Action of 17 August 1779 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 17 August 1779
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Combat des frégates françaises la Junon et la Gentille contre le vaisseau anglais Ardent et la frégate anglaise Fox, 17 août 1779, Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy
Date 17 August 1779 Location Off Plymouth, English Channel Result Franco-Spanish victory
Belligerents
France Spain	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Charles de Bernard de Marigny	Phillip Boteler
Strength
1 ship of the line 4 frigates	2 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
Light	1 ship of the line captured

The Action of 17 August 1779 was a small but important naval battle. It happened between a French and a British group of warships. This fight took place in the English Channel on August 17, 1779.

A Big Plan Against Britain

In 1779, a big war was happening. France was already fighting Great Britain. Then, Spain joined France and declared war on Britain too.

The Combined Fleet

France and Spain decided to work together. They formed a huge fleet of warships. Their goal was to invade the British Isles. This was a very ambitious plan.

By August 14, this large combined fleet was near the Lizard in England. Two days later, on August 16, they were off the coast of Plymouth. Some enemy frigates were even anchored nearby in Cawsand Bay.

The Ardent's Journey

Around this time, a British warship named HMS Ardent was getting ready for duty. Captain Phillip Boteler was in charge of the Ardent. The ship left Plymouth on August 14.

An Inexperienced Crew

The Ardent's mission was to meet up with another British fleet. This fleet was led by Sir Charles Hardy. They were watching the much larger French and Spanish forces.

However, the Ardent had a big problem. Most of its crew were new sailors. They had very little experience at sea. Captain Boteler and the captain of another ship, HMS Marlborough, did not know that the huge French fleet was already at sea.

A Tricky Encounter

Just two days after leaving port, the Ardent and Marlborough saw a large fleet. They thought it was the British fleet they were supposed to join. The French and Spanish ships used a clever trick. They had captured a British secret signal codebook.

The Deception

When the Ardent sent out a coded signal asking "who are you?", the French fleet replied correctly. This made the British captains believe they were friendly ships. So, both the Ardent and Marlborough sailed closer to the unknown fleet.

The Battle Begins

As the Ardent got close, the French frigate Junon suddenly attacked. It fired two powerful broadsides (all its cannons on one side) at the Ardent. Only then did the Junon raise its French flag.

Ardent is Overpowered

The Ardent tried to fight back, but its shots were weak and missed often. Soon, three more French frigates joined the attack. A Spanish ship of the line called Princesa also entered the fight.

The Ardent was completely outnumbered and outgunned. With no other choice, Captain Boteler ordered his ship to surrender. Meanwhile, the Marlborough saw what was happening. It quickly sailed away and managed to escape back to Britain without any damage.

After the Battle

Captain Boteler faced a military trial after his ship was captured. He tried to explain why he couldn't fight back better. He said his ship didn't have enough gunpowder for its cannons.

The Captain's Fate

However, the ship's gunner said there was plenty of gunpowder. He stated there was enough for fifty minutes of fighting. The court decided that the main reason the Ardent was captured was because its crew was so inexperienced. They found Captain Boteler guilty of not defending his ship well enough. He was removed from the Navy.

Ardent's Later Life

The Ardent was later taken back by the British. This happened on April 14, 1782, after another big battle called the Battle of the Saintes. It was put back into service that same month.

In 1783, the ship was renamed Tiger. It was eventually sold out of the Navy in June 1784.