Battle of La Guaira (1812) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of La Guaira
Part of the War of 1812
Battle between Saratoga and Rachel
Date December 11, 1812 Location off La Guaira, Venezuela, Caribbean Sea Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Charles W. Wooster	Alexander
Strength
1 schooner	1 brig
Casualties and losses
2 wounded 1 schooner damaged	3 killed, 1 wounded, and 31 captured 1 brig captured

The Battle of La Guaira was a sea fight that happened on December 11, 1812. It took place in the Caribbean Sea, near La Guaira, Venezuela. This battle was part of the War of 1812 between America and Britain. In this fight, an American privateer ship captured a British ship called a letter of marque.

A privateer was a private ship given permission by its government to attack enemy ships. A letter of marque was a merchant ship that was also armed and allowed to fight.

The Battle Begins

A map showing La Guaira during the War of 1812.

On December 10, 1812, an American privateer ship named Saratoga arrived near La Guaira. The Saratoga was a schooner, a type of sailing ship, with 16 guns and 140 crew members. It was led by Captain Charles Whiting Wooster.

Captain Wooster was on a "commerce raiding cruise." This meant he was looking for enemy merchant ships to capture. When he arrived, the American consul (a representative for his country) in La Guaira warned him. The consul said that if Saratoga stayed in port, the Spanish soldiers there would sink it. They had powerful cannons on the shore.

So, the Americans moved their ship out of range of the shore cannons. But they stayed close to the city. That same day, Saratoga captured a British schooner. They sent this captured ship back to the United States as a "prize." A prize is a ship captured from the enemy.

The Fight at Sea

The next morning, a thick fog began to clear. The Americans saw another ship coming. It was a British brig, a ship with two masts. This ship was the Rachel, an armed merchant ship. It had 14 guns and a crew of 36 men.

The captain of the Rachel, Captain N. Dalmahoy, had died two weeks before. So, the ship's first mate, named Alexander, was now in charge.

As soon as the Americans saw the British ship, Saratoga sailed to meet it. It took about two hours for the ships to get close enough to fight. Hundreds of Spanish colonists in La Guaira gathered on the beaches. They wanted to watch the battle.

When the ships were close, Saratoga fired its first shot. It was about 5 miles from the port. The British ship fired back. Soon, both ships were sailing side-by-side, firing their cannons.

The two ships fought for over half an hour. The Rachel's cannons began to fire less often. The American sailors then fired their small guns at the British crew. This forced the British sailors to go below deck for safety. The Americans then moved their ship closer and boarded the Rachel. This meant American sailors jumped onto the British ship to fight hand-to-hand.

During the battle, two British men were killed, including their captain, Alexander. Two more British men were wounded, and one of them died soon after. Only two men from Saratoga were wounded.

The day after the battle, Captain Wooster needed more water for his ship. He released 27 of the captured British sailors. He sent them to La Guaira in a small boat. He kept four prisoners on the Rachel and two on the Saratoga.

After the Battle

The day after the battle, a British warship called HMS Fawn found the Rachel. The Fawn was led by Captain Thomas Fellowes. The Fawn captured the Rachel again. It also captured the 12 American sailors who were guarding the Rachel.

The British took the American sailors onto the Fawn. They put a new crew of six British sailors on the Rachel. The Rachel was then sent to Jamaica. There, a special court decided that the Rachel was a legal prize of war.

The Fawn then went to La Guaira. It picked up the rest of the Rachel's original crew. Most of them agreed to serve on the Fawn. However, some of them later left the ship.