Action of August 1702 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of August 1702 |
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| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
 The injured Benbow continues to order the attack |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of England |
 Kingdom of France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 John Benbow |
 Jean du Casse |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 7 ships of the line | 4 ships of the line 1 frigate 4 sloops 1 transport |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 ship damaged | 1 ship captured | ||||||
The Action of August 1702 was a naval battle that happened a long time ago, between August 19 and 25, 1702. It was fought near what is now Colombia, South America. This battle was part of a bigger conflict called the War of the Spanish Succession. The fight was between an English fleet led by Vice-Admiral John Benbow and a French fleet led by Admiral Jean du Casse. Even though Admiral Benbow fought bravely, many of his captains didn't support him, which allowed the French ships to get away. Benbow was badly hurt during the battle and sadly passed away a couple of months later.
Admiral Benbow's determination to keep fighting, even in his last battle, really captured people's imaginations. This event inspired many songs, often called Admiral Benbow or Brave Benbow. These songs were still very popular among British sailors more than a hundred years later.
Contents
Getting Ready for Battle
When the War of the Spanish Succession began, Admiral Benbow was sent to the West Indies. His mission was to make sure that the Spanish lands there didn't fall into French hands. At the same time, a French admiral named Du Casse was sent to Cartagena. His goal was to make the city loyal to Philip V, who was the new king. Benbow set out to stop Du Casse and his ships.
The Battle Unfolds
First Contact: August 19, 1702
On August 19, 1702, Admiral Benbow's ships found the French fleet. They were off the coast of Colombia, near Santa Marta. Benbow, on his main ship, the Breda, told his squadron to attack. But two of his ships, the Defiance and the Windsor, were far behind. They were moving very slowly.
Benbow wanted to wait for the Defiance to catch up. However, the Falmouth started the fight by attacking a French frigate. The Windsor also attacked a ship next to it. This happened around four o'clock in the afternoon. The Breda joined the fight too. But the Defiance and Windsor quickly stopped fighting after firing a few shots. This left the Breda alone, facing fire from the French ships. The battle continued until nightfall. The Breda and another ship, the Ruby, chased the French all night. The rest of the English ships fell far behind.
Days of Pursuit: August 20-22
The chase continued through August 20. The Breda and Ruby kept firing their chase-guns whenever they could. On the morning of August 21, they fought again. The Ruby was badly damaged in this exchange. The Defiance and Windsor still refused to join the fight, even though they were close to the last French ship. By now, the Greenwich was very far behind, about five leagues (about 15 miles) away.
On August 22, the Breda managed to capture a French ship called the Anne. This ship had originally been an English ship. The damaged Ruby was then told to return to Port Royal for repairs.
Benbow's Injury and the End of the Fight
During the night of August 24, Admiral Benbow found himself fighting one of the enemy ships all by himself. During this intense fight, his right leg was severely injured by a cannonball. Despite his serious wound, he quickly returned to the ship's quarter-deck as soon as his injury was bandaged.
Benbow's Flag-Captain, Fogg, ordered the other captains to stay in their battle formation. But Captain Kirkby of the Defiance came aboard the Breda and told Benbow, "You should give up, the French are very strong." Benbow found that most of his other captains felt the same way. Seeing that his captains would not fight, Benbow decided to stop the chase. He then turned his ships and headed back to Jamaica.
What Happened Next
After the battle, Admiral Benbow received a message from the French Admiral Jean du Casse. The message showed respect for Benbow's courage, even though his own captains had not supported him.
When they returned, Benbow held special meetings, called courts-martial, for his captains. Captain Constable was found not guilty of being a coward, but he was removed from the navy for other reasons. Captain Hudson passed away before his trial could happen. Captains Fogg and Vincent were accused of signing a paper with the other captains, saying they wouldn't fight. However, they explained that they did this to stop Captain Kirkby from running away. Benbow spoke in their favor, so they were only temporarily suspended from duty.
Benbow's injured leg had to be removed. But he developed a fever and sadly died on November 4, 1702. Captains Kirkby and Wade were sent to Plymouth on a ship called HMS Bristol. There, their punishments were confirmed by the Lord High Admiral. Kirkby and Wade faced very serious consequences for their actions aboard the Bristol on April 16, 1703. Fogg and Vincent were later allowed to return to service in the navy.
Ships in the Battle
Benbow's English Squadron
Admiral Benbow's squadron had seven ships:
- Breda, 70 guns, Captain Christopher Fogg (This was Benbow's main ship)
- Defiance, 64 guns, Captain Richard Kirkby
- Greenwich, 54 guns, Captain Cooper Wade
- Ruby, 48 guns, Captain George Walton
- Pendennis, 48 guns, Captain Thomas Hudson
- Windsor, 60 guns, Captain John Constable
- Falmouth, 48 guns, Captain Samuel Vincent
Du Casse's French Squadron
Admiral Du Casse's squadron included:
- Heureux, 68 guns, Captain Bennet (This was Du Casse's main ship)
- Agréable, 50 guns, Captain de Roussy
- Phénix, 60 guns, Captain de Poudens
- Apollon, 50 guns, Captain de Demuin
- Prince de Frise, 30 guns, Lieutenant de St André
- One fireship, named Cauvet
- One transport ship
- Four sloops (smaller, fast ships)
