Action of 13 September 1810 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 13 September 1810 |
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire |
 United Kingdom |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Pierre Bouvet | Robert Corbet † Josias Rowley |
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| Strength | |||||||
| frigates Astrée and Iphigénie | frigate HMS Africaine, later reinforced by HMS Boadicea and brigs HMS Otter and HMS Staunch | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 killed, 35 wounded, 10 captured | 49 killed, 114 wounded, HEIC brig Aurora captured | ||||||
The action of 13 September 1810 was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars. It happened between British and French warships in the Indian Ocean. A British frigate, HMS Africaine, was badly damaged by two French ships. However, British reinforcements arrived and managed to get the ship back before the French could fully take control of it.
HMS Africaine was a new ship in the Indian Ocean. It was commanded by Captain Robert Corbet. Captain Corbet was known for being very strict. His death during the battle led to many rumors. People wondered if he had been killed by his own crew or if his men had refused to fight for him. The exact truth of what happened has never been fully confirmed.
Contents
In 1808, both the British and French navies sent groups of frigates to the Indian Ocean. The French, led by Commodore Jacques Hamelin, wanted to stop British trade. They especially targeted large merchant ships called East Indiamen. These ships carried valuable goods between Britain and its colonies.
The British force, led by Commodore Josias Rowley, aimed to block and capture French island bases. These bases were Île Bonaparte (now Réunion) and Isle de France (now Mauritius).
Early Conflicts
In 1809, a French frigate named Caroline captured two East Indiamen. It then hid with its prizes at Saint Paul on Île Bonaparte. Commodore Rowley launched a surprise attack. He landed soldiers behind the town's defenses and sent his ships into the bay. They captured the town and the ships, including Caroline. Captain Robert Corbet of HMS Nereide was praised for his actions in this battle.
The British refitted Caroline as a warship and renamed her HMS Bourbonaise. Corbet was given command and sent back to Britain with important messages.
Disaster at Grand Port
Over the next year, the French continued to attack British trade ships. They captured more East Indiamen and other vessels. Rowley was also busy. He successfully invaded Île Bonaparte in July 1810, renaming it Île Bourbon. He used Saint Paul as his base.
From this base, Rowley's ships could closely watch Isle de France. Captain Samuel Pym of HMS Sirius led this effort. Pym captured Île de la Passe, a fortified island near Grand Port. When a French squadron broke through the British blockade and entered Grand Port, Pym decided to attack.
The Battle of Grand Port was a disaster for the British. Pym led four frigates into the bay without properly checking the channels through the coral reefs. Two frigates got stuck far from the enemy. The other two were outnumbered in the narrow waters. In a long battle, two British frigates were captured, and two more had to be sunk. Their crews were taken prisoner. Rowley's reinforcements arrived too late. The French flagship even chased him back to Saint Denis.
Captain Corbet's Reputation
While Rowley and Hamelin fought in the Indian Ocean, Captain Corbet traveled back to Britain. Corbet had a reputation for being a very strict officer. He was known for his harsh discipline. This caused problems, even leading to a brief protest on his ship, Nereide, in 1808.
His reputation reached HMS Africaine before he did. When he was assigned to command Africaine, the crew protested. They sent a letter to the Admiralty saying they would not serve under him. The Admiralty saw this as a serious act. They sent popular officers to Africaine to tell the crew that if they stopped their protest, they would not be punished. To show they were serious, another warship, HMS Menelaus, was brought alongside with its guns ready. The crew of Africaine then allowed Corbet aboard. The frigate sailed for the Indian Ocean a few days later.
Africaine Near Isle de France
Africaine's journey to Madras took several months. In early September 1810, Corbet stopped at Rodriguez. There, he learned about the disaster at Grand Port. He decided to sail south immediately to help Rowley's weakened squadron.
On September 11, Corbet arrived off Isle de France. He saw a French schooner (a small sailing ship) and chased it. The schooner hid behind reefs at Grand Bay. Corbet sent his boats to capture the schooner. As the boats approached, French soldiers and local militia appeared and began firing. British Royal Marines in the boats fired back. One of Africaine's boats got stuck. French gunfire killed two men and wounded ten. The other boat reached the empty schooner, but the sailors could not move it. They had to leave, suffering more injuries as they escaped the French trap.
After getting his boats back, Corbet decided to sail directly to Île Bourbon. By September 12, he reached Saint-Denis. He landed his wounded men and learned that two French frigates were blocking the port. The French ships had seen Africaine. They sent a small brig to Isle de France to report its location. However, Corbet had used flags to trick the French into thinking his ship was Rowley's flagship, HMS Boadicea. The French ships were Astrée, commanded by Pierre Bouvet, and Iphigénie, which was a former British ship captured at Grand Port.
The Battle Begins
Rowley, who was at Saint-Paul, heard that Africaine had arrived. He immediately set out to drive off the French blockade. Sailing east, HMS Boadicea came into sight of Bouvet's squadron at 3:00 PM. The small brigs HMS Otter and HMS Staunch followed.
Corbet understood Rowley's plan and joined the attack. He took 25 soldiers from the 86th Regiment of Foot to replace his losses. The French still thought Africaine was Boadicea. They also believed Boadicea was a merchant ship in disguise. So, they began to retreat towards Isle de France.
Otter and Staunch fell behind Boadicea. Africaine pulled far ahead. By 6:20 PM, lookouts on Africaine could no longer see the other British ships. By 6:30 PM, Boadicea was also alone. Bouvet realized the British ships were spread out. He also saw that Africaine was faster than his ships and would soon catch them. So, he slowed down and prepared to fight the British frigate as night fell.
Corbet now found himself outnumbered. He began to fire rockets and flares to get Rowley's attention. As the French ships got closer, he prepared his ship for battle. Six kilometers behind, Rowley could see the flashes but could not help in the darkness. At 1:50 AM on September 13, the gap between Africaine and the French ships closed. At 2:20 AM, Corbet opened fire on Astrée. Bouvet immediately fired back.
Africaine Overwhelmed
A cannonball from the second French volley hit Corbet just minutes after the first. The ball tore off his foot, and a large wooden splinter shattered the bone in the same leg. Corbet was taken below to the ship's surgeon. Command went to Lieutenant John Crew Tullidge.
At 2:30 AM, Astrée pulled away for quick repairs. But Bouvet's guns had badly damaged Africaine's rigging. This left the British frigate unable to steer or move well. Slowly moving forward, Africaine fought Iphigénie at close range. But then Astrée attacked again. Africaine was now attacked from both sides. Astrée was positioned to fire along the length of the British ship, causing huge damage and many casualties.
By 3:30 AM, Africaine was in ruins. Lieutenant Tullidge was wounded in four places but stayed on deck. The ship's master had been killed, and the other lieutenant was shot. All three topmasts had fallen. As guns were knocked out and more sailors were wounded, Africaine's return fire became weaker. It stopped completely at 4:45 AM, with only two guns still working. French firing stopped at 5:15 AM. First light showed Boadicea about five nautical miles away, unable to help. Africaine had lowered its flags at 5:00 AM, surrendering. Within minutes, a French crew boarded the damaged frigate. They took gunpowder and shot, sending it to Iphigénie, which was low on ammunition.
Boadicea Arrives
At 6:00 AM, a breeze pushed Boadicea forward. She began to get closer to Africaine. Rowley watched as all three of Africaine's masts broke and fell into the sea. By 8:00 AM, Africaine was a dismasted hull. Captain Corbet had died below deck.
By 10:00 AM, Boadicea was joined by Otter and Staunch. They sailed towards the French ships and their captured prize. By 3:30 PM, Bouvet decided to leave Africaine. He towed the damaged Iphigénie back to Port Napoleon (now Port Louis). By 5:00 PM, Boadicea pulled alongside Africaine, and the French prize crew surrendered. Rowley later reported that some British sailors jumped into the sea and swam to Boadicea. They asked to chase the French ships to capture one.
Rowley decided against this idea because Africaine was too damaged. Instead, he towed the frigate back to Île Bourbon. Astrée and Iphigénie followed them from a distance. The French frigates did get some small victory. They captured the armed brig Aurora, which was sent from India to help Rowley. On September 15, Boadicea, Africaine, and the brigs arrived at Saint Paul. Africaine was placed under the harbor's defenses. The other ships went back to sea, trying to drive away the French blockade, but they could not force another battle. Bouvet returned to Port Napoleon on September 18. He was not present when Rowley attacked and captured the French flagship Vénus and Commodore Hamelin a few days later.
Aftermath
This battle was one of two during this campaign where single British frigates were briefly overwhelmed by stronger French forces. However, in both cases, Rowley was able to get the lost frigate back and drive off the French attackers.
The battle was very intense for Africaine. British casualties were 49 killed and 114 wounded. This included every officer and almost all the soldiers who had joined the ship. Africaine was severely damaged and needed many months of repairs. French losses were much lower. Astrée had one killed and two wounded. Iphigénie had nine killed and 33 wounded.
The British Admiralty considered this battle a defeat. It was not officially reported in the London Gazette. British naval leaders were worried by rumors about Captain Corbet's death and his crew's behavior. Some rumors suggested that Corbet's own crew might have caused his death. Historian William James wrote in 1827 that "There are many who will insist, that Captain Corbett's death-wound was inflicted by one of his own people." However, he also noted that it was unlikely Corbet was shot by his own cannon.
Another rumor was that Africaine's crew did not fight their best. Some said they refused to load their guns or fired them into the sea. Captain Corbet's harsh discipline was well known in the Navy. James described him as "an excessively severe officer." James did not accuse the crew of trying to sabotage their ship. Instead, he blamed Corbet's poor leadership, especially his failure to practice gunnery often.
Other writers were less understanding of the crew. Historian Basil Hall stated in 1833 that the crew "preferred to be mown down by the French broadsides" rather than fight under Corbet. This statement caused outrage among naval officers. Captain Jenkin Jones, who had served with Corbet, successfully sued Hall, forcing him to take back his words. In 1900, William Laird Clowes commented that "There is, unfortunately, much reason to suppose that Captain Corbett's reputation for extreme severity had antagonised his crew, and that the men did not behave as loyally as they should have behaved." Modern historians also describe Corbet as "notoriously brutal."
See Also
