Action of 5 May 1794
Action of 5 May 1794 | |||||||
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Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Captain Henry Newcome | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
Frigate HMS Orpheus, distantly supported by HMS Centurion and HMS Resistance | Frigate Duguay Trouin and brig Vulcain | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 killed, 9 wounded | 21 killed, 60 wounded, Duguay Trouin captured |
The action of 5 May 1794 was a minor naval engagement fought in the Indian Ocean during the French Revolutionary Wars. A British squadron had been blockading the French island of Isle de France (now Mauritius) since early in the year, and early on 5 May discovered two ships approaching their position. As the strange vessels came closer, they were recognised as the French frigate Duguay Trouin, which had been captured from the East India Company the year before, and a small brig. Making use of a favourable wind, the British squadron gave chase to the new arrivals, which fled. The chase was short, as Duguay Trouin was a poor sailor with many of the crew sick and unable to report for duty. The British frigate HMS Orpheus was the first to arrive, and soon completely disabled the French frigate, successfully raking the wallowing ship. After an hour and twenty minutes the French captain surrendered, Captain Henry Newcome of Orpheus taking over the captured ship and bringing his prize back to port in India.
Background
Britain joined the
Princess Royal was a well-armed ship, carrying twenty-six 12-pounder cannon and a number of smaller calibre guns on the maindeck. The
By the early spring of 1794, three vessels had come out from Britain – 32-gun frigate
Battle
As the French vessels approached the island on 5 May they were sighted by lookouts on the British squadron. The British captains then waited for the French to get closer, launching a chase in the mid-morning when they held the weather gage so that the wind was behind them. This allowed them to rapidly close with the French vessels whose efforts to escape were hampered by Duguay Trouin's poor sailing qualities. At 11:45, Orpheus was the first to reach the French frigate, firing on Duguay Trouin from long range.[6] Within ten minutes the British ship had pulled closer to the former East Indiaman and although Duguay Trouin briefly returned fire, Orpheus was soon positioned across the starboard quarter of the French ship, allowing Newcome to pour raking fire into the Duguay Trouin without reply.[5]
By 13:15, Duguay Trouin was a battered wreck, with the hull significantly damaged, the
Aftermath
Newcome initially took his prize to Mahé in the Seychelles, where he demanded fresh supplies, particularly water, for his prisoners. The French governors of the islands refused, and Newcome stormed and seized the town, taking all of the supplies and military stores. The wounded and sick prisoners were disembarked, and the contents of a small French brig were turned over to the inhabitants to replace the seized supplies.[7] Newcome then returned to India with his prize, but the ship was not subsequently purchased by the Royal Navy.[8]
Historical reaction to the battle has focused on the significantly stronger British position in the encounter, with three large regular warships pitted against a hastily converted merchant vessel with a significant proportion of the crew suffering from illness. Duguay-Trouin was also weakly built and weakly armed: early estimates that the Duguay Trouin's main battery mounted twenty-six
References
Bibliography
- Brenton, Edward Pelham (1823). The Naval History of Great Britain, Vol. I. London: Henry Colburn.
- ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (2001) [1998]. The Victory of Seapower. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-359-1.
- ISBN 0-85177-905-0.