Action of 12 August 1782 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 12 August 1782 |
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| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Antoine Melchior Gaspard de Bernier de Pierrevert † | Andrew Mitchell | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| One heavy frigate |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 60 killed and wounded | 26 killed, 29 wounded | ||||||
The action of 12 August 1782 was a small naval fight between two ships. It happened just before the bigger Battle of Trincomalee. In this fight, the French ship Bellone faced the British ship HMS Coventry.
Even though both were frigates (a type of warship), Bellone was much larger and more powerful. It had bigger guns (18-pounders) and more crew. Coventry was smaller, with lighter guns (9-pounders). Bellone also had the wind in its favor, which was a big advantage for sailing ships.
Despite these challenges, Coventry managed to cause a lot of damage to Bellone. It even hit many of Bellones senior officers. This caused confusion on the French ship. Because of this, Coventry was able to escape to Madras. The battle ended without a clear winner, but Coventrys escape was a success for the British.
Contents
Why This Battle Happened
The American Revolutionary War and Beyond
The American Revolutionary War (when America fought for independence from Britain) led to other wars. One of these was the Anglo-French War starting in 1778. Then, in 1780, the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War began. This happened because the Dutch Republic kept trading with Britain's enemies.
These wars meant France and the Netherlands became allies. They both had interests in the Indian Ocean. France had a naval base on Isle de France (now Mauritius). They were also allied with Hyder Ali, a powerful Indian ruler. The Dutch controlled the Dutch Cape Colony in South Africa. France sent ships to strengthen these important locations.
France gathered its ships from different places. These included Pondicherry, Isle de France, and ships escorting convoys. This created a large fleet of 15 "ships of the line" (the biggest warships) and several frigates. First, Estienne d'Orves led this fleet. After he died, Suffren took command.
The British had a similar fleet led by Admiral Edward Hughes. Before this battle, Suffren and Hughes had already fought three times. These battles were at Sadras (February 1782), Providien (April), and Negapatam (July). All these fights ended without a clear winner.
In August 1782, both fleets were getting ready for their fourth big fight. This would be the Battle of Trincomalee, which started on August 25.
French Plans and Bellone's Mission
In late July, Suffren's fleet was at Cuddalore. Suffren met with Hyder Ali there. Suffren sent his smaller, faster ships to scout Trincomalee. When he learned the British fleet wasn't there, he decided to sail there himself. His plan was to land troops and try to capture the city. The French fleet left Cuddalore on August 2, 1782, heading towards Batacalo.
Suffren sent Bellone ahead of the main fleet. Its orders were to sail to Batacalo first, then to Galle. At Galle, another French captain, Aymar, was waiting. He had two large warships, the 74-gun Illustre and the 64-gun Saint Michel. He also had eight transport ships carrying troops and supplies.
Bellone had a new captain, Pierrevert. He was Suffren's nephew. The previous captain had been promoted.
The Battle
On August 12, the French fleet was anchored in Batacalo Bay. At the same time, HMS Coventry was sailing nearby. It was carrying troops to Madras. Two French ships, Vengeur and Artésien, tried to chase Coventry. But they soon lost sight of it and returned to their fleet.
Meanwhile, Bellone's mainmast (the tallest mast) had been damaged by strong winds off Ceylon. It was sailing to Batacalo for repairs. Bellone and Coventry met near Friar's Hood. As mentioned, Bellone was much stronger and had the wind advantage.
However, Captain Pierrevert made a mistake. He stopped Bellone and let Coventry get very close. This allowed Captain Mitchell of Coventry to open fire. He used grapeshot (many small metal balls) and musketry (gunfire from soldiers). This caused many casualties on Bellone. Soon, Captain Pierrevert himself was badly wounded and later died.
As the first officer took command, the second officer, Boucher, argued. He claimed he should be in charge. This was because a rule said foreigners couldn't command French warships, and the first officer was Italian. While they argued, gunfire from Coventry killed Boucher. The first officer was also badly wounded.
The third officer then took over. But he didn't have much experience. He couldn't get his crew to follow his orders well. This allowed Coventry to escape. Bellone suffered 60 men killed or wounded in the fight.
After the Battle
The battle lasted about two hours. Around 60 French sailors and 50 British sailors were killed or wounded. Coventry's rigging (ropes and sails) was badly damaged. It slowly made its way back to Madras.
Admiral Hughes had hoped to sail around August 15. But the damage to Coventry and other issues caused delays. He wasn't ready to leave until August 22. This delay helped Suffren. It gave him time to begin his attack on Trincomalee. Fort Ostenburg there fell to the French on August 30.
After the battle, Suffren put Beaulieu back as captain of Bellone. He replaced Beaulieu on Brillant with Lieutenant de Kersauson.
Coventry was eventually captured later, on January 12, 1783. Its new captain, William Wolseley, mistook four French warships for British merchant ships.
See Also
- Action of 14 December 1798, a similarly unbalanced action between the French 24-gun corvette Bayonnaise and the British 32-gun frigate Ambuscade. Bayonnaise managed to capture Ambuscade.
