Battle of the Levant Convoy

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For other battles in the same place, see Battle of Cape St. Vincent.

Battle of the Levant Convoy
Part of the
Cape St Vincent, Portugal
Result French victory
Belligerents  France  Great BritainCommanders and leaders Commodore Joseph de Richery Commodore Thomas TaylorStrength 6 ships of the line
3 frigates 3 ships of the line
1 frigate
31 merchantmenCasualties and losses Light 1 ship of the line captured
30 merchantmen captured

The Battle of the Levant Convoy was a naval engagement of the

ships of the line 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

Newfoundland
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,

Maritime Canada
.

Background

Main article: Richery's expedition

The

ships of the line and three frigates under Contre-amiral Joseph de Richery to reinforce the Brest fleet.[3]

This force was under orders to sail across the Atlantic, unite with French naval units in the Caribbean to land an army in

Honoré Ganteaume, in search of it.[5]

Martin was unaware that the convoy had sailed earlier than anticipated, reaching

jury masts.[3]

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.

Cape St Vincent, 144 nautical miles (267 km) 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.[7] Issuing hasty orders to his squadron to establish a short line of battle, he formed up with Fortitude in the lead, followed by Bedford and Censeur, supported by Lutine and Tisiphone. The convoy was ordered to scatter.[6]

Richery bore down on Taylor's small squadron, sending his frigates Embuscade, Félicité and Friponne to attack the fleeing merchant ships.[8] 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.[6] 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.[7]

At 13:50 the leading French ships opened fire on Censeur, Gore returning fire, distantly assisted by the

struck his colours 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.[7]

Aftermath

Unprotected, the Levant convoy was destroyed. Richery's frigates captured all but one of the British merchant vessels, 30 ships.[7] 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 Rota.[9] 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. 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.[10] Following his orders to pursue the French, Mann established a blockade of Cádiz awaiting Richery's return to sea.[11] The Argo convoy, under Captain Richard Burgess proceeded unchallenged and reached Britain intact.[6] 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."[10] This was not the first time the Levant convoy had been targeted by the French Navy; 102 years earlier during the Nine Years' War a much larger Levant convoy had been overrun and destroyed by the French in the same waters, at the Battle of Lagos.[12]

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

Treaty of San Ildefonso on 19 August.[13] 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.[13]

Lángara sent Richery 300 nautical miles (560 km) westwards with a large escort under Rear-Admiral

Newfoundland and Labrador before returning to France unimpeded, having captured or destroyed more than a hundred British merchant ships during his operation.[15]

Order of battle

Richery's squadron[4]
Ship Guns Commander Notes
Victoire 80 Captain Lemancq
Jupiter 74 Captain Joseph de Richery
Barra 74 Captain André Maureau
Berwick 74 Captain Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Révolution 74 Captain Antoine-Jean-Baptiste Faye
Duquesne 74 Captain Zacharie Allemand
Embuscade 32
Félicité 32 Captain Lecourt
Friponne 32
Taylor's squadron[3]
Ship Guns Commander Notes
HMS Fortitude 74 Commodore Thomas Taylor
HMS Bedford 74 Captain Augustus Montgomery
HMS Censeur
 74 Captain John Gore Armed
en flute
. Cut off and captured. Returned to French Navy under the same name.
HMS Lutine
 32 Commander William Haggitt
HMS Tisiphone 14 Commander Joseph Turner

Sources

  1. ^ Gardiner, p.16
  2. ^ Clowes, p. 263
  3. ^ a b c d e James, p.273
  4. ^ a b c Troude, p.436
  5. ^ James, p.275
  6. ^ a b c d e f Clowes, p.278
  7. ^ a b c d e James, p.274
  8. ^ Troude, p.437
  9. ^ a b Troude, p.438
  10. ^ a b Clowes, p.277
  11. ^ Mostert, p.184
  12. ^ Rodger, p.153
  13. ^ a b Clowes, p.286
  14. ^ Clowes, p.291
  15. ^ James, p.367

References

  • ISBN 1-86176-012-4
    .
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (2001) [1996]. Fleet Battle and Blockade. London: Caxton Editions.
    ISBN 1-84067-363-X
    .
  • ISBN 0-85177-905-0
    .
  • Mostert, Noel (2007). The Line upon a Wind: The Greatest War Fought at Sea Under Sail 1793 – 1815. Vintage Books.
    ISBN 9-78071-260-9272
    .
  • ISBN 0-71399-411-8
    .
  • Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.

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