Action of 30 June 1798 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 30 June 1798
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
A Representation of the Jason 38 guns, capturing the La Seine, John Fairburn
Date 29–30 June 1798 Location Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Charles Stirling	Julien Bigot
Strength
3 frigates	1 frigate
Casualties and losses
9 killed 18 wounded 1 frigate wrecked	170 killed 100 wounded 1 frigate captured

The Action of 30 June 1798 was a small but important sea battle. It happened off the coast of France during the French Revolutionary Wars. At this time, the Royal Navy (Britain's navy) controlled the Atlantic Ocean. They kept a close eye on French naval ports. This was called a blockade, which meant stopping French ships from leaving or entering.

A special group of British ships, called the inshore squadron, patrolled near the French port of Brest. Their job was to catch any French ships trying to get through. In 1798, a French warship called the Seine was sailing back to France. It was a large frigate with 40 guns. The Seine was coming from the Indian Ocean and had 280 soldiers on board.

On June 29, 1798, the Seine was spotted by three British frigates: HMS Jason, HMS Pique, and HMS Mermaid. The British ships chased the Seine for hours. Late that night, Pique caught up and a fierce fight began. The ships fired their cannons at each other for over two hours.

Suddenly, all three frigates crashed onto sandbanks near La Tranche-sur-Mer. Even while stuck, they kept fighting! When Mermaid finally arrived, the Seine had to give up. The Jason and Seine were badly damaged but were pulled free. Sadly, the Pique was too damaged and had to be burned. The British took the captured Seine back to Britain.

Why This Battle Happened

In the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars, the Royal Navy had won several big battles against the French Navy. These victories weakened the French fleet a lot. Many French ships were also lost in bad storms. By 1798, Britain had strong control of the Atlantic.

The British used a strategy called a "close blockade." This meant their warships stayed very close to French ports. They had a main battle fleet further out at sea. Closer to the coast, a group of faster ships called frigates watched the port of Brest. In June 1798, this group included HMS Jason led by Captain Charles Stirling, HMS Pique led by Captain David Milne, and HMS Mermaid led by Captain James Newman-Newman.

French warships often traveled together because it was dangerous to sail alone. In 1796, a French squadron had sailed to the Indian Ocean to help French forces there. However, they didn't do very well. By late 1797, the local government on Île de France (now Mauritius) stopped supplying the French ships. This forced the French commander to send his ships back to France. The 40-gun frigate Seine was one of these ships. It left on March 24, 1798, carrying 280 soldiers. Lieutenant Julien-Gabriel Bigot was in command.

The Battle Unfolds

Even though the Seine was crowded, it sailed quickly back to Europe. It reached the Bay of Biscay on June 28. The next morning, June 29, at 7:00 AM, the crew of the Seine saw three ships to the northeast. These were the British frigates under Captain Stirling.

The Jason and Pique immediately started chasing the Seine. The Mermaid sailed north to block the Seine from reaching the French coast or the port of Lorient. This forced Lieutenant Bigot to turn south, heading towards La Rochelle instead. The Jason and Pique followed at full speed, leaving the Mermaid far behind.

The chase continued all day. The British ships slowly gained on the Seine. As night fell, the Pique got closer to the larger French ship. At 11:00 PM, Captain Milne on the Pique was close enough to start firing his cannons. Bigot on the Seine fired back, still trying to escape. For the next two and a half hours, the ships exchanged heavy cannon fire. They were sailing very fast, getting closer and closer to the French coast.

At 1:35 AM, a shot from the Seine hit the main mast of the Pique, causing it to crash down. This made the Pique slow down, and the Seine pulled away from it. However, the Jason was still gaining on the Seine.

Captain Stirling on the Jason was worried about how close they were to the coast. He shouted orders to the Pique to drop anchor before they hit the ground. But Captain Milne didn't hear correctly. Instead, he increased sail, speeding past the Jason and straight onto a sandbank near La Tranche-sur-Mer. The Seine had also hit the shore a little further ahead. Stirling couldn't stop the Jason, and his ship also got stuck, lying between the Pique and the Seine.

The Seine was badly damaged when it crashed. All three of its masts broke and fell overboard. However, the Seine was in a better position to fight. The Jason blocked the Piques cannons, and the Jasons back end was exposed. Bigot took advantage of this and fired several powerful shots into the Jason. Captain Stirling was wounded, and Lieutenant Charles Inglis took command. Inglis ordered his men to cut new holes in the back of the ship to fire cannons at the Seine.

Meanwhile, Captain Milne on the Pique found a clever way to turn his ship. He told his men to run towards the front of the ship while carrying heavy cannonballs. This sudden shift in weight slowly turned the stuck ship to face the Seine. Milne could then fire four of his powerful cannons at the French ship. With the Mermaid finally arriving, Bigot realized he couldn't win. He lowered his flag, which meant he surrendered.

Ships in the Battle

In this table, "Guns" means all the cannons on the ship. "Broadside weight" is the total weight of all cannonballs that could be fired at once from one side of the ship.

Ship	Commander	Navy	Guns	Tons	Broadside weight	Crew	Casualties
							Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Jason	Captain Charles Stirling		46	984bm	494 pounds (224 kg)	277	7	12	19
HMS Pique	Captain David Milne		44	906bm	314 pounds (142 kg)	247	2	6	8
Seine	Lieutenant Julien-Gabriel Bigot		42	1146bm	390 pounds (180 kg)	610	170	100	270
Source: Clowes, p. 511

After the Battle

When dawn broke on June 30, the three frigates were still stuck on the sandbar. French forces from nearby La Rochelle sent ships to attack the British. However, another British squadron arrived, including HMS Phaeton, HMS San Fiorenzo, and HMS Triton. This new group helped the Mermaid tow the Jason free.

The Pique, however, was too badly stuck and was leaking water. After trying everything to free it, the crew left the ship and set it on fire. It took some time for the British to board the Seine. Many French sailors had jumped overboard and swam to the beach. This made it hard to count how many were hurt. Later, French civilians in boats sailed out to the Seine and got on board. They broke into the alcohol stores, causing a lot of confusion. Lieutenant Bigot was allowed to go ashore temporarily, and he and four other sailors later returned to captivity on their own.

The Seine was eventually refloated after its guns were thrown overboard to make it lighter. The front part of the Pique (its figurehead) was nailed onto the Seine. The captured Seine then sailed with the British squadron to Portsmouth.

The British ships had few casualties. The Jason lost seven men killed and eleven wounded, including Captain Stirling. The Pique lost two men killed and six wounded. French losses were much higher. About 170 men were killed and 100 wounded on the crowded decks of the Seine. Many also drowned after the ship ran aground.

Lieutenant Bigot and his crew became prisoners of war in Britain. Bigot was later exchanged and promoted twice when he returned to France. This was to honor his brave fight during the battle. Captain Milne was praised for his determined chase of the Seine. After repairs, he and his crew took possession of the French ship. The Seine then served in the Royal Navy under the same name.

A few months later, on October 13, 1798, the Jason was patrolling near Brest. Captain Stirling chased some French ships, but the Jason hit a hidden rock and began to sink. Stirling had to bring the frigate ashore on the French coast as it sank. Stirling and his men were captured. However, twelve sailors managed to escape in two small boats and reached Plymouth.