Action of 22 January 1783 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 22 January 1783 |
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| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Thomas Russell |
 Kergariou-Locmaria  |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ship of the line 1 frigate |
1 frigate | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 15 killed 26 wounded |
1 frigate captured 26 killed 40 wounded 170 captured |
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The Action of 22 January 1783 was a naval battle during the American Revolutionary War. It happened off the Chesapeake Bay. In this fight, a single British warship, the frigate Hussar, faced off against a French frigate, the Sybille.
The British ship Hussar was led by Captain Thomas McNamara Russell. The French ship Sybille was commanded by Kergariou-Locmaria. This battle was unusual because of how the French ship used flags. They flew flags that tricked the British ship, which was against the usual rules of naval warfare at the time.
A Damaged French Ship
The French frigate Sybille was a fairly new ship. Its commander was Théobald René de Kergariou-Locmaria. Just three weeks before this battle, Sybille had fought another British ship, HMS Magicienne.
Both ships were badly damaged in that fight. They both lost their masts, which are the tall poles that hold the sails. This forced them to stop fighting. Sybille then tried to sail to a French port using a temporary mast setup, called a jury rig. On its way, it got caught in a big storm. Because of all these problems, Kergariou had to throw twelve of his cannons overboard to lighten the ship.
The Battle Unfolds
On January 22, 1783, the British ship Hussar spotted the French frigate Sybille. When Sybille saw Hussar, its commander, Kergariou, did something tricky. He raised the English flag over the French flag. This was a signal that the ship was a "prize," meaning it had been captured by the British.
At the same time, he also put up an English yachting flag upside down in the ship's ropes. This was a well-known signal for a ship in distress, asking for help. Captain Russell of the Hussar thought the French ship needed help, so he sailed closer to assist.
However, as the two ships got nearer, Russell became suspicious. He decided to turn his ship away. Seeing this, Kergariou quickly lowered the British flag and fired his cannons at Hussar. He also tried to take down the upside-down distress flag, but it got stuck in the ropes.
Sybille's cannon fire caused some damage to Hussar. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been because Russell had turned his ship away. Kergariou then tried to attack Hussar by having his crew board it. This means they would try to jump onto the British ship and fight hand-to-hand. All this happened while the distress flag was still stuck and flying!
The crew of Hussar fought back and stopped the French boarding party. At some point, a cannonball from Hussar hit Sybille below the waterline. This caused a serious leak and flooded the French ship's gunpowder storage. Sybille's pumps couldn't remove the water fast enough, so Kergariou ordered twelve more cannons to be thrown overboard.
Soon after, Hussar returned with two other British ships: the large 50-gun HMS Centurion and the smaller 16-gun sloop HMS Terrier. Sybille could no longer defend itself. After Centurion fired its cannons a second time, Sybille surrendered to Centurion.
What Happened Next
When Captain Russell brought the captured French ship into New York City, he reported what had happened. His officers supported his story. At that time, the Treaty of Paris was about to be signed, ending the war. The British government and the Admiralty Board (who managed the navy) worried that this incident would cause problems. So, they kept the official details of the battle secret from the public.
Kergariou, the French commander, sent one of his officers to speak with Russell. The Frenchman tried to warn Russell not to publish his account of the battle. He said that if Russell did, Kergariou would use his influence in France to get another ship and hunt Russell down. When Russell wasn't scared by this, Kergariou, through his officer, challenged Russell to a personal fight.
Russell thought about the challenge and sent back a message. He said he would fight Kergariou anywhere, by land or water, on foot or horseback. He also said he would bring a friend to be his second, just as Kergariou would have one.
Later, Kergariou-Locmaria had a naval hearing about losing his ship. This happened between April and September 1784. The accusations about the flags were brought up. However, Kergariou-Locmaria was cleared of any wrongdoing.
When the war officially ended, Hussar returned to England. Captain Russell was offered a special honor, a knighthood. But he turned it down because he felt he didn't earn enough money to support the title. Russell found out that Kergariou had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Russell still wanted to meet Kergariou. He asked the Admiralty for permission to travel to France. Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot went with him, not knowing at first why Russell wanted to go.
Kergariou wrote to Russell, thanking him for how well he and his crew were treated after being captured. He said he planned to move to the Pyrenees mountains. Admiral Arbuthnot convinced Russell not to try and find Kergariou, so they returned to England.
Five years later, when the French Revolution began, Kergariou himself moved to England. In 1795, he was part of a group that tried to help the French king. He took part in an attempted invasion of France. During the Battle of Quiberon, he was captured by French troops. He sadly died after his capture.
