Action of 19 January 1799
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The action of 19 January 1799 was a minor naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars fought in waters of the
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
, off Punta Europa. A Spanish squadron of 14 gunboats with a mistico as flagship, commanded by Francisco Mourelle de la Rua, attacked a British merchant convoy escorted by several Royal Navy warships, among them a 74-gun
ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...
. The British warships failed to defend the convoy, losing a gunboat sunk and another captured. The convoy also lost a ship and two brigs. For this action Mourelle de la Rua was promoted to frigate captain.Carrasco p.141


Background

Once the Spanish Navy realized how useful gunboats could be in
naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
, they established a base for them at Algeciras. The deployment had two objectives: first, impede British naval trade with Gibraltar and second, protect Spain's own commerce.Rodríguez González p. 288 During the
Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the War of the American Revolution. It was the largest battle in the war by number of combatants. The American war had end ...
Admiral Antonio Barceló commanded the naval forces responsible for blockading the bay that included a fleet of several xebecs and gunboats. One of his successors was Francisco Antonio Mourelle de la Rua, who was appointed to Algeciras in 1797 and took part in more than 41 actions against the British.


Action - the Spanish account

At 2 PM on 19 January 1799 a British merchant convoy consisting of four ships and three brigs sailed from
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escorted by a 74-gun
ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...
and an 18-gun brig of the Royal Navy. As they left Gibraltar, three gunboats accompanied them out of the bay to defend them against the Spanish gunboats based in Algeciras. Fourteen of them and a místico under Lieutenant Francisco Antonio Murelle de la Rua sailed an hour later to intercept the convoy, forming a line of battle, while four remained in reserve and two were dispatched to Punta Europa to attack the rear of the convoy. After several hours of harassment, at 7:30 PM, Mourelle managed to cut off a ship and two brigs from the rest of the convoy.Rodríguez González p. 289 The three British gunboats immediately came to their assistance. One of the British gunboats sank and the remaining ones were captured, along with the merchant vessels. Gunfire from the British shore batteries of
Punta Europa Punta is an Afro-indigenous dance and cultural music originating in the Caribbean Island of Saint Vincent And The Grenadines by the Garifuna people before being exiled from the island. Which is also known as Yurumei. It has African and Arawak ...
and the unexpected sally of seven boats from Gibraltar allowed one of the prizes to escape, though the Spanish were able to fend off the counterattack.


Action - The British account

In the afternoon of 19 January, HMS ''Strombolo'', a gunboat armed with one gun and under the command of Lieutenant William Davies, sailed to cover the departure of a convoy. She towed ''Transport 55'' clear of the mole at Gibraltar and then returned to bring out another vessel. The activity drew the attention of the Spanish, who sent out a flotilla of gunboats and launches. ''Strombolo'' cast off her tow and moved to intercept the Spanish. Eight Spanish vessels surrounded her and in the exchange of fire, a Spanish cannonball holed ''Strombolo'' at the larboard bow. She rapidly filled with water so the crew abandoned her; the Spanish picked them up from the water. The second British gunboat lost that day was HMS ''Wilkin'', under the command of Lieutenant Henry Power. She had towed the ''Esther'' clear of the mole when the Spanish gunboats approached. She too sailed to meet them and too found herself surrounded by eight gunboats and launches. Her long gun misfired so the crew was reduced to using small arms to defend themselves. In the short engagement ''Wilkin'' lost her main topmast and mizzenmast. When the several Spanish boats came alongside, she
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her colours.


Aftermath

Shortly thereafter, the Spanish squadron entered Algeciras towing the four prizes with 120 prisoners, among them the commander of the British gunboats of Gibraltar. None of the later British countermeasures to beat the Spanish gunboats, which included the use of grapeshot from a distance, had any effect. The Spanish gunboats proved their worth in subsequent years when they defended two major merchant convoys.Rodríguez González p. 291


Citations


References

* Landín Carrasco, Amancio (1971). ''Mourelle de la Rúa, explorador del Pacífico'', Ediciones Cultura Hispánica. * Rodríguez González, Agustín Ramón (2006) ''Victorias por mar de los Españoles''. Biblioteca de Historia, Madrid. * Rodríguez González, Agustín Ramón (2005) ''Trafalgar y el conflicto naval anglo-español del siglo XVIII'', Actas Editorial, Madrid. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Action Of 19 January 1799 Conflicts in 1799 Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Great Britain Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Spain Military history of Gibraltar