Action of 25 September 1806 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 25 September 1806
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
The engagement with the French Squadron off Rochefort, HMS Monarch Capt. Richard Lee, engaging La Minerve, L'Armide & La Glore
Date 25 September 1806 Location Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	France
Commanders and leaders
Samuel Hood	Jean Soleil
Strength
6 ships of the line 1 brig	5 frigates 2 corvettes
Casualties and losses
36 killed and wounded	Unknown killed and wounded 4 frigates captured

The Action of 25 September 1806 was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars. This was a huge conflict between France (led by Napoleon) and many European countries, including Britain. The battle happened near Rochefort, a port in France, in the Bay of Biscay (part of the Atlantic Ocean).

A group of French warships, including five frigates (medium-sized warships) and two corvettes (smaller warships), were sailing to the French West Indies. They were carrying important supplies and extra soldiers. But a British squadron, made up of six ships of the line (large, powerful warships), was waiting. They were blocking the port of Rochefort to stop French ships from leaving or entering. The British ships, led by Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, saw the French ships early on September 25, 1806. The British immediately started chasing them.

The French ships tried to get away, but they were slow because they were full of troops and supplies. The strong winds also helped the bigger British ships. After chasing for five hours, the British caught up. The leading British ship, HMS Monarch, started firing at 5:00 AM. The French ships split up, trying to escape. One frigate went north and was caught by HMS Mars. Another frigate and two corvettes went south and managed to get away from HMS Windsor Castle.

The main group of French ships stayed together. They bravely faced the attacks from Monarch and the British flagship, HMS Centaur. Even though the French ships were smaller and fewer, they fought hard. They damaged the British ships and seriously wounded Commodore Hood. But the British ships were too strong. One by one, the French ships surrendered. The British captured four of the seven French vessels.

Why This Battle Happened

Naval Blockades and Trade Routes

The main naval fighting in 1806 was in the Atlantic Ocean. This was because two large French battle groups had attacked British trade routes, especially around the Caribbean. During the Napoleonic Wars, the French Caribbean islands were in danger. The Royal Navy (Britain's navy) controlled the area. They made it hard for French ships to move between islands or between the West Indies and France.

The British did this by using a strategy called a blockade. British ships would try to stop any French military or trade ships from leaving or entering French ports. This happened both in Europe and in the French colonies. In the Caribbean, this plan was meant to hurt the French islands' economies and spirits. This would make them easier for British forces to attack later.

French Efforts to Resupply Their Colonies

To fight back, the French government often sent convoys (groups of ships) and single warships to their Caribbean islands. These ships carried food, military gear, and extra soldiers. These supply missions, from small corvettes to large battle groups, were told to avoid fights if possible. But many were caught by British blockade forces. This happened either in the Caribbean or off the French coast.

One of the biggest French supply efforts was in December 1805. A group of ships under Admiral Corentin-Urbain Leissègues went to Santo Domingo. This force was also supposed to attack British trade routes. Leissègues reached Santo Domingo in February 1806. But within days, a British battle group found and destroyed his ships at the Battle of San Domingo.

British Blockade of Rochefort

Another French group, led by Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez, avoided British attacks for a while. He sailed around the Caribbean that summer. But his ships were scattered by a hurricane in August. The remaining ships had to find shelter on the American Eastern Seaboard.

The British didn't know Willaumez's ships had been scattered. So, they tried to block his return to Europe. They placed strong battle groups off the main French Atlantic ports. One important target was Rochefort. This was a heavily protected port where a strong French naval force was based. Six British ships of the line were sent to watch Rochefort. In August, Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, a very experienced naval commander, took charge of this blockade group.

French Plan to Break Through

Meanwhile, in Rochefort, the French planned a mission to send supplies to the French West Indies. They hoped the British would be busy with Willaumez's ships. Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil was put in charge. He had been part of a successful mission the year before.

Soleil was given seven ships for this mission. These included four large, modern frigates (carrying 44–46 guns, though rated at 40). He also had a smaller, older 36-gun frigate and two small 16-gun corvettes. All the ships were heavily loaded, with up to 650 men each. The French hoped their ships' size and speed would let them beat smaller ships and escape from larger ones.

The Fight Begins

The Chase at Dawn

Soleil's ships left Rochefort on the evening of September 24. They hoped to sneak past Hood's British ships in the dark. But at 1:00 AM on September 25, lookouts on HMS Monarch spotted sails to the east. The wind was blowing from the northeast.

Hood's ships were spread out, sailing southeast towards the Chassiron Lighthouse. HMS Centaur was in the middle. HMS Revenge was to the east, and Monarch was to the west. HMS Mars was also nearby, with the rest of the British ships behind.

At first, Hood thought the sails belonged to French ships of the line. He ordered his ships to get into a line of battle (a formation for fighting). But as the signal was being given, lookouts on Monarch realized they were frigates. Hood quickly changed his orders. He told his ships to chase the French, confident they could defeat them without needing a battle line.

French Attempts to Escape

As soon as Soleil knew he had been seen, he ordered his ships to sail southwest as fast as possible. He hoped to outrun the British. But his ships were very heavy with cargo, making them slower than usual. Also, the rough sea and strong winds helped the large British ships of the line.

The chase continued through the night. By 4:00 AM, Monarch was clearly catching up. Centaur was about 8 nautical miles (15 km) behind. At 5:00 AM, Captain Richard Lee of Monarch was close enough to fire his bow-chasers (small guns at the front of his ship) at the last French frigate, the Armide. Captain Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois of Armide fired back with his stern-chasers (guns at the back). The French ships then raised the Tricolour (French flag), ready for battle.

The French Split Up

Realizing he was facing a much stronger British force, Soleil split his ships. He sent Thétis and the corvettes Lynx and Sylphe south. He sent Infatigable north. This partly worked to divide the British chase. Captain William Lukin took HMS Mars to chase Infatigable. The slow HMS Windsor Castle was sent after the three ships heading south. But the main part of the British squadron stayed on its original course.

The Main Battle

By 10:00 AM, Soleil knew his remaining ships would soon be caught by Monarch. He brought them closer together to face the British attack. He also told his captains to aim their guns at the British ships' sails, rigging, and masts. He hoped to damage them enough to slow the chase and let his ships escape.

Within minutes, Monarch was fighting fiercely with Armide and Minerve. But Captain Lee of Monarch was at a disadvantage. The heavy waves that helped his ship during the chase also stopped him from opening his lower gunports. If he opened them, water would flood in. This meant he could only use half of his cannons. As a result, his ship was badly damaged in its rigging and sails by the French guns.

Within 20 minutes, Monarch could not move well. But Lee kept fighting until Centaur arrived. The British flagship started firing at 11:00 AM. Hood sailed past the fighting Monarch and Minerve. He focused his fire on Armide and the French flagship, Gloire.

For another 45 minutes, the battle continued. Centaur suffered damage to its rigging and sails. Soldiers on the French ships also fired muskets, causing casualties. Commodore Hood was among the wounded. He was shot in the right forearm, and the bullet ended up in his shoulder. Hood went below deck, and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Case, took over.

French Surrender

At 11:45 AM, Armide surrendered to Centaur. Fifteen minutes later, Minerve also surrendered. Both ships were heavily damaged and had many casualties. They couldn't keep fighting as the rest of the British squadron was quickly arriving.

To the north, Infatigable had failed to outrun Mars. Captain Lukin forced the frigate to surrender after a short cannon fight. With three ships lost and the other three gone south, Soleil decided to flee west. He hoped the damage he had done to Centaur's sails was enough to stop her from chasing.

However, Gloire was also damaged. She couldn't get far enough away from the British flagship before Mars arrived to help. Since his ship was undamaged, Lukin easily caught the fleeing frigate. He opened fire at 2:30 PM. The fight lasted for half an hour before Soleil surrendered. His frigate was badly damaged. To the south, Windsor Castle was too slow to catch the smaller French ships. They easily outran the large British ship and escaped.

What Happened Next

The Monarch with her two Prizes in tow, L'Minerve and L'Armide.

It took some time for the British ships to fix their damage and prepare the captured French ships for the trip back to Britain. The British had light casualties: nine killed and 29 wounded. But Hood was seriously injured; his arm had to be amputated during the battle. French losses were much higher, but the exact numbers are not known. Hood didn't include them in his official report.

All four captured frigates were large, new ships. They were immediately bought by the Royal Navy. Gloire and Armide kept their names. Infatigable became HMS Immortalite, and Minerve became HMS Alceste. Hood and his men were praised at the time. Later, historians focused on how bravely the French crews fought against such a stronger force for so long. Historians like William James and William Laird Clowes wrote about the "gallant conduct" and "credible resistance" of the French ships.

Within days of the battle, Hood was promoted to rear-admiral. He also received a yearly pension of £500. Despite his injury, he continued to serve. He fought a notable battle against Russian ships in the Baltic Sea in 1807. Later, he worked off the Spanish coast during the early Peninsular War.

French efforts to resupply their West Indian colonies continued for the next three years. Many men and ships were lost to the British blockade. By 1808, the French Caribbean was in a desperate situation. The French sent more supply convoys, but they lost five frigates and a ship of the line in late 1808 and early 1809. The weakened colonies could not fight off British attacks. Coordinated invasions led to the surrender of Martinique in January 1809 and Guadeloupe a year later. Cayenne and Santo Domingo also fell to British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces.

Ships and Commanders

Commodore Hood's squadron

Ship	Type	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties			Notes
					Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Monarch	Third rate	74		Captain Richard Lee	6	18	24	Suffered severe damage to rigging and masts.
HMS Centaur	Third rate	74		Commodore Sir Samuel Hood	3	4	7	Suffered severe damage to rigging and masts.
HMS Mars	Third rate	74		Captain William Lukin	0	0	0	Suffered minor damage to rigging and hull.
HMS Windsor Castle	Second rate	98		Captain Charles Boyles	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Achille	Third rate	74		Captain Richard King	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Revenge	Third rate	74		Captain Sir John Gore	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
HMS Atalante	Brig	16		Commander John Ore Masefield	0	0	0	Not engaged during the battle.
Casualties: 9 killed, 29 wounded, 38 total

Commodore Soleil's Squadron

Ship	Type	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties	Notes
Gloire	Fifth rate	40		Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Gloire.
Minerve	Fifth rate	40		Captain Joseph Collet	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Alceste.
Armide	Fifth rate	40		Commander Jean-Jacques-Jude Langlois	Heavy	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Armide.
Infatigable	Fifth rate	40		Captain Joseph-Maurice Girardias	Minor	Captured with surviving crew. Later commissioned as HMS Immortalite.
Thétis	Fifth rate	36		Captain Jacques Pinsum	None	Not engaged during battle.
Lynx	Corvette	16		Lieutenant Fargenel	None	Not engaged during battle.
Sylphe	Corvette	16			None	Not engaged during battle.
Total casualties: Unknown, believed to be heavy