Ireland, p. 153
Throughout the day, Warren's squadron closed from the north-east while Bompart made frantic efforts to reach open water. Both fleets were hindered by a
gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).[topmast
The masts of traditional sailing ships were not single spars, but were constructed of separate sections or masts, each with its own rigging. The topmast is one of these.
The topmast is semi-permanently attached to the upper front of the lower ...]
s were blown down and her mizzensail shredded, leaving her substantially slower than her compatriots and forcing them to hold back in her defence.
[Brooks, p. 625] Other ships suffered too, as the French
''Résolue'' sprang a severe leak and HMS ''Anson'' lost her
mizzenmast
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...
and several topmasts.
[Gardiner, p. 113]
![Admiral Warren Oateborl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Admiral_Warren_Oateborl.jpg)
During the night, Bompart attempted to decoy the British by sending the schooner
''Biche'' with orders for the frigate ''Résolue'', commanding
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Jean-Pierre Bargeau to beach his ship and fire flares in the hope of distracting Warren from his pursuit. For unknown reasons this order was never carried out, and in the morning Warren was still hard behind Bompart, whose ships were now sailing in two uneven lines.
[James, p. 128] Warren's force was even more dispersed, with
HMS ''Robust'' and HMS ''Magnanime'' astern of the French and gaining fast, ''Amelia'' and ''Melampus'' shortly behind them and Warren's flagship
HMS ''Canada'' with
HMS ''Foudroyant'' under
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Sir Thomas Byard
Captain Sir Thomas Byard (bapt. 25 September 1743 – 30 October 1798) was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars. He is best known for his service in two significant battles, fighting at the Battle of Camperd ...
,
Kt., from the enemy. The other British ships were scattered throughout this formation except ''Anson'', which was wallowing to the rear, far out of sight.
![Bellone-vs-foudroyant](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Bellone-vs-foudroyant.png)
Realising that he could not escape and would have to fight his way past the British, Bompart formed his squadron into a battleline and turned westwards, waiting for Warren's signal for the attack.
Because of the dispersed nature of his squadron, Warren did not issue this signal until 07:00, when he ordered ''Robust'' to steer for the French line and attack ''Hoche'' directly.
[James, p. 129] Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Edward Thornbrough
Admiral Sir Edward Thornbrough, GCB (27 July 1754 – 3 April 1834) was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the British Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in the American Revolutionary War, ...
of ''Robust'' obeyed immediately and closed with the French, firing into the frigates
''Embuscade'' and
''Coquille'' as he passed, before closing with ''Hoche'' and, at 08:50, beginning a bitter close-range artillery duel.
[Clowes, p. 347] Minutes later ''Magnanime'' joined the action, firing on the rear frigates and engaging the French van of ''Immortalité'', ''Loire'' and
''Bellone'', which had
worn out of the line in an attempt to
rake her.
The next three British ships into action, ''Ethalion'', ''Melampus'' and ''Amelia'', all raked the isolated ''Hoche'' as they passed, before pressing on sail to pursue the French frigates, now making distance to the south-west.
[Tracy, p. 286, ''The Biographical Memoir of Sir John Borlase Warren, Bart, K.B.''] ''Canada'' and the subsequent British ships all ignored ''Hoche'' except to fire a few distant shots. By the time they passed, the ship was clearly a wreck, having been pounded repeatedly by ''Robust'' and ''Magnanime''. Bompart finally surrendered at 10:50 with 270 of his crew and passengers killed or wounded.
''Embuscade'' was the next to surrender, having been battered in the opening exchanges by ''Magnanime'', and further damaged by long-range fire from ''Foudroyant'' during the pursuit. Overhauled by several larger British ships,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
de la Ronciére surrendered at 11:30 rather than allow his ship to be destroyed.
[James, p. 130] ''Magnanime'', suffering the effects of her engagement with ''Hoche'', took possession of ''Embuscade'' and continued to follow slowly behind the rest of the fleet, while ''Robust'', which had suffered severely in her duel with ''Hoche'', remained alongside her erstwhile opponent to take possession. The direction of the French squadron's flight, following the direction of the wind, took them across the path of the straggling British ships, beginning with the ''Foudroyant''.
Most of the frigates were able outrun this ponderous enemy, but ''Bellone'' was less fortunate and a speculative shot from the battleship detonated a case of grenades in one of her topmasts. This began a disastrous fire which was eventually brought under control, but at a significant cost in speed. She was soon closely attacked by ''Melampus'' and suffered further damage. Nearby, the struggling ''Coquille'' surrendered after being outrun by the approaching ''Canada''; Warren ordered the slowly following ''Magnanime'' to take possession.
''Ethalion'' took over pursuit of ''Bellone'' from ''Melampus'', and for two hours maintained continuous fire with her
bow-chasers on the French ship. ''Ethalion'' was faster than her quarry, and she slowly pulled parallel with ''Bellone'' during the afternoon, but could not get close enough for a decisive blow. It took another two hours of pursuit before the battered ''Bellone'' eventually surrendered.
[James, p. 131] ''Hoche'' apart, ''Bellone'' had suffered more casualties than any other ship present. To the south of this conflict, the struggling ''Anson'' discovered herself in danger when the surviving frigates of the French vanguard swept towards her en masse. Captain Durham was initially confused by their approach as he had been too distant to witness the action and the French ships flew false British ensigns, but he rapidly realised their true identity and at 16:00 opened fire on ''Loire''.
The damaged ''Anson'' was severely hampered by her inability to manoeuvre, and so could do nothing when the French ships pulled back and sailed away, except to continue to fire until they were out of range. During the evening, the surviving French frigates gradually pulled away from their pursuers and disappeared into the gathering night, leaving behind four of their squadron, including their flagship, as captives.
[Gardiner, p. 114]
Chase
By nightfall some of the remaining French ships had entered
Donegal Bay
Donegal Bay (''Bá Dhún na nGall'' in Irish) is an inlet (or bay) in the northwest of Ireland. Three counties – Donegal to the north and west, Leitrim and Sligo to the south – have shorelines on the bay, which is bounded on the w ...
with ''Canada'', ''Melampus'' and ''Foudroyant'' still in pursuit. The two forces repeatedly passed one another in the dark, and ''Canada'' almost drove ashore. Back at the battle site, Warren had ordered ''Robust'' to tow ''Hoche'' into Lough Swilly—this order later came under criticism, as ''Robust'' was in a battered state herself and the storms of the previous week had not abated.
When a gale struck the pair on 13 October, ''Hoche'' lost several masts and broke her tow, only being prevented from foundering by the combined efforts of the British prize crew and their French prisoners.
[James, p. 134] Eventually, on 15 October, ''Doris'' appeared and took ''Hoche'' in tow, arriving in Lough Swilly without further incident a few days later. Meanwhile, ''Ethalion'' saw ''Bellone'' safely into port, and ''Magnanime'' and ''Amelia'' brought in ''Coquille'' and ''Embuscade'' respectively.
''Melampus'' and ''Résolue''
On the morning of 13 October, Warren sighted two of the French frigates standing out of Donegal Bay and went after them, directing Moore in ''Melampus'' to stay behind to search for stragglers.
Hindered by contrary winds, ''Melampus'' scoured the bay until well after nightfall, and at 23:30 was surprised by the sudden appearance directly in front of her of ''Immortalité'' and ''Résolue'' near St. John's Point. ''Immortalité'' soon spotted ''Melampus'' and made sail, but
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Bargeau of ''Résolue'' had not seen the British ship, and was hesitant about following his compatriot in the dark.
[James, p. 135] In the gloom and confusion, he mistook ''Melampus'' for ''Immortalité'' and came alongside, only realising his mistake when ''Melampus'' opened fire. Because of the heavy seas, ''Résolues guns had been tied down below decks, so the only return fire she could offer was from her handful of quarterdeck guns. Bargeau, whose ship was still leaking badly, recognised that further resistance was futile and surrendered in minutes, having lost ten men and much of his rigging. ''Melampus'' put aboard a prize crew and then departed in pursuit of ''Immortalité''.
Flight of ''Loire''
''Loire'' and ''
Sémillante'' had escaped from the battle, heading south into
Blacksod Bay
Blacksod Bay ( ga, Cuan an Fhóid Duibh) is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean in Erris, north County Mayo, Ireland. The long and wide bay is bounded on its western side by the Mullet Peninsula. Its eastern side includes Kiltane Parish, which ext ...
on the coast of
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
, down in the West of Ireland, where they hoped to hide until they had a clear passage back to France. However, late on 15 October, a British frigate squadron under
James Newman-Newman
Captain James Newman-Newman (1767–1811) of the British Royal Navy was an officer who served in numerous actions with distinction during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars before his death in the wreck of his ship of the line HMS ''He ...
rounded the southern headland of the bay, forcing the French ships to flee to the north.
[James, p. 137] Pressing on sail in pursuit, Newman ordered
HMS ''Révolutionaire'' to focus on ''Sémillante'' whilst he pursued ''Loire'' in
HMS ''Mermaid'', accompanied by the brig
HMS ''Kangaroo'' under
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
Edward Brace
Vice Admiral Sir Edward Brace (''bap.'' 2 June 1770 – 26 December 1843) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Most of his career was spent as a successful independent captain, ...
. ''Loire'' and ''Sémillante'' separated to divide their pursuers; ''Mermaid'' and ''Kangaroo'' lost track of ''Loire'' in the early evening, and ''Sémillante'' evaded ''Révolutionaire'' after dark.
[Gardiner, p. 115]
However, on the morning of 16 October Newman spotted ''Loire'' on the horizon and immediately ordered his ships in pursuit. ''Loire'' was faster than ''Mermaid'' in the high winds but was unable to outrun ''Kangaroo'', which directly engaged the far larger frigate in a distant artillery duel. The difference in weight of shot between the combatants was greatly unbalanced, and ''Kangaroo'' eventually fell behind after suffering damage to her rigging.
''Loire'' too had been damaged, and by 06:45 the following morning Captain Segond realised he could not escape his pursuers and instead shortened sail, intending to engage ''Mermaid''—by then the only pursuer still within reach.
''Mermaid'' and ''Loire'' joined battle at 07:00, and the artillery exchange became close and furious after a boarding attempt by ''Loire'' was foiled by the helmsman of the British ship. Both ships took severe damage, ''Mermaid'' knocking away several of her opponent's spars, but suffering in turn from the musketry of the soldiers still aboard the ''Loire''. At 09:15, the French vessel lost another spar, and Newman determined to rake his opponent. As he attempted to complete this manoeuvre, a shot from ''Loire'' brought down ''Mermaid's'' mizzenmast, making her unmanageable and disabling a number of her guns.
[James, p. 138] Seeing an opportunity to escape, the battered ''Loire'' disengaged, making significant distance before Newman's crew could clear the wreckage of the mast. High winds further hampered ''Mermaid's'' repair efforts by tearing away several sails and spars and drowning the ship's carpenter when he was blown overboard. By the time ''Mermaid'' was ready for action once more, ''Loire'' had escaped.
Unfortunately for Captain Segond, when dawn broke on 18 October, HMS ''Anson'' was revealed only a short distance off, limping southwards after the damage its rigging and masts had suffered before the battle on 12 October.
[James, p. 140] Although his ship was almost unmanageable, Captain Durham was not prepared to lose a second opportunity to engage, and slowly brought his vessel to bear on ''Loire'', which was unable to escape.
[James, p. 141] Accompanying ''Anson'' was ''Kangaroo'', recovered from the damage of 16 October and ready for further action. At 10:30, ''Anson'' and ''Loire'' began firing on one another, neither able to effectively manoeuvre and both relying on firepower to overwhelm their opponent. ''Kangaroo'' closed on the unprotected stern of ''Loire'', firing as she did so and repeatedly raking the immobile French ship.
By 12:00 ''Loire'' had lost her mainmast and was leaking badly, forcing Segond to surrender. His ship was towed to port as the sixth prize of the campaign.
[Clowes, p. 350]
''Fisgard'' and ''Immortalité''
The four remaining survivors of the French fleet had mostly avoided pursuit, and by 19 October were nearing
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
in
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
independently, hoping to slip through the tight British blockade around the harbour. Captain Mathieu-Charles Bergevin on ''Romaine'' had attempted to land the troops aboard his ship in Ireland on 13 October, but was forced to abandon this plan when the soldiers refused to be put ashore. He then sailed southwest and successfully avoided all contact with British forces, joining with the schooner ''Biche'' and arriving at Brest on 23 October. The same day, after outrunning ''Révolutionaire's'' pursuit, ''Sémillante'' arrived in
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
—the last French ship to return home.
[James, p. 145]
''Immortalité'' almost reached safety. On the morning of 20 October,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Jean-François Legrand was approaching Brest when he was spotted by
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Thomas Byam Martin
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin, (25 July 1773 – 25 October 1854) was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of fifth-rate HMS ''Fisgard'' he took part in a duel with the French ship ''Immortalité'' and captured her at the Batt ...
of
HMS ''Fisgard''. ''Fisgard'', part of the inshore squadron of the Brest blockade, immediately offered battle. ''Immortalité'' initially attempted to flee but was forced to engage the faster ''Fisgard'' at 11:00.
[Henderson, p. 77] During the bitter, close–range action, ''Fisgard'' took severe damage and almost lost her opponent. ''Immortalité'', which had lost a mast and was in a sinking condition, surrendered at 15:00. Among the 115 casualties aboard ''Immortalité'' were Captain Legrand, his first lieutenant and
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Monge (commander of the 250 soldiers on board), all dead. ''Fisgard'', with the aid of other ships of the blockade squadron, successfully brought her prize into port.
Savary's squadron
The French high command had not been idle during the destruction of their invasion force, and had prepared and despatched a second squadron of four frigates under
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
. This force was initially ordered to support Bompart, but was later tasked with escorting the squadron's survivors back to France.
[Ireland, p. 154] On 27 October, Savary learnt of the destruction of both Bompart's squadron and the Irish rebellion from sympathetic locals at Killala, and turned immediately south, hoping to avoid a similar fate. However, on 28 October, he was spotted by a three-ship squadron under
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Sir James Saumarez
Admiral of the Red James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez (or Sausmarez), GCB (11 March 1757 – 9 October 1836) was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, known for his victory at the Second Battle of Algeciras.
Early life
Saumarez was born ...
, which included two ships of the line.
[James, p. 146] Saumarez immediately gave chase, and the squadrons exchanged long-distance cannon fire throughout the day. Late in the evening Saumarez's flagship
HMS ''Caesar'' lost its foretopmast in strong winds, and command passed to
Sir Richard Bickerton, 2nd Baronet
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Richard Hussey Bickerton, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Bath, KCB, (11 October 1759 – 9 February 1832) was a British naval officer. He was born in Southampton, the son of Sir Richard Bickerton, 1st Baronet, Vic ...
, in
HMS ''Terrible''.
After another day's chase, late on 29 October Savary divided his squadron, sending two frigates to the south east and turning north west with two more. In response, Bickerton split his force, sending the frigate
HMS ''Melpomene'' after the southern group and following Savary himself in ''Terrible''. By 30 October, both British ships were within of their opponents and were preparing for action, when at 17:00 a severe storm lashed the area. Savary's ships had been extending their pursuit by throwing guns, horses and equipment overboard in an effort to lighten their ships, and were consequently better suited to the high winds.
[James, p. 147] The heavier British ships were unable to match their opponents' speed and fell behind. When the weather cleared, the French ships were out of sight, and all four eventually returned independently to Brest, ending the final French attempt to invade Ireland.
An abortive effort to support the French invasion fleet was also made by the Navy of the
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...
, which despatched the small frigates
''Furie'' and
''Waakzaamheid'' to Ireland with military supplies on 24 October. Within hours of leaving port, both these ships were intercepted and captured by the British frigate
HMS ''Sirius'' under the young
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Richard King at the
action of 24 October 1798.
Aftermath
![Portrait of Theobald Wolfe Tone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Portrait_of_Theobald_Wolfe_Tone.PNG)
Savary's return to port marked the end of the last attempt by a continental nation to land troops in Ireland. French losses in the operation were so severe that a repeat effort was never seriously contemplated. Similarly, the huge Irish losses during the rebellion, combined with British reprisals against the Irish populace, ended any hopes of reigniting the uprising in the near future.
Most serious of all for the United Irishmen was the arrest of
Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican socie ...
himself, who was discovered among the prisoners taken from ''Hoche'' at
Buncrana
Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. In the 2016 census, the population was 6,785 making it the second most populous town in C ...
. Tone was charged with treason and sentenced to death, though he committed suicide in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
before the sentence could be carried out.
[Tone, (Theobald) Wolfe](_blank)
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Marianne Elliott
Marianne Phoebe Elliott (born 27 December 1966) is a British theatre director and producer who works on the West End and Broadway. She has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards and four Tony Awards.
Initially ...
, (subscription required), Retrieved on 6 March 2008.
In
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
the engagement was considered a great success, with the thanks of
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
bestowed on the entire force.
Numerous junior officers were promoted and all crew members received financial rewards from the sale of the captured vessels. Of these prizes, ''Immortalité'' and ''Loire'' were purchased and served in the Royal Navy under their own names for many years, while ''Hoche'' and ''Embuscade'' were renamed
HMS ''Donegal'' and HMS ''Ambuscade'' respectively. ''Coquille'' was intended for purchase but suffered a catastrophic ammunition explosion in December 1798, which killed 13 people and totally destroyed the vessel.
The last two prizes, ''Résolue'' and ''Bellone'', were deemed too old and damaged to be worthy of active service. They were, however, purchased by the Royal Navy to provide their captors with
prize money
Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to t ...
, ''Bellone'' becoming
HMS ''Proserpine'' and ''Résolue'' becoming
HMS ''Resolue''. Both ships served as harbour vessels for some years until they were broken up.
[Manning and Walker, p. 356] Five decades later, the battle was among the actions recognised by the clasp, "12th October 1798", attached to the
Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
Notes
I. The actual line and direction of the British approach has not been conclusively established due to the vagueness of Warren's post-battle report. Richard Brooks discusses these discrepancies and concludes that Warren's squadron, although widely dispersed, was probably approaching from approximately the north-west, from the North Atlantic towards Ireland. (Brooks, p. 626)
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Rev. ed.
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* Contemporary publication of Sir John Borlase Warren's despatch reporting the victory.
{{featured article
1798 in Ireland