Action of 17 February 1783
| Action of 17 February 1783 | |
|---|---|
| Part of | |
| Result | British victory |
Great Britain1 wounded[1]
35 killed and wounded
128 captured
The action of 17 February 1783 was a minor naval engagement fought in between Jamaica and Cuba in the Caribbean sea between a Royal Navy frigate HMS Fox and a Spanish Navy frigate Santa Catalina.[2]
Events
- Background
By the end of 1782 the Spanish and French had been on the defensive since the
Captain George Stoney in HMS Fox, a thirty-gun frigate was sent to Jamaica in charge of a captured Spanish privateer, one of two simultaneously taken near Santo Domingo.[1]
- Action
On 17 February whilst sailing off the coast of Jamaica, a sail was spotted and Fox sailed to investigate. As she approached, the vessel hauled up Spanish colours and thus cleared for action.
- Aftermath
Santa Catalina, a Spanish frigate of 22 guns and 163 men, was sent from Havana for the express purpose of making a prize of the British ship.[6]
Fox had four men killed and one wounded in the action, whilst Santa Catalina was totally dismasted and sustaining nearly 35 casualties, with the rest of her crew of sailors and marines taken prisoner. Santa Catalina was broken up in Port Royal, as it was too damaged and had been advised against any repair.[7]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Beatson. Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain. p. 533.
- ^ Schomberg, Isaac (1802). Naval Chronology. Oxford University. p. 64. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
fox stoney santa catalina 1783.
- ISBN 9783954273393. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ Marley p. 175
- ^ Publications of the Navy Records Society, Volume 35. Navy Records Society. 1908. p. 264.
blockade cap francois 1782.
- ^ Duncan, Archibald (1805). The British Trident, Or, Register of Naval Actions. New York Public Library: J. Cundee. p. 132. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
santa catalina fox stoney.
- ^ Remenbrancer. University of California. 1783. p. 305.
Further reading
- Allen, Joseph (1852). Battles of the British Navy, Volume 1. Bohn's illustrated library. ASIN B009ZMMQ56.
- Clowes, William Laird (2003). The Royal Navy: v. 4: A History – From the Earliest Times to 1900. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1861760128.
- Lavery, Brian (2009). Empire of the seas: how the navy forged the modern world. Conway. ISBN 9781844861095.
- Marley, David (2005). Historic Cities of the Americas: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576070277.