Action Of 8 June 1796

The Atlantic raid of June 1796 was a short campaign containing three connected minor naval engagements fought in the Western Approaches comprising Royal Navy efforts to eliminate a squadron of French frigates operating against British commerce during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although Royal Navy dominance in the Western Atlantic had been established, French commerce raiders operating on short cruises were having a damaging effect on British trade, and British frigate squadrons regularly patrolled from Cork in search of the raiders. One such squadron comprised the 36-gun frigates HMS ''Unicorn'' and HMS ''Santa Margarita'', patrolling in the vicinity of the Scilly Isles, which encountered a French squadron comprising the frigates ''Tribune'' and ''Tamise'' and the corvette ''Légėre''.

The opposing forces were approximately equal in size, but the French, under orders to operate against commerce, not engage British warships, attempted to retreat. The British frigates pursued closely and over the course of the day gradually overhauled the French squadron. At 16:00 ''Santa Margarita'' caught ''Tamise'' and a furious duel ensued in which the smaller ''Tamise'' was badly damaged and eventually forced to surrender. ''Tribune'' continued its efforts to escape, but was finally caught by ''Unicorn'' at 22:30 and defeated in a second hard-fought engagement. ''Légėre'' took no part in the action and was able to withdraw without becoming embroiled in either conflict.

Five days later the French frigate ''Proserpine'', which had separated from the rest of the squadron after leaving Brest, was searching for her compatriots off Cape Clear in Southern Ireland when she was discovered by the patrolling British frigate HMS ''Dryad''. ''Dryad'' successfully chased down ''Proserpine'' and forced the French ship to surrender in an engagement lasting 45 minutes. Nine days later ''Légėre'' was captured without a fight by another British frigate patrol. French casualties in all three engagements were very heavy, while British losses were light. In the aftermath all four captured ships were purchased for service in the Royal Navy.

Background

The first three years of the conflict between Great Britain and the new French Republic in the French Revolutionary Wars, which began in 1793, had resulted in a series of setbacks for the French Atlantic Fleet, based at the large fortified port of Brest. In 1794 seven French ships of the line had been lost at the battle of the Glorious First of June, and early the following year five more were wrecked by winter storms during the disastrous ''Croisière du Grand Hiver'' campaign. In June 1795 three more ships were captured by the British Channel Fleet at the Battle of Groix.Gardiner, p.16 With the French fleet consolidating at Brest, the Royal Navy instituted a policy of close blockade, maintaining a fleet off the port to intercept any efforts by the main French battle fleet to sail. The French Navy instead embarked on a strategy of interference with British commerce, the majority of which by necessity passed through the Western Approaches and the English Channel. This campaign was conducted principally by privateers and small squadrons of frigates operating from Brest and other smaller ports on the French Atlantic and Channel coasts.Gardiner, p.140

The French commerce raiding operations had some success against British trade, and to counteract these attacks the Royal Navy formed squadrons of fast frigates, which patrolled the Channel and Bay of Biscay in search of the French warships.Gardiner, p.51 This resulted in a series of engagements between British and French frigate squadrons, including a notable battle on 23 April 1794,James, p.201 and two actions by a squadron under the command of Commodore Sir Edward Pellew on 13 April and 20 April 1796 fought in the mouth of the Channel.Brenton, p.241 The southern coast of Ireland, in the Kingdom of Ireland, a British client state, was seen as a particularly vulnerable region due to its proximity to the trade routes and its numerous isolated anchorages in which French ships could shelter. To counteract this threat, a Royal Navy frigate squadron was stationed in Cork under the command of Rear-Admiral Robert Kingsmill. Ships from this squadron patrolled the mouth of the Channel, singly or in pairs, in search of French raiders.Woodman, p.77

On 4 June 1796, a French squadron was dispatched from Brest on a raiding cruise. This force included the 40-gun frigates ''Tribune'' under Franco-American Commodore Jean Moulston, ''Proserpine'' under Captain Etienne Pevrieux and ''Tamise'' under Captain Jean-Baptiste-Alexis Fradin, the latter formerly a Royal Navy ship named HMS ''Thames'' which had been captured in an engagement in the Bay of Biscay by a French frigate squadron in October 1793. With the frigates was the 18-gun corvette ''Légėre'' under Lieutenant Jean Michel-Martin Carpentier. ''Tamise'' in particular had proven a highly effective commerce raider, recorded as capturing twenty merchant ships since her enforced change of allegiance. ''Proserpine'' separated from the other ships during a period of heavy fog on 7 June, sailing independently to the rendezvous off Cape Clear in Southern Ireland.James, p.328

''Tamise'' and ''Tribune''

At 02:00 in the morning of 8 June, the remaining ships of the French squadron were sailing approximately southeast of the Scilly Isles when sails were sighted distant. This was a small British frigate squadron from Kingsmill's command comprising the 36-gun HMS ''Unicorn'' under Captain Thomas Williams and HMS ''Santa Margarita'' under Captain Thomas Byam Martin, sent to patrol the area in search of French raiders. The British frigates had just seized a Swedish merchant ship carrying Dutch contraband from Surinam, which they sent to Cork under a prize crew and immediately set sail to intercept the French, who turned away, sailing in line ahead. ''Tribune'' led the line, a much faster ship than either of her consorts, holding back for mutual support, but as the morning passed and the British ships drew closer and closer ''Légėre'' fell out of the line to windward. Both British frigates passed the corvette at distance, although the smaller vessel remained in sight for sometime, eventually departing to attack a merchant sloop sailing nearby.

At 13:00 the British frigates were close enough that both ''Tamise'' and ''Tribune'' could open fire with their stern-chasers, inflicting considerable damage to the sails and rigging of the British ships and causing them to fall back despite occasional fire from the British bow-chasers. This tactic bought the French frigates three hours, but at 16:00 it became clear that the slower ''Tamise'' would be overhauled by ''Santa Margarita''; Williams had already instructed Martin to focus on ''Tamise'' as he intended to attack the larger ''Tribune'' himself. Under fire from Martin's ship and wishing to both avoid this conflict and hoping to inflict severe damage on ''Santa Margarita'', Fradin turned away from the former and across the bows of the latter, intending to rake ''Santa Margarita''. In response Martin brought his frigate alongside ''Tamise''. Running at speed away from their compatriots, ''Tamise'' and ''Santa Margarita'' exchanged broadsides for 20 minutes until Fradin, his ship badly damaged and his crew suffering heavy casualties, was forced to strike his colours.

As ''Tamise'' and ''Santa Margarita'' fought, ''Unicorn'' continued the pursuit of ''Tribune''. Without the need to support the slower ''Tamise'', Moulston was able to spread more sail and ''Tribune'' pulled ahead of her opponent during the afternoon the ships passing Tuskar Rock on the Wexford Coast. The French frigate's stern-chasers continued to inflict damage on ''Unicorn''s rigging, at one point snatching away the main topsail and it was only when night fell, and the wind with it, that Williams was able to gain on the French ship through the use of studding sails. At 22:30, following a chase of northwards into St George's Channel, ''Unicorn'' was finally able to pull alongside ''Tribune''. For 35 minutes the frigates battered at one another from close range. Under cover of smoke, Moulston then attempted to escape by pulling ''Tribune'' back and turning across ''Unicorn''s stern, seeking to rake the British frigate and move to windward. Realising Moulston's intent, Williams hauled his sails around, effectively throwing ''Unicorn'' in reverse. As the British ship sailed suddenly backwards she crossed ''Tribune''s bow, raking the French ship with devastating effect.Woodman, p.78 From this vantage point the fire from ''Unicorn'' succeeded in collapsing the foremast and mainmast on ''Tribune'' and shooting away the mizen topmast, rendering the French ship unmanageable. With no hope of escape and casualties rapidly mounting, the wounded Moulston surrendered to Williams.James, p.330

The engagements were relatively evenly matched: ''Tamise'' and ''Santa Margarita'' carried similar weight of shot ( to ) although ''Tamise'' had seventy more crew members (306 to 237) and ''Santa Margarita'' was slightly more than a third larger (993 bm to 656 bm). Naval historian William James credits ''Santa Margarita''s larger size as giving her the advantage.James, p.329 In the second action, ''Tribune'' also had a much larger crew than ''Unicorn'' (339 to 240) and was substantially larger (916 bm to 791 bm), but ''Unicorn'', equipped with 18-pounder long guns, massed a far larger weight of shot ( to ), which proved decisive. Both engagements saw similar casualty ratios, with ''Tamise'' losing 32 killed and 19 wounded, some of whom later died, and ''Tribune'' suffering 37 killed and 15 wounded, including Moulston, while losses on ''Santa Margarita'' and ''Unicorn'' were two killed and three wounded and none at all respectively.Clowes, p.498–499

''Proserpine''

While ''Tamise'' and ''Tribune'' met their fates in the Channel, ''Proserpine'' had continued unmolested to the cruising ground off the Cork coast. At 01:00 on 13 June, southeast of Cape Clear Island, Pevrieux' crew sighted a sail approaching from the northeast. Pevrieux was searching for Moulston's squadron, and allowed his ship to close with the newcomer before discovering that it was the patrolling 36-gun British frigate HMS ''Dryad'' under Captain Lord Amelius Beauclerk.James, p.331 On realising the danger, Pevrieux tacked away from ''Dryad'' and attempted to escape to the southwest. This chase lasted most of the day, Beauclerk gradually gaining on his opponent until Pevrieux opened fire with his stern-chaser guns at 20:00.

Shot from the stern-chasers punched holes in ''Dryad'''s sails and damaged the rigging, but Beauclerk's ship continued to gain on ''Proserpine'' until at 21:00 Beauclerk was close enough to open fire with his main broadside. Some damage was done to the sails and rigging of ''Dryad'' in the exchange and at one point the ship's colours were shot away and had to be replaced, but casualties were light. On ''Proserpine'' casualties mounted quickly, and although her sails and rigging remained largely intact, significant damage to the hull and heavy losses among the crew convinced Pevrieux to surrender at 21:45.Woodman, p.79

As in the previous engagements, the French ship had a much larger crew, (346 to 254), although weight of shot ( to ) and size (1059 bm to 924 bm) were more evenly distributed. Casualties displayed the same inequalities as in the earlier engagements, with two killed and seven wounded on ''Dryad'' but 30 killed and 45 wounded on ''Proserpine''.Clowes, p.500 In James' opinion, had Pevrieux opted to use his initial advantage of the weather gage to attack ''Dryad'' directly rather than attempt to escape he might have been able to defeat the British frigate.James, p.332

Aftermath

The last survivor of the squadron, ''Légėre'', remained at sea for another nine days, capturing six merchant ships, before the corvette was intercepted at in the Western Approaches by the frigates HMS ''Apollo'' under Captain John Manley and HMS ''Doris'' under Captain Charles Jones. All of the captured ships were taken to Britain and were subsequently purchased for the Royal Navy, ''Tamise'' restored as HMS ''Thames'', ''Tribune'' with the same name, ''Proserpine'' as HMS ''Amelia'' as there was already an HMS ''Proserpine'' in service, and ''Légėre'' anglicised as HMS ''Legere''.James, p.333

As the senior captain in the operation, Williams was subsequently knighted, although historian Tom Wareham considered that Martin's fight had been the harder-fought encounter. Wareham also considered that Beauclerk may not have been rewarded as he was already a member of the nobility.Wareham, p.57 Historian James Henderson considered that Martin may not have been honoured for the engagement due to his youth: he was 23 years old at the time of the battle.Henderson, p.74 The first lieutenants on each British ship were promoted to commanders and Commander Joseph Bullen, volunteering on board ''Santa Margarita'', was promoted to post captain. More than five decades later, the Admiralty recognised the actions with the clasps "SANTA MARGARITA 8 JUNE 1796", "UNICORN 8 JUNE 1796" and "DRYAD 13 JUNE 1796" attached to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.

Following the capture of Moulston's squadron there was little activity in the English Channel or Bay of Biscay almost to the end of the year. On 22 August a squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren drove ashore and destroyed the French frigate ''Andromaque'' at the Gironde,Brenton, p.242 and on 24 October ''Santa Margarita'' successfully chased down and captured two heavily armed privateers in the same region as the action in June.James, p.359 In December 1796 however, after the British fleet had retired to Spithead for the winter, the main French fleet sailed from Brest for the first time since June 1795 on a major operation named the ''Expédition d'Irlande'', a planned invasion of Ireland. Like their winter campaign of two years previously, and for much the same reasons, this ended in disaster with 12 ships wrecked or captured and thousands of soldiers and sailors drowned without a single successful landing.Clowes, pp.298–303

Notes

References

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* {{cite book
, last = Woodman
, first = Richard
, author-link = Richard Woodman
, year = 2001
, title = The Sea Warriors
, publisher = Constable Publishers
, location = London
, isbn = 1-84119-183-3

Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars
Conflicts in 1796
Naval battles involving France
Naval battles involving Great Britain