Action of 19 December 1796 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 19 December 1796
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Date 19–20 December 1796 Location off Cartagena, Murcia, Spain Result Inconclusive Sabina captured but later recaptured
Belligerents
Great Britain	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Commodore Horatio Nelson	Captain Don Jacobo Stuart
Strength
Frigates HMS Minerve and HMS Blanche	Frigates Sabina and Ceres. Later supported by frigates Matilde, Perla and first rate Principe de Asturias
Casualties and losses
7 killed, 44 wounded, 42 captured	10 killed, 45 wounded

The Action of 19 December 1796 was a small sea battle during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened in the last part of the Mediterranean fighting. Two British Royal Navy ships called frigates fought two Spanish Navy frigates. The battle took place near the coast of Murcia, Spain.

The British ships were the last ones left in the Mediterranean Sea. They were sent to rescue British soldiers from the island of Elba. Their leader was Commodore Horatio Nelson. The Spanish ships, led by Captain Don Jacobo Stuart, were the first part of a much bigger Spanish fleet. During the fight, one Spanish frigate was captured. Another was damaged. But then, more Spanish ships arrived. They chased the British away and got their captured ship back.

This battle happened just two months after Spain declared war on Britain. Spain had been an ally of Britain before. But in August 1795, Spain signed a peace treaty with France. Then, on October 5, 1796, Spain declared war on Britain. This was part of a deal called the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso.

Because of this, the British Mediterranean Fleet had to leave. Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis led them to Lisbon. They then started a blockade of the Spanish naval base at Cádiz. By December 1796, the only British forces left in the Mediterranean were soldiers on the island of Elba. Britain had taken Elba from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany earlier that year. Jervis decided to get these soldiers out. He sent Nelson with two frigates, HMS Minerve and HMS Blanche, to bring them to safety.

Why the Battle Happened

Britain and Spain's Changing Friendship

Great Britain and Spain had a long history of not getting along. But in 1793, they became allies against France. This was during the War of the First Coalition. Even as allies, there were problems. Spanish officers did not want British officers telling them what to do. There was still tension from a disagreement in 1790 called the Nootka Crisis.

During the Siege of Toulon, British and Spanish forces were supposed to work together. But the Spanish Admiral Juan de Lángara argued fiercely with the British Admiral Lord Hood. The Spanish admiral even threatened to shoot at the British flagship, HMS Victory. The defense of the city failed badly. Some people even said Spanish forces purposely messed up a plan to destroy the French fleet.

Spain Changes Sides

In 1794 and 1795, Spain lost many battles in the War of the Pyrenees. So, in August 1795, Spain signed a peace treaty with France. This meant Spain left the fighting in the Mediterranean. Later that year, British and French fleets fought at the Battle of Genoa and the Battle of the Hyères Islands. These battles didn't have a clear winner. The French ships were blocked in Toulon. They sent out small groups of ships to attack British trade.

In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte led French forces in Italy. He defeated Britain's Italian allies. Also, talks between France and Spain led to a new alliance in August. This was the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso. On October 5, Spain declared war on Britain. A large Spanish fleet then joined the French fleet at Toulon.

British Fleet Retreats

With this much larger combined fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis had to pull the British Mediterranean Fleet out. Gibraltar, at the entrance to the sea, was too small to hold all the ships. So, Jervis moved his fleet all the way to Lisbon, in Portugal.

During the summer and autumn of 1796, French forces took Leghorn and Corsica. This meant the British had no safe places to stop in the western Mediterranean. Jervis decided to take the island of Elba from Tuscany as a temporary base. All remaining British people in the Mediterranean went there. As Jervis moved his main fleet to Lisbon, he told Commodore Horatio Nelson to go to Elba. Nelson was to take a small group of frigates and pick up the last British people there. This was the final step in leaving the Mediterranean.

The Battle Begins

Nelson's force included HMS Minerve and HMS Blanche. Minerve was a 38-gun ship that used to be French. It was captured in 1795. Captain George Cockburn commanded it. Its crew included soldiers from the 18th Regiment of Foot. Blanche was a 32-gun ship led by Captain D'Arcy Preston. It had fought many battles in the West Indies.

On December 16, Jervis sailed his fleet from Gibraltar towards Lisbon. Nelson's small group of ships sailed the other way, towards Elba.

At 10:00 PM on December 19, Nelson's ships were off the coast of Murcia, near Cartagena. He saw two Spanish frigates: the 40-gun Sabina and the 34-gun Ceres. Captain Don Jacobo Stuart commanded these Spanish ships. He was known as "the best officer in Spain."

Nelson told Blanche to fight Ceres. He took Minerve to fight Sabina. At 10:40 PM, Minerve got close to Sabina. Nelson reportedly called out to the Spanish captain. The captain replied, "This is a Spanish frigate, and you may begin as soon as you please."

Nelson ordered Minerve to fire. Stuart's ship fired back. The battle continued for almost three hours. The Spanish ship lost its rear mast. Its front and main masts were badly damaged. Nelson repeatedly asked Stuart to give up. But Stuart refused, saying in English, "No Sir, not whilst I have the means of fighting left." Finally, at 1:20 AM, Stuart's ship had too many injured and dead. He called out to Nelson to surrender and stop the fighting.

Nelson brought the Spanish captain onto Minerve. Nelson was impressed by Stuart's royal family background. He gave Stuart his sword back as a sign of respect. Nelson later said 164 people on the Spanish ship were hurt or killed. On his own ship, seven were killed and 34 were wounded. Spanish reports say 12 were killed and 43 wounded on Sabina. Minerve was still strong, but its ropes and sails were badly cut up.

While Nelson fought, Preston attacked Ceres. He fired heavily at the Spanish frigate as it tried to get away. Ceres was badly damaged. Seven of its crew were killed and 15 were wounded. Preston, who had no casualties, said the Spanish captain gave up during the battle. But Ceres did not stop running until it saw a larger Spanish fleet. This bigger group included two more frigates, Matilde and Perla. It also had a huge 112-gun ship of the line called Principe de Asturias. Preston was outnumbered. He pulled back as the Spanish ships moved towards Minerve and Sabina.

Spanish Reinforcements Arrive

Nelson had sent his first and second officers, John Culverhouse and Thomas Hardy, onto Sabina. They had a crew of 40 British sailors to take control of the captured ship. The British frigate was pulling the damaged Spanish ship when the larger Spanish fleet appeared at 4:00 AM.

Nelson let go of the tow rope. He sailed to meet Matilde, which was ahead of the other Spanish ships. His officers took Sabina away to the south. Minerve and Matilde fought a quick, sharp battle for half an hour. Minerve damaged Matilde enough to make its captain turn away. Minerve had 10 more sailors wounded. By 4:30 AM, Principe de Asturias, with Perla and the now-recaptured Ceres, was getting closer to Minerve. Nelson could not fight such a huge force. He turned away towards the distant Blanche, with the Spanish ships chasing him.

At dawn on December 20, the entire Spanish fleet, now joined by Matilde, was chasing Minerve. The British ship was slowed by its damaged ropes. To stop Minerve from being caught, Culverhouse steered the captured Sabina into the path of the Spanish ships. He clearly showed the British flag over the Spanish one. By carefully moving, Sabina was able to distract and delay the Spanish ships. This allowed Nelson to escape. Sabina refused to surrender until its remaining masts fell over. Sabina was then recaptured, and the British crew on board were taken as prisoners of war.

Ships in the Battle

In this table, "Guns" means all the cannon on the ship. "Killed" and "Wounded" mean the number of crew members who died or were hurt.

Ship	Commander	Navy	Guns	Casualties			Notes
				Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Minerve	Commodore Horatio Nelson Captain George Cockburn		38	7	44	51	Fought Sabina and Matilde. Slightly damaged.
HMS Blanche	Captain D'Arcy Preston		32	0	0	0	Fought Ceres. Not damaged.
Sabina	Captain Jacobo Stuart		40	12	43	55	Fought Minerve. Very damaged and gave up. Recaptured on December 20.
Ceres			40	7	15	22	Fought Blanche. Moderately damaged.
Matilde			34	?	?	?	Fought Minerve. Moderately damaged.
Perla			34	0	0	0	Did not fight.
Principe de Asturias			112	0	0	0	Did not fight.
Source: Clowes, p. 505

What Happened Next

Nelson reached Portoferraio on Elba on December 27. Blanche arrived three days later. On Elba, Nelson tried to convince General John de Burgh to move most of the soldiers off the island. De Burgh said no. So Nelson left to meet with Sir Gilbert Elliot, who used to be in charge of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. Elliot was in Naples, so Nelson had to pick him up there. Finally, on January 29, 1797, Nelson sailed for Gibraltar with his passengers and supplies.

As a last task in the Mediterranean, Nelson split his ships. He sent Blanche straight back to Gibraltar. He sailed Minerve to check on the French and Spanish naval bases at Toulon, Barcelona, and Cartagena. At each place, he confirmed that the French and Spanish fleets were out at sea.

Nelson arrived at Gibraltar on February 9. He dropped off his passengers. On January 29, Culverhouse, Hardy, and the sailors from the Sabina were brought to Gibraltar. They were on the Spanish ship of the line Terrible. They were part of a prisoner exchange that included Captain Stuart. After this, Nelson sailed to join Jervis's fleet near Cádiz.

On February 11, Nelson was chased by Terrible and Neptuno in the Straits of Gibraltar. He almost lost Hardy a second time when Hardy's small boat was cut off. To keep his officer safe, Nelson stopped his ship even though the Spanish ships were coming. This made the Spanish ships nervous. They thought a British fleet must be nearby, so they left.

Nelson sailed right through the main Spanish fleet in heavy fog. He rejoined Jervis on February 13 near Cape St. Vincent. He told the admiral that the Spanish ships were at sea. Nelson took command of HMS Captain again. The next day, Jervis attacked the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent. Nelson played a key part in defeating the Spanish fleet. More than 50 years after the battle, the Admiralty gave a special medal clasp for this action. It was given to any British sailors still alive in 1847 who had been there.