The Battle of Vigo Bay (also called the Battle of Rande) was fought in October 1702 near the narrows of Rande during the War of the Spanish Succession, when an Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked a Spanish treasure fleet under French naval escort. Fifteen Spanish and French vessels were sunk along with a reportedly vast cargo of silver and gold from the Americas.
The site of the battle is at the narrows where the ría constricts before broadening into the inner San Simón Bay. The modern Rande suspension bridge crosses the ría here — visible from the road and striking in its own right, it opened in 1981. From the bridge or the waterfront, you can look down at the water where the 17th-century naval engagement took place.