Action of 16 October 1799 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 16 October 1799
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
"HMS Ethalion in action with the Spanish frigate Thetis off Cape Finisterre, 16th October 1799", Thomas Whitcombe
Date 16–17 October 1799 Location Off Vigo, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
William Pierrepont	Juan de Mendoza
Strength
4 frigates	2 frigates
Casualties and losses
1 killed 10 wounded	3 killed 17 wounded 2 frigates captured

The Action of 16 October 1799 was a small but exciting sea battle during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened near Vigo, a port in Spain. British Royal Navy ships fought against two Spanish frigates.

The Spanish ships were carrying a huge treasure. They had silver coins and valuable goods from their colonies in New Spain (now Mexico) across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain. A British frigate, HMS Naiad, spotted them on October 15. The Spanish ships were almost home.

They tried to escape from Naiad, but more British frigates quickly joined the chase. The Spanish ships split up, hoping to confuse their enemies. But they couldn't get away.

The Thetis was captured after a short fight on October 16. This happened when HMS Ethalion attacked her. The Santa Brigida almost made it to safety. But she was caught on October 17 near Muros. After another short battle, she was also captured by the strong British force.

Both captured ships were taken to Britain. Their valuable cargo was then moved with great celebration to the Bank of England. The treasure was worth at least £618,040. This made it one of the biggest amounts of prize money ever given out.

Why This Battle Happened

In 1796, Spain changed sides in the French Revolutionary Wars. They became friends with France and enemies with Great Britain. Because of this, the British navy had to leave the Mediterranean Sea. They moved their ships to ports like Gibraltar and Lisbon.

The British navy then focused on the Spanish Navy. Most Spanish warships were at Cádiz. The British won a big battle against Spain in 1797. This made the Spanish navy less active in the war.

The British also started to blockade other Spanish ports. A blockade means stopping ships from entering or leaving a port. This was to hurt Spain's trade. It also helped the British catch treasure ships coming from Spain's colonies.

Spanish colonies in places like New Spain (Mexico) and South America sent huge amounts of gold, silver, and other goods to Spain. These treasures were carried by armed frigate convoys. The British Royal Navy sent its own frigates to patrol the Spanish coast. They wanted to capture these valuable shipments.

Capturing enemy ships and their cargo was very rewarding for British sailors. They received "prize money," which was a share of the value of what they captured. In past wars, huge amounts of prize money had been won. But in the first three years of this war, only one treasure convoy had been stopped. That was in 1797, but the treasure was hidden before the British could take it.

The Chase Begins

On August 21, 1799, two Spanish frigates left Vera Cruz in New Spain. These were the 34-gun Thetis, led by Captain Don Juan de Mendoza, and the Santa Brigida, led by Captain Don Antonio Pillon. They carried a cargo of valuable goods like cochineal (a dye), indigo dye, cocoa, and sugar. But most importantly, they had over two million silver Spanish dollars.

Their journey across the Atlantic Ocean was calm. By the afternoon of October 15, they were close to Vigo, a port in Spain. They were ordered to reach any Spanish port.

British frigates were patrolling the coast, looking for enemy ships. At 8:00 PM on October 15, the 38-gun HMS Naiad, commanded by Captain William Pierrepont, spotted the Spanish convoy. The Spanish ships immediately turned away to the southeast. They then sailed northeast, trying to find a safe harbor, with Naiad chasing them.

At 3:30 AM on October 16, another ship was seen. It was the 38-gun HMS Ethalion, led by Captain James Young. Ethalion joined the chase. At dawn, two more British ships appeared: the 32-gun HMS Alcmene under Captain Henry Digby and the 32-gun HMS Triton under Captain John Gore.

With four British frigates now chasing them, the Spanish captains decided to split up. They hoped this would make the British ships divide their forces. Captain Pierrepont told Ethalion, which was the closest, to chase the faster Thetis. Captain Young obeyed, firing shots at Santa Brigida to push her further away from her companion.

The Sea Battle

As Naiad, Triton, and Alcmene continued after Santa Brigida, Captain Young focused on Thetis. At 11:30 AM, Ethalion was close enough to attack. Captain Mendoza of Thetis tried to turn his ship to fire along the side of Ethalion. This is called "raking fire" and can cause a lot of damage.

But Captain Young quickly turned Ethalion to stop this. He fired two quick broadsides (all the guns on one side of the ship firing at once) into Thetis. Thetis fired back. For about an hour, the ships exchanged fire. Captain Mendoza then realized he couldn't escape and surrendered. Thetis had one man killed and nine wounded. Ethalion had no casualties.

Meanwhile, the other British ships kept chasing Santa Brigida south. Captain Pillon was an experienced officer and knew the Spanish coast well. He planned to lose the British ships in the rocky channels near Cape Finisterre. Early on October 17, he reached Spanish waters. He sailed past the Monte Lora rocks.

Captain Gore on Triton was sailing very fast and didn't know about the rocks. At 5:00 AM, Triton crashed into them. The ship stopped suddenly and was badly damaged. However, Captain Gore managed to get Triton off the rocks soon after. He continued the chase, helped by Captain Digby on Alcmene. Alcmene was able to block Pillon's way into Porte de Vidre.

Both British frigates opened fire on Santa Brigida at 7:00 AM. The Spanish ship was trying to find shelter among the rocks near Muros. Captain Pillon's movements were made harder by the coastal inlets, which blocked the wind. After an hour of fighting, and with Naiad finally arriving, Captain Pillon had to surrender his ship to the stronger British forces. Santa Brigida had two men killed and eight wounded. Alcmene had one killed and nine wounded, and Triton had one man wounded.

What Happened Next

As the British took control of Santa Brigida, a group of four Spanish ships sailed from Vigo. It looked like they might attack Captain Pierrepont's squadron. But when Pierrepont ordered his ships to prepare for battle, the Spanish ships quickly turned around and went back to port.

A breeze from the shore helped the British ships and their captured prize get away from the rocks without more damage. They then sailed straight to Plymouth, a British naval base. They arrived on October 22. Thetis and Ethalion had arrived the day before. News of the huge capture was sent to the Admiralty (the British navy's headquarters).

On board Thetis, they found cocoa and many boxes of coins. This included 333 boxes with 3,000 dollars each, and 94 boxes with 4,000 dollars each. There were also some gold coins. In total, it was 1,385,292 silver dollars, worth about £311,690 in British money.

On Santa Brigida, they found cocoa, sugar, indigo, and cochineal worth about £5,000. She also had 446 boxes with 3,000 dollars each, and many other coins. This added up to at least 1,338,000 silver dollars, or £301,350.

Together, the total value of the cargo was at least £618,040. This was a huge amount of money! The captured ships themselves were not worth much. But some extra money was made by selling their naval supplies. After the battle, sailors were seen in Portsmouth with "bank notes stuck in their hats." They were even buying watches just for fun to fry them!

This enormous amount of money was transported through Plymouth on 63 wagons. Armed sailors and Royal Marines guarded it. Musical bands played, and cheering crowds watched as it was taken to the safe Royal Citadel. In November, it was moved to London with a big ceremony and placed in the Bank of England.

The prize money was shared among the crews of Ethalion, Naiad, Alcmene, and Triton. These were some of the largest amounts ever recorded. Each captain received £40,730. Each lieutenant got £5,091. Even a regular sailor or marine received £182. For a seaman, this was 15 times their yearly pay! As historian James Henderson said, "even the humblest seaman could set himself up with a cosy pub." For the captains, who usually earned £150 a year, this was more money than they could make in 270 years.

There was another time a Spanish treasure fleet was caught in 1804. Even more money was captured then. However, the Admiralty used a rule to take most of the prize. The captains only received about £15,000 each. Captain John Gore, who commanded Triton in this battle, also received money from the 1804 capture.

Historian Richard Woodman said this battle showed how strong the Royal Navy was. He noted that "The coincidental appearance of four frigates in the vast Atlantic testifies to the enormous resources the British put into the prosecution of the war. That the four frigate captains proceeded to act in such perfect concert is further evidence, if it were needed, of the shared standards of mutual help and assistance". This means that finding four British ships in such a big ocean showed how many resources Britain used in the war. And the way the captains worked together showed their high standards and teamwork.