Action of 26 July 1806 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 26 July 1806 |
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars | |||||||
 Map of Celebes |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Holland |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Edward Elphinstone |
N. S. Aalbers † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1 frigate 1 brig-sloop |
1 frigate 1 corvette 2 merchant ships |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed 11 wounded |
12 killed 39 wounded 1 frigate captured 2 merchant ships captured |
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The Action of 26 July 1806 was a small sea battle during the Napoleonic Wars. These wars were a series of big conflicts between France (led by Napoleon Bonaparte) and many other European countries, including Great Britain. This particular battle happened off the southern coast of Celebes, an island in what was then called the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia).
During this battle, a small British group of warships attacked and defeated a Dutch force. The Dutch ships were protecting a valuable group of merchant ships, which the British also captured. The British force included the frigate HMS Greyhound and the smaller brig-sloop HMS Harrier. They were led by Captain Edward Elphinstone.
Why the Battle Happened
The Dutch navy in the Dutch East Indies was a constant danger to British trade routes during the Napoleonic Wars. The Netherlands, then called the Kingdom of Holland, had joined the war against Britain. This was because Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, Louis Bonaparte, ruled Holland.
Even though the Dutch ships mostly stopped pirates, their presence threatened British shipping. This was especially true in the Malacca Straits, a very important sea lane for trade with China. Every year, a large group of British merchant ships, called the "China Fleet," sailed from Canton (now Guangzhou) in China. They passed through the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait on their way to the Indian Ocean and then to Britain.
These convoys were worth millions of pounds and were vital for the British economy. However, they faced great danger passing through waters close to Dutch ports in Java. In 1804, a French group of warships used Batavia (now Jakarta) on Java as a base to attack the China Fleet. This attack failed at the Battle of Pulo Aura.
By early 1806, the British navy in the Indian Ocean had become stronger. Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew began planning operations against the Dutch forces in the East Indies. Pellew's first step was to send several frigates to the Java Sea. Their job was to scout the Dutch warships and their main port at Batavia.
The first British ship to reach the Java Sea was the 32-gun frigate HMS Greyhound, led by Captain Edward Elphinstone. It arrived in July 1806. With the smaller brig-sloop HMS Harrier, they sailed around looking for Dutch ships. On June 4, they successfully destroyed a Dutch armed ship called Christian Elizabeth at Manado. Two days later, they captured another ship, the Belgica, at Tidore.
On the evening of July 25, lookouts on the British ships spotted four sails. These were a Dutch convoy from the Molucca Islands. The convoy included:
- The Dutch warship Pallas, with 36 guns.
- The Dutch East India Company corvette William, with 20 guns.
- Two large Dutch merchant ships, Victoria and Batavier.
The Sea Battle
When Captain Elphinstone saw the Dutch ships, he immediately chased them. The Dutch commander, Captain N. S. Aalbers, arranged his ships in a line of battle (a fighting line). They stayed close together as the convoy sailed near the Celebes coast. At 9:00 PM, Aalbers ordered his ships to drop anchor about 7 miles offshore. They got ready for the British attack.
However, Elphinstone was careful. The Victoria was a very large merchant ship, with two decks, and it looked like a powerful warship. Elphinstone knew such a big vessel could easily destroy his frigate. So, he stopped his advance. HMS Greyhound and HMS Harrier stayed about 2 miles away, watching the Dutch convoy during the night.
At dawn, lookouts on Greyhound realized that Victoria was a large merchant ship, not a warship. Elphinstone decided to attack again. Aalbers sailed shortly after, with his ships sailing against the wind away from the shore in their fighting line. As they did this, Pallas sailed ahead of the next ship, creating a gap.
At 5:00 AM, Elphinstone raised the French flag to try and confuse the Dutch. He signaled that he wanted to talk to the Dutch commander. But Aalbers was not fooled. At 5:30 AM, Elphinstone opened fire on Pallas from close range, and the Dutch warship immediately fired back.
While the frigates fought, Harrier sailed between Pallas and Victoria. Harrier fired its cannons at Victoria and its crew also fired muskets at the deck of Pallas. In response, Victoria and Batavier moved out of the line to fight Harrier. Meanwhile, William, which was at the back of the Dutch line, pulled out completely and sailed towards the coast.
Elphinstone quickly used the confusion Harrier had caused. He sailed past the front of Aalbers' ship and fired along its length, causing a lot of damage. Elphinstone then stopped his ship. This allowed Greyhound to stay in a position across the front of Pallas, where it could cause severe damage without being hit itself.
As the damage and injuries grew on Pallas, Harrier joined the attack. The firing from the Dutch ship slowly became weaker and finally stopped at 6:10 AM. The Dutch flag was taken down from the mast, and Pallas surrendered. It had over 40 injured or killed crew members out of 250. Throughout this time, Victoria and Batavier had kept firing at Harrier, but not very effectively. Harrier waited until the main Dutch warship surrendered before attacking them.
With Harrier chasing them, the Dutch merchant ships could not escape. At 6:30 AM, Victoria surrendered. After sending a crew to take over Victoria, Harrier immediately turned towards Batavier. Elphinstone's Greyhound was also sailing towards the isolated merchant ship. At 6:40 AM, Captain De Val surrendered Batavier rather than fight the stronger British force.
The William successfully escaped after the battle. It quickly outran the damaged Harrier. All three captured ships were taken over by British crews and brought to Port Cornwallis on South Andaman Island.
The Dutch ship Pallas had heavy losses, with eight men killed right away and 32 wounded. This included Captain Aalbers and three of his officers. Six of the wounded later died, including the Dutch captain. Four men were killed on the merchant ships and seven wounded, one of whom also died later. British losses, however, were light. Only one man was killed and eight wounded on Greyhound, and just three wounded on Harrier.
Aftermath
The captured ships were sold in India. The British Royal Navy took Pallas into its service and renamed it HMS Celebes. However, they sold her in 1807.
Captain Elphinstone did not live long after his victory. He was ordered back to Britain in early 1807. He traveled on Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge's main ship, HMS Blenheim. Sadly, he was thought to have drowned in February 1807. The entire crew of Blenheim disappeared during a big storm in the western Indian Ocean.
For Admiral Pellew, this victory was a good sign that the Dutch navy was weak. In October, Captain Peter Rainier captured another Dutch warship right from Batavia harbor. The next month, Admiral Pellew led a large attack on the port that destroyed most of the Dutch warships in the East Indies. Two larger ships escaped Pellew's attack, but they were old and in bad condition. So, they could not defend themselves when Pellew found and destroyed them at Griessie in 1807.
See Also
