Action of 10 December 1800 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 10 December 1800
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Spanish Gun-boat circa 1800
Date 10 December 1800 Location Bay of Gibraltar Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Spain	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Miguel Villalba	Lieut. Charles I. Niven
Strength
1 gun-boat (3 guns) 43 men	1 brig (18 guns) 58 men
Casualties and losses
Unknown, minor	1 brig captured 3 dead 8 wounded

The Action of 10 December 1800 was a small but interesting naval battle. It took place during the Napoleonic Wars, a series of big conflicts in Europe. This particular fight happened near Gibraltar. In this battle, a Spanish privateer gunboat managed to capture a British ship.

A Small Battle in the Napoleonic Wars

This event shows how even small ships could make a big difference in naval warfare. The Spanish ship was a "privateer" gunboat. A privateer was a private ship that had permission from its government to attack enemy ships. This was a way for countries to add more ships to their navy without paying for them directly.

The Ships and Their Crews

The Spanish ship was named San Francisco Javier, but it was also known as Poderoso. It was a gunboat, which is a small boat armed with cannons. This gunboat was commanded by Don Miguel Villalba. It had three guns and 43 men.

The British ship was a "hired brig" called the Sir Thomas Pasley. A brig is a type of sailing ship with two masts. This ship was part of the Royal Navy, but it was a hired vessel. Lieutenant Charles Niven was its commander. The Sir Thomas Pasley had 18 guns and a crew of 58 men.

The British Ship's Journey

The British brig Sir Thomas Pasley had left Plymouth, England, on November 20. It was carrying important messages, called "despatches," to different places. Its journey included stops in Lisbon, Gibraltar, and Malta. On December 10, after visiting Lisbon, the Sir Thomas Pasley was near Ceuta when the Spanish gunboat appeared.

The Battle Begins

The Spanish gunboat approached the British brig using both its sails and oars, called "sweeps." This allowed it to move even when there wasn't much wind. The Sir Thomas Pasley was armed with two 6-pounder guns and fourteen 12-pounder "carronades." Carronades were short, powerful cannons used for close-range fighting.

The Spanish gunboat had one large 24-pounder gun and two smaller 6-pounder guns. It positioned itself behind the Sir Thomas Pasley and began firing.

A Tricky Situation for the British

The wind suddenly died down, which made it very hard for the Sir Thomas Pasley to move. This was a big problem because the British ship couldn't turn to use its "bow-chasers." These were guns placed at the front of the ship, meant to fire straight ahead.

The British tried to move some of their guns to the back of the ship. However, the carronades took up too much space, so there was no room to set up the other guns. This left the British sailors with only small guns, like muskets, to fight back against the Spanish cannons.

The Capture of the Brig

The Spanish gunboat launched several "boarding parties." These were groups of sailors who tried to climb onto the enemy ship to fight hand-to-hand. The Spanish tried twice and were pushed back.

On their third attempt, the Spanish managed to shoot away the British ship's "halyard." The halyard is a rope used to raise and lower the sails. With this rope gone, the British ship's sails couldn't be controlled properly.

Lieutenant Niven, the British commander, was wounded in three different places. The ship's master, another important officer, was also badly hurt. In total, the British lost three sailors who were killed and six more who were wounded.

After capturing the brig, the Spanish took their prize first to Ceuta, and then to Algeciras.

The Aftermath

Lieutenant Niven later faced a "court-martial" for losing his ship. A court-martial is a military trial. However, he was honorably found not guilty. This means the court decided he had done his best and was not to blame for the loss of the ship.