Action of 10 April 1795 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 10 April 1795
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Capture of La Gloire April 10th 1795, Thomas Whitcombe
Date 10–11 April 1795 Location Western Approaches, Atlantic Ocean 49°30′N 10°46′W / 49.500°N 10.767°W / 49.500; -10.767 Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
John Colpoys	Captain Beenst
Strength
5 ships of the line 2 frigates	3 frigates
Casualties and losses
8 killed and wounded	40 killed and wounded 2 frigates captured

The Action of 10 April 1795 was a small but important sea battle. It happened during the French Revolutionary Wars, a big conflict between France and other European countries. In this battle, a group of French Navy frigates (fast warships) was caught by a British fleet. This British fleet was led by Rear-Admiral John Colpoys. His ships were part of a blockade (a naval tactic to stop ships from entering or leaving a port) of the French naval base at Brest in Brittany.

When the French ships saw the larger British fleet, they split up. They tried to escape by sailing in different directions. One French frigate, named Gloire, was chased by the British frigate HMS Astraea. They fought a close battle. Even though the ships were about the same size, the British ship won in less than an hour.

The other French ships were chased by bigger British warships called ships of the line. This chase lasted a long time, into the next morning. HMS Hannibal finally caught the French frigate Gentille. Hannibal was much larger, so the French captain gave up right away. He knew fighting would be useless. The third French frigate, Fraternité, managed to get away. After fixing their ships in Portsmouth, Admiral Colpoys' fleet went back to blockading Brest.

Why This Battle Happened

Great Britain and France had been fighting for over two years by April 1795. At sea, the British Royal Navy was very strong. They kept many ships blocking all the main French naval ports. The biggest French port on the Atlantic coast was Brest. From here, French ships could attack British merchant ships in the English Channel and the western Atlantic Ocean.

Fast warships called frigates were very good at raiding merchant ships. They could strike quickly and cause a lot of damage. One main job of the British blockade fleets was to find and stop these French frigates.

In April 1795, Rear-Admiral John Colpoys was in charge of the British blockade fleet near Brest. He had five large ships of the line: HMS London, HMS Valiant, HMS Colossus, HMS Hannibal, and HMS Robust. He also had two frigates: HMS Astraea and HMS Thalia.

Colpoys' ships were doing a good job. On March 29, they captured a French warship called Jean Bart. The next day, they got back a British merchant ship that had been captured. On April 10, at 10:00 AM, the British fleet was sailing near Brest. They saw three ships to the west.

Colpoys immediately ordered his ships to chase them. By 12:00 PM, they realized the ships were French frigates. These French ships were the 32-gun Gloire, led by Captain Beenst. The others were Gentille and Fraternité. They were on a three-month raiding trip from Brest. So far, their trip had been quiet, with only one small Spanish merchant ship captured.

Captain Beenst quickly saw the danger. He ordered his ships to sail west, away from the British. But the wind helped Colpoys' ships. The much larger British fleet quickly closed in on the French frigates. The first British ship to get close was the 74-gun HMS Colossus. It exchanged some distant gunfire with the last French ship before the distance grew again.

The Battle Begins

Captain Beenst knew his ships were in danger of being caught by the much larger British ships of the line. So, he ordered his squadron to split up. Gentille and Fraternité sailed west. The British ships of the line HMS Hannibal and HMS Robust chased them closely. Gloire turned northwest. This helped it avoid most of the British fleet.

Only the 32-gun frigate HMS Astraea, led by Captain Lord Henry Paulet, managed to keep up with Gloire all afternoon.

Astraea vs. Gloire

At 6:00 PM, the rest of the British ships were far behind. Captain Paulet finally got Astraea close enough to fire its cannons. These were small guns on the ship's back deck. Captain Beenst's ship fired back with its own sternchaser guns (cannons at the back of the ship). The two frigates exchanged cannon fire for four and a half hours. Astraea slowly caught up to Gloire.

At 10:30 PM, Paulet was finally close enough to sail Astraea right next to Gloire. For the next 58 minutes, the two frigates fired at each other from very close range. Paulet aimed his guns at the French ship's hull (the main body). Beenst ordered his men to try and damage the British ship's rigging and masts (the ropes and poles that hold the sails).

The battle was very fierce. Captain Beenst was hurt in the head. All three of Astraea's topmasts were badly damaged. One even broke after the fight. But at 11:28 PM, with two British ships of the line appearing in the distance, Captain Beenst gave up. He surrendered his ship to Captain Paulet.

Both ships were damaged. Astraea's masts needed urgent repairs. Gloire also had damage to its rigging and sails. The French ship had many casualties, with 40 men killed or wounded, including the captain. In contrast, Astraea did not lose any men. Only one of its eight wounded sailors later died. Paulet repaired both ships as best he could. He gave temporary command of Gloire to Lieutenant John Talbot, who was later promoted. Then, he brought both ships to Portsmouth. Admiral Colpoys was gathering his ships there.

After the Battle

While sailing near the Isle of Wight, Admiral Colpoys got news. Captain Edward Thornbrough of Robust told him that Hannibal had caught the French frigate Gentille. This happened early on the morning of April 11. The French captain gave up without a fight. He was shocked that his frigate had been caught by a much larger ship of the line in the open sea. In response, Hannibal's captain, John Markham, proudly said that "Hannibal sails like a witch."

Hannibal then joined Robust in chasing Fraternité. They managed to fire some shots at the French ship. But then the wind died down, and they fell behind. After chasing for several days, Fraternité's captain made his ship lighter. He threw guns and supplies overboard. Finally, he escaped the chase. Fraternité later rejoined the French fleet at Brest.

Both Gloire and Gentille were bought by the Royal Navy. Admiral Colpoys' entire fleet shared the prize money (money from selling captured ships and goods). However, neither ship was in very good condition. They did not serve long in the British fleet. After a short time for repairs in Portsmouth, Colpoys returned to blockading Brest. He stayed off the port for the rest of the year.