Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792
The Seven Years War and the American War of Independence at sea: Quiberon Bay, the Chesapeake, the Saintes, Suffren in the Indian Ocean, and the Russian and Swedish fleets in the Baltic and the Black Sea.
This chapter of Naval Battles holds 188 battles. For each one we give when and where it was fought, who fought it, the ships that took part, what happened, how it ended and why it is remembered. See all 2,188 battles on one page.
Marea can build any of the ships that fought in these battles, as she was on the day, with the maximum detail the records permit. Many of these battles cost thousands of lives, and we build their ships with that in mind.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence, from naval histories, museums, official records and encyclopaedias in many languages. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these battles better than we do.
Have you spotted a mistake, or is a battle missing? Tell us which battle and what to correct, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The battles
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish-Barbary Wars
Action of 28 November 1751 Single-ship action
Also known as Bataille du cap Saint-Vincent (1751) (French)
28 November to 2 December 1751 · Off Cape St Vincent, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Spain against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Pedro Fitz-James Stuart (Spain); Mohammed Chirif (Algiers)
Forces 2 Spanish ships of the line against 2 Algerine ships of the line
Ships Dragón, Danzik, Castillo Nuevo
Losses Spain: 3 killed, 25 wounded. Algiers: 194 killed, 90 wounded; the flagship Danzik destroyed. 50 European slaves were freed.
Result Spanish victory
A Spanish squadron under Pedro Fitz-James Stuart found two Algerine corsair ships of the line off Cape St Vincent. The Algerines fired first, then tried to escape; Castillo Nuevo got away to port, but Fitz-James Stuart's Dragón caught the Algerine flagship Danzik and fought her over two days until she was disabled. Her crew and the Christian slaves in her hold were taken off and the wreck was set on fire.
Why it is remembered Fitz-James Stuart returned to Spain to recognition from the Spanish Navy. The fight between Dragón and Danzik is shown in an anonymous engraving.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Ottoman wars with the Knights of Malta
Battle of Vetiloz Fleet battle
Also known as Vetiloz Deniz Muharebesi (Turkish)
Late October 1751 · Vetiloz Bay, Cape Manya (Mani)
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Knights of Malta
Commanders Emeksiz Mehmed Kaptan (Ottoman Empire)
Forces An Ottoman squadron against a Maltese squadron of four vessels
Result Decisive Ottoman victory
An Ottoman squadron under Emeksiz Mehmed Kaptan caught a Maltese squadron of four vessels in Vetiloz Bay at Cape Manya at the end of October 1751 and defeated it decisively.
Sources Wikipedia (TR)
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Portuguese battles in the East
Battle of Calicut (1752) Single-ship action
11 December 1752 · Off Calicut, Malabar Coast of India
Fought between Portuguese Empire against the Maratha Empire
Commanders João de Melo Saraiva (Portugal); Maratha commander unknown
Forces 1 Portuguese ship of the line (an East Indiaman), Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia, against 21 Maratha vessels: 3 grabs, 7 pals and 11 gallivats
Ships Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia
Losses Portugal: few. Marathas: heavy.
Result Portuguese victory
Twenty-one Maratha vessels attempting to take the city of Calicut were engaged by the Portuguese ship Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia under João de Melo Saraiva. The Portuguese beat them off and the Marathas retreated.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish-Barbary Wars
Action of 16 April 1755 Single-ship action
Also known as Batalla de Benidorm (Spanish)
16 April 1755 · Off Benidorm, Spain
Fought between Spain against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders José Flon y Sesma (Spain); Archimussa (Algiers), captured
Forces 5 Spanish xebecs against 3 Algerine xebecs with 60 guns
Losses Spain: 5 killed, 50 wounded. Algiers: 3 xebecs sunk, all crews killed or captured. 14 European slaves were freed.
Result Spanish victory
Five Spanish xebecs fought three Algerine xebecs off Benidorm in an action lasting 14 hours. The Spanish sank all three and killed or captured their crews.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · French and Indian War
Action of 8 June 1755 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat du 8 juin 1755 (French)
8 June 1755 · Off Cape Ray, Newfoundland, Gulf of St Lawrence
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Edward Boscawen (Great Britain); Toussaint Hocquart (France)
Forces 3 British ships of the line against 3 French ships of the line
Ships Alcide, Lys
Losses Britain: 7 killed, 25 wounded. France: 130 killed or wounded, 2,000 captured; 2 ships of the line captured.
Result British victory
Early in the French and Indian War, ships of Edward Boscawen's squadron intercepted French ships off Cape Ray and captured the third rates Alcide and Lys.
Why it is remembered The action helped bring about the declarations of war in 1756 that formally began the Seven Years' War. The capture is shown in the painting The Capture of the Alcide and Lys, 8 June 1755.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Minorca (1756) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Minorque (French)
20 May 1756 · Off Minorca, Balearic Islands
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière (France); John Byng (Great Britain)
Forces 12 French ships of the line and 5 frigates against 12 or 13 British ships of the line with attached frigates
Ships Ramillies (Byng's flagship), Defiance, Portland, Lancaster, Buckingham, Captain, Intrepid, Revenge, Princess Louisa, Trident, Culloden, Kingston, Deptford; Foudroyant (La Galissonière's flagship), Redoutable, Téméraire, Hippopotame, Orphée, Sage, Guerrier, Fier, Content, Lion, Couronne, Triton
Losses France: 38 killed, 184 wounded. Britain: 45 killed, 162 wounded.
Result French strategic victory
Byng's fleet, sent to relieve the British garrison besieged on Minorca, met the French fleet of La Galissonière. Poor signalling caused confusion and delay as the British turned to close; the British van was badly damaged by the more heavily armed French ships while the rear, with Byng's flagship, never came within effective range. A council of war agreed the fleet could do no more, and Byng returned to Gibraltar.
Why it is remembered It was the opening naval battle of the war in Europe and led directly to the fall of Minorca. Byng was court-martialled for failing to do his utmost and shot aboard HMS Monarch at Portsmouth on 14 March 1757, an execution Voltaire mocked in Candide.
Sources differ One account gives 12 British ships of the line and 7 frigates; the order of battle lists 13 ships of the line, 5 frigates and a brig-sloop. Casualties: British 45 killed and 162 wounded, French 38 killed and 184 wounded in one account; British 42 killed and 168 wounded, French 38 killed and 181 wounded in the order of battle tables.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Cap-Français Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille du Cap-Français (French)
21 October 1757 · Off the harbour of Cap-Français, Saint-Domingue
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Arthur Forrest (Great Britain); Guy François Coëtnempren de Kersaint (France)
Forces 3 British ships of the line against 4 French ships of the line and 3 frigates
Losses Britain: 23 killed, 89 wounded. France: 500 to 600 killed and wounded.
Result Inconclusive
Three British ships of the line under Commodore Arthur Forrest were cruising off Saint-Domingue to intercept a French convoy bound for France, but its escort under Kersaint had been heavily reinforced. When the French came out to drive them off, the British attacked. After several hours of fighting both sides were badly damaged; the French returned to port, the British went off for repairs, and the convoy sailed the following month.
Why it is remembered The British officers became popular heroes for fighting against heavy odds. Horatio Nelson, nephew of Captain Maurice Suckling who fought here, took the anniversary as a good omen at Trafalgar, fought 48 years later to the day.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Raid on Rochefort Landing or siege
Also known as Descent on Rochefort
September 1757 · Rochefort, the Basque Roads and Île d'Aix, western France
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders John Mordaunt, Edward Hawke and James Wolfe (Great Britain); Joseph-Marie Budes de Guébriant (France)
Forces 10,000 British troops, 17 ships of the line and several smaller ships against 3,000 French troops and 2 gunboats
Losses Unknown on both sides
Result French victory; the British withdrew
After several delays a British expedition reached the French coast and captured the offshore island of Île d'Aix. The army commander, Sir John Mordaunt, refused to attempt a landing on the mainland, and the force sailed home.
Why it is remembered It was the first of the descents on the French coast championed by William Pitt and was followed by several similar operations in the next years.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Action of 29 April 1758 Single-ship action
29 April 1758 · Bay of Biscay, near Brest
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Peter Denis (Great Britain); Louis-Armand-Constantin de Rohan (France), surrendered
Forces 2 British ships of the line against 1 French ship of the line
Ships HMS Dorsetshire, Raisonnable, HMS Intrepid, HMS Achilles
Losses Britain: 16 killed, 20 wounded. France: 61 killed, 100 wounded; Raisonnable captured.
Result British victory
A British squadron including Intrepid, Dorsetshire and Achilles, blockading Brest, sighted a lone sail to the south west. Dorsetshire under Captain Peter Denis went to investigate and found the French ship of the line Raisonnable bound for Louisbourg. After a fierce fight Raisonnable's captain, Louis de Rohan, surrendered.
Why it is remembered Raisonnable was one of the French ships sent out in the spring of 1758 to support Louisbourg, which was facing a British siege.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Follower of Jean-Marc Nattier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish-Barbary Wars
Battle of Cape Palos (1758) Single-ship action
Also known as Batalla del cabo de Palos (Spanish)
9 to 10 June 1758 · Between Cape Palos and the coast of Barbary, Mediterranean Sea
Fought between Spain against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Isidoro García del Postigo (Spain); Mahamud Rais (Algiers), surrendered
Forces 3 Spanish ships of the line against an Algerine ship of the line and a frigate escorting a prize
Losses Spain: 2 killed, 12 wounded. Algiers: over 100 killed, 44 drowned, 306 prisoners; 1 ship of the line sunk and 1 frigate damaged.
Result Spanish victory
A Spanish squadron of three warships intercepted two Algerine warships escorting a prize. After a long fight the Algerine flagship surrendered and later sank from her damage. Her consort got away from the battle but was wrecked, and the prize escaped. Prisoners were taken and Christian slaves released.
Sources differ One account says the Algerine consort was wrecked; another account lists her only as damaged.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Cartagena (1758) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de Cartagena (1758) (Spanish)
28 February 1758 · Off Cartagena, Spain
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Henry Osborn (Great Britain); Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville (France), captured
Forces 4 British ships of the line engaged against 3 French ships of the line
Ships Foudroyant, HMS Monmouth
Losses France: 2 ships of the line captured; other losses unknown. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
A British fleet under Henry Osborn was blockading a French fleet in Cartagena when a French squadron under Duquesne de Menneville came to its assistance. The British attacked and defeated it, capturing two ships of the line, among them Foudroyant, taken by HMS Monmouth.
Why it is remembered The interception meant that only limited help could reach Louisbourg, which was under British siege and fell later that year. Francis Swaine painted the capture of Foudroyant by Monmouth.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Francis Swaine / After Richard Paton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Cherbourg raid Landing or siege
7 to 16 August 1758 · Cherbourg and Urville-Nacqueville, Normandy, France
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Thomas Bligh, Richard Howe and General Dury (Great Britain); Comte Pierre de Raymond and the Duc d'Harcourt (France)
Forces About 10,000 British troops and over 100 ships against about 9,000 French, mostly militia and coastguard
Losses Britain: about 20 killed and 30 wounded by British returns. France: 5 killed at the landing; harbour works and forts destroyed, about 37 ships burned and the town ransomed for 44,000 livres.
Result British victory
The Royal Navy landed a British force west of Cherbourg near Urville-Nacqueville on 7 August. The troops brushed aside the local defences, entered Cherbourg on 8 August and spent about a week destroying the harbour works and fortifications and sacking the town and nearby parishes. They re-embarked without serious interference on 16 August.
Why it is remembered It was part of the British policy of descents on the French coast, which was abandoned after the disaster at Saint Cast a month later. The raid caused heavy material loss to the town but had little effect on the wider war.
Sources differ British returns give about 20 killed and 30 wounded; French sources claim far higher British losses.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Cuddalore (1758) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Gondelour (French)
29 April 1758 · Off Cuddalore, Carnatic coast of India
Fought between Great Britain against France and the French Indies Company
Commanders George Pocock (Great Britain); Anne Antoine, Comte d'Aché (France)
Forces 7 British ships of the line, 1 frigate and 1 storeship against 6 French ships of the line, 4 frigates and 1 merchantman
Losses Britain: 29 killed, 89 wounded. France: 99 killed, 321 wounded.
Result Inconclusive; the French landed their reinforcements
Pocock's squadron engaged d'Aché's off Cuddalore in the first of their three battles. The fight was indecisive, but the French achieved their aim of delivering the reinforcements awaited by the defenders of Pondicherry.
Why it is remembered The same admirals met again at Negapatam on 3 August 1758 and off Pondicherry on 10 September 1759.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: After Thomas Hudson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)
Siege of Louisbourg (1758) Landing or siege
8 June to 26 July 1758 · Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Fought between Great Britain and British America against France and the Mi'kmaq
Commanders Jeffery Amherst, James Wolfe, Charles Lawrence, Edward Whitmore, Edward Boscawen and James Rogers (Great Britain); Augustin Drucour and Louis de l'Isle (France)
Forces 26,000 men, 40 warships and 150 transports against 7,000 men, 7 ships of the line, 4 frigates and 1 fluyt
Losses Britain: 172 killed, 355 wounded. France: 102 killed, 303 wounded, 6,600 captured; 3 ships of the line destroyed, 2 captured and 1 scuttled, 2 frigates scuttled and 1 fluyt captured.
Result British victory
A British army and fleet besieged the French fortress of Louisbourg, defended by French and Mi'kmaq troops. France tried to send reinforcements by sea, but its fleet was blockaded and defeated. The French ships in the harbour were burnt, captured or scuttled and the fortress surrendered.
Why it is remembered The fall of Louisbourg ended French colonial dominance in Atlantic Canada and opened the way for the British campaign against Quebec in 1759 and the rest of New France the following year.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Negapatam (1758) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Nagapatam
3 August 1758 · Off Negapatam, Carnatic coast of India
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Pocock (Great Britain); Comte d'Aché (France), wounded
Forces 7 British ships of the line and 1 frigate against 8 French ships of the line and 1 frigate
Ships Zodiaque (d'Aché's flagship)
Losses Britain: 31 killed, 166 wounded. France: 250 killed, 600 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
Vice-Admiral George Pocock's squadron met the French squadron of the Comte d'Aché off Negapatam in the second of their three battles of the war. The engagement was short but fierce and both squadrons were heavily damaged. D'Aché's flagship Zodiaque caught fire and d'Aché was severely wounded.
Why it is remembered D'Aché spent the rest of the year recovering in Mauritius.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: After Thomas Hudson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Chinsurah Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Biderra; Battle of Hoogly
24 to 25 November 1759 · Hooghly River and Chinsurah, Bengal
Fought between British East India Company and Bengal against the Dutch East India Company
Commanders Francis Forde, Charles Wilson and Mir Jafar (British East India Company and Bengal); Jean-Baptiste Roussel (Dutch East India Company), surrendered
Forces 3 British East India Company warships with about 1,450 troops against 7 Dutch warships with about 1,950 troops
Losses Dutch: 320 killed, 300 wounded, 550 captured; 6 warships captured and 1 grounded. British: unknown.
Result British victory
Invited by the Nawab of Bengal, Mir Jafar, to help expel the British, the Dutch East India Company sent ships and troops up the Hooghly River, although Britain and the Dutch Republic were not at war. On 24 November several East India Company ships engaged and defeated the ships that had brought the Dutch troops. The next day Francis Forde's troops beat the Dutch force at Chinsurah, fifty kilometres from Calcutta, and forced it to withdraw.
Why it is remembered The defeat ended the Dutch attempt to replace the British as the leading European power in Bengal.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War (Pomeranian War)
Battle of Frisches Haff Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Stettiner Haff
10 September 1759 · Szczecin (Oder) Lagoon, between Neuwarp and Usedom
Fought between Sweden against Prussia
Commanders Carl Rutensparre and Wilhelm von Carpelan (Sweden); Ernst von Köller (Prussia)
Forces 28 Swedish vessels and 2,250 men (4 galleys, 4 demi-galleys, 2 galiots, 3 sloops and 13 gunboats in the main account) against 13 Prussian vessels and 700 men (4 galleys, 4 galiots and 4 gunboats in the main account)
Losses Sweden: 44 killed and wounded, 1 gunboat sunk. Prussia: 30 killed and wounded, 490 captured; 2 galleys and 2 galiots captured, 2 galleys and 2 galiots sunk, 1 gunboat captured.
Result Swedish victory
A Swedish flotilla of galleys, galiots and gunboats attacked the small Prussian flotilla in the Szczecin Lagoon and destroyed it.
Why it is remembered Prussia's small fleet ceased to exist, and without control of the water the Prussian positions on Usedom and Wollin became untenable and were occupied by Swedish troops.
Sources differ One account gives 28 Swedish and 13 Prussian vessels; another account lists 26 Swedish and 12 Prussian vessels.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Lagos Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Lagos (French)
18 to 19 August 1759 · South west of the Gulf of Cádiz and off Lagos, Portugal
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Edward Boscawen (Great Britain); Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran (France), wounded
Forces 15 British ships of the line, 10 frigates, 2 sloops and 2 fireships against 12 French ships of the line and 3 frigates, of which 7 ships of the line were in the battle
Ships Namur (Boscawen's flagship), Newark, Warspite, Culloden, Swiftsure, America, Portland; Océan (La Clue's flagship), Centaure, Redoutable, Téméraire, Modeste, Souverain, Guerrier
Losses Britain: 56 killed, 196 wounded. France: 500 killed, wounded or captured; Centaure, Téméraire and Modeste captured, Océan and Redoutable run aground and burnt.
Result British victory
La Clue took the French Mediterranean Fleet through the Strait of Gibraltar on the night of 17 August but was sighted, and Boscawen's fleet left Gibraltar in confusion in the middle of a refit. Half the French ships failed to follow La Clue's change of course in the dark; the British caught the rest on 18 August and took Centaure after fierce fighting. Two French ships escaped in the moonlit night; on 19 August the remainder sought shelter in neutral Portuguese waters near Lagos, where Boscawen captured Téméraire and Modeste and drove Océan and Redoutable ashore to be burnt.
Why it is remembered It was one of the British victories of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759. Boscawen's breach of Portuguese neutrality was later cited by Spain and France as one pretext for invading Portugal in 1762; Richard Paton painted the battle in 1760.
Sources differ One account's prelude gives Boscawen 12 frigates; another account and order of battle give 10. It says both five and eight French ships went on to Cádiz.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Le Havre raid Raid
Also known as Raid on Le Havre; Raid sur Le Havre (French)
3 to 5 July 1759 · Le Havre, Normandy, France
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Rodney (Great Britain); Charles, Prince of Soubise (France)
Forces 5 British ships of the line, 5 frigates, 1 sloop and 6 bomb ketches against 8,000 French troops, 12 prams and 337 barges
Losses France: several barges destroyed. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
A Royal Navy fleet under Rear-Admiral George Rodney bombarded Le Havre for two days. It destroyed many of the invasion barges being gathered there for the planned French invasion of Britain.
Why it is remembered It is counted as the beginning of the British Annus Mirabilis of 1759.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Joseph-Abel Couture, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Pondicherry Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Pondichéry (French)
10 September 1759 · Off Pondicherry, Carnatic coast of India
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Pocock (Great Britain); Comte d'Aché (France)
Forces 9 British ships of the line and 1 frigate against 11 French ships of the line and 2 frigates
Losses Britain: 184 killed, 385 wounded. France: 1,500 killed or wounded.
Result Inconclusive; the French reached Pondicherry
Vice-Admiral Pocock tried to intercept d'Aché's squadron, which was carrying reinforcements and money for the French at Pondicherry. The battle was indecisive and d'Aché reached Pondicherry on 15 September.
Why it is remembered It was the third and last battle between Pocock and d'Aché. The reinforcements were not enough to reverse the French decline in the Carnatic.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: «ВЭС». (СПб; 1914 год)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Quiberon Bay Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille des Cardinaux (French)
20 to 21 November 1759 · Quiberon Bay, off the coast of Brittany near Saint-Nazaire, Bay of Biscay
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Edward Hawke (Great Britain); Hubert de Brienne (France)
Forces 24 British ships of the line, 7 frigates, 1 bomb vessel and 2 fireships against 21 French ships of the line, 3 frigates, 1 corvette and 2 smaller ships
Ships Royal George (Hawke's flagship), Union, Resolution, Essex, Magnanime, Torbay, Dorsetshire, Hero; Soleil Royal (de Brienne's flagship), Formidable, Thésée, Superbe, Héros, Juste, Inflexible, Intrépide, Tonnant
Losses Britain: 300 killed or wounded; Resolution and Essex wrecked on the Four Shoal. France: 2,520 killed, wounded and captured unknown; Formidable captured, Thésée and Superbe sunk, Soleil Royal and Héros burnt after grounding, Juste and Inflexible wrecked.
Result Decisive British victory
Hawke's fleet, kept off Brest by a westerly gale, came up with the French fleet of de Brienne in heavy weather and followed it into Quiberon Bay among the shoals and reefs of Les Cardinaux. In hard fighting Formidable surrendered to Resolution, Thésée and Superbe went down, Héros surrendered and ran aground, and de Brienne set his grounded flagship Soleil Royal on fire. The rest of the French fleet scattered, some ships escaping into the Vilaine where others were wrecked; two British ships were lost on the Four Shoal.
Why it is remembered One of the Royal Navy's greatest victories, it ended the threat of a French invasion of Britain and secured British naval dominance for the rest of the war, forming part of the Annus Mirabilis of 1759. It was painted by Richard Paton and Dominic Serres.
Sources differ One account says six French ships of the line were sunk or ran aground and one captured; another account gives 1 captured, 2 sunk, 2 scuttled and 2 wrecked. A third account says Superbe capsized, its order of battle says she was sunk by Royal George.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Bishops Court Single-ship action
Also known as The Defeat of Thurot
28 February 1760 · Off Jurby, Isle of Man, Irish Sea
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders John Elliot (Great Britain); François Thurot (France), killed in action
Forces 3 British frigates against 3 French frigates
Losses Britain: 5 killed, 31 wounded. France: 300 killed or wounded, 1,000 captured; all 3 frigates captured.
Result British victory
Three British ships brought the French squadron of the well known commander François Thurot to battle in the Irish Sea between the Isle of Man and Ireland at 9 am. After a close action the French ships were dismasted and sinking, and Thurot was shot through the heart. The British took all three French ships.
Why it is remembered It ended the career of François Thurot, the most famous French raider of the war. The action is shown in a 1780 engraving.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: James Macgovan; William Davie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Cumberland Bay Raid
November 1760 · Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Samuel Uvedale (Great Britain); French commander unknown
Forces 2 British frigates against 3 French privateers
Losses Britain: 4 killed, 7 wounded. France: 2 privateers captured and 1 burned.
Result British victory
Two Royal Navy ships carried out a cutting out operation against three French privateers lying in Guantánamo Bay, then in Spanish Cuba. All three privateers were captured or burned.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War (conquest of New France)
Battle of Pointe-aux-Trembles Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Neuville; Bataille de Neuville (French)
16 May 1760 · Saint Lawrence River, near present day Neuville, Quebec
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Robert Swanton (Great Britain); Jean Vauquelin (France), surrendered
Forces 1 British ship of the line and 2 frigates against 2 French frigates, 2 schooners and 2 armed ships
Losses France: 1 frigate destroyed, 1 frigate, 2 schooners and 2 armed ships captured. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
The British had held Quebec since the previous September, and from April a French force was besieging the city. A Royal Navy relief force forced its way up the Saint Lawrence through the ice and destroyed the French ships under Jean Vauquelin that were supporting the siege.
Why it is remembered The defeat forced the Chevalier de Lévis to raise the siege and ended French attempts to retake Quebec City.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Third Carnatic War (Seven Years' War)
Siege of Pondicherry (1760) Landing or siege
4 September 1760 to 15 January 1761 · Pondicherry, India
Fought between Great Britain and the East India Company against France and the French East India Company
Commanders Eyre Coote (Great Britain); Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally (France), surrendered
Result British victory; Pondicherry surrendered
British land and naval forces besieged the French colonial outpost of Pondicherry for more than four months. With the city running low on supplies and ammunition, the French commander Lally surrendered.
Why it is remembered The citadel was demolished after the siege.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)
Siege of Quebec (1760) Landing or siege
Also known as Second siege of Quebec
29 April to 15 May 1760 · Quebec City and the Saint Lawrence River, New France
Fought between Great Britain against France and the Colony of Canada
Commanders James Murray (Great Britain); François Gaston de Lévis (France)
Forces About 6,000 British troops, 150 guns and 3 ships against 3,500 French regulars, 3,500 militia and native warriors, 132 guns and 6 ships
Ships HMS Vanguard
Losses Britain: 30 killed or wounded, unknown to disease; 1 frigate wrecked. France: 206 to 350 killed or wounded, 300 to 400 captured, 44 guns and all stores captured; 6 ships captured or destroyed.
Result British victory; the siege was raised
A French army under Lévis besieged Quebec, taken by the British the year before. On 15 May British ships arrived to relieve the city, and in the naval action that followed all six French ships were captured or destroyed. Lévis broke off the siege and retreated.
Why it is remembered It was the last French attempt to retake Quebec. The British took Montreal a few months later, completing the conquest of New France, confirmed by the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
Sources differ One account says the siege ended on 15 May 1760; another account gives 17 May 1760.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Peter Paul Benazech / After Hervey Smythe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War (French and Indian War)
Battle of Restigouche Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de la Ristigouche (French)
28 June to 8 July 1760 · Restigouche River, New France
Fought between Great Britain against France, the Acadian militia and the Mi'kmaq
Commanders John Byron (Great Britain); François de Giraudais (France)
Forces 3 British ships of the line and 2 frigates against 1 French frigate and 5 merchantmen
Ships Machault
Losses Britain: 20 killed or wounded. France: 30 killed or wounded; 1 frigate destroyed and 5 merchantmen sunk, destroyed or captured.
Result British victory
A small French flotilla sent to support and resupply the troops in New France after the fall of Quebec took refuge in the Restigouche River, supported by Acadian and Mi'kmaq militias. A Royal Navy squadron under John Byron followed it and over ten days destroyed or took all the French vessels.
Why it is remembered It marked the end of any serious French attempt to hold North America, and was the last major engagement of the Mi'kmaq and Acadian militias before the Burying of the Hatchet Ceremony. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of the Windward Passage Convoy battle
17 to 19 October 1760 · Windward Passage, between Cap-Français and eastern Cuba
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Charles Holmes (Great Britain); French commander unknown
Forces 2 British frigates and 1 post ship against 4 French frigates, 1 corvette and 3 merchant ships
Losses Britain: light. France: 200 casualties; 3 frigates, 1 corvette and 3 merchant ships lost.
Result British victory
A small British force under Charles Holmes fought a French squadron of frigates with merchant ships over three days in the Windward Passage, and the French lost most of their ships.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown, British School, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Action of 17 July 1761 Single-ship action
14 to 17 July 1761 · Off Cádiz, Spain, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Charles Proby (Great Britain); French commander unknown
Forces 2 British ships of the line, 1 frigate and 1 sloop against the French 64-gun Achille and 32-gun frigate Bouffone
Ships HMS Thunderer, HMS Modeste, HMS Thetis, HMS Favourite, Achille, Bouffone
Losses Britain: 17 killed, 114 wounded. France: Achille and Bouffone captured.
Result British victory
Achille and Bouffone were blockaded in Cádiz by a British squadron under Captain Charles Proby in Thunderer. When the French ships tried to leave, Proby chased and caught them. Thunderer suffered heavy losses when one of her guns exploded, but Proby laid her alongside Achille and took her by boarding, while Thetis and Modeste captured Bouffone.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Seven Years' War
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1761) Single-ship action
Also known as Batalla del cabo Finisterre (1761) (Spanish)
13 to 14 August 1761 · Off Cape Finisterre, north west Spain, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Robert Faulknor (Great Britain); Dugué L'Ambert (France), killed in action
Forces The British 74-gun HMS Bellona and 36-gun frigate HMS Brilliant against the French 74-gun Courageux and the 32-gun frigates Malicieuse and Hermine
Ships HMS Bellona, HMS Brilliant, Courageux, Malicieuse, Hermine
Losses Britain: 11 killed, 44 wounded. France: 240 killed, 110 wounded; Courageux captured.
Result British victory
Bellona and Brilliant, carrying specie from Lisbon to Britain, met a French squadron on 13 August and chased it through the night. Next morning Brilliant held off the two French frigates while Bellona fought Courageux. Captain Faulknor manoeuvred Bellona into a raking position and inflicted severe damage and very heavy casualties, forcing Courageux to surrender; the frigates then withdrew.
Why it is remembered Courageux was repaired and served in the Royal Navy for 35 years. The fight between Bellona and Courageux was painted by Henry Fletcher.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (Seven Years' War)
Action of 30 October 1762 Single-ship action
Also known as Acción del 30 de octubre de 1762 (Spanish)
30 October 1762 · From the San Bernardino Strait to off Cavite, near Manila, Philippines
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Hyde Parker and Richard King (Great Britain); Spanish commander unknown
Forces The British 60-gun HMS Panther and frigate HMS Argo against the heavily armed Spanish treasure galleon Santisima Trinidad
Ships HMS Panther, HMS Argo, Santisima Trinidad
Losses Britain: 35 killed, 37 wounded. Spain: 18 killed, 10 wounded, 750 captured; the galleon captured.
Result British victory
HMS Panther under Captain Hyde Parker and HMS Argo under Richard King engaged the Spanish treasure galleon Santisima Trinidad, in a running fight that began in the San Bernardino Strait and ended off Cavite, near British occupied Manila. The galleon was captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (Seven Years' War)
Action of 31 May 1762 Single-ship action
Also known as Acción del 31 de mayo de 1762 (Spanish)
31 May 1762 · Off Cádiz, Spain, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Herbert Sawyer and Philemon Pownoll (Great Britain); Juan de Zabaleta (Spain), surrendered
Forces 1 British frigate and 1 sloop against 1 Spanish frigate
Ships Hermione, HMS Active, HMS Favourite
Losses Spain: the frigate captured. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
Shortly after war was declared between Britain and Spain, the British frigate Active and sloop Favourite intercepted the Spanish frigate Hermione off Cádiz, and she surrendered.
Why it is remembered Hermione was carrying a large cargo of gold and silver, which produced the largest prize money ever awarded to British warships.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Wright, Richard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fantastic War and Anglo-Spanish War (Seven Years' War)
First Cevallos expedition Landing or siege
3 September 1762 to 24 April 1763 · Colonia del Sacramento, Río de la Plata, and southern Brazil
Fought between Spain against Portugal and Great Britain
Commanders Pedro de Cevallos (Spain); Vicente da Silva (Portugal); Robert McNamara (Great Britain), killed in action
Forces Spain: 1 frigate, 1 merchantman, 3 dispatch boats, 12 gunboats, 15 troopships and 2,700 soldiers. Portugal and Britain: 1 ship of the line, 2 frigates, 2 troopships, 5 store ships and 2,886 soldiers.
Losses Spain: 12 killed, 200 wounded. Portugal and Britain: 373 killed, 40 wounded, 2,660 captured; 1 ship of the line destroyed.
Result Spanish victory
Pedro de Cevallos, governor of Buenos Aires, sailed with an expeditionary fleet carrying 2,700 soldiers, besieged the Portuguese settlement of Colónia do Sacramento from 1 October and took it on 3 November 1762. A month later an Anglo-Portuguese squadron tried to retake the town by bombarding its walls, but withdrew after a British warship was destroyed. Cevallos then took the forts of Santa Tereza and San Miguel and occupied Rio Grande before news of the Treaty of Paris ended the campaign.
Why it is remembered Its success was welcomed in Spain, where the war had gone badly elsewhere. Colónia was returned to Portugal in 1763, and the disputed outposts led to the Spanish and Portuguese war of 1776 to 1777.
Sources differ The main account names the British commander Robert McNamara; the caption of the painting of the bombardment names Captain John Macnamara and dates the attack 1763.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Elliott, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (Seven Years' War)
Siege of Havana Landing or siege
6 June to 13 August 1762 · Havana, Cuba
Fought between Great Britain and British America against Spain
Commanders George Keppel, George Pocock, George Eliott and Ralph Burton (Great Britain); Juan de Prado, Gutierre de Hevia, Luis Vicente de Velasco (mortally wounded) and José de Velasco (Spain)
Forces 31,000 men, 23 ships of the line, 11 frigates, 4 sloops of war, 3 bomb vessels, 1 cutter and 160 troopships against 11,670 men, 10 ships of the line, 2 corvettes, 2 sloops and 100 merchantmen
Losses Britain: 2,764 killed, wounded, captured, missing or dead of disease. Spain: 3,800 killed or dead of disease, 2,000 wounded or sick, 5,000 captured; 10 ships of the line, 2 corvettes, 2 sloops and 100 merchantmen captured.
Result British victory; Havana occupied
A Royal Navy force escorting 160 troopships approached Havana from an unexpected direction, trapped Admiral de Hevia's fleet in the harbour and landed troops with little resistance. The British placed batteries on a hill overlooking Morro Castle that had been left unfortified and shelled the fortress daily. It fell after its commander, Luis Vicente de Velasco, was mortally wounded, and the city surrendered before the hurricane season.
Why it is remembered The capture brought large rewards for the British commanders, while de Prado, de Hevia and other Spanish officers were court-martialled for losing the city and the fleet intact. Havana was returned to Spain under the 1763 Treaty of Paris; Dominic Serres painted the capture.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (Seven Years' War)
Battle of Manila (1762) Landing or siege
24 September to 6 October 1762 · Manila, Philippines
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders William Draper and Samuel Cornish (Great Britain); Manuel Rojo and Simón de Anda y Salazar (Spain)
Forces 10,300 British troops, 8 ships of the line, 3 frigates and 4 store ships against 9,356 Spanish defenders
Losses Britain: 147 killed or wounded. Spain: 100 killed or wounded, 9,256 captured, 556 cannon and mortars taken; 300 Filipino soldiers killed.
Result British victory
A British expedition landed south of Manila, capital of the Spanish Philippines, and attacked the city from the south. After about two weeks of fighting the city fell.
Why it is remembered It led to an eighteen month British occupation of Manila.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792
Larache expedition Landing or siege
Also known as Expedition of Larache
25 to 28 June 1765 · Larache, Morocco
Fought between France against the Sultanate of Morocco
Commanders Duchaffault de Besné (France); Mohammed III (Morocco)
Forces 16 French warships and several other vessels; Moroccan strength unknown
Losses France: 200 killed, 49 captured, 300 lost and 7 vessels captured. Morocco: 30 killed.
Result Moroccan victory
After bombarding Salé and Rabat, a French squadron sent marines to attack the Moroccan port of Larache. The landing failed with heavy French losses.
Why it is remembered It is cited as an example of the occasional failure of European forces against local forces in colonial campaigns.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792
Meermin slave mutiny Other action
February 1766 · At sea between Madagascar and the Cape Colony, ending at Struisbaai
Fought between Malagasy captives against the crew of the Dutch East India Company ship Meermin
Commanders Gerrit Cristoffel Muller (captain), Johann Godfried Krause (killed) and Olof Leij (crew); Massavana and Koesaaij (Malagasy leaders)
Ships Meermin
Losses Half the ship's crew and almost 30 Malagasy captives died.
Result The mutiny was defeated and the Malagasy were enslaved again
Meermin sailed from Madagascar on 20 January 1766 with Malagasy captives for the Cape Colony. The captives had been unshackled to work the ship, and in mid February, when ordered to clean some Madagascan weapons, they used them to seize the ship; the chief merchant Krause was killed and the captain stabbed. The surviving crew agreed to sail back to Madagascar but instead steered for southern Africa, and at Struisbaai a shore party was met by farmers' militia. Lured by signal fires, the Malagasy on board let the ship drift ashore onto a sandbank and surrendered.
Why it is remembered The surviving leaders, Massavana and Koesaaij, were sent to Robben Island, and the officers were dismissed by the Company. A search for the wreck of Meermin began in 2004.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Gerrit Groenewegen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774 (Orlov revolt)
Battle of Chesma Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Chesme; Battle of Cheshme; Battle of Cesme Bay
5 to 7 July 1770 · In and near Çeşme Bay, between the western tip of Anatolia and Chios, Aegean Sea
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Alexey Orlov, Grigory Spiridov, Samuel Greig and John Elphinstone (Russia); Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha, Gazi Hasan Pasha and Cafer Bey (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 9 Russian ships of the line, 3 frigates, 1 bomb vessel, 4 fireships and 4 supply ships against 16 Ottoman ships of the line, 6 frigates, 6 xebecs, 13 galleys and 32 small craft with 1,300 guns
Ships Sviatoi Evstafii, Evropa, Rostislav, Ne Tron Menya, Svyatoslav, Tri Svyatitelya, Tri Ierarcha, Sviatoi Ianuarii, Saratov, Grom (bomb vessel); Real Mustafa, Semend-i Bahri
Losses Russia: 1 ship of the line and 4 fireships; 534 to 661 killed and 40 wounded. Ottoman: 16 ships of the line, 6 frigates and escorts, 13 galleys and 32 smaller vessels; at least 11,000 killed.
Result Decisive Russian victory
On 5 July the Russians attacked the Ottoman van in the Chios Strait; Real Mustafa and the Russian flagship Sviatoi Evstafii both blew up, and the Ottomans withdrew into Çeşme Bay. The Russians bombarded the crowded anchorage, and shortly after midnight on 7 July Samuel Greig went in with Evropa, Rostislav and Ne Tron Menya. Fire from the bomb vessel Grom and Ne Tron Menya set an Ottoman ship ablaze, and three fireships, one under Lieutenant D. S. Ilyin, spread the fire through almost the whole Ottoman fleet. Only Semend-i Bahri and five galleys survived, and were captured.
Why it is remembered It was the greatest Ottoman naval defeat since Lepanto and is marked as a Day of Military Honour in Russia. Catherine the Great commemorated it with the Chesma Church and Palace in St Petersburg, the Chesma Obelisk at Gatchina and the Chesma Column at Tsarskoe Selo; Hackert and Aivazovsky painted it.
Sources differ One account gives about 14 Ottoman ships of the line and Russian dead of 14 on 5 July, 636 in Sviatoi Evstafii and 11 on 7 July; another account gives 16 Ottoman ships of the line and 534 to 661 Russian killed.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Jacob Philipp Hackert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Chios (1770) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Chios Strait; Khiosskoye srazheniye (Russian)
5 July 1770 (24 June Old Style) · Chios Strait, between Asia Minor and the island of Chios, Aegean Sea
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Alexey Orlov, Grigory Spiridov, Samuel Greig and John Elphinstone (Russia); Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha and Hasan Pasha (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 9 Russian ships of the line against 16 Ottoman ships of the line, 6 frigates and up to 50 smaller vessels
Ships Sviatoi Evstafii (Spiridov's flagship), Real Mustafa (Hasan Pasha's flagship), Evropa, Tri Svyatitelya, Svyatoslav
Losses Russia: Sviatoi Evstafii blew up, with 636 men lost in her. Ottoman: Real Mustafa blew up.
Result The Ottoman fleet withdrew into Çeşme Bay
The Russian squadron of the First Archipelago Expedition attacked the Ottoman van at close range in the Chios Strait. Real Mustafa caught fire and her falling mainmast set the Russian flagship Sviatoi Evstafii alight; both ships blew up. Around 2 pm the Ottomans cut their cables and withdrew into Çeşme Bay, where their fleet was destroyed two nights later.
Why it is remembered It was the opening phase of the Battle of Chesma. Ivan Aivazovsky painted it as Combat in the Chios Strait in 1848.
Sources Wikipedia (RU) · Wikipedia
Image: Иван Айвазовский, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Hydra (1770) Fleet battle
Also known as Suluca Deniz Muharebesi (Turkish)
4 June 1770 · Near the island of Suluca (Hydra), east of the Morea
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Russian Empire
Commanders Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha (Ottoman Empire); John Elphinstone (Russia)
Result Inconclusive
The Ottoman fleet under Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha and the Russian squadron of John Elphinstone fought a small scale action near the island of Suluca. Neither side gained the advantage.
Sources Wikipedia (TR)
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Monemvasia (1770) Fleet battle
Also known as Benefşe Deniz Muharebesi (Turkish)
27 May 1770 · Off Benefşe (Monemvasia) castle, south east tip of the Morea
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Russian Empire
Commanders Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha and Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (Ottoman Empire); John Elphinstone (Russia)
Result Partial Ottoman advantage
The Ottoman fleet under Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha met the Russian squadron of John Elphinstone off the castle of Benefşe in a small scale action. Through the efforts of Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha the Ottomans gained a partial advantage.
Sources Wikipedia (TR)
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Nauplia (1770) Fleet battle
27 to 31 May 1770 · Entrance to the Argolic Gulf, Peloponnese
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders John Elphinstone (Russia); Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 3 Russian battleships, 2 frigates and 4 armed merchantmen against 10 Ottoman battleships
Losses No ships lost on either side. Russia: heavy casualties. Ottoman: low.
Result Inconclusive; the Russians withdrew
A Russian squadron under John Elphinstone engaged a larger Ottoman fleet at the entrance to the Argolic Gulf over several days. No ships were lost, but the Russians suffered heavy casualties and had to withdraw.
Sources differ Some sources call the battle an Ottoman victory, others a Russian success.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Toprakada Fleet battle
Also known as Toprakada Deniz Muharebesi (Turkish)
5 July 1770 · Near Toprak Ada, north west of Çeşme, Aegean Sea
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Russian Empire
Commanders Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha (Ottoman Empire); Count Orlov (Russia)
Losses Each side lost one galleon.
Result Inconclusive
The Ottoman fleet under Mandalzade Hüsameddin Pasha and the Russian fleet under Count Orlov fought a small scale action near Toprak Ada. Each side lost a galleon and neither gained the advantage.
Sources Wikipedia (TR)
Image: Kosov vladimir 09071967, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Patras (1772) Fleet battle
Also known as Action of 6 November 1772
6 to 8 November 1772 · Gulf of Patras, Greece
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Mikhail Konyaev (Russia); Mustafa Pasha (Ottoman Empire)
Forces 7 Russian warships (2 ships of the line, 1 frigate, 3 sloops of war and 1 galliot) against 25 Ottoman warships (9 frigates and 16 xebecs)
Losses Russia: no ships lost. Ottoman: all 9 frigates and 10 of the 16 xebecs destroyed.
Result Russian victory
Over three days a Russian squadron under Mikhail Konyaev attacked an Ottoman force of frigates and xebecs in the Gulf of Patras. It destroyed all nine frigates and ten xebecs without losing a ship.
Why it is remembered Jacob Philipp Hackert painted the battle in 1778.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Jacob Philipp Hackert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Action of 4 July 1773 Single-ship action
Also known as Balaklava naval battle
4 July 1773 · Black Sea
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (Russia)
Forces 2 small Russian vessels against 4 Ottoman ships
Result Indecisive
Two small Russian vessels under Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen fought four Ottoman ships in the Black Sea. The action was indecisive.
Sources differ The Russian account on the Balaklava naval battle of the same date and commander calls it a Russian victory.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Balaklava (1773) Single-ship action
Also known as Balaklavsky morskoy boy (Russian); Action of 4 July 1773
4 July 1773 (23 June Old Style) · Off Balaklava, Crimea, Black Sea
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Captain 2nd rank I. G. Kinsbergen (Russia)
Forces 2 Russian 16-gun ships, Taganrog and Koron, against 3 Ottoman frigates and a xebec with 168 guns
Ships Taganrog, Koron
Result Russian victory
Two Russian 16-gun ships, Taganrog and Koron, under Kinsbergen fought a much stronger Ottoman force of three frigates and a xebec, and the Russian sailors came off the victors.
Sources differ The English account on the Action of 4 July 1773, with the same commander, calls the result indecisive.
Sources Wikipedia (RU)
Image: Фёдор Степанович Рокотов, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774
Battle of Kerch Strait (1774) Fleet battle
20 June and 9 July 1774 (Old Style) · South of Kerch, at the Kerch Strait
Fought between Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Vice-Admiral Senyavin, with Vasily Chichagov present (Russia)
Forces 20 June: 5 Ottoman ships of the line, 9 frigates and 26 galleys and xebecs against 3 Russian frigates, 4 16-gun vessels, 2 bomb vessels and 3 small craft. 9 July: 6 Ottoman battleships, 7 frigates, 1 bomb vessel and 17 galleys and xebecs.
Result The Ottoman attacks were abandoned
On 20 June an Ottoman fleet surprised Senyavin's much smaller Russian squadron and tried to cut it off; the Russians anchored outside the strait and sailed to Kerch the next day. On 9 July the Ottomans attacked again, needing to destroy the Russian ships so their army could cross the strait, but gave up when the Russian bomb vessels proved to outrange them.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Ottoman and Persian War of 1776 to 1779
Battle of Ashar Creek Blockade and raiding
Also known as Battle of 'Ashar Creek
31 March to 15 April 1775 · Al-Ashar on the Shatt al-Arab, near Basra, present day Iraq
Fought between Zand Iran, the Banu Ka'b and Bushehr against Ottoman Mamluk Iraq and the East India Company
Commanders Shaykh Naser (Zand side); Soleyman Aqa and Henry Moore (Ottoman and British side)
Forces Zand side: 14 gulf gallivats, 16 ships including 10 gallivats and the ship Tyger, and 50 smaller vessels. Ottoman and British side: 2 gallivats, the ships Eagle and Success, 200 janissaries and various Ottoman vessels.
Ships Eagle, Success, Tyger
Result Zand victory
A chain boom had been laid across the Shatt al-Arab to stop a Persian naval blockade of Basra. The Persians and their allies made many attempts to probe and break through, and were held up for half a month. When the British chain was broken, the Persians extended their blockade over the whole city.
Sources differ The main account places the battle in the Ottoman and Persian War of 1776 to 1779, though it is dated 1775.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Stephen Helmsley Longrigg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Raid on Charlottetown (1775) Raid
17 to 18 November 1775 · Charlottetown, St. John's Island (Prince Edward Island)
Fought between United Colonies against Great Britain
Commanders Nicholson Broughton (Hancock) and John Selman (Franklin) (United Colonies); Phillips Callbeck, Thomas Wright and Peter Higgins (Britain, all taken prisoner)
Forces Two American privateer brigs, Hancock and Franklin, crewed from the Marblehead Regiment, against local militia
Ships Hancock, Franklin
Losses British: Callbeck, Wright and Higgins and others taken prisoner; the town was pillaged. American: none stated.
Result American victory
Two American privateers manned by the Marblehead Regiment descended on Charlottetown, then the capital of St. John's Island, pillaged the town and carried off senior colonial officials as prisoners to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Why it is remembered The raid led Nova Scotia's governor Francis Legge to declare martial law, while George Washington at once freed the officials the privateers had brought back.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Fairhaven Single-ship action
14 May 1775 · Buzzards Bay off Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fought between Massachusetts Bay (United Colonies) against Great Britain
Commanders Daniel Egery and Nathaniel Pope (Massachusetts); John Linzee (Great Britain)
Forces The private sloop Success with 30 Massachusetts militia against HMS Falcon with about 110 Royal Navy seamen
Ships Success, HMS Falcon
Losses Massachusetts: none. Britain: 1 killed, 2 wounded and 13 taken prisoner.
Result American victory
Patriot militia in the sloop Success went out into Buzzards Bay and retook two vessels that had been captured by HMS Falcon. They also captured the 13 man Royal Navy prize crew.
Why it is remembered It was the first naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, and its prisoners were the first naval prisoners of the war. A plaque at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven marks it.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Gloucester (1775) Single-ship action
8 or 9 August 1775 · Gloucester Harbour, Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Fought between Massachusetts Bay against Great Britain
Commanders Joseph Foster and Bradbury Sanders (Massachusetts); John Linzee (Great Britain)
Forces Militia ashore and 2 unarmed schooners against the sloop of war HMS Falcon and 3 small boats
Ships HMS Falcon
Losses Massachusetts: 2 killed, 1 wounded. Britain: 1 killed, 4 wounded, 24 captured; 3 small boats captured and Falcon damaged.
Result Massachusetts Bay victory
Captain John Linzee of HMS Falcon sighted two schooners returning from the West Indies, captured one and chased the other into Gloucester Harbour, where she grounded. The townspeople called out their militia, captured the seamen sent to seize the grounded schooner and recovered the captured one as well.
Why it is remembered It was one of the actions that led to Captain Henry Mowat's retaliatory expedition of October 1775 and the Burning of Falmouth, which the Second Continental Congress cited when it established the Continental Navy.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Gentleman's Magazine (publisher); author unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Machias (1775) Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of the Margaretta
11 to 12 June 1775 · Machias, Maine (then Province of Massachusetts Bay)
Fought between Massachusetts Bay against Great Britain
Commanders Jeremiah O'Brien and Benjamin Foster (Massachusetts); James Moore (Great Britain), killed
Forces The private sloops Unity and Falmouth Packet with 55 Massachusetts militia against the armed schooner HMS Margaretta with about 40 Royal Navy seamen
Ships HMS Margaretta, Unity, Falmouth Packet
Losses Britain: 5 killed, 9 wounded; Margaretta and her crew captured. Massachusetts: 10 killed, 3 wounded.
Result American victory
Two merchant ships of the Loyalist Ichabod Jones, sent to supply the British troops at Boston, arrived at Machias escorted by HMS Margaretta under Midshipman James Moore. The townspeople arrested Jones and tried to arrest Moore, who escaped through the harbour. They armed one of Jones's ships and a second local vessel and went after him; after a short fight Moore was mortally wounded and Margaretta and her crew were taken.
Why it is remembered It was one of the first naval engagements of the war. Machias went on to take more British ships, beat off an attack in 1777 and remained a base for privateers.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Des Barres, Joseph F.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Block Island Single-ship action
6 April 1776 · Off Block Island, Rhode Island
Fought between Great Britain against the United Colonies
Commanders Tyringham Howe (Great Britain); Esek Hopkins (Continental Navy)
Forces 1 British post ship, HMS Glasgow, against an American squadron of 2 frigates, 2 brigs, 2 sloops and 1 schooner
Ships HMS Glasgow
Losses Britain: 1 killed, 3 wounded. Americans: 10 killed, 14 wounded.
Result British victory
A Continental Navy squadron under Commodore Esek Hopkins, returning from its raid on Nassau, met the British post ship HMS Glasgow. Glasgow was badly damaged but escaped from the whole squadron.
Why it is remembered Several Continental captains were criticised for their conduct and one was dismissed. Hopkins was also criticised over the cruise, including the distribution of seized goods, and was dismissed.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Raid on Canso (1776) Raid
22 September to 22 November 1776 · Canso and nearby fishing villages, Nova Scotia
Fought between United States against Great Britain
Commanders John Paul Jones (Continental Navy); merchants John Robin and George Smith (captured)
Forces 2 American brigs against about 15 fishing vessels
Losses Americans: none. British: first attack 3 vessels burned, 1 sunk, 5 taken as prizes and 1 shallop confiscated; second attack 6 prizes, 1 burned and 1 confiscated.
Result American victory
Continental Navy Captain John Paul Jones twice raided Canso and the surrounding fishing villages, burning, sinking and capturing fishing vessels.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Charles Willson Peale, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Raid of Nassau Landing or siege
3 to 4 March 1776 · Nassau, Bahamas
Fought between United Colonies against Great Britain
Commanders Esek Hopkins and Samuel Nicholas (United Colonies); Montfort Browne (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces 2 American frigates, 2 brigs, 1 schooner and 1 sloop with 200 Continental Marines against 2 forts
Losses Unknown on both sides
Result American victory
Short of gunpowder, the Continental Congress sent a fleet under Commodore Esek Hopkins south; it sailed from Cape Henlopen on 17 February 1776 and reached the Bahamas on 1 March. On 3 March 200 Continental Marines landed and took Fort Montagu, and on 4 March they captured Nassau. Governor Montfort Browne had already shipped most of the gunpowder to St Augustine, and the Americans held the town for two weeks, taking the military supplies that remained.
Why it is remembered It was the first amphibious landing by the Continental Marines. A painting of the raid was made in 1973.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: V. Zveg for the Navy Art Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of the Rice Boats Raid
Also known as Battle of Yamacraw Bluff
2 to 3 March 1776 · Savannah River near Savannah, on the border of Georgia and South Carolina
Fought between Georgia and South Carolina Patriot militia against Great Britain
Commanders Lachlan McIntosh (Patriots); Andrew Barclay and James Grant (Great Britain)
Forces 800 militia, 3 guns, 1 shore battery, 1 fireship and supply ships against 250 to 300 British infantry, 4 men of war and 2 transports
Losses Patriots: 1 wounded; 1 fireship sunk and 3 supply ships captured. Britain: unknown; about 2 men of war damaged and 3 supply ships sunk.
Result Mixed: the British took most of the supply ships, but British control of Georgia ended
A Royal Navy squadron was sent to Georgia to buy rice and supplies for the British army besieged in Boston. The Patriots who controlled Georgia arrested the Royal Governor, James Wright, and resisted the seizure of the supply ships at Savannah. Some ships were burned to keep them from the British and some were recaptured, but most were carried off by the fleet.
Why it is remembered Governor Wright escaped to the fleet, and his departure marked the end of British control over Georgia until Savannah was retaken in 1778.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Sullivan's Island Landing or siege
Also known as Battle of Fort Sullivan; First siege of Charleston
28 June 1776 · Sullivan's Island, near Charleston, South Carolina
Fought between South Carolina against Great Britain
Commanders Charles Lee, William Moultrie and Francis Marion (South Carolina); Sir Peter Parker (wounded) and Henry Clinton (Great Britain)
Forces Fort Sullivan with 435 militia and 31 guns, 3 shore batteries and over 6,000 regulars and militia against 2,200 British infantry, 2 fourth rates, 6 frigates and 1 bomb vessel
Losses South Carolina: 12 killed, 25 wounded. Britain: 91 killed, 170 wounded; 1 frigate grounded.
Result South Carolinian victory
A British expedition under General Henry Clinton and Admiral Sir Peter Parker landed troops on Long Island next to Sullivan's Island, where Colonel William Moultrie held a half built fort. The channel between the islands proved too deep to wade and the land assault failed. The fleet bombarded the fort all day, but the sandy soil and spongy palmetto logs absorbed the shot, while the defenders' careful fire did extensive damage to the ships, which withdrew.
Why it is remembered The British did not return to South Carolina until 1780. The palmetto on the flag of South Carolina commemorates the logs that let Moultrie's fort withstand the bombardment.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johannes Oertel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet Single-ship action
29 June 1776 · Turtle Gut Inlet, off Wildwood Crest near Cape May, New Jersey
Fought between United Colonies against Great Britain
Commanders John Barry, Lambert Wickes, William Hallock and Hugh Montgomery (United Colonies); Charles Hudson and Alexander Graeme (Great Britain)
Forces USS Lexington, USS Reprisal, USS Wasp and the brigantine Nancy against HMS Orpheus and HMS Kingfisher
Ships Nancy, USS Lexington, USS Reprisal, USS Wasp, HMS Orpheus, HMS Kingfisher
Losses Britain: an estimated 12 to 36 casualties. Americans: Nancy destroyed; Lieutenant Richard Wickes killed.
Result American victory
American vessels under Captain John Barry fought two British warships off Turtle Gut Inlet. Nancy was destroyed, and Lieutenant Richard Wickes, brother of Captain Lambert Wickes, was killed.
Why it is remembered It was an early naval victory for John Barry, later called the Father of the American Navy. Wickes was the first American killed in the war in New Jersey, and it was the only battle of the Revolution fought in Cape May County.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Faden / Bernard Ratzer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Valcour Island Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Valcour Bay
11 October 1776 · Valcour Bay, Lake Champlain, New York
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders Guy Carleton and Thomas Pringle (Great Britain); Benedict Arnold (United States)
Forces British: 1 ship sloop, 2 schooners, 1 radeau, 1 gundalow and 28 gunboats. Americans: 1 sloop, 2 schooners, 4 row galleys and 8 gundalows.
Ships USS Philadelphia, Spitfire
Losses Britain: 40 killed or wounded; 1 gunboat destroyed. Americans: 80 killed or wounded, 120 captured; 1 schooner destroyed and 1 gundalow sunk in the battle, with most of the fleet later captured or burnt.
Result British victory
After retreating from Quebec, the Americans built ships on Lake Champlain while Carleton built a stronger fleet to carry his army south. On 11 October Benedict Arnold drew the British fleet into the narrow strait behind Valcour Island, and many American vessels were damaged or destroyed. That night Arnold slipped past the British, but bad weather slowed the retreat and more ships were captured or grounded and burnt before he reached Crown Point.
Why it is remembered Although the American fleet was lost, its defence of the lake stalled British plans to reach the upper Hudson that year. Valcour Bay and the gundalow Philadelphia, raised in 1935, are National Historic Landmarks, and the wreck of Spitfire, found in 1997, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Philadelphia campaign)
Siege of Fort Mifflin Landing or siege
Also known as Siege of Mud Island Fort
26 September to 16 November 1777 · Fort Mifflin, Mud Island, Delaware River, below Philadelphia
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders Sir William Howe, John Montresor and Lord Richard Howe (Great Britain); Samuel Smith, Simeon Thayer and John Hazelwood (United States)
Forces 2,000 British troops and a naval squadron against a garrison of about 450, later reinforced but never more than 500, and a river flotilla
Ships HMS Augusta, HMS Merlin
Losses Britain: over 62 killed and 58 captured; HMS Augusta (64) scuttled and HMS Merlin (18) sunk. United States: 250 killed and wounded; the whole river flotilla scuttled.
Result British victory
After the British took Philadelphia, Fort Mifflin, Fort Mercer, river obstructions and Commodore John Hazelwood's flotilla kept the Royal Navy from bringing supplies up the Delaware. Two British warships that ran aground near Mud Island were destroyed on 23 October. From 10 November British land batteries and warships bombarded the fort intensively, and on the night of 15 November Major Thayer took the survivors across to New Jersey by boat, leaving the flag flying.
Why it is remembered The fall of the fort, and the abandonment of Fort Mercer soon after, opened the Delaware and let the British hold Philadelphia until June 1778.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Elliott, No known restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Capture of USS Hancock Single-ship action
8 to 9 July 1777 · Off Halifax, Nova Scotia
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders George Collier (Great Britain); John Manley and Hector McNeill (United States)
Forces 2 British frigates and 1 brig against 3 American frigates
Ships USS Hancock, USS Boston, Fox, HMS Rainbow, HMS Flora
Losses United States: 2 frigates captured, USS Hancock and Fox. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
HMS Rainbow (44 guns) under Commodore George Collier engaged the American frigate USS Hancock (34 guns) under Captain John Manley off Nova Scotia and captured her. Fox, an earlier American prize, was retaken in the same action.
Why it is remembered The two commanders were among the highest ranking naval officers of the war. Francis Holman painted the recapture of Fox in 1779.
Sources differ The main account dates the action 8 to 9 July 1777; the title of the painting gives 7 July 1777.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Yarmouth (1777) Single-ship action
28 March 1777 · Off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders John Burr (Great Britain); Joseph Olney (United States)
Forces 1 British frigate, HMS Milford, against 3 American brigs
Ships HMS Milford, USS Cabot
Losses United States: the brig USS Cabot captured. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
The British frigate HMS Milford drove the American brig USS Cabot aground off Yarmouth. Her crew escaped ashore among the people of Yarmouth and the British took the ship.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Nowland Van Powell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 11 September 1778 Single-ship action
11 September 1778 · Off Brest, France
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Vicomte de Beaumont (France); Thomas Windsor (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces The French 32-gun frigate Junon against the British 28-gun frigate HMS Fox
Ships Junon, HMS Fox
Losses Britain: 14 killed, 32 wounded, 154 captured; Fox captured. France: unknown.
Result French victory
The French frigate Junon met HMS Fox off Brest. Junon outgunned her and forced her to strike.
Why it is remembered Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy painted the fight.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 17 June 1778 Single-ship action
Also known as Fight of Belle Poule and Arethusa; Combat du 17 juin 1778 (French)
17 June 1778 · 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lizard, western English Channel
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Augustus Keppel (Great Britain); Jean Chadeau de la Clocheterie (France)
Forces 1 British ship of the line, 2 frigates and 1 cutter against 2 French frigates and 1 corvette
Ships Belle Poule, HMS Arethusa
Losses Britain: 44 killed or wounded. France: 107 killed or wounded; 1 frigate captured.
Result Disputed; both sides celebrated the action
Ships of Admiral Keppel's fleet met a small French force off the Lizard, and the British frigate Arethusa fought the French frigate Belle Poule in a single ship action. The fight took place before any formal declaration of war.
Why it is remembered It was the first engagement between Britain and France in the American Revolutionary War and was widely celebrated in both countries. Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy painted it in 1789.
Sources differ The main account gives 107 French killed or wounded; Charles Cunat gives 40 killed and 57 wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 20 October 1778 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat du cap Finisterre (French)
20 October 1778 · Off Cape Finisterre, north west Spain, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Gaspard de Ligondès (France), died of wounds; Francis Reynolds and James Montagu (Great Britain)
Forces 1 French ship of the line, Triton, against 1 British ship of the line, Jupiter, and the frigate Medea
Ships Triton, HMS Jupiter, HMS Medea
Losses France: 13 killed, 20 wounded. Britain: 4 killed, 10 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
The French ship of the line Triton fought the British Jupiter and the frigate Medea off Cape Finisterre. Darkness separated them before either side gained a decision.
Why it is remembered The action was painted in 1837.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Pierre-Julien Gilbert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Barbados Single-ship action
Also known as Bataille de la Barbade (French)
7 March 1778 · Off Barbados, Caribbean Sea
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders Nicholas Vincent (Great Britain); Nicholas Biddle (United States), killed in action
Forces 1 British ship of the line, HMS Yarmouth, against 1 American frigate and 1 brig
Ships USS Randolph, HMS Yarmouth
Losses Britain: 5 killed, 12 wounded. United States: 311 killed; USS Randolph destroyed.
Result British victory
While escorting a fleet of American ships in the West Indies, the frigate USS Randolph was attacked by the British ship of the line HMS Yarmouth. Randolph was destroyed with almost all her crew, including her captain, Nicholas Biddle.
Why it is remembered It was the most costly American naval defeat in lives until the loss of USS Arizona in 1941.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Nowland Van Powell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Liverpool, Nova Scotia (1778) Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of Liverpool
24 April 1778 · Off Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Jean Heraud (France); John Milligan (Britain)
Forces The British vessel HMS Blonde against the French 24-gun frigate Duc de Choiseul
Ships HMS Blonde, Duc de Choiseul
Losses French: several killed, wounded and drowned. British: 3 killed.
Result British victory
HMS Blonde engaged the French 24-gun frigate Duc de Choiseul off Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and the British won.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783)
Siege of Pondicherry (1778) Landing or siege
21 August to 19 October 1778 (naval action 10 August 1778) · Pondicherry, French India, Coromandel Coast
Fought between Great Britain and the East India Company against France
Commanders Hector Munro, Edward Vernon (Britain); Guillaume de Bellecombe (France, taken prisoner), François-Jean-Baptiste l'Ollivier de Tronjoly (France, wounded)
Forces British: 1,500 regulars and 9,000 sepoys ashore; at sea five ships under Vernon, including the 60-gun HMS Rippon, HMS Coventry, HMS Seahorse, HMS Cormorant and the Company ship Valentine. French: 700 regulars and 400 to 600 sepoys; at sea the 64-gun Brillant, the frigate Pourvoyeuse, and Sartine, Lawriston and Brisson.
Ships HMS Rippon, HMS Coventry, HMS Seahorse, HMS Cormorant, Valentine, Brillant, Pourvoyeuse, Sartine, Lawriston, Brisson, Elizabeth
Losses British: 243 killed, 930 wounded. French: 144 killed, 285 wounded; the Sartine was captured on 25 August.
Result British victory; Pondicherry capitulated
On 10 August 1778 Vernon's squadron fought Tronjoly's French squadron off Pondicherry for about two hours; Tronjoly was wounded and the French drove Vernon off. The French Sartine was captured on 25 August, and when Vernon returned with six ships Tronjoly sailed south and left for Île de France without a further battle. Ashore Munro's army breached two bastions, and Bellecombe, short of ammunition, capitulated on 18 October and marched out with full colours.
Why it is remembered It was the first military action in India after Britain and France went to war in the American Revolutionary War. The captured Sartine was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Sartine.
Sources differ One account gives the siege as about eight weeks with capitulation signed on 18 October; another account gives 21 August to 19 October and a third account ten weeks. Sources disagree on whether battle was offered when Vernon returned on 20 to 21 August.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Henry Dupray, 1901, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of St. Lucia Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Cul de Sac; Bataille de Sainte-Lucie (French)
15 December 1778 · Grand Cul de Sac, St Lucia, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Samuel Barrington (Great Britain); Comte d'Estaing (France)
Forces 7 British ships of the line and 3 frigates against 12 French ships of the line and 4 frigates
Ships Prince of Wales (Barrington's flagship), Isis; Languedoc (d'Estaing's flagship)
Losses Britain: 230 killed or wounded. France: 850 killed or wounded.
Result British victory
Rear-Admiral Barrington placed his ships in line across the Grand Cul de Sac with the transports behind them, supported by shore batteries. D'Estaing attacked at 11 am and again at 4 pm and was repulsed both times. On 16 December he landed 7,000 troops at Gros Islet Bay instead, but their three assaults on the British position at La Vigie failed and they re-embarked.
Why it is remembered When d'Estaing's fleet left on 29 December, St Lucia surrendered to the British. Dominic Serres painted Barrington's action in 1780.
Sources differ One account says d'Estaing approached with ten ships of the line and attacked with twelve; another account gives twelve.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Ushant (1778) Fleet battle
Also known as First Battle of Ushant; Bataille d'Ouessant (French)
27 July 1778 · 100 miles (160 km) west of Ushant, at the mouth of the English Channel
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Augustus Keppel and Sir Hugh Palliser (Great Britain); Comte d'Orvilliers, Comte de Guichen and the Duc de Chartres (France)
Forces 29 British ships of the line against 30 French ships of the line
Ships Victory (Keppel's flagship), Formidable (Palliser), Queen; Bretagne, Ville de Paris, Saint-Esprit, Sphinx
Losses Britain: 407 killed, 789 wounded. France: 126 killed, 413 wounded. No ships lost on either side.
Result Inconclusive
The French commander d'Orvilliers was under orders to avoid battle if possible. The fleets met on opposite tacks; Keppel in Victory held his fire for the French flagship Bretagne, while Palliser's rear division, not yet in line, was mauled piecemeal. Victory was badly damaged aloft, Palliser's ships misread Keppel's intentions and stayed upwind, and that night the French slipped away.
Why it is remembered It was the first major fleet action of the Anglo-French war of 1778. In Britain the quarrel between Keppel and Palliser, sharpened by politics, led to two courts-martial, in which Keppel was cleared, and to his resignation; in France the Duc de Chartres announced a victory at Versailles and was later mocked when the result was seen as indecisive.
Sources differ Casualties: one account gives British 407 killed and 789 wounded, French 126 killed and 413 wounded; the order of battle tables give British 133 killed and 373 wounded, French 163 killed and 517 wounded. Another account's background gives 30 British ships of the line against a third account's 29.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 11 November 1779 Single-ship action
11 November 1779 · Off Lisbon, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Alexander Graeme (Great Britain); Andrés de Viana (Spain), surrendered
Forces The British frigate HMS Tartar against the Spanish 38-gun frigate Santa Margarita
Ships HMS Tartar, Santa Margarita
Losses Spain: 1 killed, 3 wounded; Santa Margarita captured. Britain: none.
Result British victory
Captain Alexander Graeme in Tartar, part of Commodore George Johnstone's squadron, sighted the Spanish frigate Santa Margarita off Lisbon. With the wind behind her Tartar caught up and engaged, and after about two hours, with Santa Margarita almost dismasted, her captain struck.
Why it is remembered Santa Margarita was taken into the Royal Navy under her own name as a 36-gun frigate and served until 1836.
Sources differ The Spanish account's title dates the action 11 November 1780.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Siege of Savannah)
Action of 11 September 1779 Single-ship action
11 September 1779 · Off Charles Town, South Carolina
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders French captain unknown; Thomas Mackenzie (Great Britain)
Forces The French 36-gun frigate Amazone, with two brigs and a schooner in company, against the British 24-gun post ship Ariel
Ships Amazone, HMS Ariel
Losses Britain: 4 killed, 20 wounded; Ariel captured. France: light.
Result French victory
Cruising off Charles Town, Ariel approached a strange sail, unaware that d'Estaing's French fleet had arrived from the West Indies. Finding a frigate that did not answer his signals, Mackenzie ran for the Georgia shore, but Amazone overhauled him. After ninety minutes, with her mizzen mast and all her rigging shot away, Ariel surrendered.
Why it is remembered D'Estaing exchanged Ariel's crew for French prisoners at once. The French took Ariel into service and in 1780 lent her to the Continental Navy, in which she served briefly as USS Ariel under John Paul Jones.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johannes Oertel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 12 December 1779 Single-ship action
12 December 1779 · Off Punta Sal, Bay of Honduras
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Charles Inglis (Great Britain); Juan Antonio Zavelleta (Spain)
Forces The British 50-gun HMS Salisbury against the Spanish 50-gun privateer San Carlos with 397 men
Ships HMS Salisbury, San Carlos
Losses Britain: 4 killed and 14 wounded, 5 of them mortally (9 killed and 9 wounded in the main account). Spain: 60 killed or wounded, the rest captured; San Carlos captured.
Result British victory
HMS Salisbury sighted a large ship at daybreak off Punta Sal and chased her all day, coming into range at 6.30 pm. The ship hoisted Spanish colours and fought until 8.30 pm, when her mainmast was shot away and she struck. She was the privateer San Carlos, carrying 5,000 stand of arms from Cádiz to Fort Omoa.
Why it is remembered Inglis took San Carlos to Jamaica as a prize.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 13 May 1779 Raid
13 May 1779 · Cancale Bay, near St Malo, Brittany
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir James Wallace and John Gidoin (Great Britain); Raymond de Kergariou (France)
Forces 1 British ship of the line, 1 frigate, 1 post ship, 1 sloop and 1 brig against 2 French frigates, 1 corvette, 1 gabarre and 2 cutters
Ships Danae, Guepe, Écluse
Losses Britain: 2 killed, 15 wounded. France: the frigate Danae captured, 1 corvette and 1 cutter destroyed.
Result British victory
After the failed French attempt on Jersey on 1 May, its escort retreated to Coutances. Two British squadrons set out to trap it: Gidoin chased the French up the coast to St Malo, where Wallace was waiting and followed them into Cancale Bay. After an hour and a half under fire the French beached their ships and went ashore; Wallace took the frigate Danae and two merchant vessels and burned the rest under fire from shore batteries.
Why it is remembered Danae was bought into the Royal Navy. Thomas Luny painted the action in 1779.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 14 September 1779 Single-ship action
14 September 1779 · Off the Azores, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders George Montagu (Great Britain); Miguel de Nunes or Manuel Núñez Gaona (Spain), captured
Forces The British 32-gun frigate HMS Pearl against the Spanish frigate Santa Mónica
Ships HMS Pearl, Santa Mónica
Losses Britain: 12 killed, 19 wounded. Spain: 38 killed, 45 wounded, 180 captured; Santa Mónica captured.
Result British victory
On a cruise in the eastern Atlantic, HMS Pearl sighted Santa Mónica and chased her for two hours. The frigates were of equal size, but the Spanish ship carried fewer guns and many of her crew had never been in action. After Pearl outmanoeuvred and raked her twice, the Spanish captain struck and the frigate was taken to a British port.
Why it is remembered Dominic Serres painted the action in 1781.
Sources differ One account names the Spanish captain Miguel de Nunes; another account names him Manuel Núñez Gaona.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Armada of 1779)
Action of 17 August 1779 Single-ship action
17 August 1779 · Off Plymouth, English Channel
Fought between France and Spain against Great Britain
Commanders Charles de Bernard de Marigny (France); Phillip Boteler (Great Britain)
Forces 1 Spanish ship of the line and 4 French frigates against 2 British ships of the line
Ships HMS Ardent, HMS Marlborough, Junon, Princesa
Losses Britain: HMS Ardent captured. France and Spain: unknown.
Result Franco-Spanish victory
HMS Ardent, newly recommissioned with a crew largely of landmen, sailed from Plymouth with HMS Marlborough to join Sir Charles Hardy, unaware that the combined Franco-Spanish fleet was at sea. Meeting it, the British ships were given the correct reply to their recognition signal, since the enemy held a Royal Navy codebook, and ran down towards it. The French frigate Junon fired two broadsides; Ardent answered with sporadic fire and struck when three more frigates and the Spanish Princesa joined in, while Marlborough escaped.
Why it is remembered Boteler was dismissed the service by court martial, which blamed the inexperience of the crew. Ardent was retaken by the British after the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782 and renamed Tiger in 1783.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 20 November 1779 Single-ship action
20 November 1779 · Off Lisbon, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Elliot Salter (Great Britain); Spanish captain unknown
Forces The British 28-gun frigate HMS Hussar against the Spanish register ship Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo, pierced for 64 guns but mounting 26 twelve-pounders, with 120 men
Ships HMS Hussar, HMS Chatham, Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo
Losses Britain: 4 killed, 10 wounded. Spain: 27 killed and 8 wounded, the rest captured; the ship captured.
Result British victory
Hussar and the 50-gun Chatham were escorting a convoy from Lisbon to England when a two-decked ship was seen sailing away, and Hussar chased her. Next day Hussar came alongside as the stranger hoisted Spanish colours, took the weather gage and raked her. After about 45 minutes the Spanish ship surrendered.
Why it is remembered Buen Consejo, a Peruvian register ship from Lima, carried a valuable cargo of copper, pewter, cocoa, Jesuit's bark and minerals, all taken to England.
Sources differ One account gives Spanish losses of 27 killed and 8 wounded; another account gives 38 killed or wounded and 90 captured. One account also describes the British ship as a 50-gun ship, while naming the 28-gun Hussar as the one that fought.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Robert Raymond (active 1767 to 1783), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 31 January 1779 Single-ship action
31 January 1779 · Off Saint-Brieuc, Brittany
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Philemon Pownoll (Great Britain); Chevalier de Tarade (France)
Forces The British frigate HMS Apollo against the French frigate Oiseau
Ships HMS Apollo, Oiseau
Losses Britain: 6 killed, 22 wounded. France: 33 killed, 180 wounded or captured; Oiseau captured.
Result British victory
The British frigate Apollo fought the French frigate Oiseau off the coast of Brittany and captured her.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Joshua Reynolds, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 6 October 1779 Single-ship action
6 October 1779 · Off Ushant, Celtic Sea
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Charles du Couëdic (France), died of wounds; George Farmer (Great Britain), killed, and Rupert George
Forces 1 French frigate and 1 cutter against 1 British frigate and 1 cutter
Ships Surveillante, HMS Quebec
Losses Britain: 127 killed or wounded; HMS Quebec destroyed. France: 30 killed, 85 wounded.
Result French victory
The British frigate Quebec and the French frigate Surveillante fought a fierce action off Ushant. It ended when Quebec was destroyed by an explosion; both captains died.
Why it is remembered A small but famous action of the early Anglo-French war, painted in 1789.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (prelude to the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War)
Affair of Fielding and Bylandt Convoy battle
Also known as Treffen tussen Fielding en Van Bylandt (Dutch)
31 December 1779 · Off the Isle of Wight, English Channel
Fought between Great Britain against the Dutch Republic
Commanders Commodore Charles Fielding (Great Britain); Schout-bij-nacht Lodewijk van Bylandt (Dutch Republic)
Forces A Royal Navy squadron against a Dutch States Navy squadron escorting a convoy
Result The Dutch struck; the convoy was taken to Portsmouth
Britain and the Dutch Republic were not at war, but Fielding wanted to search a Dutch convoy for what Britain considered contraband bound for France. Bylandt offered the ships' manifests for inspection, but Fielding insisted on searching the ships. Bylandt fired a single broadside and struck his colours, and the convoy was taken into Portsmouth as prizes, followed by Bylandt's squadron.
Why it is remembered The incident worsened Anglo-Dutch relations and helped bring about the First League of Armed Neutrality, which the Dutch tried to join in December 1780. Britain declared war that month, starting the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Capture of Cayo Cocina Landing or siege
Also known as Saint George's Caye; Toma de Cayo Cocina (Spanish)
15 September 1779 · Saint George's Caye, off the coast of present day Belize
Fought between Spain (Captaincy General of Guatemala) against the British settlers of the Bay of Honduras
Losses The whole population of the settlement, 140 Baymen and 250 people enslaved by them, was taken away.
Result Spanish victory; the settlement was taken
Spanish forces from the Captaincy General of Guatemala attacked the British settlement on Saint George's Caye, then the main British population centre in the area. They removed the entire population, marched them overland from Bacalar to Mérida and shipped them to Havana.
Why it is remembered The prisoners were released to Jamaica in 1782. The Belize settlements stayed abandoned until 1784, after British logging rights were confirmed by the Treaty of Paris of 1783.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Chesapeake raid Raid
10 to 24 May 1779 · Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders Commodore Sir George Collier and Major-General Edward Mathew (Great Britain)
Result British success
Royal Navy forces under Sir George Collier and troops under Edward Mathew raided economic and military targets up and down Chesapeake Bay. They moved so fast that there was little or no resistance, and destroyed supplies of tobacco and coal, naval ships, port facilities and storehouses of military supplies.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: John James Hinchliff, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Flamborough Head Convoy battle
Also known as Bataille de Flamborough Head (French)
23 September 1779 · Off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, North Sea
Fought between United States and France against Great Britain
Commanders John Paul Jones and Pierre Landais (Franco-American squadron); Richard Pearson and Thomas Piercy (Great Britain)
Forces Bonhomme Richard (42 guns), the frigates Alliance (36) and Pallas (32), the brigantine Vengeance and a schooner against the 44-gun HMS Serapis and the 20-gun hired armed ship Countess of Scarborough, escorting a large merchant convoy
Ships Bonhomme Richard, Alliance, Pallas, Vengeance, HMS Serapis, Countess of Scarborough
Losses Franco-American: about 170 killed or wounded; Bonhomme Richard sank. Britain: more than 117 killed or wounded; Serapis and Countess of Scarborough captured.
Result Franco-American victory over the escorts; the convoy escaped
Jones's squadron met a large British convoy and its two escorts off the Yorkshire coast, while nearly all the merchantmen reached safety. Unable to win a gunnery duel, Jones in Bonhomme Richard closed with Serapis and the two ships became locked together side by side; Pallas and Alliance fought Countess of Scarborough, which struck. Around 9.30 pm a powder fire on Serapis's lower deck disabled five guns, Alliance's broadsides hit both locked ships, and at about 10.30 pm Pearson struck. Bonhomme Richard was too badly holed to save and sank on 25 September.
Why it is remembered It became one of the most celebrated naval actions of the war, and the source of Jones's reported reply, I have not yet begun to fight. Richard Paton painted Pearson's defence in 1780.
Sources differ What happened is disputed: Landais's conduct, the cause of the fire on Serapis (Jones credited a grenade, Pearson suggested an accident) and casualties. Pearson reported many more than 49 dead and 68 wounded in Serapis and 300 casualties in Bonhomme Richard; British press reports gave 70 American dead.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-Spanish War)
Great Siege of Gibraltar Landing or siege
24 June 1779 to 7 February 1783 · Gibraltar
Fought between Great Britain and Hanover against Spain and France
Commanders George Eliott, Roger Curtis and August de la Motte (Great Britain and Hanover); Louis de Crillon, Martín Álvarez de Sotomayor, Luis de Córdova and Antonio Barceló (Spain and France)
Forces 7,500 British and Hanoverian troops and 12 gunboats against 65,000 Spanish and French troops, 47 ships of the line, 10 floating batteries, 7 xebecs and 40 gunboats
Losses Britain: 333 killed, 1,010 wounded, 536 to 1,034 sick or dead of disease. Spain and France: 6,000 killed, wounded, captured and missing; 1 ship of the line captured and all 10 floating batteries destroyed. Civilians: 196 killed and 800 dead of disease.
Result British victory
Spain, entering the war in June 1779 chiefly to recover Gibraltar, laid siege to the garrison of George Eliott. British relief convoys under Rodney in 1780 and Darby in 1781 got through despite the Spanish Navy, and in November 1781 the garrison destroyed many forward batteries in a sortie. On 13 September 1782 the reinforced Franco-Spanish besiegers launched a Grand Assault with 60,000 men, 49 ships of the line and 10 newly invented floating batteries against 5,000 defenders; it failed disastrously, and in October Howe's relief convoy slipped through the blockade. The siege was lifted on 7 February 1783.
Why it is remembered At three years, seven months and twelve days it is the longest siege ever endured by the British armed forces, and the largest action of the war by numbers. The peace negotiations at Paris waited on news from it; John Trumbull painted the garrison's sortie in 1789.
Sources differ One account gives 60,000 attackers and 49 ships of the line for the Grand Assault; another account gives 65,000 men and 47 ships of the line for the besiegers overall.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Grenada Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de la Grenade (French)
6 July 1779 · Off Grenada, West Indies
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Comte d'Estaing (France); John Byron (Great Britain)
Forces 25 French ships of the line and 2 frigates against 21 British ships of the line and 1 post ship
Losses France: 173 killed, 773 wounded. Britain: 183 killed, 346 wounded. No ships lost on either side.
Result French victory
Admiral John Byron sailed to relieve Grenada, which d'Estaing had just captured. Wrongly believing he had the larger fleet, Byron ordered a general chase to attack the French as they left their anchorage. The attack was disorganised, and against a stronger French fleet Byron's ships were badly mauled, although none were lost.
Why it is remembered The naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan called it the most disastrous action the British Navy had fought since Beachy Head in 1690. Byron was the grandfather of the poet Lord Byron.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Jean-François Hue, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Guadeloupe (1779) Single-ship action
Also known as Action of 21 to 22 December 1779
21 to 22 December 1779 · Off Guadeloupe, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Joshua Rowley (Great Britain); French commander unknown
Forces 3 or 4 British ships of the line against 3 French frigates
Losses France: all 3 frigates captured. Britain: light.
Result British victory
A Royal Navy force under Joshua Rowley sighted three French frigates off Guadeloupe and chased them. All three were captured after a brief fight.
Sources differ One account gives three Royal Navy ships; another account gives 4 ships of the line.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783)
Invasion of Jersey (1779) Landing or siege
1 May 1779 · St Ouen's Bay, Jersey
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Karl von Siegen and Phillipe Rullecourt (France); Moses Corbet and Mariot Arbuthnot (Britain)
Forces France: five large vessels and many boats, with cutters and small craft. Britain: the 78th Regiment and the Jersey militia with field artillery
Ships HMS Unicorn, Danae (French frigate captured afterwards)
Losses French: 15 to 18 drowned and 20 captured. British: a few wounded when a cannon burst
Result British victory
Lookouts saw five large vessels and many boats heading for St Ouen's Bay on 1 May 1779. Cutters and small craft fired grapeshot at the shore to cover a landing, but the 78th Regiment and the militia arrived in time with field guns. With the tide ebbing, the French warships could not close the beach and the transports would not go in without them; the one vessel that tried was hit or driven onto a rock, 20 men got ashore and surrendered and 15 or 18 drowned. The French fleet withdrew.
Why it is remembered Admiral Arbuthnot turned his North America convoy aside to relieve Jersey, delaying it until late June, and on 13 May Sir James Wallace's squadron captured the French frigate Danae, a brig and a cutter in Cancale Bay. Lewis Tower, a Martello tower of 1834, stands where the defenders placed their guns.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War, Gulf Coast campaign)
Battle of Lake Pontchartrain Single-ship action
Also known as Batalla del Lago Pontchartrain (Spanish)
10 September 1779 · Lake Pontchartrain, then British West Florida, now Louisiana
Fought between United States and Spain against Great Britain
Commanders William Pickles (Continental Navy); John Payne (Great Britain), mortally wounded
Forces The schooner USS Morris with 57 men against the sloop HMS West Florida with 15 men
Ships USS Morris, HMS West Florida
Losses Americans and Spanish: 6 to 8 killed, some wounded. Britain: 2 killed, 1 wounded; West Florida captured.
Result American and Spanish victory
HMS West Florida was patrolling Lake Pontchartrain when she met USS Morris, which had sailed from New Orleans with a Spanish and American crew under Captain William Pickles. The larger crew of Morris boarded and took West Florida, and her captain, Lieutenant John Payne, was mortally wounded.
Why it is remembered The capture all but ended the British naval presence on the lake and weakened British control over western West Florida.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Martinique (1779) Convoy battle
Also known as Bataille de la Martinique (1779) (French)
18 December 1779 · Off Martinique, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Hyde Parker (Great Britain); Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte (France)
Forces 13 British ships of the line against 3 French ships of the line covering a convoy of 26 merchant ships
Ships Annibal, Vengeur, Réfléchi, Aurore
Losses Britain: 150 killed or wounded. France: 9 merchant ships captured and 4 destroyed.
Result British victory
A French convoy under Joseph de Flotte was chased by Hyde Parker's squadron near Martinique. To cover its retreat, Lamotte-Picquet in the 74-gun Annibal engaged the British squadron alone for 90 minutes before the 64-gun Vengeur and Réfléchi joined him. Part of the convoy was taken or beached, but the rest escaped with the frigate Aurore and the French division returned to its anchorage.
Why it is remembered Hyde Parker wrote to Lamotte-Picquet in the following days to congratulate him on his defence.
Sources differ One account says 10 or 11 transports were taken or beached; another account gives 9 captured and 4 destroyed.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Moca (1779) Single-ship action
8 June 1779 · Off the port of Mokha, Yemen, Red Sea
Fought between Portugal against Great Britain
Commanders João Manuel de Azevedo e Brito (Portugal); Captain Owart (Great Britain)
Forces The Portuguese corvette Nossa Senhora das Angústias e Almas against the British corvette Morning Star
Ships Nossa Senhora das Angústias e Almas, Morning Star
Losses Portugal: 1 killed. Britain: 14 killed, 10 seriously wounded.
Result Portuguese victory
The Portuguese corvette Nossa Senhora das Angústias e Almas was carrying the French ambassador M. de S. Lubin to Suez when the British corvette Morning Star tried to seize him off Mokha. The Portuguese ship fought her off.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Penobscot Expedition Landing or siege
24 July to 16 August 1779 · Penobscot Bay and the Penobscot River, Maine
Fought between Great Britain against the United States (Massachusetts)
Commanders Francis McLean, George Collier, Henry Mowat and Henry Evans (Great Britain); Solomon Lovell, Dudley Saltonstall, Peleg Wadsworth and Paul Revere (United States)
Forces American: 19 warships, 25 support ships and about 3,000 troops and sailors. British: 700 troops, 1 ship of the line, 3 frigates, 2 post ships, 2 ship sloops and 2 brig sloops.
Losses United States: 474 killed, wounded, captured or missing; 2 ships captured and 42 scuttled by burning. Britain: 25 killed, 34 wounded, 26 captured.
Result British victory
In June 1779 British troops under Francis McLean built fortifications around Fort George on the Majabigwaduce Peninsula. Massachusetts sent the largest American naval expedition of the war under Commodore Dudley Saltonstall and General Solomon Lovell, which landed on 25 July and besieged the fort, hampered by disputes between its commanders. On 13 August a British relief squadron under Sir George Collier arrived from New York and drove the American fleet up the Penobscot River, capturing two ships; the Americans burned the other 42 over three days and the survivors walked home overland.
Why it is remembered It was the worst American naval defeat until Pearl Harbor in 1941. Saltonstall was dismissed from the Continental Navy and Paul Revere from the Massachusetts Militia.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Siege of Savannah (1779) Landing or siege
Also known as Second Battle of Savannah
16 September to 18 October 1779 · Savannah, Georgia
Fought between United States and France against Great Britain
Commanders Benjamin Lincoln, Lachlan McIntosh, Casimir Pulaski (mortally wounded), Curt von Stedingk and the Comte d'Estaing (United States and France); Augustine Prevost and John Maitland (Great Britain)
Forces 7,722 Franco-American troops and 42 ships against 4,813 British troops and 8 vessels
Losses Franco-American: 244 killed, 584 wounded, 120 captured. Britain: 40 killed, 63 wounded, 52 missing.
Result British victory
A joint Franco-American force, supported by d'Estaing's French fleet, besieged Savannah, which the British had taken the year before. A major assault on the British works on 9 October failed, and Count Casimir Pulaski, leading the combined cavalry, was mortally wounded. The siege was then abandoned.
Why it is remembered The British held Savannah until July 1782. Pulaski's death in the assault is the event most often remembered.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 13 August 1780 Blockade and raiding
13 August 1780 · Off the Old Head of Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders John MacBride (Great Britain); Robert Sutton de Clonard (France)
Forces HMS Bienfaisant (third rate) and the 44-gun HMS Charon against the 64-gun French privateer Comte d'Artois
Ships HMS Bienfaisant, HMS Charon, Comte d'Artois
Losses Britain: 3 killed, 21 wounded. France: 21 killed, 35 wounded, 590 captured; Comte d'Artois captured.
Result British victory
Reports reached Ireland in early August 1780 that the large French privateer Comte d'Artois had sailed from Brest to cruise off the south coast. Bienfaisant and Charon were sent to take her, and after several days' search sighted her early on 13 August chasing ships of a convoy leaving Cork. The privateer was brought to action and captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 30 September 1780 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat du 30 septembre 1780 (French)
30 September 1780 · Off Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Montagu (Great Britain); French captain unknown
Forces The British frigate HMS Pearl against the French 32-gun frigate Espérance with nearly 200 men
Ships HMS Pearl, Espérance
Losses Britain: 6 killed, 10 wounded. France: 20 killed, 24 wounded, 156 captured; Espérance captured.
Result British victory
HMS Pearl, on her way to North America, met the French frigate Espérance off Bermuda. Montagu engaged her at close range for two hours and then kept up a running fight for two hours more until she struck. Espérance was carrying a valuable cargo from Cap-Français to Bordeaux.
Why it is remembered Espérance, launched in 1779, was taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Clinton.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Peltro, John (artist); Harris, John (publisher), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 7 June 1780 Single-ship action
7 June 1780 · 15 miles off Long Island, New York
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville (France), wounded; James Hawker (Great Britain)
Forces The French frigate Hermione against the British frigate HMS Iris
Ships Hermione, HMS Iris
Losses France: 10 killed, 37 wounded. Britain: 7 killed, 9 wounded.
Result Indecisive
The frigates Hermione and Iris exchanged fire off Long Island for an hour and a half and then parted.
Why it is remembered The battle continued in print when Hawker published his account in a newspaper, which Latouche Tréville hotly disputed.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 8 January 1780 Convoy battle
Also known as Acción del 8 de enero de 1780 (Spanish)
8 January 1780 · Off Cape Finisterre, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain and the Guipuzcoan Caracas Company
Commanders Sir George Rodney (Great Britain); Juan Agustín de Yardi (Spain), captured
Forces 20 British ships of the line and 6 frigates against a convoy of 15 merchant ships escorted by 7 warships of the Caracas Company (1 ship of the line, 4 frigates and 2 small warships)
Losses Spain: every ship captured. Britain: light.
Result British victory
Rodney's fleet, on its way to relieve Gibraltar, met a Spanish convoy escorted by warships of the Guipuzcoan Caracas Company off Cape Finisterre and captured the entire convoy.
Why it is remembered It came a few days before Rodney defeated a Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape St Vincent.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 9 August 1780 Convoy battle
Also known as Second Battle of Cape St Vincent (1780); Deuxième bataille du cap Saint-Vincent (French)
9 August 1780 · Off Cape St Vincent, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Spain and France against Great Britain
Commanders Luis de Córdova, José de Mazarredo and Antoine Hilarion de Beausset (Spain and France); Sir John Moutray (Great Britain)
Forces 32 Spanish and French ships of the line and 6 frigates against HMS Ramillies (74), the frigates Thetis and Southampton (36 each) and a convoy of 63 merchant vessels
Ships HMS Ramillies, HMS Thetis, HMS Southampton
Losses Britain: 55 merchant vessels captured with 3,144 men, 80,000 muskets, equipment for 40,000 troops and 294 guns. Spain and France: none.
Result Franco-Spanish victory
A British convoy escorted by Ramillies and two frigates sailed from Portsmouth on 27 July. On 9 August it ran into the combined Spanish and French fleet of Luis de Córdova, which captured 55 of the 63 merchant ships.
Why it is remembered It was one of the most complete captures of a convoy ever made, with losses estimated at £1,500,000, and it helped derail a secret British attempt to make peace with Spain.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780) Fleet battle
Also known as Moonlight Battle; Batalla del Cabo de San Vicente (Spanish); batalla a la luz de la luna
16 to 17 January 1780 · Off Cape St Vincent, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Sir George Rodney (Great Britain); Juan de Lángara (Spain), captured
Forces 18 British ships of the line, 3 frigates and 3 post ships against 11 Spanish ships of the line and 2 frigates
Ships Sandwich (Rodney's flagship), Royal George, Prince George, Ajax, Bedford, Culloden, Defence, Edgar, Invincible, Marlborough, Monarch, Resolution, Terrible, Bienfaisant; Fénix (Lángara's flagship), Princesa, Diligente, Monarca, Santo Domingo, San Eugenio, San Julián
Losses Britain: 32 killed, 102 wounded. Spain: 2,500 killed, wounded or captured; Fénix, Princesa, Diligente and Monarca captured, Santo Domingo blown up with all but one of her crew, San Julián wrecked.
Result British victory
Rodney was escorting a supply convoy to relieve Gibraltar when he met Lángara's smaller fleet south of Cape St Vincent. Lángara ran for Cádiz, but Rodney's copper sheathed ships chased him down in a running fight in squally weather that lasted from mid afternoon until after midnight. Santo Domingo blew up and four ships of the line were taken, including the flagship Fénix; San Eugenio and San Julián were also captured but retaken by their crews.
Why it is remembered It was the first major British naval victory of the war, a rare night action in the age of sail, and showed the value of copper sheathing. Rodney went on to resupply Gibraltar and Minorca.
Sources differ One account says six ships were taken, two of them later retaken; another account gives 4 captured. British wounded: 102 in another account, 93 in the order of battle table. Santo Domingo: all but one of her crew lost in a third account, all 550 in the table. Rodney reported both retaken ships wrecked, but San Eugenio reached Cádiz.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Siege of Charleston (1780) Landing or siege
29 March to 12 May 1780 · Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina
Fought between Great Britain and Hesse-Kassel against the United States and France
Commanders Sir Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis, Alexander Leslie and Mariot Arbuthnot (Great Britain); Benjamin Lincoln, William Moultrie, William Woodford and Abraham Whipple (United States)
Forces 12,847 British regulars and militia, 4,500 sailors, 6 ships of the line, 8 frigates, 4 armed galleys and 90 transports against 6,577 American regulars, sailors and militia, 3 frigates, 5 sloops, 1 schooner, 1 brig and 3 armed galleys
Losses Britain: 76 killed and 89 wounded on land, 23 killed and 28 wounded at sea. United States: 89 killed, 138 wounded, 5,466 captured; all ships captured.
Result British victory
Having shifted their effort to the southern colonies, the British brought an army and fleet against Charles Town. After about six weeks of siege Major General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered the garrison, and all the American ships in the harbour were taken.
Why it is remembered It was one of the worst American defeats of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War of 1779 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Fort Charlotte Landing or siege
Also known as Siege of Fort Charlotte
2 to 14 March 1780 · Fort Charlotte, Mobile, West Florida (present-day Alabama)
Fought between Spain against Great Britain
Commanders Bernardo de Gálvez (Spain); Elias Durnford, captured (Britain)
Forces Spain: 7,500 regulars and militia, carried in a small fleet of transports. Britain: 3,500 regulars and militia
Losses Spanish: 272. British: 1,320
Result Spanish victory
Gálvez's army sailed from New Orleans in a small fleet of transports on 28 January 1780 and landed near Fort Charlotte on 25 February. The outnumbered British garrison held out until Spanish guns breached the walls, and Captain Elias Durnford, who had waited in vain for relief from Pensacola, surrendered.
Why it is remembered Its fall drove the British from the western part of West Florida, secured the western shore of Mobile Bay and opened the way for Spanish operations against Pensacola.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Halifax (1780) Blockade and raiding
10 July 1780 · Off Halifax, Nova Scotia
Fought between American privateer against British privateer
Commanders William Williams (Viper); Thomas Ross (Resolution)
Forces The 16-gun American privateer Viper (90 men by the American report, 130 by the British) against the British privateer brig Resolution
Ships Viper, Resolution
Losses Viper: 1 killed and 2 wounded by the American report, 33 killed and wounded by the British. Resolution: 8 killed, 10 wounded; captured.
Result American victory
The American privateer Viper fought the British privateer Resolution off Halifax. Both sides suffered heavily and Resolution was captured.
Why it is remembered It is described as one of the bloodiest battles in the history of privateering, with a loss of 51 lives in a single fight.
Sources differ American and British reports differ on Viper's crew and casualties, and one account's 51 dead does not match another account casualty figures.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Robert Dodd (artist), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792
Battle of Ibiza (1780) Single-ship action
Also known as Träffningen vid Ibiza (Swedish)
28 to 29 February 1780 · Off Ibiza, Mediterranean Sea
Fought between Sweden against a British privateer
Commanders David Ankarloo (Sweden), mortally wounded; Jesperson, a Danish captain (British privateer)
Forces The Swedish frigate Illerim against a 24-gun British privateer cutter
Ships Illerim
Losses Sweden: 1 killed, 14 wounded. Privateer: at least 2 killed.
Result Swedish victory; the privateer withdrew
The Swedish frigate Illerim had been sent into the Mediterranean to protect Swedish merchant ships from the privateers of the warring nations. Off Ibiza, damaged by storms, she hailed a British privateer to ask her destination and was answered with several broadsides. Illerim returned fire and the fight lasted into the next day before the privateer withdrew, although Sweden and Britain were not at war.
Why it is remembered Ankarloo was taken to Málaga, where he died of gangrene on 10 March 1780. The fight was reported by the French consul at Majorca and confirmed by Jesperson in a Florence newspaper.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Martinique (1780) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Dominica; Combat de la Dominique (French)
17 April 1780 · Off Martinique, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir George Rodney (Great Britain); Comte de Guichen (France)
Forces 20 British ships of the line against 23 French ships of the line carrying 3,000 troops
Ships Sandwich (Rodney's flagship), Stirling Castle; Palmier (Guichen's flagship), Couronne, Triomphant, Fendant
Losses Britain: 120 killed, 354 wounded. France: 222 killed, 537 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
Rodney gained the weather gage and signalled his ships to engage their opposite numbers, meaning to concentrate on the French rear and centre. Captain Robert Carkett of Stirling Castle misread the signal and steered for the French van, the rest of the line followed, and the battle became a series of ship to ship fights. Sandwich broke through the French line and fought Couronne, Triomphant and Fendant for about an hour and a half before the French drew off.
Why it is remembered Guichen's plan to attack Jamaica was thwarted. Rodney regarded the action as the great opportunity of his life and blamed his captains for spoiling it; Rossel de Cercy painted the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: PHGCOM, Rossel_de_Cercy_1736_1804, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 1 May 1781 Single-ship action
Also known as Acción del 1 de mayo de 1781 (Spanish)
1 May 1781 · About 210 miles (340 km) off Brest, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Sir George Collier (Great Britain); Francisco Winthuysen (Spain), surrendered
Forces The British 74-gun HMS Canada against the Spanish frigate Santa Leocadia, rated 40 guns but reduced to 34
Ships HMS Canada, Santa Leocadia
Losses Spain: 80 killed, 106 wounded, 200 captured; Santa Leocadia captured. Britain: 13 casualties.
Result British victory
HMS Canada under Captain George Collier chased, intercepted and captured the Spanish frigate Santa Leocadia far out in the Atlantic off Brest.
Sources differ One account spells the Spanish captain's name Wenthuisen, another account Winthuysen.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: John James Hinchliff, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 2 September 1781 Single-ship action
2 September 1781 · Off Cape Ann, near Boston, Massachusetts
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Andrew Snape Douglas (Great Britain); Louis-Josué Janvre de la Bouchetière (France), surrendered
Forces The British 50-gun HMS Chatham against the French 36-gun frigate Magicienne with 280 men, escorting a merchantman
Ships HMS Chatham, Magicienne, Sagittaire, Astrée, Hermione
Losses Britain: 1 killed, 1 wounded. France: 86 to 155 killed or wounded, the rest captured; Magicienne captured.
Result British victory
Chatham sighted Magicienne escorting a merchantman off Cape Ann and, after a chase of a few hours, brought her to action and forced her to strike. The French ships Sagittaire, Astrée and Hermione put out from Boston to help but arrived too late, and the merchantman escaped to a French held harbour.
Why it is remembered Magicienne was taken to Halifax and commissioned in the Royal Navy under her own name. The action thwarted a planned French attack on British ships in the Saint John River.
Sources differ The London Gazette says the action lasted an hour and gives French losses of 32 killed and 54 wounded; the New York Gazette of 22 October 1781 gives two and a half hours and 155 killed or wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Robert Raymond (active 1767 to 1783), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 21 July 1781 Convoy battle
Also known as Combat naval en vue de Louisbourg; Combat naval à la hauteur de Louisbourg (French)
21 July 1781 · Off Spanish River (present day Sydney), Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Comte de Lapérouse and Latouche Tréville (France); Henry Francis Evans (killed), Rupert George and Richard Tonge (captured) (Great Britain)
Forces 2 French frigates against a convoy of 18 British ships escorted by 1 frigate, 2 sloops and an armed storeship
Losses France: 6 killed, 34 wounded. Britain: 17 killed, 42 wounded; one ship captured.
Result French victory
Two French frigates under Lapérouse and Latouche Tréville attacked a British convoy of 18 ships and its escorts off Cape Breton. They captured one of the British escorts while the rest of the convoy escaped.
Why it is remembered Rossel de Cercy painted the action in 1788.
Sources differ One account says the French captured one of the escorts; another account lists the loss as a merchant ship.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 25 February 1781 Single-ship action
Also known as Acción del 25 de febrero de 1781 (Spanish)
25 February 1781 · About 20 leagues off Cape Finisterre, Spain
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Robert Mann (Great Britain); Nicolás de Medina (Spain)
Forces The British 32-gun frigate HMS Cerberus against the Spanish 30-gun frigate Graña with 166 men
Ships HMS Cerberus, Graña
Losses Britain: 2 wounded. Spain: her first lieutenant and six men killed, 17 wounded, the rest captured; Graña captured.
Result British victory
Graña, a month out of Ferrol, was sighted by HMS Cerberus off Cape Finisterre. Cerberus closed and within fifteen minutes her broadsides had told; the Spanish officers fought on, but the crew refused to continue and de Medina struck.
Why it is remembered Graña was taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Grana, and Mann was given command of the 64-gun HMS Scipio.
Sources differ One account gives seven Spanish killed (the first lieutenant and six men); another account gives 6 killed and 135 captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: John Francis Rigaud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Action of 30 May 1781 Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of Cape St Mary; Zeegevecht bij Kaap Sint-Marie (Dutch)
30 May 1781 · Off Cabo de Santa Maria
Fought between Great Britain against the Dutch Republic
Commanders William Peere Williams-Freeman and Thomas Pakenham (Great Britain); Gerardus Oorthuys and Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (Dutch Republic), surrendered
Forces 2 British frigates, Flora (36) and Crescent (28), against 2 Dutch frigates, Castor (36) and Den Briel (36)
Ships HMS Flora, HMS Crescent, Castor, Den Briel
Losses Britain: 27 killed, 65 wounded. Dutch: 42 killed, 84 wounded, 240 captured; Castor captured.
Result British victory
In a fight of more than two hours, Flora forced Castor to strike. Shortly after, Den Briel forced Crescent to strike, but Flora came to her rescue before the Dutch could board and drove Den Briel off.
Why it is remembered The action was illustrated in 1782.
Sources differ The main account places the action in the Mediterranean Sea; the 1782 illustration is titled as a sea battle near Cádiz.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Action of 4 February 1781 Convoy battle
4 February 1781 · Off Sombrero, near Anguilla, Caribbean Sea
Fought between Great Britain against the Dutch Republic
Commanders Captain Francis Reynolds (Great Britain); Willem Krul (Dutch Republic), killed in action
Forces 2 British ships of the line and 1 frigate against the Dutch 60-gun Mars escorting 30 merchant ships
Ships Mars
Losses Britain: 3 wounded. Dutch: 8 killed, 7 wounded; Mars and all 30 merchant ships captured.
Result British victory
Soon after Rodney took Sint Eustatius, he learned of a Dutch convoy and sent Reynolds to intercept it. Reynolds caught it off Sombrero and engaged the lone escort, the 60-gun Mars. After thirty minutes of heavy fire Krul was killed and Mars struck, and the convoy was captured.
Why it is remembered Charles Rochussen painted Krul's death in 1886.
Sources differ One account names the British commander Francis Reynolds; another account gives Francis Moreton.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Charles Rochussen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Blomidon Blockade and raiding
Also known as Battle of Blomindon
21 May 1781 · Off Cape Split, near Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Fought between American privateers against Nova Scotia
Commanders William Bishop, Amos Sheffield, Benjamin Belcher and Jonathan Crane (Nova Scotia)
Forces Three American privateer vessels against three Nova Scotian vessels, including a schooner with 35 men and Success with 28 men
Ships Success
Losses Privateers: 1 killed. Nova Scotians: none.
Result British (Nova Scotian) victory
Three armed American privateer vessels caught two Nova Scotian vessels off Cape Split. Lieutenant Benjamin Belcher recaptured the first, and the captured crew of the second, under Captain Bishop, overpowered their captors. The privateers were taken to Cornwallis and put on trial.
Why it is remembered Captain William Bishop's sword from the fight is kept in the Kings County Museum, Nova Scotia.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Cape Henry Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille du cap Henry (French)
16 March 1781 · Off Cape Henry, at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Mariot Arbuthnot (Great Britain); Charles René Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches (France)
Forces 8 British ships of the line against 7 French ships of the line and 1 frigate
Ships Conquérant
Losses Britain: 30 killed, 73 wounded. France: 72 killed, 112 wounded. No ships lost.
Result Inconclusive; the British kept control of the Chesapeake
At Washington's request Destouches sailed from Newport on 8 March to support Lafayette against Benedict Arnold's British army in Virginia. Arbuthnot followed two days later, outsailed him and reached the Virginia Capes first. After hours of manoeuvring the fleets fought; both were damaged, but as they disengaged Arbuthnot was placed to enter the bay.
Why it is remembered Destouches returned to Newport, and Arbuthnot covered the Chesapeake for the arrival of reinforcements for Arnold.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of the Chesapeake Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Virginia Capes; Battle of the Capes; Bataille de la baie de Chesapeake (French)
5 September 1781 · Off the Virginia Capes, at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Comte de Grasse and Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (France); Sir Thomas Graves (wounded), Sir Samuel Hood and Francis Samuel Drake (Great Britain)
Forces 24 French ships of the line against 19 British ships of the line
Ships Ville de Paris (de Grasse's flagship), Auguste, Saint-Esprit; London (Graves), Barfleur (Hood), Princessa (Drake), Royal Oak, Terrible
Losses France: 220 killed or wounded. Britain: 90 killed, 246 wounded; Terrible scuttled afterwards.
Result French victory, tactically narrow and strategically decisive
Graves sailed from Sandy Hook with 19 ships of the line and found de Grasse's fleet already anchored in the bay; de Grasse hurried 24 ships out to meet him. After hours of manoeuvring the fleets fought for two hours, but only their van and centre fully engaged, partly because Graves flew the signals for line ahead and close action together and Hood's rear squadron barely came into action. The fleets stayed in sight of each other for several days until de Grasse returned to the bay on 13 September, where de Barras had arrived with the siege equipment; the damaged Terrible was scuttled on 11 September.
Why it is remembered It prevented the Royal Navy from relieving or evacuating Cornwallis at Yorktown, whose surrender led to British recognition of American independence. The Cape Henry Memorial at Virginia Beach honours de Grasse and his sailors.
Sources differ The main account gives British losses of 90 killed and 246 wounded; the order of battle table totals 82 killed and 232 wounded. French casualties are 220 in the main account and 209 according to Larrabee.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: V. Zveg (US Navy employee), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Battle of Dogger Bank (1781) Fleet battle
Also known as Slag bij de Doggersbank (Dutch)
5 August 1781 · Dogger Bank, North Sea
Fought between Great Britain against the Dutch Republic
Commanders Sir Hyde Parker (Great Britain); Johan Zoutman (Dutch Republic)
Forces 7 British ships of the line, 5 frigates and 1 cutter (3,500 men, 442 guns) against 7 Dutch ships of the line and 6 frigates (2,600 men, 408 guns), each escorting a convoy
Ships Fortitude (Parker's flagship), Berwick; Admiraal de Ruijter (Zoutman's flagship), Holland
Losses Britain: 104 killed, 339 wounded. Dutch: 142 killed, 403 wounded; Holland sank.
Result Inconclusive; strategically favourable to Britain
Both admirals were escorting convoys. Parker sent his convoy towards England and gave chase, and Zoutman formed his line between the British and his merchantmen. The Dutch held their fire to point blank range, and Zoutman's flagship raked Fortitude; a close action of three hours and forty minutes followed. At 11.35 Parker tried to reform but his ships were too damaged and he withdrew; the badly damaged Holland sank that night.
Why it is remembered Both sides claimed victory and both convoys escaped. The battle was celebrated in the Dutch Republic, but the Dutch fleet did not leave harbour again in the war; Parker told George III he wished for better ships and younger officers, and resigned. Thomas Luny painted the battle.
Sources differ British wounded: 39 in one account, 339 in another account. Dutch casualties: 142 killed and 403 wounded in one account; some reports cited by Clowes put them as high as about 1,100 killed and wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Raid on Essequibo and Demerara (1781) Blockade and raiding
Also known as Raid on Demerara and Essequibo
24 to 27 February 1781 · Essequibo and Demerara rivers, Dutch colonies on the north coast of South America
Fought between Great Britain (privateers) against the Dutch Republic
Forces 6 British privateers
Losses British: none. Dutch: 14 to 15 merchant ships captured
Result British victory
Six British privateers entered the Essequibo and Demerara rivers and captured 15 Dutch merchant ships before withdrawing. No British losses are recorded.
Why it is remembered It was one of the West Indies actions of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, fought by privateers rather than by the navy.
Sources differ One account says 15 merchant ships were captured; another account gives 14 to 15.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Fort Royal Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Fort-Royal (French)
29 to 30 April 1781 · Off Fort Royal, Martinique
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Samuel Hood (Great Britain); François Joseph Paul de Grasse (France)
Forces 18 British ships of the line against 24 French ships of the line
Losses Britain: 39 killed, 162 wounded. France: reports vary.
Result French victory
Hood's squadron fought de Grasse's fleet off Fort Royal for four hours before breaking off and retreating. De Grasse made a half hearted chase and then saw the French convoys safely into port.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Capture of HMS Savage Single-ship action
6 September 1781 · Off Charleston, South Carolina
Fought between United States against Great Britain
Commanders George Geddes (Congress); Charles Stirling (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces The 16-gun American privateer Congress against the 16-gun sloop of war HMS Savage
Ships Congress, HMS Savage
Losses Americans: 11 killed, about 30 wounded. Britain: 8 killed, 26 wounded; Savage captured.
Result American victory
Off Charleston the American privateer Congress fought the Royal Navy sloop HMS Savage, of equal armament, and captured her.
Why it is remembered It is considered one of the hardest fought single ship actions of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Capture of HMS St. Fermin Single-ship action
4 April 1781 · Off Málaga, Mediterranean Sea
Fought between Spain against Great Britain
Commanders J. Herrera-Dávila (Spain); Jonathan Faulknor (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces 2 Spanish xebecs, San Antonio and San Luis, against the sloop of war HMS St. Fermin
Ships San Antonio, San Luis, HMS St. Fermin
Losses Britain: 138 taken prisoner; St. Fermin captured. Spain: none.
Result Spanish victory
Two Spanish xebecs, San Antonio and San Luis, engaged the British sloop of war St. Fermin off Málaga and captured her.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War, Gulf Coast campaign
Siege of Pensacola Landing or siege
9 March to 10 May 1781 · Pensacola and Pensacola Bay, West Florida
Fought between Spain and France against Great Britain, with Waldeck, Choctaw and Creek allies
Commanders Bernardo de Gálvez (wounded), José Calvo de Irazabal, José Solano y Bote, Francisco de Miranda, Juan Manuel de Cagigal (Spain); François-Aymar de Monteil (France); John Campbell (Britain, surrendered)
Forces Spanish and French: 7,400 regulars and militia and 10,000 sailors and marines in 21 ships, including 1,500 French sailors and 750 French soldiers. British: 1,300 regulars, rangers and militia and 500 Native allies.
Ships San Ramón, Gálveztown
Losses Spanish and French: 95 killed, 202 wounded. British: 155 killed, 105 wounded, 1,113 captured and 2 sloops captured; 57 died when the magazine at Fort Crescent exploded on 8 May.
Result Spanish and French victory; Spain gained control of West Florida
Calvo's fleet carried Gálvez's army from Havana, but the 64-gun San Ramón ran aground trying to enter the bay. On 18 March Gálvez took the Gálveztown through the channel under largely ineffective British fire, and other Louisiana ships followed. A Spanish and French fleet under Solano and Monteil arrived on 19 April with reinforcements. On 8 May a howitzer shell blew up the magazine of Fort Crescent, and the British surrendered.
Why it is remembered It completed Spain's conquest of West Florida, and Gálvez was made governor of West Florida and Louisiana.
Sources differ The main account gives two sets of British losses: 297 (95 killed, 202 wounded) and a total of 1,373 (155 killed, 105 wounded, 1,113 captured).
Sources Wikipedia
Image: H. Charles McBarron, Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Porto Praya Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Porto Praya (French)
16 April 1781 · Porto Praya, Cape Verde Islands, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Johnstone (Great Britain); Pierre André de Suffren (France)
Forces British: 5 ships of the line, 3 frigates, 2 cutters, 1 bomb vessel, 1 fireship, 2 hired armed vessels, 4 troopships, 1 storeship and 13 merchant ships. France: 5 ships of the line.
Losses Britain: 36 killed, 147 wounded; 1 fireship, 1 storeship and 2 merchant ships captured. France: 93 killed, 217 wounded.
Result Inconclusive; French strategic victory
Both squadrons were bound for the Dutch Cape Colony, the British to capture it and the French to defend it. Johnstone's fleet was watering at anchor in neutral Portuguese Porto Praya when Suffren arrived and attacked it there. Neither side was ready, and in the inconclusive fight the French took more damage, though no warships were lost; Johnstone had to give up his pursuit to make repairs.
Why it is remembered Suffren reached the Cape first and reinforced its garrison before sailing on to Isle de France. The battle was painted in 1836.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Pierre-Julien Gilbert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
Battle of Saldanha Bay (1781) Raid
21 July 1781 · Saldanha Bay, Dutch Cape Colony
Fought between Great Britain against the Dutch Republic (Dutch East India Company)
Commanders George Johnstone (Great Britain); Gerrit Harmeyer (Dutch East India Company), surrendered
Forces 5 British ships of the line, 3 frigates, 2 cutters, 1 bomb vessel, 1 fireship, 2 troopships and 5 merchant ships against 8 Dutch East India Company merchant ships
Ships Dankbaarheid
Losses Dutch: 5 merchant ships captured and 1 destroyed by her own crew; casualties minimal if any. Britain: none.
Result British victory
A Royal Navy squadron under Commodore George Johnstone attacked Dutch East India Company ships lying in Saldanha Bay. It captured five of them, and the crew of a sixth destroyed their own ship.
Why it is remembered One of the prizes, Dankbaarheid, foundered on 30 January 1782.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Second Battle of Ushant Convoy battle
Also known as Battle of Ushant (1781); Bataille d'Ouessant (1781) (French)
12 December 1781 · Off Ushant, Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Richard Kempenfelt (Great Britain); Comte de Guichen (France)
Forces 12 British ships of the line against 19 French ships of the line escorting 110 transports
Ships Victory (Kempenfelt's flagship)
Losses France: 1,620 men captured and 21 transports captured. Britain: light.
Result British victory
Kempenfelt's squadron found the French convoy and saw that its escort had been reinforced and was too strong to attack. But Guichen's warships were downwind of the convoy, so Kempenfelt swept down on the transports before the escort could intervene and captured a number of ships carrying troops and supplies. A gale then scattered the rest of the convoy and most of it was forced back to port.
Why it is remembered Only two of the ships of the line meant for the West Indies and a few transports got through to take part in the campaign that ended at the Saintes in April 1782.
Sources differ One account says 15 ships were captured; another account gives 21 transports.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Siege of Yorktown Landing or siege
Also known as Battle of Yorktown; Surrender at Yorktown
28 September to 19 October 1781 · Yorktown and Gloucester, Virginia
Fought between United States and France against Great Britain, with Hessian and Ansbach-Bayreuth troops
Commanders George Washington, the Comte de Rochambeau, the Marquis de Lafayette and the Comte de Grasse (United States and France); Charles Cornwallis (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces Americans 8,000 to 9,000 men; French 10,800 men and 29 warships; against 5,000 British and fewer than 3,000 German troops
Losses Franco-American: 88 killed, 301 wounded. British and German: 142 to 309 killed, 326 to 595 wounded, 7,416 to 7,685 captured.
Result Franco-American victory
De Grasse brought the French West Indies fleet to Chesapeake Bay at the end of August, blockaded Yorktown, beat off Graves's relieving fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake and landed the heavy siege guns. Washington and Rochambeau surrounded Cornwallis by land, opened their parallels and took Redoubts 9 and 10 on 14 October. Cornwallis asked for terms on 17 October and surrendered on 19 October.
Why it is remembered It was the last major land engagement of the war; with more than 7,000 British soldiers captured, negotiations began that led to the Treaty of Paris of 1783. John Trumbull painted the surrender in 1820.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 12 December 1782 Convoy battle
12 December 1782 · Off Ferrol, north west Spain, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France and the United States
Commanders James Luttrell (Great Britain); Nicolas Baudin (France)
Forces The British 40-gun fifth rate HMS Mediator against a convoy of five armed ships: 1 ship of the line, 1 frigate, 1 armed transport and 2 privateers
Ships HMS Mediator, La Ménagère, Alexander
Losses Britain: 7 killed or wounded. France and United States: 9 killed, 16 wounded, 340 captured; La Ménagère and the privateer Alexander captured.
Result British victory
HMS Mediator attacked a convoy of five armed ships off Ferrol that formed part of Beaumarchais's supply chain to the American colonists. She captured the American privateer Alexander and then the French former ship of the line La Ménagère.
Why it is remembered Thomas Luny painted Mediator's fight in 1783.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 15 September 1782 Single-ship action
Also known as Second Battle of Delaware Bay
15 September 1782 · Mouth of Delaware Bay
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders George Elphinstone (Great Britain); Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville (France), surrendered
Forces 2 British ships of the line, 1 frigate and 1 sloop of war against three French warships, including two frigates
Ships Aigle
Losses France: 600 captured; the frigate Aigle captured. Britain: unknown.
Result British victory
Four Royal Navy ships under George Elphinstone chased and attacked a French force under Latouche Tréville at the mouth of Delaware Bay. The 38-gun frigate Aigle ran aground and was captured with Latouche Tréville aboard.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 16 March 1782 Single-ship action
Also known as Acción del 16 de marzo de 1782 (Spanish)
16 March 1782 · Off Cape Spartel, Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders Charles Pole (Great Britain); Miguel Tacón (Spain), captured
Forces The British 32-gun frigate HMS Success and the hired armed storeship Vernon (22 guns) against the Spanish 34-gun frigate Santa Catalina with 300 men
Ships HMS Success, Vernon, Santa Catalina
Losses Britain: 1 killed, 4 wounded. Spain: 25 killed, 8 wounded, the rest captured; Santa Catalina destroyed.
Result British victory
Success and Vernon, bound for besieged Gibraltar, met Santa Catalina, one of a Spanish squadron watching for relief convoys. As the Spanish frigate came near, Success hauled up and fired a destructive broadside, then wore round, and Vernon followed. Around 8 pm, having lost her mizzen mast, Santa Catalina struck.
Why it is remembered Santa Catalina was holed below the waterline. When six Spanish sail appeared the next day, Pole removed the valuables and prisoners and blew her up, then reached Gibraltar a few days later.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 18 October 1782 Single-ship action
Also known as Bataille d'Hispaniola (French)
17 to 18 October 1782 · Off Hispaniola and Samaná Bay, Caribbean Sea
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders James Kempthorne (Great Britain); Nicolas de Grimouard (France)
Forces The British 98-gun HMS London and 74-gun HMS Torbay against the French 74-gun Scipion and 40-gun frigate Sibylle
Ships Scipion, Sibylle, HMS London, HMS Torbay
Losses Britain: 11 killed, 75 wounded. France: 15 killed, 46 wounded; Scipion lost.
Result Inconclusive
Scipion and Sibylle were chased by London and Torbay. Scipion outmanoeuvred her larger pursuers and raked London, causing severe damage, and kept on running. Going to anchor in Samaná Bay she struck a rock and sank, while Sibylle escaped.
Why it is remembered Rossel de Cercy painted Scipion's fight with London.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 4 September 1782 Single-ship action
4 September 1782 · Off the Île de Batz, Brittany, English Channel
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Henry Trollope (Britain); Joseph-Pierre de Vigny (France)
Forces One British frigate, HMS Rainbow, against one French frigate, Hébé
Ships HMS Rainbow, Hébé
Losses British: 1 killed, 2 wounded. French: 5 killed, 7 wounded, 360 captured, the frigate Hébé captured.
Result British victory
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Rainbow, armed with carronades, met the French frigate Hébé off the Île de Batz. Hébé struck her colours right after Rainbow's first broadside.
Why it is remembered It was the first engagement to see proper use of the British carronade, which proved highly effective. Hébé was taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Hebe.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 5 September 1782 Single-ship action
5 September 1782 · 135 leagues east of Long Island, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Latouche and Vallongue (France)
Forces Two French frigates, Aigle and Gloire, against the British 74-gun ship of the line HMS Hector
Ships Aigle, Gloire, HMS Hector
Losses French: Aigle 4 killed and 13 wounded (4 mortally), Gloire 2 killed and 2 wounded. British: nine killed and 33 wounded. Hector foundered a few days later.
Result Indecisive
In a two-day fight the French frigates Aigle and Gloire badly damaged the lone British 74 HMS Hector. They failed to capture her only because a British squadron appeared on the horizon, and the French withdrew. Hector foundered a few days later in the 1782 Central Atlantic hurricane.
Sources differ The main account gives a French total of 10 dead and 11 wounded, which does not match its own per-ship figures (6 killed, 15 wounded).
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Action of 6 December 1782 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat du 6 décembre 1782 (French)
6 December 1782 · Off Martinique, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders John Collins (Great Britain); Jean-Charles de Borda (France)
Forces The British third rate HMS Ruby against the French third rate Solitaire and the brig Speedy
Ships HMS Ruby, Solitaire, Speedy
Losses Britain: 2 wounded. France: 35 killed, 55 wounded, 500 captured; Solitaire and Speedy captured.
Result British victory
HMS Ruby fought the French ship of the line Solitaire off Martinique and easily defeated her. Solitaire and the brig Speedy were captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Elliott, del, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-Spanish War (1779 to 1783), part of the American Revolutionary War
Action of 6 September 1782 Single-ship action
6 September 1782 · Off Cape Spartel, near the Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Spain against Great Britain
Commanders Pedro Winthuysen Pineda (Spain); Warren Nicoll, surrendered (Britain)
Forces Spanish: one 34-gun frigate and 2 cutters. British: the 26-gun armed storeship Calonne.
Ships Calonne
Losses Spanish: none. British: 200 prisoners and the Calonne captured.
Result Spanish victory
A Spanish flotilla captured Calonne, a 400-ton British armed storeship of the Board of Ordnance rated as a 26-gun frigate. She had been carrying military stores to the besieged garrison of Gibraltar.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Francis Jukes / After Nicholas Pocock, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Cape Spartel Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla del Cabo Espartel (Spanish)
20 October 1782 · Off Cape Spartel, Morocco, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against Spain and France
Commanders Richard Howe (Great Britain); Luis de Córdova (Spain)
Forces 34 British ships of the line and 1 frigate against the combined Spanish and French fleet
Ships Victory (Howe's flagship), Britannia; Santísima Trinidad (Córdova's flagship), Bretagne, Invincible, Majestueux, Royal Louis
Losses Britain: 63 killed, 198 wounded. Spain and France: 360 killed or wounded.
Result Inconclusive
After resupplying besieged Gibraltar, Howe's fleet sailed west and shortened sail, leaving Córdova, who had the weather gage, to decide whether to fight. Córdova ordered a general chase, and at 5.45 pm the Franco-Spanish van opened fire; the British replied and drew away. No British ship was seriously engaged, and on 22 October Howe sailed for Britain as his orders required.
Why it is remembered Howe's convoy had reached Gibraltar safely, and together with the failed assault of 13 September this strengthened Britain's hand in the peace talks, in which Gibraltar was kept. The main account credits copper sheathing with letting Howe avoid action.
Sources differ The main account gives 34 Franco-Spanish ships of the line; the order of battle lists 46 and the background section gives 49.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Julian Henderson from Bronx, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Delaware Bay Convoy battle
Also known as Battle of Cape May
8 April 1782 · Delaware Bay, off Cape May
Fought between United States against Great Britain
Commanders Joshua Barney (United States); Christopher Mason and Josias Rogers (Great Britain), Rogers surrendered
Forces 3 American sloops escorting merchantmen against 1 British frigate, 1 sloop of war and 1 brig
Ships Hyder Ally, HMS General Monk
Losses Americans: 4 killed, 11 wounded; 1 sloop captured. Britain: 20 killed, 33 wounded; HMS General Monk captured.
Result American victory
Three British vessels attacked three American privateers escorting a fleet of merchantmen in Delaware Bay near Cape May. The American sloop Hyder Ally, under Joshua Barney, captured the British sloop of war General Monk.
Why it is remembered The fight between Hyder Ally and General Monk was painted by William Nowland Van Powell.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Nowland Van Powell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of the Delaware Capes Single-ship action
Also known as Third Battle of Delaware Bay
20 to 21 December 1782 · Off the mouth of the Delaware River, Atlantic coast of North America
Fought between Great Britain against the United States (South Carolina State Navy and privateers)
Commanders Thomas Frederick (Britain); John Joyner (United States)
Forces British: 3 frigates, HMS Diomede, Quebec and Astraea. American: the 40-gun frigate South Carolina, the brigs Hope and Constance and the schooner Seagrove.
Ships HMS Diomede, HMS Quebec, HMS Astraea, South Carolina, Hope, Constance, Seagrove
Losses British: none. American: 6 killed, 8 wounded, 530 captured, 1 frigate and 2 brigs captured.
Result British victory
Three Royal Navy frigates intercepted the South Carolina State Navy's frigate South Carolina and three privateers off the Delaware. The British captured all but the schooner Seagrove, which escaped.
Why it is remembered It was fought some three weeks after the preliminary articles of peace had been signed.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Capture of Demerara and Essequibo Landing or siege
Also known as Prise de Démérara et Essequibo (French)
22 January 1782 · Demerara and Essequibo, South America
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Armand de Kersaint and the Comte de Bouillé (France); Governor Robert Kingston (Great Britain), surrendered
Forces The French frigate Iphigénie, 4 sloops and 355 soldiers against the British 28th Regiment of Foot
Ships Iphigénie
Losses Britain: 3 sloops and 2 brigs captured, 1 brig sunk; the 28th Regiment surrendered. France: minimal.
Result French victory
In 1781 Rodney had sent two sloops from Sint Eustatius to take possession of the Dutch colonies of Essequibo and Demerara. In January 1782 a French expedition took the settlements and forced the British governor, Robert Kingston, to surrender.
Why it is remembered The French held Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice until the Treaty of Paris of 1783 returned them to the Dutch.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle off Halifax (1782) Single-ship action
28 to 29 May 1782 · Off Halifax, Nova Scotia
Fought between Great Britain against the United States
Commanders Lieutenant John Crymes (Britain); Captain David Ropes, killed (United States)
Forces The 14-gun Royal Navy brig HMS Observer against the American privateer Jack
Ships HMS Observer, Jack
Losses British: 3 killed, 5 wounded. American: 7 killed, 13 wounded, Jack captured.
Result British victory
The American privateer Jack under Captain David Ropes fought the Royal Navy brig HMS Observer under Lieutenant John Crymes off Halifax. It was described as a long and severe engagement. Ropes was killed and Jack was captured.
Why it is remembered Robert Dodd made a print of the engagement, now in the collection of the US Naval Academy.
Sources differ One account gives the date as 28 May 1782; another account gives 28 to 29 May 1782.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Robert Dodd (artist), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Hudson Bay expedition Raid
Also known as Expédition de la baie d'Hudson (French)
May to August 1782 · Prince of Wales Fort and York Factory, Hudson Bay
Fought between France against the Hudson's Bay Company (Great Britain)
Commanders Comte de Lapérouse (France); Samuel Hearne (Hudson's Bay Company), surrendered
Forces 1 French ship of the line and 2 frigates against 2 trading posts and 3 merchantmen
Losses France: 15 drowned and about 85 dead of illness. Hudson's Bay Company: about 100 captured; 2 trading posts taken.
Result French victory
Under secret orders, a French squadron under Lapérouse sailed from Cap-Français in May 1782 and reached Hudson Bay in early August. Prince of Wales Fort and York Factory surrendered without a fight, though a company merchantman escaped with some of the furs from York Factory. Some prisoners were sent home in a company sloop and others were pressed into the squadron, which suffered badly from scurvy and disease after sailing with minimal winter provisions.
Why it is remembered The raid damaged the finances of the Hudson's Bay Company and indirectly contributed to the deaths of up to half of the Chipewyan fur traders who dealt with it.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Lieutenant de frégate Lefebvre, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Battle of Kedges Strait Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of the Barges
30 November 1782 · Kedges Strait, between Smith and South Marsh Islands, off Tangier Sound, Chesapeake Bay
Fought between Maryland naval militia (United States) against Great Britain
Commanders Commodore Zedekiah Whaley and Lieutenant Colonel John Cropper (United States); British commander unknown
Forces American: 65 men. British: unknown.
Ships McDougall
Losses American: on McDougall, 25 killed or wounded, 29 captured, 11 escaped. British: unknown.
Result British victory
Maryland naval militia in armed barges fought Royal Navy forces in Kedges Strait near Tangier Sound in the Chesapeake Bay. The British won.
Why it is remembered A historical marker in Onancock, Virginia, records the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Raid on Lunenburg (1782) Raid
Also known as Sack of Lunenburg
1 July 1782 · Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Fought between United States privateers against Great Britain
Commanders Noah Stoddard, George Wait Babcock, Gregory Powers, Herbert Woodbury, John Tibbets (United States); John Creighton, Dettlieb Christopher Jessen, Joseph Pernette, Johann Gottlob Schmeisser (Britain)
Forces American: 5 privateer vessels with about 170 men. British: local militia, numbers unknown.
Ships Scammell, Hope
Losses British: 1 killed, 3 taken prisoner. American: 4 wounded.
Result American victory
Captain Noah Stoddard in the privateer Scammell led five heavily armed vessels against Lunenburg. About 170 privateers overpowered the defence, took the blockhouses, burnt Colonel Creighton's home and looted the town, holding off the militia with the threat of destroying it. They took three prisoners, including Creighton, who were later released from Boston without ransom.
Why it is remembered It was the last major privateer attack on a Nova Scotia community during the war, and the most spectacular raid there. A. J. Wright painted the raid.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of the Mona Passage Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille du canal de la Mona (French)
19 April 1782 · Mona Passage, between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Samuel Hood (Great Britain); Georges-François de Framond (France)
Forces 10 British ships of the line, 1 frigate and 1 fireship against 2 French ships of the line, 2 frigates and 1 corvette
Ships Barfleur (Hood's flagship); Jason, Caton, Amiable, Ceres
Losses Britain: 10 killed, 14 wounded. France: 1,300 captured; 2 ships of the line, 1 frigate and 1 corvette captured.
Result British victory
A week after the Battle of the Saintes, Hood's squadron overtook a French squadron under Framond that had escaped from the battle. In the Mona Passage the British captured four French warships, the 64-gun Jason and Caton, the frigate Amiable and the corvette Ceres.
Why it is remembered It completed the British victory at the Saintes.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Lieutenant William Elliott, R.N. (fl.1784 to 1791), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Capture of Montserrat Landing or siege
22 February 1782 · Montserrat, West Indies
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Comte de Barras and Charles François Joseph, Comte de Flechin (France); Governor Michael White (Great Britain)
Forces 4 French ships and 500 men; British strength unknown
Losses Britain: casualties unknown; 68 guns taken. France: minimal.
Result French victory
A French naval expedition seized the island of Montserrat from the British.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Negapatam (1782) Fleet battle
6 July 1782 · Off Negapatam, Coromandel coast of India, Bay of Bengal
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Edward Hughes (Britain); Pierre André de Suffren (France)
Forces British: 11 ships of the line and 1 frigate. French: 12 ships of the line, 1 frigate, 2 corvettes and 1 fireship.
Losses British: 77 killed, 233 wounded. French: 178 killed, 601 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
The British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes engaged Suffren's French fleet off the coast of India. The battle was indecisive, but Hughes stopped Suffren from reaching his goal. Suffren withdrew to Cuddalore and the British kept control of Negapatam.
Why it is remembered It was the third of the battles between Hughes and Suffren in Indian waters. Dominic Serres painted it in 1786.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Dominic Serres (1719 to 1793), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Providien Fleet battle
12 April 1782 · Off the east coast of Ceylon, near the islet of Providien, south of Trincomalee
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Edward Hughes (Britain); Pierre André de Suffren (France)
Forces 11 British ships of the line against 12 French ships of the line
Ships HMS Monmouth
Losses British: 137 killed, 430 wounded. French: 139 killed, 430 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
The British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and the French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren fought off the east coast of Ceylon, near a rocky islet called Providien. The result was inconclusive and losses on both sides were heavy.
Why it is remembered It was the second of the battles between Hughes and Suffren off India. A 1784 painting by Dominic Serres shows HMS Monmouth in a desperate state at the close of the action with three French ships.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Sadras Fleet battle
17 February 1782 · Off Sadras, near present-day Kalpakkam, east coast of India, Bay of Bengal
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Edward Hughes (Britain); Pierre André de Suffren (France)
Forces 9 British ships of the line against 11 French ships of the line
Losses British: 32 killed, 83 wounded. French: 30 killed, 100 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
A British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes met a French fleet under Suffren off the east coast of India. The battle was tactically indecisive, but the British fleet suffered the most damage. Under Suffren's protection, French troop transports were able to land at Porto Novo, present-day Parangipettai.
Why it is remembered It was the first of five largely indecisive battles between Hughes and Suffren off India. Dominique Serres painted the battle in 1782.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of Saint Kitts Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Frigate Bay; Bataille de Saint-Christophe (French)
25 to 26 January 1782 · Off Basseterre, Saint Kitts
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Samuel Hood (Great Britain); Comte de Grasse (France)
Forces 22 British ships of the line against 29 French ships of the line, 2 frigates and 1 cutter
Ships Barfleur (Hood's flagship); Ville de Paris (de Grasse's flagship), Pluton
Losses Britain: 72 killed, 244 wounded. France: 107 killed, 204 wounded; 1 cutter captured.
Result British tactical victory; the island fell to France
The French were besieging the British fortress on Brimstone Hill when Hood sailed from Antigua to relieve it. On 25 January he drew de Grasse's fleet away from the land, and a shift in the wind let him take the Basseterre anchorage the French had just left, where he anchored his fleet in an L-shaped line. De Grasse attacked three times on 26 January and was beaten off each time.
Why it is remembered Brimstone Hill fell nonetheless, Saint Kitts and Nevis surrendered on 12 February, and Hood left on the 14th to join Rodney. Nicholas Pocock painted the battle in 1784.
Sources differ French strength is given variously as 29 ships of the line, 36 ships of the line, and 28 two-deckers with one 110-gun ship.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Nicholas Pocock, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Battle of the Saintes Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Dominica; Bataille de la Dominique (French)
9 to 12 April 1782 · Off Dominica, near the Îles des Saintes, West Indies
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir George Rodney, Sir Samuel Hood and Francis Samuel Drake (Great Britain); Comte de Grasse (France), captured, and Louis-Antoine de Bougainville
Forces 36 British ships of the line against 30 French ships of the line
Ships Formidable (Rodney's flagship), Barfleur (Hood), Princessa (Drake), Marlborough, Bedford, Centaur; Ville de Paris (de Grasse's flagship), Glorieux, Ardent, Hector, César
Losses Britain: 243 killed, 816 wounded; no ships lost. France: about 3,000 killed or wounded and 5,000 to 6,000 captured by modern estimates; Ville de Paris, Glorieux, Ardent and Hector captured, César destroyed by explosion with more than 400 men.
Result British victory
Rodney caught de Grasse's fleet escorting a convoy on 9 April, but the first clash was indecisive. On 12 April the fleets passed on opposite courses; when the wind shifted the French line was split, and Formidable broke through the gap followed by five more ships, while Bedford passed between César and Hector. Four French ships of the line were taken, among them de Grasse's flagship Ville de Paris, and César blew up after capture.
Why it is remembered It ended the Franco-Spanish plan to invade Jamaica and is counted by many historians as Britain's most important victory over France in the war; whether Rodney deliberately broke the line is still argued. Rodney and Hood were made peers, Rodney's memorial in Spanish Town, Jamaica, carries two guns from Ville de Paris, and the Three Captains monument in Westminster Abbey honours captains who fell.
Sources differ One account gives up to 15,000 French casualties; another account gives modern estimates of 3,000 killed or wounded and 5,000 to 6,000 captured, and older figures of 3,000 killed and 6,000 wounded. A third account counts four ships captured and one destroyed, though its narrative says César was captured before she blew up.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Thomas Whitcombe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Anglo-French War of 1778 to 1783 (American Revolutionary War)
Third Battle of Ushant Convoy battle
Also known as Battle of Ushant (1782); Action of 20 to 21 April 1782
20 to 21 April 1782 · Off Ushant, Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Samuel Barrington, John Jervis (wounded) and Frederick Maitland (Great Britain); Chevalier de Sillans and François Julien de Quérangal (France), both surrendered
Forces 12 British ships of the line and 3 frigates against 3 French ships of the line and 2 frigates escorting a convoy of transports
Ships HMS Foudroyant, Pégase
Losses Britain: 5 wounded. France: 80 killed, 40 wounded, 2,100 captured; 2 ships of the line and 12 transports captured.
Result British victory
A Royal Navy fleet under Samuel Barrington met a French squadron of three ships of the line protecting a convoy of transports off Ushant. In a two day action the British took two of the French ships of the line and twelve transports.
Why it is remembered It was the third battle fought off Ushant in the war and a clear British victory. Dominic Serres painted Foudroyant bringing her prize Pégase into Portsmouth nine days later.
Sources differ One account gives a convoy of 12 transports; another account gives 19 transport ships, of which 12 were captured.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Trincomalee Fleet battle
3 September 1782 · Off Trincomalee, Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka)
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Sir Edward Hughes (Britain); Pierre André de Suffren (France)
Forces 12 British ships of the line against 14 French ships of the line
Losses British: 51 killed, 283 wounded. French: 82 killed, 255 wounded.
Result Inconclusive
A British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren fought off Trincomalee in Ceylon. Neither side gained a decisive result.
Why it is remembered It was the fourth of the series of battles between Hughes and Suffren off the Indian subcontinent. Dominic Serres painted the action.
Sources differ One account gives the date as 25 August to 3 September 1782; another account gives the battle as fought on 3 September 1782.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 10 March 1783 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat de l'Alliance et de la Sybil; combat off the coast of Florida
10 March 1783 · Off Florida, between Palm Beach and Cape Canaveral
Fought between United States against Great Britain
Commanders John Barry (United States); James Vashon (Britain)
Forces One American frigate of 36 guns, Alliance, against one British frigate of 20 guns, Sybil
Ships Alliance, Sybil
Losses American: unknown. British: frigate damaged, casualties unknown.
Result American victory
The American frigate Alliance under John Barry fought the British frigate Sybil under James Vashon off the coast of Florida. Sybil was damaged.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
Image: Captain Matthew Parke USMC, (1746 to 1813), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Action of 11 April 1783 Single-ship action
11 April 1783 · Off Trincomalee, Bay of Bengal
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Samuel Graves (Britain); Villaret de Joyeuse, surrendered (France)
Forces The British 64-gun ship of the line HMS Sceptre against the French corvette Naïade
Ships HMS Sceptre, Naïade
Losses British: 24 killed or wounded. French: 34 killed or wounded, 160 captured, Naïade captured.
Result British victory
HMS Sceptre sighted the French corvette Naïade and captured her off Trincomalee after a fight of five hours.
Why it is remembered Naïade's captain, Villaret de Joyeuse, was taken prisoner.
Sources differ One account is titled 11 April 1783, but another account says Naïade was captured on the night of 14 April 1783.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: James Northcote, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Action of 15 February 1783 Single-ship action
Also known as Combat du 15 février 1783
15 February 1783 · Off Guadeloupe, Caribbean Sea
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Robert Linzee (Britain); Chevalier Clesmaur (France)
Forces The British 74-gun ship of the line HMS Magnificent against the 36-gun French frigate Concorde
Ships HMS Magnificent, Concorde
Losses British: minor. French: 300 killed or wounded, Concorde captured.
Result British victory
The ship of the line HMS Magnificent chased the French frigate Concorde off Guadeloupe, overhauled her and captured her.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown (from The Linzee Family by John William Linzee, 1917), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-Spanish War)
Action of 17 February 1783 Single-ship action
17 February 1783 · Caribbean Sea, between Jamaica and Cuba
Fought between Great Britain against Spain
Commanders George Stoney (Britain); Spanish commander unknown
Forces The British fifth rate frigate HMS Fox against the Spanish frigate Santa Catalina
Ships HMS Fox, Santa Catalina
Losses British: 4 killed, 1 wounded. Spanish: 35 killed and wounded, 128 captured, Santa Catalina captured.
Result British victory
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Fox fought and captured the Spanish frigate Santa Catalina between Jamaica and Cuba.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War
Action of 22 January 1783 Single-ship action
22 January 1783 · Off the Virginia Capes, entrance to Chesapeake Bay
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Thomas Macnamara Russell (Britain); Théobald René de Kergariou-Locmaria, surrendered (France)
Forces British: the frigate Hussar, with a ship of the line in company per the main account. French: the frigate Sybille.
Ships HMS Hussar, Sybille
Losses British: 15 killed, 26 wounded. French: 26 killed, 40 wounded, 170 captured, the frigate Sybille captured.
Result British victory
The British frigate Hussar under Thomas Macnamara Russell captured the French frigate Sybille under Kergariou-Locmaria off the Chesapeake Bay.
Why it is remembered The French were accused of breaking the accepted rules of war by flying false flags and distress signals, which made the action controversial.
Sources differ One account calls it a single-ship action; another account lists British strength as 1 ship of the line and 1 frigate.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: http://maps.bpl.org, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish to Algerian war of 1775 to 1785
Bombardment of Algiers (1783) Landing or siege
4 to 8 August 1783 · Algiers, Regency of Algiers
Fought between Spain against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Rear Admiral Antonio Barceló (Spain); Mohammed V (Algiers)
Forces Spanish: 4 ships of the line, 4 frigates and 68 other vessels. Algerian: 2 demi-galleys, 2 xebecs, 6 gunboats and 1 felucca.
Losses Spanish: 26 dead, 1,500 lb of gunpowder stolen. Algerian: 1 gunboat, 562 buildings destroyed or damaged.
Result Algerian victory
A Spanish fleet under Antonio Barceló bombarded Algiers eight times between 4 and 8 August to stop Algerine privateering against Spanish shipping. It did little damage to Algerine forces. Barceló blamed the weather and ordered a withdrawal.
Why it is remembered The Spanish court judged the expedition a failure, mocking it as a costly festival of fireworks. Spain returned the next year.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Tomás López (1730 to 1802), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Cuddalore (1783) Fleet battle
20 June 1783 · Off Cuddalore, Coromandel coast of India, Bay of Bengal
Fought between France against Great Britain
Commanders Pierre André de Suffren (France); Sir Edward Hughes with L. J. Weiland (Britain)
Forces 15 French ships of the line against 18 British ships of the line
Ships Cléopâtre
Losses French: 102 killed, 386 wounded. British: 99 killed, 434 wounded. No ships were seriously damaged.
Result French victory
The British had begun to besiege Cuddalore after the death of the French ally Hyder Ali. Suffren's fleet arrived on 13 June, and after a week of fickle winds he attacked on 20 June, directing the battle from the frigate Cléopâtre. The British fleet then withdrew to Madras, so reinforcements for the siege could not be landed.
Why it is remembered Peace had already been agreed in Europe but the news had not reached India, so this was the final battle of the war. Word of peace arrived at Cuddalore on 29 June.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste Jugelet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · American Revolutionary War (Anglo-French War)
Battle of Grand Turk Landing or siege
Also known as Capture of the Turks and Caicos Islands
9 March 1783 · Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands
Fought between Great Britain against France
Commanders Captain Horatio Nelson (Britain, relief force); Marquis de Grasse-Briançon and M. de Coujolles (France)
Forces British relief: the 28-gun frigate HMS Albemarle, 2 brigs and 167 men. French: 400 men holding the island.
Ships HMS Albemarle
Losses British: 9 wounded. French: none.
Result French victory
France had taken the island of Grand Turk, with its rich salt works, in February 1783. The British sent the frigate HMS Albemarle under Captain Horatio Nelson with more than 100 men to retake it, but the attack failed.
Why it is remembered It was an early failure for Nelson. The islands were restored to Britain anyway by the Treaty of Paris six months later.
Sources differ One account gives the British landing force as more than 100 men; another account gives 167.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: John Francis Rigaud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish to Algerian war
Bombardment of Algiers (1784) Landing or siege
12 to 21 July 1784 · Algiers, Regency of Algiers
Fought between Spain, Naples, Sicily, the Order of Malta and Portugal against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Antonio Barceló and José de Mazarredo (Spain); Muhammad V and Ali Agha (Algiers)
Forces Allied: 9 ships of the line, 11 frigates, 14 xebecs and 90 smaller warships. Algerian: 4,000 volunteers and 70 galiots and gunboats.
Losses Allied: 1 felucca sunk, 1 gunboat destroyed, 53 killed, 64 wounded. Algerian: most of the vessels in the harbour sunk.
Result Algerian victory
A joint Spanish, Neapolitan, Maltese and Portuguese fleet under Antonio Barceló bombarded Algiers, the main base of the Barbary corsairs, to force them to stop their raiding. It followed the failed Spanish expedition of the year before.
Why it is remembered José López Llanos made a 1784 depiction of the first day of the bombardment.
Sources differ One account gives 12 to 21 July 1784; another account gives 12 July 1784.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Lopez Llanos, José (17..-18..). Cartographe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792
Moroccan seizure of the Betsey Blockade and raiding
Also known as Secuestro del Betsey
11 October 1784 · Off the coast of Cádiz, Spain
Fought between Sultanate of Morocco against the United States
Commanders Ordered by Sultan Mohammed bin Abdallah (Morocco)
Ships Betsey
Losses American: the merchant ship Betsey captured, her crew held hostage.
Result Moroccan victory
Moroccan naval forces captured the Philadelphia merchant ship Betsey on the orders of the Sultan, after the United States government delayed signing a treaty. Ship and crew were held in Tangier until 9 July 1785.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · European conflicts with the Barbary states
Venetian bombardments of the Beylik of Tunis Landing or siege
June 1784 to 1786 · Porto Farina, Tunis, Sfax, Bizerte and Sousse, Tunisia
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Beylik of Tunis
Commanders Angelo Emo, Andrea Querini, Tommaso Condulmer (Venice); Hammuda ibn Ali (Tunis)
Forces Venetian: various sailing warships, 2 bomb ketches and 9 bomb rafts. Tunisian: coastal defences, batteries and several ships.
The Venetian navy under Angelo Emo bombarded Tunis and other harbour towns of Tunisia in retaliation for the Bey's support of corsairs who preyed on Venetian shipping. The conflict dragged on until 1792, but there were no major naval actions after the winter of 1786 to 1787.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Tây Sơn wars and Siamese to Vietnamese wars
Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút Fleet battle
Also known as Trận Rạch Gầm, Xoài Mút
20 January 1785 · Rạch Gầm and Xoài Mút rivers near the Mỹ Tho River, present-day Đồng Tháp province, southern Vietnam
Fought between Tây Sơn against Siam, Cambodia and the Nguyễn lords
Commanders Nguyễn Huệ, Nguyễn Lữ, Trương Văn Đa and others (Tây Sơn); Krom Luang Thepharirak, Phraya Wichitnarong, Phraya Thatsada (Siam); Chaophraya Aphaiphubet (Cambodia); Nguyễn Ánh (Nguyễn)
Forces Tây Sơn: about 30,000 men, 55 warships, 100 sailing ships, 300 small canoes and 132 cannon. Siamese and allies: 40,000 sailors, 30,000 infantry and 300 warships, with 3,000 to 4,000 of Nguyễn Ánh's men.
Losses Tây Sơn: unknown, but fewer than their opponents. Siamese and Cambodian: warships nearly annihilated, dead uncertain (Vietnamese sources claim 40,000 Siamese killed). Nguyễn forces: about 3,200 killed.
Result Tây Sơn victory
A Tây Sơn army and river fleet under Nguyễn Huệ destroyed a Siamese invasion force and its fleet on the Rạch Gầm and Xoài Mút rivers. The Siamese, Cambodian and Nguyễn remnants withdrew to Siam.
Why it is remembered The Tây Sơn went on to annex the Nguyễn territory. A monument to the battle stands in Vietnam.
Sources differ One account dates the battle to 20 January 1785; another account gives 1784 to 1785. Siamese losses rest on a Vietnamese claim of 40,000 killed.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Nguyễn Thanh Quang, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Kinburn (1787) Landing or siege
Also known as Storming of Kinburn; Kılburun Muharebesi; Kinburnskaya bataliya
11 to 12 October 1787 (N.S.); 30 September to 1 October 1787 (O.S.) · Kinburn Spit, Dnieper river delta, opposite Ochakov
Fought between Ottoman Empire, with Algiers, against Russia
Commanders Janissary Agha Serben-Geşti-Eyyub-Ağa (landing party), Giritli Hüseyin Pasha and Said Ali (fleet) (Ottoman); Ivan von Reck, wounded, Alexander Suvorov, wounded, Rear Admiral Nikolay Mordvinov and Midshipman Giuliano Lombardo (Russia)
Forces Ottoman: a landing party of 5,000 men, supported by 3 ships of the line, 4 frigates, 4 bomb vessels, 14 gunboats and 23 transports, about 400 guns. Russian: 1,500 infantry in Kinburn, 2,500 infantry and light cavalry and over 1,500 Cossacks in reinforcement, and a naval division of 2 frigates and 4 galleys.
Losses Ottoman: 4,000 to 5,000, about 3,000 killed and wounded and 2,000 prisoners. Russian: about 1,000, 250 killed and 750 wounded.
Result Russian victory
An Ottoman force landed from the fleet on the Kinburn Spit to take the weak fortress, which covered the approaches to the Russian fleet base at Kherson. Russian troops under Suvorov, supported by a small naval division, defeated the landing.
Why it is remembered It is remembered for Suvorov's leadership; a well known image shows Grenadier Novikov saving the wounded Suvorov from a Turkish soldier.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Ochakov (1787) Fleet battle
Also known as Özi Deniz Muharebesi; Battle of Ochakiv
14 to 15 October 1787 · Off Ochakov (Özi), Black Sea
Fought between Ottoman Empire against Russia
Commanders Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (Ottoman); Rear Admiral Mordvinov (Russia)
Result Inconclusive
The Ottoman fleet under Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha and a Russian squadron under Rear Admiral Mordvinov fought off Ochakov. Neither side gained the upper hand.
Sources Wikipedia (TR)
Image: Alexander Varnek, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Fidonisi Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Snake Island; Yılan Adası Deniz Muharebesi
14 July 1788 · Off Fidonisi (Snake Island), Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Marko Voinovich and Fyodor Ushakov (Russia); Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (Ottoman)
Forces Russian: 2 ships of the line, 10 frigates and 24 smaller ships. Ottoman: 17 ships of the line, 8 frigates, 3 bomb vessels and 21 smaller ships.
Losses Russian: unknown. Ottoman: 1 xebec sunk.
Result Russian victory
The Russian Sevastopol fleet under Marko Voinovich met the much larger Ottoman fleet of Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha near Snake Island, known in Greek as Fidonisi. The Russians won.
Why it is remembered Fyodor Ushakov was among the Russian commanders. A painting of the battle was made in 2021.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Kosov vladimir 09071967, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Hogland Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Gogland
17 July 1788 (6 July O.S.) · Off the island of Hogland (Gogland), Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland (Sweden); Samuel Greig (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 15 ships of the line, 5 frigates and 6 light frigates, 1,152 to 1,400 guns, about 10,000 men. Russian: 17 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 5 light frigates, 1,200 to 1,460 guns, about 12,000 men.
Ships Gustaf III, Prins Gustaf, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, Prins Gustaf Adolf, Sofia Magdalena, Rostislav, Vladislav, Vseslav
Losses Swedish: 1,000 to 1,200 killed, wounded or captured, and the ship of the line Prins Gustaf captured. Russian: 580 killed, 720 wounded, 470 captured, and the ship of the line Vladislav captured.
Result Tactically indecisive; strategic Russian success
In near calm the fleets fought from 17:00 until dark, using longboats to steer. The Russian 74 Vladislav drifted into the Swedish line and struck to Prins Gustaf Adolf and Sofia Magdalena, while the Swedish Prins Gustaf under Vice-Admiral Wachtmeister was battered by four Russian ships and surrendered by 22:00. Short of ammunition, the Swedes withdrew to Sveaborg and the damaged Russians did not pursue.
Why it is remembered Each side took one ship of the line, but Greig had done enough to stop the planned Swedish landing at Oranienbaum near Saint Petersburg. Louis Jean Desprez depicted the battle.
Sources differ The aftermath section gives Russian dead as 319 to 580 and Swedish dead as 200 to 300. One account lists 2 Russian frigates in another account but 7 in its order of battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Louis Jean Desprez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Siege of Ochakov (1788) Landing or siege
Also known as Siege of Özi; Özi Kuşatması
31 May to 17 December 1788 (N.S.) · Ochakov (Özi), now Ochakiv, Ukraine
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Grigory Potemkin, Alexander Suvorov (wounded), Charles of Nassau-Siegen, John Paul Jones (Russia); Hüseyin Pasha (captured), Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (Ottoman)
Forces Russian: 40,000. Ottoman: 20,000.
Losses Russian: final assault 2,785 to 6,000 (956 to 1,000 killed, 1,829 to 5,000 wounded), total 15,000. Ottoman: final assault 12,700 to 13,500 (8,700 to 9,500 killed, over 4,000 captured), garrison total 20,000 dead, and at sea 18 ships or vessels and over 7,800 men.
Result Russian victory
Potemkin besieged the fortress from summer to winter, bombarding it and cutting off supplies, while Hasan Pasha's fleet supported the defenders at sea. A Russian rowing flotilla under Nassau-Siegen and a sailing squadron under John Paul Jones fought the Turks in several naval actions, notably on 18 and 28 June 1788; on 28 June the Turks lost 16 ships and vessels to Nassau's flotilla and Suvorov's shore guns. Captain Christian Osten-Sacken blew up his own ship with himself aboard on 31 May after his crew had been taken off. The fortress was stormed on 17 December 1788 and Hüseyin Pasha was captured.
Why it is remembered Ochakov was a strategic position. January Suchodolski painted the siege in 1853.
Sources differ Russian casualties for the final assault range from 2,785 to 6,000 in one account. Another account describes the 28 June action as costing the Turks 16 vessels; one account gives total Ottoman losses at sea as 18 ships or vessels.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: January Suchodolski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Capture of the frigate Kilduin Raid
August 1788 · Off Marstrand, west coast of Sweden
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Johan Petter Ternstedt, wounded (Sweden); Russian commander unknown
Forces Swedish: 1 rowing boat with 6 men. Russian: 1 frigate with 94 men.
Ships Kilduin, Bellona
Losses Swedish: 1 injured. Russian: the frigate Kilduin, 94 men captured, 128 cannon and 16,000 cannonballs taken.
Result Swedish victory
Johan Petter Ternstedt of the Swedish frigate Bellona spotted the lightly manned Russian frigate Kilduin at anchor. At night he and five men rowed out, boarded silently, overpowered the watch and screwed down the hatches to trap the crew below. Kilduin was brought into Marstrand with supplies including 500 rifles.
Why it is remembered Ternstedt was hailed as a hero. Kilduin served in the Swedish navy for seven more years and was sold in 1795.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Barbary to Portuguese conflicts
Action of 26 May 1789 Single-ship action
Also known as Action du 26 mai 1789
26 May 1789 · Off Algiers, Mediterranean Sea
Fought between Portugal against the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Commodore José de Melo Breyner (Portugal); Algerine commander unknown
Forces Portuguese: 1 ship of the line, Nossa Senhora da Conceição (90 guns), 1 frigate and the brig Lebre (24 guns). Algerine: 1 xebec of 26 guns, joined by 2 galleys and 4 boats.
Ships Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Lebre, Le Désir
Losses The main account lists one ship lost and other losses unknown, without making clear which side.
Result Portuguese victory
A Portuguese division found an Algerine xebec bringing home the captured French ship Le Désir. Attacked, the xebec abandoned her prize and fled towards Algiers, chased by Lebre, and sheltered under the coastal forts. After some hours of firing the Portuguese, unable to close in shallow water and faced with galleys and boats from Algiers, withdrew. Le Désir was taken to Lisbon and handed to the French consul.
Sources differ One account calls it a Portuguese victory, while another account says the Portuguese withdrew after recovering the prize. Le Désir reached Lisbon on 15 June by one source and 19 June by another.
Sources Wikipedia · Wikipédia (FR)
Image: Willem van de Velde the Younger / Peter Monamy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Artillery Duel at Korkiansaari Fleet battle
Also known as Artilleriduellen vid Korkiansaari holme
15 August 1789 · Korkiansaari islet, Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Forces The Swedish archipelago fleet against its Russian counterpart
The Swedish archipelago fleet and the Russian archipelago fleet fought an exchange of gunfire at the islet of Korkiansaari.
Sources Wikipedia (SV)
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
First Battle of Svensksund Fleet battle
Also known as First Battle of Rochensalm
24 August 1789 (15 August O.S.) · Svensksund, off present-day Kotka, Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Carl August Ehrensvärd, Carl Olof Cronstedt, Enrique MacDonell (Sweden); Charles Henry of Nassau-Siegen, Ivan Balle, Count Giulio Litta (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 12 archipelago frigates, 5 galleys, 20 gun sloops, 8 cannon and mortar longboats and auxiliaries, 5,000 men. Russian: 24 larger ships, 3 bomb vessels, 47 galleys, 30 gun sloops, 3 cutters and auxiliaries, 12,000 men.
Losses Swedish: 5 archipelago frigates, 2 galleys, 10 gun sloops and 1,500 men, with 30 auxiliary vessels burnt after the battle. Russian: 1 galley, 1 gun sloop, 383 killed, 628 wounded, 22 captured.
Result Russian victory
The Russian galley fleet under Nassau-Siegen attacked the Swedish archipelago fleet at Svensksund and defeated it with heavy Swedish losses.
Why it is remembered It was the first of two battles at Svensksund; Sweden won the second in 1790. Johan Tietrich Schoultz painted the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Öland (1789) Fleet battle
26 July 1789 (15 July O.S.) · Near the island of Öland, Baltic Sea
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland (Sweden); Vasily Chichagov (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 21 ships of the line, 9 large frigates and 4 light frigates. Russian: 21 ships of the line and 10 frigates.
Ships Wladislaff, Kung Gustaf III, Kung Adolf Fredrik, Prins Carl, Rostislav, Dvyenadtsat Apostolov, Knyaz Vladimir
Losses Swedish: 7 dead, 16 wounded. Russian: 32 dead, 187 wounded.
Result Draw or Russian victory
The Swedish fleet sailed to catch Chichagov's Russian fleet before it could unite with the Copenhagen squadron. They fought at long range from about 14:00 to 20:00, so the gunfire did little harm and most losses came from guns misfiring or bursting. Both fleets were weakened by sickness, and the undermanned Swedes could not pursue when the Russians turned east.
Why it is remembered The Russians kept control of the Baltic. Rear Admiral Per Liljehorn, whose ships had turned away, was court-martialled and stripped of his rank.
Sources differ One account gives 9 large Swedish frigates; another account mentions 8.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johan Petter Cumelin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Andros (1790) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Kafireas
17 to 18 May 1790 · Strait between Andros and Cape Kafireas, Aegean Sea
Fought between Russian Empire (Greek privateers) against the Ottoman Empire and the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Lambros Katsonis, wounded (Russian service); Sai'd Ali (Algiers)
Forces Katsonis: 7 or 9 vessels. Ottoman and Algerian: 19 Ottoman ships and 11 to 13 Algerian xebecs.
Losses Katsonis: five ships destroyed and one captured, 565 dead and 53 wounded, several dozen captured and executed. Ottoman and Algerian: over 3,000 killed or wounded.
Result Ottoman and Algerian victory
The flotilla of Lambros Katsonis, a Greek privateer in Russian service, fought an Algerian and Ottoman fleet of 30 to 32 vessels between Cape Kafireas and Andros. Katsonis lost five ships and his flotilla ceased to exist as a fighting force, though the Ottomans also suffered heavily.
Why it is remembered Katsonis escaped, rebuilt his forces and stayed active until the end of the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Björkösund Fleet battle
2 to 3 July 1790 · Björkösund, Beryozovye Islands, Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Klas Hjelmstierna (Sweden); Karl Heinrich von Nassau-Siegen (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 42 gun sloops and yawls. Russian: 7 frigates, 6 xebecs, 3 floating batteries, 3 prams, 5 bomb vessels and 57 smaller vessels.
Losses Swedish: 3 killed, 8 wounded. Russian: 400 men, 1 frigate, 1 xebec, another larger vessel and some smaller ones.
Result Swedish victory
A Swedish force of gun sloops and yawls under Klas Hjelmstierna fought Nassau-Siegen's Russian flotilla at Björkösund and won.
Why it is remembered Johan Tietrich Schoultz painted the action.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Fredrikshamn Fleet battle
15 May 1790 · Fredrikshamn (present-day Hamina, Finland)
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Gustav III (Sweden); Brigadier Pyotr Slizov (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 106 vessels of the archipelago fleet. Russian: 1 frigate and 72 smaller vessels.
Ships Sällan Värre
Losses Swedish: 1 gun yawl, 60 dead or wounded. Russian: 25 smaller vessels sunk or captured, 270 men dead, wounded or captured, and the turuma Sällan Värre recaptured by the Swedes.
Result Swedish victory
The Swedish archipelago fleet under Gustav III attacked the Russian archipelago fleet near Fredrikshamn and defeated it, recapturing the turuma Sällan Värre.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Siege of Izmail Landing or siege
Also known as Storming of Izmail; İzmail Kuşatması
22 December 1790 (11 December O.S.) · Izmail fortress, on the Danube near the Black Sea
Fought between Russia and the Black Sea Cossack Host against the Ottoman Empire and Crimeans
Commanders Alexander Suvorov, Alexander Samoylov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Pavel Potemkin, José de Ribas (Russia); Aydoslu Mehmed Pasha, captured (Ottoman)
Forces Russian: 28,000 to 32,000 men and 500 to 600 guns including the flotilla. Ottoman: 35,000 to 42,000.
Result Russian victory
Suvorov stormed the fortress of Izmail, thought impregnable, after earlier Russian attempts had failed. While six columns attacked the walls from land, the Black Sea rowing flotilla under José de Ribas landed a force to attack the less fortified riverside.
Why it is remembered It is regarded as one of Suvorov's finest victories. Mikhail Ivanov painted the capture of Izmail.
Sources differ Russian strength is given as 28,000, 31,000 or 32,000; Ottoman strength as 35,000, 40,000 or 42,000.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of the Kerch Strait (1790) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Yenikale
19 July 1790 · Kerch Strait, near Kerch, Crimea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Counter Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (Russia); Kapudan Pasha Hussein Pasha (Ottoman)
Forces Russian: 10 ships of the line, 6 frigates, 1 bomb ship, 1 schooner, 2 fireships and 15 privateers, 836 guns. Ottoman: 10 ships of the line, 8 frigates and 36 auxiliary vessels, 1,100 guns.
Losses Russian: 29 killed, 68 wounded. Ottoman: 1 rowing vessel and heavy, unknown, loss of men.
Result Russian victory
Ushakov's fleet met Hussein Pasha's Ottoman fleet near the Kerch Strait and defeated it.
Why it is remembered Afanasy de Paldo painted the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Афанасий де Палдо, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Kronstadt Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Krasnaya Gorka
3 to 4 June 1790 · Gulf of Finland, west of Kronstadt
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland (Sweden); Admiral Alexander Kruse (Russia)
Forces Swedish: 22 ships of the line, 8 frigates and 4 light frigates. Russian: 17 ships of the line, 4 frigates and 8 rowing frigates.
Losses Swedish: 84 killed, 281 wounded. Russian: 89 killed, 218 wounded.
Result Strategic Russian victory
The Swedish fleet tried to defeat the Russian Kronstadt squadron before it could join the Reval squadron, and so open the sea route to Kronstadt and Saint Petersburg. Two days of fighting west of Kronstadt did not achieve this.
Why it is remembered Alexey Bogolyubov painted the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Alexey Bogolyubov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Reval Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Revel
13 May 1790 (2 May O.S.) · Reval roadstead, off present-day Tallinn, Estonia
Fought between Russia against Sweden
Commanders Vasily Chichagov (Russia); Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland (Sweden)
Forces Russian: 10 ships of the line, 5 frigates, 2 bomb vessels and 7 cutters at anchor, with shore artillery. Swedish: 22 ships of the line, 4 frigates and 4 smaller ships.
Ships Rostislav, Saratov, Sv. Elena, Venus, Prins Karl, Riksens Ständer, Ulla Fersen
Losses Russian: 8 killed, 27 wounded. Swedish: estimates vary from about 150 to 200 killed, wounded or missing to 381 to 800 in all, with 1 ship of the line captured (with some 250 to 600 men aboard), 1 ship of the line destroyed, 5 ships heavily damaged and 40 to 42 guns lost.
Result Russian victory
The Swedish fleet attacked Chichagov's squadron, anchored in lines under the shore batteries of Reval. In strong winds the Swedish fire was inaccurate and the Russians replied effectively. After about two hours the Duke of Södermanland, directing from the frigate Ulla Fersen, broke off. Prins Karl lost her rudder and struck her colours, and Riksens Ständer ran on a reef and was burnt by the Swedes to keep her from the Russians.
Why it is remembered The Swedish attack has been compared to running the gauntlet. Ivan Aivazovsky painted the battle in 1846.
Sources differ Swedish losses range from about 150 (Prince Charles's own report) to 800. Estimates of men captured in Prins Karl range from 250 to 600.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Ivan Aivazovsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Second Battle of Fredrikshamn Fleet battle
Also known as Andra slaget vid Fredrikshamn
20 May 1790 · Fredrikshamn (Hamina), Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Forces The Swedish archipelago fleet against the Russian archipelago fleet and shore batteries at Fredrikshamn
The Swedish archipelago fleet fought the Russian archipelago fleet and the artillery batteries of Fredrikshamn.
Sources Wikipedia (SV)
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Second Battle of Svensksund Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Svensksund (1790); Second Battle of Rochensalm; Ruotsinsalmi
9 to 10 July 1790 (28 to 29 June O.S.) · Svensksund, off present-day Kotka, south eastern Finland, Gulf of Finland
Fought between Sweden against Russia
Commanders King Gustav III and Carl Olof Cronstedt (Sweden); Charles of Nassau-Siegen (Russia)
Forces Swedish: about 275 vessels of the archipelago fleet, 206 of them combat vessels, and over 14,000 men. Russian: 200 to 274 vessels of heavier tonnage and about 18,500 men.
Ships Catarina, Sankt Nikolai, Styrbjörn, Starkotter, Torborg, Ingeborg
Losses Swedish: 600 to 700 killed and wounded (171 dead and 122 seriously wounded), 6 vessels sunk or destroyed. Russian: about 10,000 killed, wounded and captured, including a little over 6,000 captured, and 50 to 80 ships sunk, destroyed or captured.
Result Swedish victory
After escaping from Vyborg Bay, Gustav III placed the Swedish archipelago fleet in a defensive position at Svensksund. Nassau-Siegen's Russian galley fleet attacked on 9 July and was routed. Many Russian vessels were sunk, burnt, beached or captured, among them Nassau-Siegen's flagship Catarina, and the frigate Sankt Nikolai sank.
Why it is remembered It is the greatest Swedish naval victory and the largest naval battle ever fought in the Baltic, and it led to the Treaty of Värälä on 14 August 1790. The wreck of Sankt Nikolai was found off Kotka in 1948, almost intact, and over 2,300 objects have been raised from it.
Sources differ Russian losses are estimated at 7,369 (Golovachev), at least 9,000 (Munthe), about 10,000 and up to 14,648 (Poselt). Swedish losses are given as about 300 men or 600 to 700 including lightly wounded.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Johan Tietrich Schoultz, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Tendra Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Khadjibey
8 to 9 September 1790 (28 to 29 August O.S.) · Off the Tendra Spit, Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Fyodor Ushakov (Russia); Giritli Hüseyin Pasha (Ottoman)
Forces Russian: 10 ships of the line, 6 frigates, 1 bomb ship, 1 schooner, 2 fireships and 17 sailing vessels, about 826 guns. Ottoman: 14 ships of the line, 8 frigates and 23 smaller vessels, over 1,300 guns.
Losses Russian: 21 to 25 killed, 25 wounded. Ottoman: 2 ships of the line lost in the battle, 1 ship of the line and several small vessels sunk in the retreat, 7 small craft captured (3 by privateers), and 2,000 men killed, wounded or captured.
Result Decisive Russian victory
Ushakov's Black Sea fleet attacked the Ottoman fleet off the Tendra Spit and defeated it over two days. The Ottomans lost several ships in the battle and the retreat.
Why it is remembered Afanasy de Paldo painted the battle.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Афанасий де Палдо, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Swedish War (1788 to 1790)
Battle of Vyborg Bay (1790) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Vyborg; Baltic Trafalgar
3 to 4 July 1790 (22 June O.S.) · Vyborg Bay, off Vyborg, Gulf of Finland
Fought between Russia against Sweden
Commanders Vasily Chichagov, Pyotr Khanykov, Illarion Povalishin (Russia); Gustav III, Prince Charles, Duke of Södermanland, Rudolf Cederström (Sweden)
Forces Russian: 30 ships of the line, 12 frigates, 72 rowing craft, over 2,718 guns and over 21,000 men, with coastal artillery. Swedish: 20 to 22 ships of the line, 10 to 12 frigates and 242 to 350 archipelago vessels, about 3,000 naval guns and 30,000 to 40,000 seamen and soldiers.
Ships Dristigheten, Konung Gustaf III, Seraphimerorden, Amphion, Enigheten, Zemire, Postiljonen, Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, Lovisa Ulrika, Ömheten, Finland, Rättvisan, Sofia Magdalena
Losses Russian: by one estimate no vessel lost, 117 killed and 164 wounded; by another, 6 ships of the line out of action and 1,000 men. Swedish: by one estimate 5 ships of the line, 3 frigates, 6 galleys, 14 gunboats, about 30 transports and 5,000 men, with 2 more ships of the line lost after the battle; other estimates give 7 to 9 ships of the line, 3 frigates, 54 smaller vessels and 7,000 to 8,000 men.
Result Disputed: the Swedes broke the blockade with heavy losses; Russian sources generally claim a victory, others give Sweden a strategic victory
Chichagov's Russian fleet blockaded the Swedish battle fleet and archipelago fleet in Vyborg Bay. On 4 July the Swedes forced their way out, led by Johan Puke in Dristigheten. The fireship Postiljonen was lit too early, drifted into Enigheten and the frigate Zemire, and all three blew up. In the smoke several Swedish ships ran aground and others were captured, including Rättvisan and Sofia Magdalena, but most of the fleet escaped.
Why it is remembered British historians later called it the Baltic Trafalgar, and it ranks among the largest naval battles in history. Ivan Aivazovsky painted it in 1846. The surviving Swedish fleet went on to win at Svensksund days later.
Sources differ Losses differ widely by source on both sides, as shown above. The Russian claim of victory is not accepted by all sources.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Ivan Aivazovsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Cape Kaliakra Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Kaliakria; Çiligra Deniz Muharebesi
11 August 1791 · Off Cape Kaliakra, northern Bulgaria, Black Sea
Fought between Russia against the Ottoman Empire and the Regency of Algiers
Commanders Rear Admiral Fyodor Ushakov (Russia); Hussein Pasha (Ottoman); Said Ali (Algiers)
Forces Russian: 15 to 16 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 2 bomb vessels, 1 schooner, 1 fireship and 17 sailing vessels, 998 guns. Ottoman and Algerian: 18 ships of the line, 10 large and 7 small frigates and 43 to 48 small craft, 1,800 guns, with a coastal battery.
Ships Alexander Nevsky
Losses Russian: 17 killed, 28 wounded, the frigate Alexander Nevsky damaged. Ottoman: unknown, ships heavily damaged aloft. Neither side lost a ship.
Result Russian victory
Ushakov's fleet found the Ottoman and Algerian fleet at anchor south of Cape Kaliakra and sailed in three columns between it and the cape, despite guns on shore. When Said Ali tried to double the Russian van, Ushakov left the line and attacked him. By dark the Ottomans were in full retreat to Istanbul.
Why it is remembered It was the last naval battle of the war and was followed by the Treaty of Jassy. A monument to Ushakov stands on Cape Kaliakra.
Sources differ One account gives Ottoman strength as 18 ships of the line and 17 frigates with 1,500 to 1,600 guns; another account gives 1,800 guns. One account gives Russian guns as 990, another account 998.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Петър Добрев ffvk@mail.bg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Unification of the Hawaiian Islands
Battle of Kepuwahaʻulaʻula Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Red-Mouthed Gun
1791 · Off Waimanu, near Waipiʻo, north east coast of Hawaiʻi Island
Fought between Kamehameha I of Hawaiʻi against the combined fleets of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Maui
Commanders Kamehameha I, with the foreign gunners John Young and Isaac Davis (Hawaiʻi); Kāʻeokūlani, sent by Kahekili II, with the foreign gunner Mare Amara (Kauaʻi and Oʻahu)
Forces Fleets of war canoes and ships on both sides, armed with muskets and cannon; Kamehameha's forces included weapons taken from the Fair American. Numbers not stated.
Ships Fair American
Losses Not stated
Result Victory for Kamehameha; the invading fleets fled to Maui
In 1791 Kāʻeokūlani sailed from Kauaʻi with a fleet of war canoes and a foreign gunner, joined forces from Oʻahu and Maui, and raided villages down the east coast of Hawaiʻi Island. Kamehameha's canoes and ships caught them off Waimanu, near Waipiʻo. Watchers on the cliffs followed the fight by the flashes and smoke of the guns, and the side with the better arms and gunners won.
Why it is remembered It is described as the first battle in Hawaiʻi with foreign gunners on both sides, and it opened the way for Kamehameha to bring the islands under his rule over the next three years. Herb Kane painted Kamehameha in the battle aboard the Fair American.
Sources differ The source says Kamehameha's forces had guns from the Fair American but does not state that the ship herself fought; Herb Kane's painting shows Kamehameha aboard her.
Sources imagesofoldhawaii.com
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Spanish to Moroccan War of 1790 to 1791
Bombardment of Tangier (1791) Landing or siege
24 August 1791 · Tangier, Morocco
Fought between Spain against the Sultanate of Morocco
Commanders Lieutenant-General Javier Morales de los Ríos (Spain); Sidi Ali ben Ahmed (Morocco)
Forces Spanish: 14 vessels, 2 frigates, 6 gunboats and 6 bomb vessels. Moroccan: unknown, with shore artillery.
Losses Spanish: some casualties and damage to ships. Moroccan: light damage.
Result Moroccan victory
After Sultan Moulay Yazid declared war and besieged Ceuta, Spain sent a light squadron to bombard Tangier, a base for Moroccan privateers. The inhabitants had evacuated and the city had been fortified. The squadron bombarded the port from five in the morning to three in the afternoon, then withdrew because of the weather.
Why it is remembered Spain hoped the attack would stir a revolt against the Sultan; it did little damage.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Third Anglo-Mysore War
Battle of Tellicherry Single-ship action
18 November 1791 · Off Tellicherry, Malabar coast of India, Arabian Sea
Fought between Great Britain against France (the two were not at war)
Commanders Captain Sir Richard Strachan (Britain); French commander unknown
Forces British: 2 frigates. French: the frigate Résolue escorting a convoy from Mahé.
Ships Résolue
Losses British: 6 killed, 11 wounded. French: 25 killed, 60 wounded, Résolue captured.
Result British victory
Royal Navy patrols were stopping French ships bound for the Mysorean port of Mangalore. When a French convoy from Mahé passed Tellicherry, Commodore William Cornwallis sent Strachan with a small squadron to intercept it. The escorting frigate Résolue opened fire and surrendered within twenty minutes. The French ships were searched and sent back to Mahé.
Why it is remembered The French authorities protested at the violation of their neutrality, but in the upheaval of the French Revolution the reports from Commodore Saint-Félix had little effect.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · War of the First Coalition
French expedition to Sardinia Landing or siege
21 December 1792 to 25 May 1793 · Cagliari and La Maddalena, Sardinia
Fought between France against the Kingdom of Sardinia and Spain
Commanders Counter-admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet (France); Juan de Lángara (Spain)
Forces French: the Mediterranean Squadron and 5,000 troops. Sardinian and Spanish: 10,000.
Losses French: 300 killed or wounded, 200 captured, 1 ship of the line wrecked, 1 frigate captured and 1 frigate scuttled. Sardinian and Spanish: minor.
Result Spanish and Sardinian victory
Truguet's squadron attacked Cagliari, the first attempt scattered by a gale and the second bombarding the city from 22 January 1793. French troops landed on 11 February but were driven off at Quartu Sant'Elena. An attack on La Maddalena also failed, and on 25 May a Spanish fleet retook San Pietro and Sant'Antioco.
Why it is remembered The La Maddalena attack was the first military service of Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte. The failure led to revolts in Sardinia, the breakaway of Corsica and the rebellion at Toulon.
Sources differ One account dates the campaign to 1793; another account gives 21 December 1792 to 25 May 1793.
Sources Wikipedia
Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792 · Aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1787 to 1792)
Battle of Porto Kagio Fleet battle
Also known as Portokale Deniz Muharebesi
17 to 18 June 1792 · Porto Kagio, Mani Peninsula, Greece
Fought between Ottoman Empire against Greek privateers of Lambros Katsonis
Commanders Kapudan Pasha Küçük Hüseyin Pasha (Ottoman); Lambros Katsonis (Greek)
Forces Ottoman: 10 galleons. Greek: 16 sailing ships.
Losses Ottoman: light. Greek: heavy.
Result Ottoman victory
An Ottoman squadron under Küçük Hüseyin Pasha destroyed the fleet of Lambros Katsonis, who had continued raiding in the Aegean in favour of Russia, off Porto Kagio.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unidentified engraver, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Explore Naval Battles by chapter
- The Ancient World95 battles
- The Middle Ages169 battles
- Galleys and Galleons, 1492 to 1650285 battles
- The Line of Battle, 1651 to 1750221 battles
- Wars of Empire, 1751 to 1792188 battles
- The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793 to 1815288 battles
- Sail to Steam, 1816 to 1860132 battles
- Ironclads, 1861 to 1903150 battles
- Dreadnoughts and the First World War, 1904 to 1918113 battles
- The Atlantic, the Arctic and the Mediterranean, 1919 to 1945253 battles
- The Pacific and the Indian Ocean, 1919 to 1945130 battles
- Since 1945164 battles