Kamp mellem den engelske fregat Shannon og den amerikanske fregat Chesapeak

A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.

Single-ship actions

Anglo-Spanish War

* 1579, March 1 – ''

Golden Hind ''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hat ...

'' captures the Spanish galleon ''Nuestra Señora de la Concepción''.

Golden Age of Piracy

* 1720, October 20 – British

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Snow-Tyger'' under Jonathan Barnet captures the pirate sloop ''William'' and its owner

Calico Jack John Rackham (26 December 168218 November 1720), commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas and in Cuba during the early 18th century. His nickname was derived from the calico clothing that he wore, whi ...

War of the Austrian Succession

* 1743, June 20 – captures the Spanish treasure galleon ''Nuestra Señora de la Covadonga'' * 1746, 21 January – captures the French privateer ''Marianne''

Seven Years War

* 1761, 1 January – captures the French merchant frigate ''Bien Aimé''.

American Revolutionary War

* 1776, July 27 – and have an inconclusive engagement * 1777, 12 July – British merchantman ''Pole'' repulses the privateer ''American Tartar'' * 1778, April 24 – captures (

details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...

) * 1778, December – the Bristol privateer has an inconclusive engagement with a French frigate * 1779, March – the Bristol privateer has an inconclusive engagement with an American privateer * 1779, May 7 – captures * 1779, September 7 – ''Molly'' repels an American privateer * 1779, September 10 – defeats HMS ''West Florida'' in the

Battle of Lake Pontchartrain The Battle of Lake Pontchartrain was a single-ship action on September 10, 1779, part of the Anglo-Spanish War 1779, Anglo-Spanish War. It was fought between the Kingdom of Great Britain, British sloop-of-war and the Continental Navy schooner ...

. * 1779, September 14 – defeats the Spanish frigate ''Santa Mónica''. (

) * 1779, October 29 – the

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

exchanges fire with a French frigate; the frigate withdraws * 1779, November 11 – HMS ''Tartar'' captures the Spanish frigate ''Santa Margarita''. (

) * 1780, June 1 – USS ''Trumbull'' engages the British privateer ''Watt''; both ships withdraw * 1780, August 10 – HMS ''Flora'' defeats the French ship ''Nymphe'' in the first engagement thought to involve the

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

) * 1780, September 9 – has an inconclusive, three-hour engagement with * 1781, January 9 – The sloop captures the letter-of-marque * 1781, March 7 – Liverpool privateer captures French merchantman ''Sartine'' * 1781, March 23 – British privateer , of 14 guns, captures American letter of marque ''Tom Lee'', of 12 guns. * 1781, May 1 – captures the Spanish frigate ''Santa Leocadia''. (

) * 1781, September 6 – American privateer ''Congress'' captures the British sloop . (

) * 1781, late December – French privateer ''Terror of England'' captures and releases the letter of marque * 1782, February 28 – captures * 1782, April 6 – American privateer ''Tartar'' captures * 1782, April 8 – Pennsylvania privateer ''Hyder Ally'' captures HMS ''General Monk''. (

) * 1782, 9 August – HMS ''Duc de Chartres'' captures the French brig ''Aigle'' * 1782, August 12 – Frigate inconclusively engages the French frigate ''Bellone'' * 1782, October 7 – The American privateer ''Buccaneer'' captures the British merchant ship * 1782, December 6 – defeats the . (

) * 1783, January 20 – captures the Dutch privateer ''Flushinger'' * 1783, January 22 – HMS ''Hussar'' captures the French frigate ''Sybille''. (

)

French Revolutionary Wars

* 1793, May 13 – and ''Citoyenne Française'' conduct an inconclusive but sanguinary engagement * 1793, June 18 – captures the (

) * 1793, December 1 – The British

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

''Antelope'' captures the French privateer ''Atlante''. * 1794, May 29 – recaptures (

) * 1794, September 5 – Merchantmen repulses ''Républicaine'' * 1794, September 25 – Merchantman repulses a French privateer * 1795 – Liverpool slave ship repels an attack by a French privateer * 1795, January 4 – captures ''Pique'' * 1795, March 13 – captures the French frigate ''Tourterelle'' * 1795, October 30 – the slave ship ''Lord Stanley'' repels an attack by a French 12-gun schooner privateer * 1796, November 20 – Merchantman engages a French privateer that blows up during the engagement * 1796, May 25 – HMS ''Suffisante'' captures the privateer ''Revanche'' * 1796, June 6 – captures French frigate ''Tribune'' * 1796, October 8 & 9 – Merchant ship repels attack by French privateer * 1796, November 28 – The

slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

repels two different French privateers on the same day, each engagement representing a single-ship action * 1797, 29 January – French privateer ''Jeune Emilie'' captures the British merchant vessel * 1797, March 13 – HMS ''Viper'' captures ''Nuestra Señora de la Piedad''. * 1797, June 1 – The French privateer captures the British

* 1797, August 15 – captures French privateer ''Coq'' * 1797, August 29 – A French privateer captures the merchantman * 1797, October – captures French privateer ''Epicharis'' * 1797, October – Merchant ship repels attack by French privateer * 1797, December 19 –

Slave ship Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

blows up while engaging a French privateer * 1797, December 22 – captures the French frigate ''Néréide'' * 1797, December 27 – captures the Spanish ship ''St Raphael'' * 1798, January – 11 captures the French privateer ''Policrate'' * 1798, April 2 – HMS ''Mars'' captures the French ship ''Hercule'' * 1798, April 17 – HMS ''Recovery'' captures the French privateer ''Revanche'' * 1798, July 4 – French brig ''Lodi'' in an inconclusive engagement with the English privateer brig ''Acquila'' (probably ''Eagle'') * 1798, June 21 – His Majesty's packet ship ''Princess Royal'' repels the French privateer ''Avanture''.(

) * 1798, August 7 – captures the Genoese pirate ''Liguria'' * 1798, September 18 – A French privateer captures the

* 1798, October 20 – HMS ''Racoon'' captures the French privateer ''Vigilante'' * 1798, December 12 – HMS ''Perdrix'' captures the French privateer ''L'Armée d' Italie'' * 1798, February 24 – French frigate ''Forte'' captures the

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

''Osterley'', but then allows her to proceed. * 1798, March 1 – HMS ''Sybille'' captures French frigate ''Forte''. * 1799, February 25 – French privateer ''Democrat'' captures merchantman * 1799, March 18 – HM hired brig ''Telegraph'' captures French privateer ''Hirondelle'' * 1799, April 13 – HMS ''Amaranthe'' captures the French letter of marque ''Vengeur''. * 1799, November 23 – Hired cutter ''Courier'' captures French privateer ''Guerrier'' * 1799, November 26 – Merchant ship repels attack by a French privateer * 1799, December 2 – HMS ''Racoon'' captures French privateer ''Intrepide'' * 1799, December 2 – the British merchantman captures the French privateer corvette ''Entreprenante'' * 1799, December 26 – HMS ''Viper'' captures the French privateer ''Furet'' * 1800, March 5 – captures the privateer ''Heureux'' * 1800, August 20 – captures the French ship ''Vengeance'' * 1800, October 7 – French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

''Confiance'' captures British

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

'' * 1800, October 8 – captures the French privateer ''Quidproquo'' * 1800, October – American merchant ship ''Rebecca'' repels French privateer ''Malartic'' * 1800, November 11 –

''Phoenix'' captures French privateer ''Malartic''. * 1800, November 13 – defeats and drives off the French privateer ''Bellone'' * 1800, November 22 - repels a French privateer off Muscat * 1801, January 17 – The French privateer captures the

Guineaman Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...

* 1801, February 19 – captures the (

) * 1801, March 5 – French privateer ''Gironde'' captures merchantman * 1801, March 23 – captures the French privateer * 1801, April – British merchantman ''Union Island'' repels a Spanish privateer * 1801, May – French privateer captures the British merchantman ''Union Island'' * 1801, May 6 – captures Spanish xebec frigate '' El Gamo'' (

Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...

)* * 1801, June 14 – Liverpool privateer repels French privateer ''Mouche'' * 1801, August 18 – captures Spanish letter of marque ''Theresa'' * 1801, September 25 – has an inconclusive engagement with a privateer flying the Spanish colors off

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

. * 1801, November 20 – A Spanish frigate of 44 guns captures the Liverpool privateer ''Gneral Keppel''

Quasi-War

* 1799, February 9 – USS ''Constellation'' captures the French frigate ''L'Insurgente'' (

) * 1799, October 24 – Merchantman ''Washington'' drives off the French privateer frigate ''Bellone'' * 1800, February 1 – USS ''Constellation'' defeats the French frigate ''La Vengeance'' (

) * 1800, July 4 - USS ''Enterprise'' captures French privateer ''L'Aigle'' * 1800, October 12 – USS ''Boston'' captures the French corvette ''Berceau'' (

) * 1800, October 25 – USS ''Enterprise'' captures French privateer ''Flambeau'' (

)

First Barbary War

* 1801, August 1 –

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

warship USS ''Enterprise'' captures

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber pirates and privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and ...

''Tripoli'' near

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. (

)

Napoleonic Wars

* 1803, May 18 – captures the on the first day of the war. * 1803, July 7 – French privateer captures the British privateer * 1803, July 16 – captures French brig-corvette ''Lodi''. * 1803, August 13 – French privateer ''Bellone'' captures the

''Lord Nelson'' * 1803, August 17 – HMS ''Racoon'' destroys French naval brig ''Mutine''. * 1803, August 27 – recaptures the

''Lord Nelson'' * 1803, October 15 – The British

captures the French slave ship ''Braave'' * 1803 –

repels an attack by a French privateer * 1804, January 24 – repels an attack by a French privateer * 1804, February 5 – engages the 22-gun French privateer ''Grande Decide''. * 1804, March 21 – French privateer ''Blonde'' captures and sinks HMS ''Wolverine''. * 1804, March 9 – French privateer ''Grande Decide'' captures British merchantman * 1804, March 25 or 28 – captures French privateer ''Egyptienne'' * 1804, April – A French privateer captures the

and takes her and her cargo of slaves into Guadeloupe * 1804, May 12 – A French privateer captures the slave ship * 1804, June 21 – unsuccessfully engages the Guadeloupe privateer ''Buonaparte''. * 1804, July 15 – French privateer ''Dame Ambert'' captures HMS ''Lilly'' * 1804, July 31 – captures French privateer ''Hirondelle'' * 1804, August 4 – French privateer captures the

* 1804, August 14 – captures English merchantman * 1804, August 5 – Merchantman repels attack by French privateer ''General Ernouf'' * 1804, January 26 – Merchantman ''Scarborough'' repels attack by a French privateer * 1804, September 12 – captures Dutch merchantman ''Swift'' * 1804, December 27 –

repels an attack by a French privateer * 1804, late – Slave ship repels an attack by a French privateer * 1805, February – the whaler unsuccessfully attacks a Batavian vessel * 1805, February 2 – Slave ship repels an attack by a French privateer * 1805, February 8 – captures French privateer ''Dame Ernouf'' * 1805, February 13 – captures French frigate ''Psyche'' * 1805, March 10 – Private ship of war captures the Spanish private ship of war ''Felicity''/''Felicidad'' * 1805, March 20 – French privateer ''Général Ernouf'' explodes during an engagement with * 1805, May 16 – The French privateer ''Hirondelle'' captures * 1805, July 19 – captures * 1805, August 10 – captures * 1805, August 16 – vs the * 1805, October 13 – Spanish merchantman ''Nuestra Senora de Isiar'' (alias ''Joaquina''), captures British privateer * 1805, October 20 – British privateer fails to capture a Spanish privateer brig * 1805, November – vs * 1805, November 4 – French privateer ''Creole'' captures slaver and merchantman * 1805, November 28 – Inconclusive engagement between the French privateer ''Bellone'' and the

* 1805, November 30 – a French privateer captures the

* 1806, January 23 – French privateer captures and sinks * 1806, February 15 – captures the French letter of marque ''Princess Murat'' * 1806, February – French privateer ''Hebe'' captures British merchantman * 1806, March 3–4 – vs. an unknown British

post ship Post ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the second half of the 18th century and the Napoleonic Wars to describe a ship of the sixth rate (see rating system of the Royal Navy) that was smaller than a frigate (in practice, carry ...

* 1806, May 11 – French ship ''Abeille'' captures * 1806, May 14 – vs French ''Minerve'' * 1806, May 25 – Merchant ship repels attack by French privateer ''Fairey'' * 1806, June 21 – captures the

at * 1806, July 19 – HMS ''Blanche'' captures French ''Guerrière'' * 1806, August 2 – The fireship repels an attack by the French privateer lugger ''Elize'' * 1806, October 25 – Spanish privateer mistico ''Generalísimo'' captures HM gunboat ''Hannah'' * 1806, October 26 – captures the French privateer ''Superbe'' * 1806, December 29 – captures French privateer ''Deux Frères'' * 1807, January 3 – captures the French privateer ''Favorite'' * 1807, March 14 – French privateer ''Alerte'' captures merchantman * 1807, April 25 – French privateer ''Dame Villaret'' captures * 1807, August 19 – captures the Danish frigate ''Fredericksvaern''. * 1807, September 9 – A French privateer captures the British

* 1807, October 1 – British

captures the French privateer ''Jeune Richard''. (

) * 1807, October 17 – captures the French privateer schooner ''Tape a L’Oeil''. * 1807, December 3 – has an inconclusive engagement with French privateer ''Revanche''. * 1808, March 2 – HMS ''Sappho'' captures Danish privateer ''Admiral Yawl'' * 1808, March 6–8 – HMS ''San Fiorenzo'' captures French frigate ''Piémontaise'' * 1808, March 7 – A French privateer captures the

* 1808, March 14 – HDMS ''Lougen'' engages in an inconclusive action with * 1808, May 11 and 12 – vs French 16-gun brig of war ''Requin'', later captured by * 1808, June 24 – captures the Russian cutter ''Opyt'' * 1808, July 5 and 6 – captures Turkish frigate ''Badere Zaffer'' * 1808, July 16&17 – repelled a Spanish and a French privateer in two separate single-ship actions. * 1808, August 11 – HMS ''Comet'' captures French corvette ''Sylphe'' * 1808, September 6 – HMS ''Recruit'' vs French corvette ''Diligente'' * 1808, September 29 – French navy corvette ''Départment-des-Landes'' captures * 1808, October 3 – French brig ''Palinure'' captures HMS ''Carnation'' * 1809, August 7 – The Liverpool merchantman repels an attack by a French privateer * 1809, late – The Liverpool merchantman repels an attack by a French privateer * 1810, January 11 – captures French brig ''Oreste'' * 1810, 10 February – captures the Dutch naval vessel * 1810, August 10 – His Majesty's Hired armed cutter ''Queen Charlotte'' drives off a substantially larger and more heavily armed French vessel. * 1810, August 22 – the British letter of marque merchantman repels an attack by a French privateer * 1810, October 14 – captures the French privateer schooner ''Sans Souci'' * 1810, November 1 – The French privateer captures the merchant ship ''Leander'' * 1811, early – captures an Ottoman

polacca A polacca (or ''polacre'') is a type of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century sailing vessel, similar to the xebec. The name is the feminine of "Polish" in the Italian language. The polacca was frequently seen in the Mediterranean. It had two or th ...

off

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...

* 1811, September 11 – captures the Dutch brig ''Zephyr'' off

Manado Manado () is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distribu ...

* 1812, February 22 – captures in

Battle of Pirano The Battle of Pirano (also known as the Battle of Grado) on 22 February 1812 was a minor naval action of the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars fought between a British and a French ship of the line in the vicinity of the towns of Piran ...

* 1812, July 21 – captures the French privateer ''Ville de Caen'' * 1812, December 1 – French privateer ''Sans Souci'' captures the South Seas whaler ''Frederick'' * 1812, December 18 – repels an attack by a French privateer * 1812, December 29 – captures the French privateer lugger ''Rusé'' * 1813, February 7 – and the French frigate ''Aréthuse'' engage in an inconclusive but sanguinary four-hour night battle * 1813, September 10 – French privateer cutter ''Renard'' destroys the schooner * 1813, October 9 – captures the French privateer

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

* 1814, January 6 – the

repels an attack by a Carthaginian privateer just outside

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

* 1814, March 27 – captures French frigate ''Étoile'' * 1815, May 30 – HMS ''Rivoli'' captures the French frigate off

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

War of 1812

* 1807, June 22

Chesapeake–Leopard affair The ''Chesapeake''–''Leopard'' affair was a naval engagement off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, on June 22, 1807, between the British fourth-rate and the American frigate . The crew of ''Leopard'' pursued, attacked, and boarded the Americ ...

– boards USS ''Chesapeake'' * 1811, May 16

Little Belt affair The ''Little Belt'' affair was a naval battle on the night of 16 May 1811. It involved the United States frigate and the British sixth-rate , a sloop-of-war, which had originally been the Danish ship ''Lillebælt'', before being captured by ...

– USS ''President'' fires on HMS ''Little Belt'' * 1812, June 18 – USS ''Essex'' captures * 1812, July – the American privateer ''Matilda'' captures the British merchantman ''Ranger'' * 1812, August 1 – the American privateer ''Yankee'' captures and burns the British merchantman * 1812, August 19 – USS ''Constitution'' defeats HMS ''Guerriere'' * 1812, August 22 – HMS ''Barbados'' defeats US Revenue Cutter ''James Madison'' * 1812, September 8 – French privateer brig ''Diligent'' (or ''Diligente'' or ''Diligence'') captures the schooner * 1812, September 16 – American privateer captures the

packet Packet may refer to: * A small container or pouch ** Packet (container), a small single use container ** Cigarette packet ** Sugar packet * Network packet, a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-mode computer network * Packet radio, a form ...

* 1812, October 18 – USS ''Wasp'' defeats * 1812, October 18 – defeats USS ''Wasp'' * 1812, October 25 – captures * 1812, November 2 – British letter-of-marque repels US privateer ''Retaliation'' * 1812, November 21 – Merchantman repels attack by American privateer brig ''Alfred'' * 1812, November 22 – captures USS ''Vixen'' * 1812, December 11 – American

''Saratoga'' captures the British letter of marque in the Battle of La Guaira * 1812, December 29 – USS ''Constitution'' destroys * 1812, December – British merchantman repels attack by privateer ''Alexander'', of Salem * 1813, January 17 – captures * 1813, January 1 – The Falmouth

repels an attack by an American privateer * 1813, January 25 – The American privateer captures the merchantman * 1813, February 24 – USS ''Hornet'' defeats * 1813, March 11 – and the American privateer have an inconclusive engagement * 1813, March 22 – The British letter of marque captures the American privateer ''Matilda'' * 1813, April – The American letter of marque captures the British armed merchantman ''Malvina'' * 1813, April 14 – The American privateer captures, plunders, and releases the Falmouth

Post Office Packet Service The Post Office Packet Service dates to Tudor times and ran until 1823, when the Admiralty assumed control of the service. Originally, the Post Office used packet ships to carry mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. Th ...

's * 1813, April 13 – The American privateer ''Yorktown'' captures the Falmouth packet * 1813, May 23 – vs. Virginia privateer schooner ''Roger'' * 1813, May 23 – The American privateer ''

Young Teazer Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ro ...

'' captures the Falmouth packet * 1813, May 28 – captures the

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

* 1813, June 1 – captures USS ''Chesapeake'' in the Battle of Boston Harbor * 1813, June 9 – The Falmouth

's repels an attack by an American privateer * 1813, June 24 – American privateer ''Yorktown'' captures * 1813, August 5 – Privateer ''Decatur'' captures * 1813, August 14 – captures USS ''Argus'' * 1813, September 5 – USS ''Enterprise'' captures * 1813, September 23 – USS ''President'' captures * 1813, October 22 – US Revenue Cutter ''Vigilant'' defeats Canadian privateer ''Dart'' * 1813, December 14 – repels an attack by a 20-gun American privateer schooner * 1813, December 25 – captures USS ''Vixen II'' * 1814, January 11 – British merchantman drives off the American privateer ''Comet'' * 1814, February – captures American privateer-brig ''Alfred'' * 1814, February 14 – USS ''Constitution'' destroys * 1814, March 14 – repels an attack by the American privateer ''Jacob Johns'' * 1814, March 28 – captures USS ''Essex'' in the

Battle of Valparaiso A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

* 1814, April 19 – The American

General Armstrong ''General Armstrong'' was an American brig built for privateering in the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for Brigadier General John Armstrong, Sr., who fought in the American Revolutionary War. War of 1812 ''General Arm ...

captures the British letter-of-marque * 1814, April 20 – , with approaching, captures USS ''Frolic'' * 1814, April 29 – USS ''Peacock'' captures * 1814, May 1 – Falmouth packet repels attack by American privateer * 1814, June 22 – captures USS ''Rattlesnake'' * 1814, June 28 – USS ''Wasp'' captures HMS ''Reindeer'' * 1814, July 12 – American privateer ''Syren'' captures * 1814, July 12 – captures USS ''Syren'' * 1814, August 17 – The transport repels an attack by the U.S. privateer ''York'' * 1814, September 1 – USS ''Wasp'' sinks * 1814, October – The packet ship repelled an attach by a U.S. privateer * 1814, October 11 – defeats the US Revenue Cutter ''Eagle'' * 1814, October 11 – American privateer ''

Prince de Neufchatel The ''Prince de Neufchatel'' was a fast sailing United States schooner-rigged privateer, built in New York by Adam and Noah Brown in approximately 1812. She is a fine example of the peak of development of the armed schooner. ''Neufchatel'' operat ...

'' resists * 1814, December 20 – captures the American letter of marque ''Java'' * 1815, January 15 – defeats USS ''President'' * 1815, January 28 – American privateer ''Surprise'' captures the British merchantman ''Star'' * 1815, February 9 – American privateer ''Kemp'' captures the

's packet * 1815, February 11 – Post-office

repels an American privateer * 1815, March 8 – captures the American privateer ''Avon'' * 1815, March 15 – American privateer ''Roger'' captures the British packet ship * 1815, March 23 – USS ''Hornet'' captures * 1815, June 15 – USS ''Peacock'' captures ''Nautilus'', a brig of the

Bombay Marine The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

Argentine War of Independence

* 1825, January 25 –

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

privateer ''Tupac Amaru'' (ex-US ''Regent'') captures the Spanish merchantman

Suppression of the slave trade

* 1826, March 20 – ''Nettuno'', a Brazilian slave ship and prize to , repels the pirate brig ''Caroline'' * 1828, April 2 – captures ''Providentia'' * 1828, May 1 – HMS ''Black Joke'' captures ''Presidenté'' * 1829, February 1 – HMS ''Black Joke'' captures ''Almirante'' * 1829, June 5 – captures ''Voladora'' * 1829, June 26 – captures ''Midas'' * 1830, September 7 – captures ''Veloz Passagera'' (

) * 1832, June 3 – captures the slaver ''Aquila'' off

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Texas Revolution

* 1835, June 15 – USRC ''Ingham'' engages the Mexican schooner ''Montezuma''. * 1836, March 6 – Texas schooner ''Liberty'' captures the Mexican schooner ''Pelicano'' * 1836, April 3 – Texas schooner ''Invincible'' sinks the Mexican schooner ''Montezuma''.

War of the Confederation

* 1837, February 5 – Chilean brig ''Aquiles'', which kept the port of

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

blocked, attacked the Confederate schooner ''Yanacocha'' and forced her to return to her anchorage. * 1838, January 18 – Chilean corvette ''Libertad'' captured the Confederate corvette ''Confederación'' on the coast of Callao.

First Schleswig War

* 1849, June 27 – Prussian paddle steamer duels inconclusively with Danish brig off Brusterort

Crimean War

* 1853, November 17 – Russian steam frigate ''Vladimir'' captures Turkish/Egyptian steam frigate '' Pervaz Bahri'' in the Black Sea

American Civil War

* 1861, July 18 – USS ''St. Lawrence'' sinks privateer ''Petrel'' off Charleston,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

* 1863, January 11 – CSS ''Alabama'' sinks USS ''Hatteras'' off

Galveston Island Galveston Island ( ) is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston in Galveston County. T ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

* 1864, June 19 – USS ''Kearsarge'' sinks CSS ''Alabama'' off

Cherbourg, France Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

* 1864, October 7 – USS ''Wachusett'' captures CSS ''Florida'' in Bahia Harbour,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Chincha Islands War

* 1865, November 26 – Chilean corvette ''Esmeralda'' captured the Spanish schooner ''Virgen de Covadonga''. (

)

Franco-Prussian War

* 1870, November 7 – French aviso fights German gunboat off Havana. (

)

Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

* 1877, July 23 – Ottoman central battery ironclad ''Feth-i Bülend'' duels inconclusively with Russian auxiliary cruiser ''Vesta'' in the Black Sea.

War of the Pacific

* 1879, May 21 – Peruvian ironclad ''Huáscar'' sinks Chilean corvette . (

) * 1879, May 21 – Chilean schooner , in the midst of the struggle, caused the to run aground. (

) * 1879, July 10 – Inconclusive engagement in

Iquique Iquique () is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. It has a population of 191,468 ...

between the and the Peruvian ironclad ''Huáscar''. * 1880, April 4 – Inconclusive engagement in

Tocopilla Tocopilla is a city and commune in the Antofagasta Region, in the north of Chile. It is the capital of the province that bears the same name. Every year Tocopilla celebrates its anniversary on 29 September with a big show the day before, which ...

between the small Chilean steamer ''Taltal'' and the armed Peruvian transport ''Oroya''.

Spanish–American War

* 1898, April 25 – Spanish gunboat ''Ligera'' repulses an attack by American torpedo boat USS ''Foote'' (

)

Venezuelan Civil War

* 1902, February 7 – Rebel auxiliary cruiser ''Libertador'' sinks Venezuelan gunboat ''General Crespo''.

Mexican Revolution

* 1914, March 31 – Huertistas

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

''Guerrero'' sinks

Constitutionalist Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional ...

gunboat ''Tampico'' at the

Third Battle of Topolobampo The Third Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action during the Mexican Revolution. At the end of March 1914, a Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa after failing in the First and Second Battle ...

* 1914, June 16 – Huertistas

''Guerrero'' sinks

gunboat ''Tampico'' at the

Fourth Battle of Topolobampo The Fourth Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action fought during the Mexican Revolution and the last naval battle of the Topolobampo Campaign. In June 1914, a Huertista gunboat sank a Constitutionalist gunboat off Topolobampo, Sinaloa i ...

World War I

* 1914, August 4 - British light cruiser HMS ''Bristol'' indecisively engages German light cruiser SMS ''Karlsruhe'' * 1914, August 26 – British cruiser defeats German auxiliary cruiser in the

Battle of Río de Oro The Battle of Río de Oro was a single-ship action fought in August 1914 during the First World War, when attacked the German off Río de Oro on the coast of Northwest Africa. Background Under the command of Max Reymann, Imperial German ...

* 1914, September 9 – British gunboat HMS ''Dwarf'' engages German armed yacht ''Herzogin Elisabeth'' in an action in the Wouri River * 1914, September 14 – British

armed merchantman An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

HMS ''Carmania'' sinks German auxiliary cruiser in an engagement off Trindade Island in the South Atlantic * 1914, September 16 – British gunboat HMS ''Dwarf'' sinks German customs cutter ''Nachtigal'' in an action in the Wouri River * 1914, September 20 – In the

Battle of Zanzibar The Battle of Zanzibar was an encounter between the German ''Kaiserliche Marine'' and the British Royal Navy early in the First World War. While taking on coal in the delta of the Rufiji River in German East Africa, the German cruiser lea ...

, the German cruiser attacks and sinks the British cruiser while it is in harbour for repairs. * 1914, November 9 – Australian light cruiser defeats German light cruiser in the Battle of Cocos. * 1915, June 2 – British gunboat ''HMS Odin'' damages Ottoman gunboat ''Marmaris'' which beaches itself off

Amarah Amarah ( ar, ٱلْعَمَارَة, al-ʿAmārah), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the ...

in the

Tigris River The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the P ...

. * 1915, August 8 – German auxiliary cruiser SMS ''Meteor'' sinks British Armed Boarding Steamer ''Ramsey'' off

Fair Isle Fair Isle (; sco, Fair Isle; non, Friðarey; gd, Fara) is an island in Shetland, in northern Scotland. It lies about halfway between mainland Shetland and Orkney. It is known for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting. Th ...

* 1917, February 26 – British gunboat ''HMS Mantis'' damages Ottoman gunboat ''Doğan'' which runs aground near Al Aziziyah. * 1917, March 10 – German auxiliary cruiser sinks New Zealand freighter ''Otaki'' but is seriously damaged

Russian Civil War

* 1920, May 3 – Soviet floating battery ''Krasnaya Zarya'' engages French sloop ''Le Scarpe'' off Ochakov, damaging her and forcing her surrender.

World War II

* 1940, July 13 – German auxiliary cruiser ''

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

'' sinks British liner after a short action in the Indian Ocean. * 1940, July 28 – German auxiliary cruiser ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

'' indecisively engages British armed merchant cruiser HMS ''Alcantara''. * 1940, November 5 – German heavy cruiser sinks convoy escort armed merchant cruiser in the North Atlantic. * 1940, November 9 – The

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an '' ...

'' '' Savorgnan de Brazza'' sinks her sister ship,

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

''aviso'' '' Bougainville'', off

Libreville Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inh ...

. * 1940, December 5 – German auxiliary cruiser ''Thor'' drives off and mauls British auxiliary cruiser . * 1941, February 27 – sinks Italian auxiliary cruiser ''Ramb I'' in a brief engagement off the Maldives. * 1941, April 4 – German auxiliary cruiser ''Thor'' sinks British armed merchant cruiser HMS ''Voltaire'' in an engagement off the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

islands. * 1941, May 8 – The British heavy cruiser sinks German auxiliary cruiser in an engagement off the Seychelles. * 1941, November 19 – The

German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran The German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'' (HSK-8). was a ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy) merchant raider of World War II. Originally the merchant vessel ''Steiermark'' ("Styria"), the ship was acquired by the navy following the outbreak of war for ...

and Australian light cruiser sink each other near

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. * 1942, April 1 – German auxiliary cruiser ''Thor'' sinks British freighter ''Willesden'' after a brief action. * 1942, June 6 – German auxiliary cruiser sinks the tanker SS ''Stanvac Calcutta'' in the South Atlantic. * 1942, July 20 – German auxiliary cruiser ''Thor'' sinks British reefer ''Indus'' in a brief action. * 1942, September 27 – German auxiliary cruiser and American

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

sink each other in the South Atlantic. * 1943, October 31 – November 1 – and engage in a pitched battle ending with ''Borie'' ramming the submarine. Both ships are lost.

Ecuadorian–Peruvian War

* 1941, July 25 – Ecuadorian gunboat '' Abdón Calderón'' duels inconclusively with Peruvian destroyer ''Almirante Villar'' off Jambeli

Korean War

* 1950, June 25 – ROKS ''Baekdusan'' sinks a North Korean troop transport in

Battle of Korea Strait The Battle of Korea Strait was a single ship action fought on the first day of the Korean War, 25–26 June 1950, between the navies of South Korea and North Korea. A North Korean troop transport carrying hundreds of soldiers attempted to land its ...

* 1950, September 10 – ROKS ''PC-703'' sinks North Korean

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...

Vietnam War

* 1968, March 1 – USCGC ''Winona'' sinks

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

ese

naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some—known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers"— were purpose-built to ...

''T-A''

Sri Lankan Civil War

* 2003, March 10 – sinks LTTE logistic vessel MV ''Koimer'' off Mullaitivu

Anti-piracy off Somalia

* 18 November 2008 – INS ''Taber'' sinks the trawler ''Ekawat Nava 5'', which Somali pirates had captured. * 29 March 2009 – German naval tanker ''Spessart'' engages and repulses a Somali pirate skiff. * 10 April 2010 – sinks a Somali pirate skiff in a brief action. * 28 January 2011 – INS ''Cankarso'' sinks Somali pirate trawler ''Prantalay 14'' off

Minicoy Island Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on ''Maliku atoll'', the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory o ...

. (

) * 22 March 2011 – HMAS ''Stuart'' destroys a Somali pirate skiff being towed by the pirated . * 26 March 2011 – Indian off-shore patrol vessel INS ''Suvarna'' captures pirated trawler MV ''Mortaza'' * 12 May 2011 – USS ''Stephen W. Groves'' sinks Somali pirate longliner ''Jih Chun Tsai 68'' in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

off

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. * 12 May 2011 – HDMS ''Esbern Snare'' sinks Somali pirate dhow FV ''NN Iran'' * 22 November 2011 –

Italian destroyer Andrea Doria ''Andrea Doria'' is a destroyer of the Italian Navy. She and her sister form the ; in turn these two ships, and the French vessels and , belong to the . ''Andrea Doria'' has the hull number D 553 according to NATO classification. History The ...

duels inconclusively with a Somali pirate skiff. * 12 January 2012 – captures a Somali pirate skiff

Anti-piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

* 28 August 2012 – Pirated tanker ''Energy Centurian'' fights off a Togolese navy patrol vessel and escapes. * 19 February 2016 – Nigerian frigate NNS ''Okpabana'' captures the pirated tanker ''Elvis-3'' in the Gulf of Guinea in a contested boarding action.

Second Libyan Civil War

* 6 April 2017 – A Libyan Coast Guard vessel captures a migrant smuggling vessel after an action off Zawiya.

Anti-piracy off Venezuela

* 30 March 2020 – Cruise-liner RCGS ''Resolute'' inadvertently sinks Venezuelan Patrol Boat ''Naiguatá'' after being attacked by ''Naiguatá'' in international waters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Single-ship actions Naval warfare Naval lists Lists of naval battles