The Battle of Palermo was a naval battle of the Franco-Dutch War which was fought off Palermo, Sicily on 2 June 1676.
Following the Battle of Augusta, at which Admiral Michiel de Ruyter was mortally wounded, the Dutch and Spanish ships made their repairs at Palermo and fell under the command of Vice Admiral Jan den Haen and Admiral Don Diego de Ibarra. At the same time, the French admirals Abraham Duquesne, Anne Hilarion de Tourville, and Jean Gabaret planned a decisive battle with the Dutch-Spanish fleet, and Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart was sent with a large fleet to destroy the enemy. The two fleets met in the bay near Palermo on 2 June 1676.
The French engaged the Spanish ships first, before attacking the Dutch ships and coastal batteries, planning on taking advantage of the smoky air to mask the approach of their fire ships. The Spanish ships were unable to maintain their line of battle and left the line without order; these ships were burned by French fire ships, and Admiral Juan de Villaroel was killed when two Spanish galleys were destroyed by artillery fire. The Spanish flagship Nuestra Señora del Pilar was attacked by four French fireships and exploded, killing Don Diego and Admiral Francisco Pereire Freire de La Cerda. French fireships also killed the Dutch admiral Pieter van Middelandt aboard the Steenbergen, and Den Haen was killed by a cannonball aboard his flagship Gouda. With all the Dutch and Spanish admirals killed, Gerard Callenburgh assumed command of the Dutch-Spanish fleet. The town of Palermo itself caught fire after a Spanish shore battery exploded. The French fleet retreated after using up all of its fire ships, with Rochechouart de Mortemart deciding that the battle had been won, and that it was better to return to Messina without losing a single warship. However, the French victory achieved very little, and the French forces in Sicily were recalled on 1 January 1678.