round shot and gunpowder during the battle, having expended large quantities of ammunition bombarding Gibraltar during their capture of the settlement. As the night set in, senior officers in the Anglo-Dutch fleet ordered a redistribution of ammunition among their ships to sustain the engagement, though by the next morning each ship only had approximately ten cannonballs left per gun. When a change in the wind direction gave the French fleet a favourable weather gage, Rooke and Callenburgh decided to withdraw, deciding that the shortage of ammunition in their ships meant that they could no longer continue the engagement. As noted by historian Cathal J. Nolan, the French captains present proved reluctant to pursue, being unaware of the superior gunnery skills of their crews, which had killed 3,000 sailors, marines and officers from the Anglo-Dutch fleet (in comparison, the French lost 1,500 men killed and wounded). During the battle, neither side lost a single ship, though both fleets had suffered extensive damage; many ships in the Anglo-Dutch fleet had lost some or all of their masts. On 26 August, the two fleets sighted each other again, though no engagement occurred as both sides were reluctant to commit their ships to battle, with the French in particular being concerned about a shortage of ammunition. The French fleet eventually returned to Toulon, claiming a victory in the engagement based on their enemies unwillingness to engage on the 26th. However, the French decision to return to Toulon turned what up until that point had been a tactical draw into a strategic defeat, as France never put a fleet to sea again for the duration of the conflict, allowing the Grand Alliance to gain naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. Once he had ensured that the French Navy was no longer pursuing him, Rooke ordered his fleet to sail for Gibraltar for repairs on 19 August. Aftermath Having managed to successfully counter the French naval threat, Rooke left as much men, weaponry and supplies as he could at Gibraltar before sailing for home on 24 September. Before leaving, he split off a portion of his fleet (consisting of 18 warships), ordering his subordinate Sir John Leake to lead it in undergoing naval patrols off the Portuguese and Spanish coastlines. Spanish Bourbons had already received news of the loss of Gibraltar, and in early September the Marquis of Villadarias led 4,000 Bourbon troops to the vicinity of