gibraltar.

Fuerte de Isla Verde (English: Green Island Fort) was a military installation formerly located in Algeciras, Spain. It occupied the Isla Verde (English: Green Island), which gave its name to the city as a whole (via the Arabic name Al-Jazira Al-Khadra', English: Green Island, corrupted into "Algeciras"). The elongated island, which stood a short distance offshore of the city's old town, was already the site of an artillery battery in 1720. In 1734 the fort was constructed on the island to the plans of the military engineer Juan de Subreville. Further remodeling took place in 1745 under Lorenzo de Solís. The installation, which followed the roughly triangular shape of the island, was initially equipped with three batteries. These were: The Algeciras Battery (known from 1745 as the San Cristobal Battery, English: St. Christopher's Battery), situated on the eastern side of the island. It faced northwards and controlled the maritime access routes to the New Town of Algeciras. It was about 20 metres (66 ft) wide and could accommodate four or five guns. The Main Battery (Santa Barbara Battery, English: St. Barbara's Battery, from 1745), facing southeasterly towards the entrance of the Bay of Gibraltar. Its arc of fire overlapped with that of the Fuerte de San García, another fortress in Algeciras. It was about 40 metres (130 ft) wide and could accommodate thirteen heavy cannon. The San García Battery (the San Francisco Battery, English: St. Francis' Battery, from 1745), on the western side of the island, facing southwest. Its arc of fire overlapped with a shore battery at Punta Rodeo. This was the smallest of the fort's three batteries, measuring only 9 metres (30 ft) wide with room for two guns.The island was ringed by a masonry wall to block access to invaders. Several buildings occupied the interior of the fort. Up to 70 men could be accommodated in the living quarters, located next to the Algeciras Battery, which were divided into separate spaces for the officers and rank-and-file. A grocery storeroom was also located there. The gunners were quartered in a barracks next to the San García Battery, alongside the artillery store where gun carriages and spare gear was stored. The building was protected by a large shoulder to protect it from enemy fire. In the centre of the island was the main magazine, constructed with thick walls to reduce the risk that a projectile hitting the building would detonate the shells and ammunition stored inside. Drinking water was drawn from a well constructed nearby. There was only one entrance to the fort, in the northwest quadrant of the island adjoining the beach. This was the most vulnerable point of the structure so it was reinforced by external obstacles located on the beach. It was also reconfigured several times during the fort's existence to strengthen it.In 1810 most of Spanish fortifications around the Bay of Gibraltar were demolished by the British in 1810, during the Peninsular War, to stop them falling into French hands. However, the fort at Isla Verde was not affected and underwent remodelling and reinforcement on several occasions during the 19th century. By 1821 the number of batteries had been increased to five. A number of firing positions were added to facilitate the use of muskets from the fortress walls and the batteries were paved with flagstones to make it easier to move the gun carriages around. But, during the course of the century the fort gradually fell into ruin. Deficiencies in its construction and erosion caused by the sea caused the structure to deteriorate, and in 1863 the Faro de Isla Verde (English: Green Island Lighthouse) was built on top of the old San García Battery.Improvements in artillery technology meant that by the start of the 20th century the fort had lost its previous military importance. In 1919 its management passed into the hands of the newly created Board of Harbour Works, which had to bear the cost of relocating the munitions stored there to a new magazine – which it also had to pay for – at Punta de San García. A breakwater was constructed to the north of the island to provide shelter for the construction of the docks of the Port of Algeciras. Military use continued for a while; the fort was reoccupied during the Second World War when two bunkers with machine-gun posts were constructed and manned by a detachment of 40 soldiers, for whom a barracks and kitchen were built. The fort was partly destroyed in the 1960s when an expansion of the port resulted in warehouses and factories being built on the site.The fort was given protected status as an historical heritage site in 1985 and was awarded special recognition in 1993 by the Government of Andalusia. In 2006, the Port Authority of Algeciras sponsored work to excavate and restore the surviving parts of the fort. The remains of the structure were partly reconstructed in an attempt to restore it to a semblance of its original appearance.

Lighthouse of Isla Verde (Spanish: Faro de Isla Verde) is an inactive lighthouse in Algeciras, Spain. It is located at the southern end of an old fort, on Isla Verde, an island that has been incorporated into the Port of Algeciras. The lighthouse was designed and built by Jaime Font in 1863 and inaugurated in 1864. It is a polygonal stone tower, plastered with lime. The focal plane is 26 m above mean sea level and 9 m above the ground. Today the lighthouse is not in service as it has been replaced by beacons at the port.

The Algeciras Heliport (Spanish: Helipuerto de Algeciras) is a public heliport in Algeciras (Cádiz, Spain). It was inaugurated on July 1, 2010, by the Minister of Development, José Blanco. It was the second helipad of the network AENA after Ceuta Heliport. Construction had started in February 2009. It provides transport to Ceuta and other areas in the Campo de Gibraltar. The only airport existing in the area is the one in the neighbouring British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.It was expected to begin operation in July 2010. The heliport is located on the current parking building of the Port of Algeciras. The setup of the heliport has involved the extension of an existing building and the ground keeping an area of 32 x 24 meters to take off the vehicle and a safe area of 8 x 5 meters. It is supplemented by the service units for rescue and firefighting and various units of maintenance. The helicopter used in the city will be a model Bell 412 EP that will allow communication with the city of Ceuta in just 10 minutes.The heliport platform is 2,400 m2 and a height of 30 meters above sea level. The passenger terminal is located in the Passenger Terminal Building.

Parque de la Conferencia is a park in Algeciras, southeastern Spain. Established in 2007 to mark the centenary of the Algeciras Conference. It covers an area of 9,011 square metres (96,990 sq ft) and is divided into several zones.

The Roman fish salting factory (Spanish: Factoría romana de salazones) was a salting factory established on the seafront of Algeciras, southeastern Spain by the Romans. It belonged to the fishing village of San Nicolás, part of what was called Caetaria. A site of archaeological and historical interest, it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural site on 27 June 2002.

The Kursaal of Algeciras is a building in the Paseo del Rio de la Miel of Algeciras, Spain. It is the work of artist Guillermo Pérez Villalta and architect Enrique Salvo. Also known as the Kursaal Congress Centre or Rio de la Miel, it was opened in 2007 after a decade of work. The building was designed in the late nineties as the seat of the Chamber of Commerce of Gibraltar but the work was halted until being rescued by the city council. The decorative details of Kursaal are largely the strength of the building, and display many mosaics depicting mythological themes of the Strait of Gibraltar area. Its lighthouse tower is accessible by a spiral staircase on the inside. The building contains the main auditorium for the council and a library. The Kursaal has become the permanent centre seat of relations between the Maghreb and the Fundación Dos Orillas (Two Shores Foundation), an agency of the provincial government whose function is to promote relations between the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar by holding cultural activities.

Hotel Sevilla is a historic hotel in Algeciras, Spain. Its construction took place between 1922 and 1925 by the Madrid-based architect Emilio Antón. It is built in the neo-baroque style, with four floors. The balconies and balusters contain decorative floral motifs.Today the building is home to the González-Gaggero family and is protected as a remarkable architectural monument under Grade II of the Plan General de Ordenación Urbana (General Urban Plan of Algeciras).

Hotel Anglo-Hispano is a building in Algeciras, Spain. It was originally used as a hotel and is now used as an office space.

Parque de las Acacias de Algeciras is a park in Algeciras, southeastern Spain. Established in 1975, it covers an area of 19,300 square metres (208,000 sq ft). The Museo municipal de Algeciras lies to the north and Villa Smith lies in the southern part of the park. The historic Hotel Reina Cristina overlooks the park on its western side.