The action of 23 August 1806 was a minor naval battle of the Napoleonic wars, fought off the coast of Spanish

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 ...

near the port of

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.

. The Spanish frigate ''Pomona'' was captured by the frigates HMS ''Anson'' and HMS ''Arethusa'' under the commands of Captain Charles Lydiard and Charles Brisbane respectively. As well as the frigate being captured, a shore battery was silenced and a fleet of gunboats was defeated.

Summary

;Background The Royal Navy dominated the West Indies region after the French defeat at San Domingo. The Spanish had been on the defensive due to the diminished French naval power and the subsequent blockade of Cádiz, which had been made possible by the battle of

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England It may also refer to: Music * ''Trafalgar'' (album), by the Bee Gees Pl ...

. Lydiard was appointed to command the 38-gun in 1805. ''Anson'' had originally been a 64-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third ...

, but had been

razee A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down (''razeed'') to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French ''vaisseau rasé'', meaning a razed (in the sense of shaved down) ship. Seventeenth century During the ...

d in 1794. He sailed ''Anson'' to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

in early 1806 and in August was sailing in company with Captain Charles Brisbane's when on 23 August they came across the 38-gun Spanish frigate ''Pomona'' off

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.

, guarded by a shore battery and twelve

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-ste ...

s. ;Action The ''Pomona'' attempted to enter the harbour whereupon Lydiard and Brisbane bore up and engaged her. The gunboats came out to defend her, whereupon the two British frigates anchored between the shore battery and gunboats on one side, and the ''Pomona'' on the other. A hard fought action began, lasting for 35 minutes until the ''Pomona'' struck her colours. Three of the gunboats were blown up, six were sunk, and the remaining three were badly damaged. Some of the Spanish were rescued in all total of 317 were captured many of them wounded. The shore battery ceased fire after an explosion damaged it. ;Aftermath There were no casualties aboard ''Anson'', but ''Arethusa'' lost two killed and 32 wounded, with Brisbane among the latter. The captured ''Pomona'' was subsequently taken into the Navy as . Charles Brisbane would later take the Dutch island of Curaçao in January 1807, using ''Anson'' to achieve that goal.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Action Of 23 August 1806 Naval battles involving Spain Naval battles involving the United Kingdom Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars Conflicts in 1806 August 1806 events