{{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Assault on Cádiz (1797) | partof = the French Revolutionary Wars | image = Nelson's Blockading Squadron at Cadiz 1797.jpg | image_size = 300 | caption = Nelson's Blockading Squadron at Cádiz 1797 by T. Buttersworth, oil on canvas. | date = June 1797 | place = Coast of Cádiz, Spain | result = Spanish victory British assault repelled Failure of the bombardment of the city Economic losses for both countries | combatant1 = | combatant2 = Spain | commander1 = Horatio Nelson John Jervis | commander2 = José de Mazarredo Federico Gravina | strength1 = | strength2 = | casualties1 = 3 armed boats sunkVictorys launch drivenashore | casualties2 = 3 armed boats captured }} The Assault on Cádiz''' was a part of a protracted naval blockade of the Spanish port of Cádiz by the Royal Navy, which comprised the siege and the shelling of the city as well as an amphibious assault on the port itself from June to July 1797. After the battle of Cape Saint Vincent the British fleet led by Lord Jervis and Sir Horatio Nelson had appeared in the Gulf of Cádiz. In the first days of June the city was bombarded, causing slight damage to the Spanish batteries, navy and city. Nelson's objective was to force the Spanish admiral Jose Mazarredo to leave the harbour with the Spanish fleet. The Spanish response was to build gunboats and small ships to protect the entrance of the harbour from the British. By early July, after a series of failed attacks led by Rear Admiral Nelson, and with the British ships taking huge fire from the Spanish forts and batteries, the British withdrew and the siege was lifted. The naval blockade, however, lasted until 1802. Background In February 1797, the British routed a Spanish fleet near Cape St. Vincent but failed to strike a solid blow against the Spanish Navy in the uneven struggle. Admiral Sir John Jervis sailed for Lisbon after the engagement, frustrated at the escape of several valuable prizes including . New orders from the Admiralty demanded him to blockade and subdue the Spanish port of Cádiz, where much of the battered Spanish fleet had sought shelter. The First Sea Lord had ordered the assault as he believed that Jervis' victory over José de Córdoba y Ramos guaranteed a successful attack on that strategic harbour. Blockade begins