Action of 20 October 1778
| Action of 20 October 1778 | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Cape Fisterra, Galicia | |
| Result | Indecisive |
France
Great Britain Gaspard de Ligondès (DOW)[1] Francis Reynolds James Montaguship-of-the-line
TritonMedea
20 wounded
10 wounded
The action of 20 October 1778 was an inconclusive engagement between the French
Medea that took place off Cape Finisterre in the Bay of Biscay
. Darkness separated the combatants before any decisive result was obtained.
Background
The outbreak of the
War of the American Independence caused relations between France and Great Britain to deteriorate. After signing a formal treaty with the United States in February 1778, France broke diplomatic ties and declared war on Britain on 16 March 1778.[2]
Action
On 20 October, the French ship-of-the-line Triton under Captain
water line after the first half-hour of the fight, but he was wounded in both arms soon afterward and had to hand over the command to Lieutenant de Roquart. Medea retreated from the action; Triton and Jupiter continued to exchange fire for more two hours, until a squall of wind and rain, and the impenetrable darkness of the night separated the combatants.[4]
Triton had thirteen killed and about twenty wounded, she had fifty shots in her hull or masts, and her sails and rigging were much cut up, but Captain Reynolds reported that she was still able to sail.[5] Jupiter had to sail back into Lisbon for refit with three killed and seven wounded. Medea suffered one killed and three wounded.[6]
Aftermath
Ligondès died of his wound in Brest on 26 January 1779.[1]
References
- Citations
- ^ a b Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 606.
- ^ Gréhan 1837, p. 300.
- ^ Clarke & McArthur 2010, p. 340.
- ^ Clarke & McArthur 2010, p. 341.
- ^ Clowes 1899, pp. 22–22.
- ^ Clowes 1899, p. 22.
- Bibliography
- Clarke, James Stanier; McArthur, John (2010). The Naval Chronicle: Volume 13. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-01852-4.
- Clowes, William Laird (1899). The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, Volume 4. Sampson Low, Marston and Company. .
- Gréhan, Amédée (1837). La France maritime. Pilout.
- Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion.
