Action of 13 October 1796 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 13 October 1796
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Print by Thomas Whitcombe depicting HMS Terpsichore capturing the Mahonesa on 13 October 1796
Date 13 October 1796 Location off Cape Gata, Mediterranean Sea Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Richard Bowen	Tomás de Ayalde
Strength
1 frigate	1 frigate
Casualties and losses
4 wounded	30 killed 30 wounded 1 frigate captured 250 captured

The Action of 13 October 1796 was a small but important naval battle during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened near Cartagena, off the coast of Spain. In this fight, the British ship HMS Terpsichore, led by Captain Richard Bowen, faced off against the Spanish ship Mahonesa, commanded by Captain Tomás de Ayalde. This battle was the very first one in the Anglo-Spanish War, starting just eight days after Spain declared war. After about an hour and forty minutes of fighting, the British captured the Mahonesa.

Captain Bowen's ship, Terpsichore, had been watching a large Spanish fleet. As he sailed back to Gibraltar, he met the Mahonesa. The Spanish captain, Ayalde, decided to fight. Bowen accepted, and the ships battled closely. The Spanish ship was badly damaged and had many more injured sailors. Eventually, the crew of the Mahonesa started to leave their battle stations. Ayalde tried to escape, but his ship was too damaged. After a 20-minute chase, he surrendered. Bowen took the captured ship to Lisbon. The damage was so bad that it could not be fixed.

Why the Battle Happened

In 1793, Great Britain and Spain became allies. They joined forces against the new French Republic in the War of the First Coalition. This alliance was not easy. Spain did not want British officers to lead their forces. They also worried about Britain's true goals. For example, during the Siege of Toulon, a Spanish admiral even threatened to fire on a British ship. Spanish forces were also accused of trying to stop the British from destroying the French fleet.

Spain Changes Sides

As the war continued, Spain lost many battles on land in the War of the Pyrenees. In 1795, Spain was forced to sign a peace treaty with France. This meant they left the war in the Mediterranean. Britain and France then fought some sea battles that did not have clear winners. The French fleet was blocked in Toulon, but they still sent ships to attack British trade.

In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte led successful campaigns in Italy. This made Britain's position in the Mediterranean weaker. At the same time, Spain decided to join France as an ally. They signed the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso in August. On October 5, Spain declared war on Britain. A large Spanish fleet then sailed from Cádiz to meet the French fleet in Toulon.

British Forces in the Mediterranean

British forces in the Mediterranean were led by Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis. He had ships watching the Spanish fleet at Cádiz. The British squadron there was chased by the Spanish fleet. One British admiral, Robert Mann, even left his post and sailed back to Britain without orders.

Captain Richard Bowen commanded a small British ship, HMS Terpsichore. He had just moved from the North Sea to join Jervis. Bowen understood the danger of Mann leaving his post. He quickly sailed to warn Jervis about the approaching Spanish fleet.

The Battle of October 13

On October 11, the Spanish fleet, led by Lángara, reached Cartagena. They joined with other Spanish ships and sailed to find Jervis. Two days earlier, Captain Bowen had already passed Lángara's slower fleet. He had warned another British ship, HMS Pallas, and was heading back to his station near Gibraltar.

Ships Meet at Sea

As Lángara's fleet sailed past, a Spanish frigate named Mahonesa left Cartagena on patrol. It was commanded by Captain Tomás de Ayalde. Early on October 13, the Mahonesa spotted an unknown ship. Ayalde sailed closer to investigate and found it was Bowen's frigate, Terpsichore. The Spanish captain moved his ship to get a better position, facing the wind.

Bowen's ship was short on crew. Thirty men were ashore for medical care, and another thirty were too sick to fight. He was also worried that the main Spanish fleet he was watching might appear at any moment. A small Spanish boat was even seen sailing to Cartagena to report Bowen's presence.

The Fight Begins

Despite these challenges, Bowen decided to fight. At 9:30 AM, Bowen sailed close to the Spanish frigate and fired a single shot to see how the Spanish ship would react. Ayalde responded with a full broadside, firing all his cannons from one side.

For the next hour and twenty minutes, the two frigates exchanged heavy fire. They sailed around each other, constantly shooting. Terpsichore's masts were badly damaged, and its ropes, sails, boats, and anchors were torn up. However, few British sailors were hurt. The Mahonesa, on the other hand, was severely damaged. Many Spanish sailors were killed or wounded. The main cannons in the middle of the ship were broken.

Spanish Surrender

As the battle continued, Captain Ayalde noticed his men were leaving their guns. Fewer and fewer could be convinced to return to their stations. Realizing he could not win, he ordered his sails set and tried to escape back to Cartagena.

On Terpsichore, Bowen's crew quickly made repairs. Within 20 minutes, the British frigate was sailing again. It soon caught up to the damaged Spanish ship. As Terpsichore pulled alongside Mahonesa, with its cannons ready to fire, Ayalde lowered his flag. This meant he surrendered.

Battle Summary

In this table, "Guns" means all the cannons on the ship. "Broadside weight" is the total weight of all cannonballs that could be fired at once from one side of the ship.

Ship	Commander	Navy	Guns	Tons	Broadside weight	Complement	Casualties
							Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Terpsichore	Captain Richard Bowen		32	682bm	276 pounds (125 kg)	182	0	4	4
Mahonesa	Captain Tomás de Ayalde		34	921bm	180 pounds (82 kg)	275	30	30	60
Source: Clowes, p. 504

What Happened Next

After the battle, Bowen repaired Terpsichore and the captured Mahonesa. He then sailed west. His ship had very few losses, with only four men wounded. The Mahonesa had many more casualties: Bowen estimated 30 killed and 30 wounded.

Bowen successfully brought both frigates to Lisbon. There, the Royal Navy bought the Mahonesa to use it. Bowen was praised for his victory. He received a valuable silver plate. Historians noted that the two ships were very evenly matched. Bowen himself admired Captain Ayalde's bravery, saying he fought long after defeat was certain.

British Withdrawal and Future Battles

With the Spanish declaring war and one British admiral leaving his post, Vice-Admiral Jervis found his fleet alone and outnumbered. Following orders, he pulled all his forces out of the Mediterranean. They went to Gibraltar and then to Lisbon. There, he received more ships from Britain.

In February 1797, Jervis launched a successful attack on the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. He defeated them so badly that the Spanish fleet did not leave Cádiz again until 1799.

Captain Bowen continued to serve in the area. He captured several merchant ships in November 1796. He also defeated a French frigate in another battle in December 1796. After the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, he even attacked a damaged Spanish ship, the huge 130-gun Santísima Trinidad.

In July 1797, Terpsichore was part of a squadron led by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. They attacked the port of Santa Cruz on Tenerife. This attack failed, and Nelson's forces were driven back with many losses. Nelson himself lost an arm. Captain Bowen was hit and killed by grape shot while storming the town.

More than 50 years after the battle, the Admiralty recognized this action. They added a special clasp to the Naval General Service Medal. This medal was given to any British sailors still alive in 1847 who had fought in the battle.

See Also

• Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808)
• French Revolutionary Wars
• Richard Bowen (Royal Navy)