Action at Barfleur facts for kids

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Battle of Barfleur

Battle of Barfleur 1692, French flagship Soleil Royal is shown in the center (by Ludolf Bakhuizen)

Date	19 May (OS) (29 May (NS)), 1692
Location	near Cherbourg peninsula, France 49°41′18″N 1°13′16″W / 49.6884721°N 1.2212066175°W / 49.6884721; -1.2212066175
Result	Inconclusive

Belligerents

France

England

United Provinces

Commanders and leaders

Anne Hilarion de Tourville

Edward Russell

Strength

44 ships of the line
plus auxiliaries
20,000 crewmen

82 ships of the line
plus auxiliaries
40,000 crewmen

Casualties and losses

no ships lost;
many damaged
1,700 killed or wounded

no ships lost;
many damaged
2,000 killed (including 2 admirals)
3,000 wounded

The Battle of Barfleur was a major naval battle fought on May 19, 1692. It was part of a larger conflict called the War of the Grand Alliance. This battle took place near the Cherbourg peninsula in France.

The French fleet, led by Admiral Anne Hilarion de Tourville, was trying to help a French army invade England. Their goal was to put James II back on the English throne. However, an Anglo-Dutch fleet, commanded by Admiral Edward Russell, stopped them. The battle itself ended without a clear winner, but it was an important part of the larger naval campaign.

Why the Battle Happened

The two large fleets first saw each other early on the morning of May 19, 1692. This was off the coast of Cap Barfleur in France.

French Admiral's Orders

Around 6 AM, Admiral Tourville met with his captains. They all agreed that fighting the much larger Allied fleet was a bad idea. However, Tourville had very strict orders from the French king to attack. He also hoped that some English captains, who supported James II (called Jacobites), might switch sides. This hope turned out to be wrong.

Fleets Get Ready

The wind was light, so the ships moved slowly towards each other. Russell's fleet came from the northeast, and Tourville's from the southwest. It took five hours, until 11 AM, for the two fleets to get close enough to start fighting.

How the Ships Lined Up

Both sides arranged their ships in long lines, ready for battle.

French Line-Up

The French fleet had three main groups, called squadrons.

The Blue-and-White squadron was at the front. It had 14 ships.
The White squadron was in the middle. It had 16 ships and was led by Tourville himself.
The Blue squadron was at the back. It had 14 ships.

Tourville moved some ships from his Blue squadron to the middle. This was to make his central White squadron stronger against Russell's English Red squadron. He also spread out his line to avoid being surrounded.

Allied Line-Up

The Allied fleet also had three squadrons.

The Dutch White squadron, with 26 ships, faced the French front.
The English Red squadron, with 27 ships, was in the middle, facing Tourville.
The English Blue squadron, with 29 ships, was at the back.

Russell waited as long as possible before firing. This allowed the French ships to get very close. The battle officially began around 11:15 AM when the French ship Saint Louis fired its guns.

The Battle Begins

The fighting lasted for many hours, with ships firing cannons at each other.

Morning Fighting (11 AM to 1 PM)

For the first few hours, Tourville's White squadron and Russell's Red squadron fought intensely. Both sides took heavy damage.

The English ship Centurion was badly hit.
The Chester had to pull back.
The Eagle had to leave the line for repairs but managed to return.
The Grafton had many casualties but kept fighting.

On the French side:

Tourville's own flagship, the Soleil Royal, was attacked by three English ships. It was severely damaged and had to move out of the line for a bit.
The Perle was shot through many times and lost a third of its crew.
The Henri and Fort were also badly damaged while trying to keep the French line together. The Henri was almost captured.

Afternoon Changes (1 PM to 5 PM)

Around 1 PM, the wind changed direction and became stronger. This gave the Allied fleet an advantage.

Allied Breakthrough

Admiral Shovell, leading part of the English Red squadron, saw a gap in the French line. He steered his ship, the Royal William, through it. This allowed his ships to attack the French White squadron from both sides. Other English ships followed him through the gap.

Admiral Carter, leading the English Blue division, also followed Shovell. This meant about a dozen Allied ships were now attacking the French line from two directions.

French Fleet Curves

In the front, the Dutch ships were able to extend their line and try to surround the French. The French ships had to turn to avoid this. By 3 PM, the French line was curved like a fish-hook, with the Dutch ships wrapping around them.

The Soleil Royal was under heavy attack from both sides. Other French ships had to come to its rescue.

Calm and Smoke

By 4 PM, the wind died down, and the sea became calm. Heavy smoke from the cannons made it hard to see. The constant firing also pushed the ships apart, giving both tired sides a short break.

Both fleets used small boats to tow their ships into better positions. Admiral Ashby, in the Allied rear, was trying to bring his ships into the fight, but the poor visibility made it difficult.

Re-engagement

By 5 PM, the central parts of the fleets were fighting again. Russell used boats to pull his ships back into action. The fog lifted, and a light breeze returned. Tourville tried to sail his ships northwest to escape the Allied encirclement. Russell chased him, but the wind died down again, and the mist returned.

Evening Actions (6 PM to 10 PM)

As evening came, the tide began to turn.

French Escape Attempt

Around 6 PM, Tourville ordered his ships to drop anchor at the end of the tide, but with their sails still set. This tricked Russell's squadron, which was carried away by the incoming tide. This gave the French a chance to get some rest.

Shovell's ships, which were positioned against the tide, also anchored. Only the English ship Sandwich was caught off guard. It was swept into the French line, taking heavy damage and losing its captain.

Renewed Attacks

Around 7 PM, the wind picked up again from the southeast. This allowed the English Blue squadron to finally join the battle. Admiral Rooke's division was now closer to the main fight and joined in.

Rooke's flagship, the Neptune, along with the Windsor Castle and Expedition, attacked the already damaged French ships, especially the Soleil Royal and Ambitieux. Admiral Ashby and the rest of his division joined the fight shortly after, continuing the battle for another two hours.

Fireship Attack

Shovell's ships were still close to the French. He tried to break up the French formation by sending fireships (ships filled with explosives) towards them with the tide. His plan was to force Tourville to cut his anchor cables and drift towards Russell's guns. Four fireships were sent, but the French managed to push them away. One fireship got tangled with the Perle, but its crew cut it loose. Another fireship came very close to the Soleil Royal, forcing it to cut its anchor, but it managed to re-anchor before drifting into Russell's range.

Allied Maneuver

Around 9 PM, Shovell and Rooke decided their position was too dangerous. They were the only Allied ships between the French fleet and the open sea. They decided to use the last of the incoming tide to sail through the French fleet and rejoin the main English line. This was a risky move, and their ships took a lot of damage from close-range fire.

Battle Ends

By 10 PM, the battle was almost over. Both sides were exhausted, and most ships were damaged. Amazingly, no ships were sunk or captured during the main battle. Shovell's fireships had burned, and both sides reported a large explosion, but no ships were lost. As the tide turned, Tourville ordered the French fleet to cut their anchors and slip away in the moonlight. The Allies followed as best they could.

Ships Involved

This was a huge battle with many ships. Here's a summary of the main forces:

Allied Ships

The Allied fleet was made up of ships from England and the Netherlands. They had 82 ships of the line, which are large warships.

The Dutch White Squadron was led by Admiral Philips van Almonde.
The English Red Squadron was led by Admiral Edward Russell.
The English Blue Squadron was led by Admiral John Ashby.

Some of the notable English ships included:

HMS Royal Sovereign (100 guns)
Britannia (100 guns), Admiral Russell's flagship
HMS Royal William (100 guns), Admiral Shovell's flagship
Victory (100 guns), Admiral Ashby's flagship
Neptune (96 guns), Admiral Rooke's flagship

French Ships

The French fleet had 44 ships of the line.

The Blue-and-White Squadron was led by Admiral D’Amfreville.
The White Squadron was led by Admiral Tourville himself.
The Blue Squadron was led by Admiral Gabaret.

Tourville's flagship was the impressive Soleil Royal (104 guns).