Action of 7 June 1780 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 7 June 1780 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Louis-René Levassor de Latouche (WIA) | James Hawker | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Hermione | HMS Iris | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 killed, 37 wounded | 7 killed, 9 wounded | ||||||
This article is about a naval battle that happened on June 7, 1780. It was part of the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. Two warships, the French frigate Hermione and the British frigate HMS Iris, fought each other.
The battle lasted for about 90 minutes. Neither ship won a clear victory. After the fight, the captains argued about what happened. They even wrote about it in newspapers!
Why They Fought
The American Revolutionary War was a big conflict. France decided to help the American colonists. This help was called the Franco-American alliance. France sent ships and soldiers to support the Americans.
Both France and Britain wanted to control the sea. They needed to protect their own ships. They also wanted to stop the other side's supplies. Ships were very important for moving goods and soldiers.
One of the French ships was the Hermione. It was a frigate with 32 cannons. Captain Latouche commanded it. This ship had just brought General La Fayette from France to Boston. After helping defend Rhodes Island, the Hermione sailed near Long Island. Its job was to stop British ships going to New York City.
The Battle Begins
On June 7, the Hermione was sailing near Long Island. The weather was good, with a gentle wind. Captain Latouche saw four other ships in the distance. He decided to get closer to see who they were.
He soon realized one was a frigate, like his own. The other ships were smaller. The frigate started sailing towards the Hermione to stop it. The Hermione also changed direction to meet it.
The Fight at Sea
As the two frigates got close, they lowered some sails. They also raised their flags. Then, they both fired all their cannons at once. The other ship was the 32-gun HMS Iris. Its captain was James Hawker.
The Hermione was faster than the Iris. It sailed past the Iris and then turned. This allowed it to get alongside the Iris again. The ships kept firing at each other. During this time, Captain Latouche was hit by a musket ball. It went through his left arm. But he kept giving orders to his crew.
The battle lasted for about an hour and a half. The ships were very close, about half a musket's firing distance. Then, the Iris had damage to its main sail. As the Hermione passed it, the Iris turned away and sailed off. Captain Latouche wanted to chase the Iris. But his ship's ropes and sails were badly damaged. He could not follow.
What Happened Next
The Hermione was quite damaged. Its sails were torn. Ten of its crew members were killed, and 37 were wounded. The ship also had four holes near the water line. Four cannonballs had gone through its main deck. The Hermione had fired 259 cannonballs during the fight. Captain Latouche was proud of his crew and officers.
A few days later, Captain Hawker wrote about the battle in a newspaper. He said that the Hermione had run away. He also claimed an American ship was nearby. Captain Latouche then wrote his own letter to Hawker. He explained that his ship's rigging was too damaged to chase. He also said the Iris could have kept fighting if it wanted to. Latouche was surprised that the Iris had only seven killed and nine wounded. He thought they had more casualties because they fired less at the end.
A historian named Rémi Monaque later suggested something interesting. He thought the other ships seen by both captains were probably just merchant ships. They were likely trying to avoid the battle. Years later, Nelson mentioned Hawker's story when he had an argument with Latouche.
