Algeciras campaign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Algeciras campaign |
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| Part of the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||
 The battle of Algeciras, Alfred Morel-Fatio |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 France Spain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 James Saumarez |
Charles Linois Juan de Mondragón |
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The Algeciras campaign was a series of important naval battles in June and July 1801. It happened during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French fleet, led by Rear-Admiral Charles Linois, tried to sail from Toulon to Cadiz, Spain. Their goal was to join up with Spanish and other French ships. This combined fleet was then supposed to attack either Egypt or Portugal.
To reach Cadiz, Linois's ships had to pass Gibraltar. This was a major British naval base. The British fleet there was led by Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. His job was to stop Linois.
After a difficult journey, Linois's squadron anchored at Algeciras. This was a port city right across the bay from Gibraltar. On 6 July 1801, Saumarez attacked them. This was the First Battle of Algeciras. The French ships were badly damaged. But the British could not capture any of them. The British ship HMS Hannibal got stuck and was captured by the French.
After this first battle, both sides worked hard to fix their ships. They also called for more ships to help them. On 9 July, a large fleet of Spanish and French ships arrived from Cadiz. Their mission was to protect Linois's damaged squadron. The British at Gibraltar also worked quickly to repair their fleet.
On the evening of 12 July, the combined French and Spanish fleet sailed from Algeciras. The British fleet followed them. They caught the last ships of the enemy fleet. This started the Second Battle of Algeciras. It was a confusing fight in the dark. The British ship HMS Superb attacked the enemy. During the battle, one French ship was captured. A Spanish frigate sank. Two huge 112-gun Spanish ships crashed into each other and exploded. About 1,700 men died in this terrible accident. The next morning, the French ship Formidable was attacked. But it managed to escape and reach Cadiz safely.
In the end, the French and Spanish fleets did manage to meet at Cadiz. But they suffered heavy losses. They were still blocked by the British. This meant they could not carry out their plans to attack Egypt or Portugal. These two battles were very important. They helped Britain control the Mediterranean Sea. They also meant the French army in Egypt would not get help.
Contents
Why the Battles Happened
Control of the Mediterranean Sea
On 1 August 1798, the British fleet won a huge victory. This was the Battle of the Nile. They almost completely destroyed the French fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. This changed everything. Britain and its allies now had control of the seas.
For the next three years, British ships blocked French and Spanish ports. This included important places like Toulon and Cadiz. This made it very hard for French troops and supplies to move. Because of this, the French army in Egypt became weaker.
Napoleon's Plans for the French Fleet
In January 1801, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to make the French fleet stronger. He also wanted to send help to his army in Egypt. So, he ordered a group of ships to sail from Brest to the Mediterranean. This group was led by Rear-Admiral Honoré Ganteaume.
Ganteaume tried three times to reach Egypt. But he failed. He eventually returned to Toulon in July 1801. During his last attempt, he found that some of his ships did not have enough sailors. So, he sent three ships of the line and a frigate back to Toulon. These ships were the Formidable, Indomptable, Desaix, and the frigate Créole.
Forming a New Squadron
The presence of these ships at Toulon gave France a new idea. Napoleon had made a deal with Charles IV of Spain. Spain would give six ships from its Cadiz fleet to the French Navy. Napoleon ordered the three ships from Ganteaume's squadron to join this new fleet at Cadiz. The frigate Muiron also joined them. Rear-Admiral Charles Linois was put in charge of this whole force.
This new fleet of nine French ships and six Spanish ships had two possible missions. One plan was a big attack on Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal was fighting Spain in the War of the Oranges. Lisbon was also a major British trading port. The other plan was to resupply the French army in Egypt. This second plan was chosen after the War of the Oranges ended on 2 June.
To help with the Spanish ships, Napoleon sent Contre-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley to Cadiz. Le Pelley arrived on 13 June with sailors. He also brought Commodore Julien le Ray to command the newly bought ships. The British fleet blocking Cadiz noticed his arrival. This British fleet was led by Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez. Saumarez was a hero from the Battle of the Nile. He had orders to stop any French ships from joining the Spanish fleet at Cadiz.
Linois's Journey to Algeciras
Linois left Toulon on 13 June 1801. He had three ships of the line and one frigate. They also carried 1,560 soldiers. The British ships watching Toulon were not there. So, Linois's ships were not stopped.
His journey was slow because of bad winds. On 1 July, his ships were spotted from Gibraltar. The only British warship there was HMS Calpe. Its captain, George Dundas, sent a boat to warn Saumarez's fleet near Cadiz.
The Capture of HMS Speedy
On 3 July, Linois passed Gibraltar. That night, he saw the small British brig HMS Speedy. Speedy was a famous ship. It was commanded by Captain Lord Cochrane. Cochrane had been very successful raiding the Spanish coast. He had even captured a much larger Spanish ship.
Cochrane first thought Linois's ships were Spanish treasure ships. He got too close. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late to escape. Cochrane tried to avoid the French ships' cannons. He even tried to sail between two of them. But the French ship Desaix chased him. It damaged Speedy's sails and ropes.
As Speedy slowed, Desaix caught up. It fired a full broadside (all its cannons at once). But the shots went over Speedys deck. No one was hurt. However, Speedys sails and rigging were destroyed. It could no longer be steered. Cochrane surrendered his ship. The French captain, Christy-Pallière, respected Cochrane's bravery. He refused to take Cochrane's sword, saying he would not accept the sword of an officer who fought so bravely against impossible odds.
From Cochrane, Linois learned that Saumarez was ahead of him. Knowing that Gibraltar had reported his presence, Linois decided to turn back. He anchored his squadron at Algeciras on 4 July. This was a fortified Spanish port. It was directly across the bay from Gibraltar.
Saumarez Prepares to Attack
Off Cadiz, Saumarez learned of Linois's arrival on 5 July. He immediately turned his fleet back towards Gibraltar. He sent the frigate HMS Thames to get HMS Superb. Superb was blocking a river nearby.
Saumarez wanted to attack Linois right away. But calm winds slowed his ships. It was not until the morning of 6 July that he was ready. Linois had prepared a strong defense. His three ships were anchored in a line in shallow water. They were protected by Spanish forts. Linois also sent sailors from his ships to help the Spanish forts.
First Battle of Algeciras
At 7:00 AM, Saumarez ordered his ships to attack. Captain Samuel Hood in HMS Venerable was supposed to lead. But light winds delayed him. So, HMS Pompée attacked first. It fired at the French ships.
Other British ships followed: HMS Audacious, Saumarez's own ship HMS Caesar, and HMS Hannibal. Venerable and HMS Spencer joined from further away. By 10:00 AM, the battle was in full swing. Pompée was in a bad spot. A current had turned it. Its front was facing the side of the French ship Formidable. This allowed the French to fire directly along the length of the British ship.
Saumarez saw the danger. He ordered Captain Solomon Ferris to take Hannibal around the French line. He wanted Hannibal to fire along the side of Formidable. But the wind was light. It took Ferris almost an hour to get there. As he turned towards the shore, Hannibal got stuck on a sandbar. It was right under the guns of a Spanish fort.
Saumarez sent boats to help Hannibal and Pompée. Both ships were stuck and under heavy fire. Linois then ordered his ships to cut their anchor ropes. He wanted them to drift into shallower water. This would move them away from the British ships. Formidable succeeded. But Desaix and Indomptable got stuck closer to shore. They were still exposed to British fire.
At 1:35 PM, Saumarez realized his ships were in danger of getting stuck too. His boats were either sunk or busy helping Pompée. He couldn't launch a land attack on the forts. So, Saumarez sadly called off the attack. The rest of his fleet went back to Gibraltar. But they had to leave the stranded Hannibal behind.
Hannibal had been under fire for four hours. It had lost two masts and over 140 men. To save his crew, Ferris ordered them to hide below deck. But at 2:00 PM, fires broke out on the ship. Ferris had no choice but to surrender. French sailors put out the fires. They raised the British flag upside down. This meant the ship had surrendered. But in the British Navy, an upside-down flag means "distress." So, some British boats were captured trying to help Hannibal before the mistake was understood.
The French won this battle, but it cost them a lot. More than 160 men were killed and 300 wounded. All three French ships were badly damaged. The Spanish lost 11 men and five small gunboats. The forts and town were also damaged. British losses were also high. Over 130 were killed and 230 wounded. Most of these were on Hannibal and Pompée. Besides losing Hannibal, Pompée was severely damaged. The other British ships also needed urgent repairs.
After the First Battle
Repairs and Reinforcements
Right after the battle, Linois sent messages to the Spanish fleet in Cadiz. He asked for their help. Both Linois and Saumarez started repairing their damaged ships. At Gibraltar, the British moved the wounded to the hospital. They buried the dead.
Saumarez ordered his most damaged ships, Pompée and Caesar, to be repaired quickly. Their crews were moved to other ships to speed up repairs. Captain Jahleel Brenton of Caesar insisted on repairing his own ship. Saumarez agreed. Caesar's crew worked day and night. They replaced the ship's damaged masts in just four days. Saumarez also sent a boat to Algeciras under a white flag. He wanted to get his captured officers back. Ferris and Cochrane were sent to Gibraltar. Later, the wounded British sailors from Hannibal also returned. Ferris was sent to Britain. He had to face a court-martial for losing his ship. But he and his officers were found innocent.
Linois also began fixing his ships. He even worked on the captured Hannibal, which he renamed Annibal. It was so damaged that it was barely seaworthy a week later. It was sent back to Algeciras.
In Cadiz, the Spanish were hesitant. But Linois's messages and pressure from le Pelley convinced them. The Spanish admiral, Jose de Mazzaredo, ordered a fleet to sea on 9 July. This fleet was led by Vice-Admiral Juan Joaquín Moreno de Mondragón. It included two very large 112-gun ships: Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo. The fleet also had other Spanish ships and the French ship Saint Antoine. This was the first Spanish ship bought by the French Navy. It was crewed by French and Spanish sailors. Several frigates also came with the fleet.
Moreno's Fleet Arrives
Captain Richard Goodwin Keats on HMS Superb saw this combined fleet leave Cadiz. He immediately sent a small ship to Gibraltar to warn Saumarez. The Spanish reinforcements arrived in the Bay of Gibraltar. They anchored out of reach of the British guns. They waited for Linois to finish his repairs. Saint Antoine joined them on 10 July.
Keats brought his ships into Gibraltar. The British worked even harder to repair their fleet. Saumarez was worried about the size of the combined enemy fleet. He sent urgent messages to the main British fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean. He asked for help. Saumarez thought Moreno would be delayed for at least two weeks. But he was wrong. Moreno planned to take the damaged squadron to Cadiz as soon as possible.
Second Battle of Algeciras
On the morning of 12 July, the combined French and Spanish fleet sailed out. The British fleet followed closely. Both sides took most of the day to get ready. Light winds and damaged warships made it hard. But at 7:00 PM, Moreno ordered his fleet to sail west towards Cadiz. Saumarez followed. At 8:40 PM, as night fell and the wind grew stronger, Saumarez told Keats to take Superb ahead. Superb was the fastest ship. It was to attack the rear of Moreno's fleet.
The wind became a strong gale in the strait. Superb sailed very fast, leaving the other British ships behind. At 11:20 PM, with its lights hidden, Superb came alongside a Spanish three-deck ship, the Real Carlos. It fired three broadsides into it. Some of the shots went high. They passed through Real Carlos's ropes and hit another ship next to it. This was the Spanish three-decker San Hermenegildo.
In the confusion, San Hermenegildo thought Real Carlos was an enemy. This led to a general firing among the enemy ships. About ten minutes later, Real Carlos was on fire. San Hermenegildo still thought Real Carlos was an enemy. It moved closer to fire at its back. But a strong gust of wind pushed the two ships together. The fire spread to both ships. They then exploded. The blast was felt as far away as Cadiz. Both ships were completely destroyed. More than 1,700 men died. At some point that night, the Spanish frigate Perla sailed through the battle. It was badly damaged in the crossfire and sank the next morning.
Meanwhile, Keats had attacked and defeated Saint Antoine. He forced the wounded Commodore Julien le Ray to surrender. This fight lasted only half an hour. Many men on Saint Antoine were hurt. But Superb had only 15 wounded. The rest of the British fleet followed in the dark. They thought Saint Antoine was still fighting. So, they all fired at the ship as they passed. They wanted to catch the rest of Moreno's fleet.
At 4:00 AM, the Formidable was seen to the north. It was near Cape Trafalgar. Saumarez sent Venerable to chase the French ship. Hood was joined by Thames. At 5:15 AM, Venerable got close enough to fire. A close fight began. Hood ordered Thames to get close to Formidables back and fire. But Formidable fought better. At 6:45 AM, with many casualties, Venerables main mast fell over.
The French captain, Amable Troude, took advantage of the damaged British ship. He pulled Formidable ahead in the light winds. It slowly rejoined Moreno's main fleet, which was waiting off Cadiz harbor. As Formidable moved away, the remaining masts on Venerable also fell. The ship got stuck near Sancti Petri. The British were worried that Moreno might attack the disabled ship. But then Audacious and Superb appeared on the horizon. This convinced the Spanish admiral to go into Cadiz. Hood was able to get Venerable unstuck on 13 July. The ship was towed back to Gibraltar with the captured Saint Antoine. Saumarez left three ships to block Cadiz. The situation off the port was back to how it was before the battle.
What Happened Next
In France, the campaign was called a victory. Linois's real achievements at Algeciras were followed by exaggerated stories of Troude's defense. The second battle was presented as a big success against a larger British force. Troude had shown skill and bravery. But his fame grew mostly from a report sent to Paris. This report was based on a letter from Captain Troude. He claimed he had fought not only Venerable and Thames, but also Caesar and Spencer. Troude said he had driven all these ships away. He also claimed he had completely destroyed Venerable by forcing it ashore. Troude was promoted and highly praised. He went on to command many important ships in the French Navy.
In Spain, the outcome of the campaign made the government angry. It made the alliance between France and Spain worse. Spain demanded that its forces in France return home. Spanish pressure on Portugal also lessened. This weakening of the French-Spanish alliance was a big reason for the Treaty of Amiens in early 1802. This treaty ended the French Revolutionary Wars.
Saumarez was praised in Britain. The success of the second battle made up for the first defeat. He received thanks from both Houses of Parliament. He was also made a Knight of the Bath and given a pension of £1,200 a year. Almost 50 years later, the second battle (but not the first) was one of the actions recognized by the Naval General Service Medal. This medal was given to British participants who were still alive in 1847.
The campaign is often seen as one linked battle in British history. The overall result was good for the British. Even though they didn't stop Linois from reaching Cadiz and lost Hannibal, the Spanish fleet suffered huge losses. The British blockade was put back in place. This meant the French plan to send help to their army in Egypt completely failed. The French army there surrendered in September. The campaign also showed that Britain was in control of the seas. It proved that no enemy force could sail without being seen and stopped by the Royal Navy.
Images for kids
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The battle of Algeciras, Alfred Morel-Fatio
See also
In Spanish: Campaña de Algeciras (1801) para niños
