Action of 7 October 1795
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The Battle of the Levant Convoy was a naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars fought on 7 October 1795. During the battle, a powerful French squadron surprised a valuable British convoy from the Levant off Cape St Vincent on the coast of Portugal. The convoy was weakly defended, and although the small escort squadron tried to drive the French back, they were outmatched. In the ensuing action one of the British
ships 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 colum ...
and almost the entire convoy was overrun and captured. The French commander, Commodore Joseph de Richery, then retired to the neutral Spanish port of Cádiz, where he came under blockade. The annual British Levant convoy was a mercantile operation in which valuable merchant shipping from ports across the
Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...
gathered together for security under escort to Britain by Royal Navy warships. In 1795, this escort comprised three ships of the line, one in a poor state of repair, and several frigates under the command of Commodore
Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor may refer to: Military *Thomas H. Taylor (1825–1901), Confederate States Army colonel *Thomas Happer Taylor (1934–2017), U.S. Army officer; military historian and author; triathlete *Thomas Taylor (Medal of Honor) (born 1834), Am ...
. Taylor split the convoy, sailing in two separate divisions. On 7 October a French squadron under Richery, sent from Toulon to attack the
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fisheries, encountered Taylor's division of the convoy. Taylor attempted to hold off Richery for long enough for the merchant ships to scatter and escape, but one of his ships, HMS ''Censeur'' lost a top-mast as he formed a line of battle and was rapidly overwhelmed by the French. With his line broken and
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s seizing the merchant ships unopposed, Taylor turned away from the battle and withdrew, leaving the convoy to its fate. Only one ship survived. Richery took his prizes to Cádiz in Southern Spain, where he was subject to a blockade by a British squadron under Rear-Admiral
Robert Mann Robert Nathaniel Mann (July 19, 1920 – January 1, 2018) was a violinist, composer, Conductor (music), conductor, and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mann, the fir ...
. Nearly a year later he escaped with the help of the Spanish to inflict severe damage on the fishing fleets off Maritime Canada.


Background

The French Navy in the Atlantic had suffered severe losses in a series of defeats during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly at the Glorious First of June in 1794 and during the ''
Croisière du Grand Hiver The ''Croisière du Grand Hiver'' (French "Campaign of the Great Winter") was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the Glorious First of June. Context The Glorious First of June had ended on a strategic success f ...
'' the following winter.Gardiner, p.16 In June 1795 three more ships were lost in the defeat at the Battle of Groix.Clowes, p. 263 Requests for reinforcements were sent to the Mediterranean Fleet, which had suffered its own severe losses at the Siege of Toulon in 1793, and later at the Battle of Genoa and the Battle of the Hyères Islands in the spring and summer of 1795. The commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-amiral Pierre Martin acceded to the request, preparing a squadron of six
ships 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 colum ...
and three
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s under Contre-amiral Joseph de Richery to reinforce the Brest fleet.James, p.273 This force was under orders to sail across the Atlantic, unite with French naval units in the Caribbean to land an army in
Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...
and attack shipping at Jamaica.Troude, p.436 It was then to sail north to attack the important
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fisheries off
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and Maritime Canada, before returning to France via the Azores to unite with the fleet at Brest. Martin was wary of the British Mediterranean Fleet, which had so recently inflicted defeats on his own force, but the British commander Admiral William Hotham had kept the blockade of Toulon loose, based at his anchorage at San Fiorenzo, and Richery was able to escape into the Ligurian Sea without being observed on 14 September. Martin also knew that the annual British merchant convoy from the Levant was due to pass westwards on its way to the
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, and several weeks later sent out a second squadron, under Commodore Honoré Ganteaume, in search of it.James, p.275 Martin was unaware that the convoy had sailed earlier than anticipated, reaching
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ahead of Richery and long before Ganteaume even sailed. At Gibraltar the 63-ship convoy met with its escort provided from Hotham's fleet. This force was led by Commodore
Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor may refer to: Military *Thomas H. Taylor (1825–1901), Confederate States Army colonel *Thomas Happer Taylor (1934–2017), U.S. Army officer; military historian and author; triathlete *Thomas Taylor (Medal of Honor) (born 1834), Am ...
in 74-gun HMS ''Fortitude'', accompanied by HMS ''Bedford'' and HMS ''Censeur'' as well as the frigates HMS ''Argo'', HMS ''Juno'', HMS ''Lutine'' and the fireship HMS ''Tisiphone''. ''Censeur'', under the command of Captain John Gore, was not fit for service; the ship had been a French warship captured off Genoa in March and was still in a poor state of repair, armed ''
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'' and carrying only
jury masts In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...
.


Richery's encounter

Taylor's convoy sailed from Gibraltar on 25 September, progressing slowly westwards into the Atlantic. The following day Taylor split his force, sending 32 merchant ships with ''Argo'' and ''Juno'', while he took 31 merchant ships along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts with his main force. By the morning of 7 October the convoy was passing slowly around Cape St Vincent, offshore with land to the southeast. At 09:30 sails were sighted to the northeast and Thomas rapidly realised that they were an enemy force.James, p.274 Issuing hasty orders to his squadron to establish a short
line of battle The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...
, he formed up with ''Fortitude'' in the lead, followed by ''Bedford'' and ''Censeur'', supported by ''Lutine'' and ''Tisiphone''. The convoy was ordered to scatter. Richery bore down on Taylor's small squadron, sending his frigates ''Embuscade'', ''Félicité'' and ''Friponne'' to attack the fleeing merchant ships.Troude, p.437 Taylor hoped to hold the French off for long enough to allow the convoy to escape, but the frigates simply evaded the line. In addition, the damaged ''Censeur'' was unable to hold station and at 13:00 the jury top-foremast collapsed over the side forcing Gore to fall back, away from Taylor's other ships. Taylor discussed the situation with his officers and Captain Augustus Montgomery on ''Bedford'', reaching agreement to withdraw. ''Fortitude'' and ''Bedford'' then pulled away from the French in formation, leaving ''Censeur'' behind. At 13:50 the leading French ships opened fire on ''Censeur'', Gore returning fire, distantly assisted by the stern-chaser guns on ''Fortitude'' and ''Bedford'', Taylor and Montgomery having their gunners smash holes in their ships' sterns to fit the cannon. Richery's squadron bore down on the retreating British line, firing at the masts on ''Censeur'' and bringing down both remaining topmasts in quick succession. Gore had not been expected to engage in action in his damaged ship and so there was little gunpowder on board.Clowes, p.278 By 14:30 it had all been consumed and, abandoned by Taylor, Gore
struck his colours Striking the colors—meaning lowering the flag (the "Colours, standards and guidons, colors") that signifies a ship's or garrison's allegiance—is a universally recognized indication of surrender (military), surrender, particularly for ships at ...
and surrendered to three of the French ships. Richery's leading ships now engaged ''Lutine'', Captain William Haggitt briefly returning fire as he pulled away. With ''Censeur'' secured and his frigates amid the merchant ships, Richery called off pursuit and allowed Taylor to retreat.


Aftermath

Unprotected, the Levant convoy was destroyed. Richery's frigates captured all but one of the British merchant vessels, 30 ships. Gathering his prizes, the French admiral turned back towards the Spanish coast, eventually anchoring in the neutral but friendly Spanish fleet base of Cádiz. Due to treaties in place at the time, only three of Richery's ships could dock at Cádiz itself, the rest anchoring in the less sheltered port of
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.Troude, p.438 There he was trapped; Hotham had learned on 22 September that Richery was at sea, and on 5 October had dispatched a squadron of six ships of the line and two frigates in pursuit under Rear-Admiral
Robert Mann Robert Nathaniel Mann (July 19, 1920 – January 1, 2018) was a violinist, composer, Conductor (music), conductor, and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mann, the fir ...
. As Richery had a three-week start, Mann arrived off Cádiz far too late to intercede in the action, but did find Richery only recently anchored in the harbour.Clowes, p.277 Following his orders to pursue the French, Mann established a blockade of Cádiz awaiting Richery's return to sea.Mostert, p.184 The ''Argo'' convoy, under Captain Richard Burgess proceeded unchallenged and reached Britain intact. Historian William Laird Clowes laid blame for the destruction of the convoy on Hotham, stating that his behaviour "offers additional proof of that officer's unfitness for the very important command with which he had been entrusted." This was not the first time the Levant convoy had been targeted by the French Navy; 102 years earlier during the
Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
a much larger Levant convoy had been overrun and destroyed by the French in the same waters, at the Battle of Lagos.Rodger, p.153 The blockade was to last ten months, during which Richery was unable to find an opportunity to escape Mann's watch on the approaches to the Spanish port. His ships were battered by winter storms, and on 17 December ''Victoire'', ''Duquesne'' and ''Révolution'' were all blown on shore and badly damaged. They required extensive repairs in the Cádiz dockyards before they were ready for sea once more. The French were eventually released by diplomatic means; in the spring of 1796 the French Republic and the Kingdom of Spain had begun negotiations on an alliance against Britain, which was eventually signed at the Treaty of San Ildefonso on 19 August. As a gesture of good will, the Spanish fleet at Cádiz under Admiral Juan de Lángara agreed to escort Richery out of the harbour with sufficient force to dissuade an attack by Mann. Lángara took 20 ships of the line and 14 other vessels to sea on 4 August, accompanied by Richery's ten warships. They found the approaches to Cádiz empty; Mann had retired from the blockade on 29 July under orders from Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis.Clowes, p.286 Lángara sent Richery westwards with a large escort under Rear-Admiral
José Solano y Bote José de Solano y Bote, 1st Marquess of Socorro (March 6, 1726 – March 24, 1806), was a Spanish naval officer. Biography He served an extensive career in the Spanish Navy starting at the age of 16 until his death in 1806. Shortly after joi ...
, the French admiral then separating and fulfilling his original mission to attack the fisheries of Maritime Canada.Clowes, p.291 During September he burned fishing fleets and coastal communities across
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and Labrador before returning to France unimpeded, having captured or destroyed more than a hundred British merchant ships during his operation.James, p.367


Order of battle


Sources


References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Levant Convoy Battle Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars Conflicts in 1795 Naval battles involving France Naval battles involving Great Britain Battles of the War of the First Coalition