Battle of Maguelone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Maguelone
Part of the Peninsular War
Date 25 October 1809 Location Off Sète, France, and Baie des Roses, Spain Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	France
Commanders and leaders
Cuthbert Collingwood	François-André Baudin
Strength
15 ships 5 frigates	3 ships 2 frigates A number of lightly-armed transports
Casualties and losses
	France: 2 warships scuttled Convoy destroyed

The Battle of Maguelone was a small naval fight in October 1809. It happened during the Peninsular War. This battle was between French ships protecting a convoy and a British Royal Navy squadron.

The French ships tried to escape by sailing close to the shore near Maguelone. But two of their biggest ships got stuck in the shallow water. Their crews had to leave the ships and set them on fire. This was done after taking out important equipment. The other French ships managed to get away to Toulon. Later, British boats attacked the French convoy in Baie des Roses. They destroyed most of the convoy and captured three ships.

Why the Battle Happened

On October 21, 1809, French Rear-Admiral François-André Baudin left Toulon. He was leading a group of ships (a convoy) heading to Barcelona. On October 23, near Cape Saint Sebastian, they saw five British ships.

The wind was light, so Baudin told his convoy to hide in Baie des Roses. His warships then sailed out to sea. By noon, 14 British ships were in sight. The weather got worse that night, making it hard to sail.

On the morning of October 24, the French squadron was close to the coast. Baudin ordered his ships to drop anchor. He planned to sail to Sète soon for safety.

Meanwhile, British Admiral Collingwood knew about the French plan. He had left Cape Sicié with 15 warships and five frigates. His goal was to surprise the French convoy near Cape Saint Sebastian. Two British frigates were also watching Toulon.

The Battle Begins

On October 25, 1809, the French ships left Baie des Roses. They sailed west, staying close to the shore. The wind was light. The British ships chased them. The wind was stronger further out at sea, helping the British catch up.

Baudin ordered the French frigate Pauline to sail to Sète. She was to warn the town and get their coastal defenses ready. At 11:30 AM, the French ships started to hit the bottom. Baudin told his captains they could now act on their own.

The French ship Borée managed to reach deeper water. But Robuste and Lion ran aground.

Ships Get Stuck

Robuste and Lion were stuck on rocks and hard sand. Lion was east of Robuste. Both ships were too far for the British to shoot at them. Meanwhile, Pauline and Borée came closer to the British. They exchanged some shots with HMS Tigre and Leviathan.

Captain Senez of Borée wanted to anchor near Sète. A local pilot, Ensign Vallat, offered to guide Borée into the harbor. They succeeded, and Borée was safe from the British. Pauline did the same and also entered the port.

Abandoning the Ships

The sea became rougher. The British stayed away from Baudin's ships. But Robuste and Lion were getting more damaged and taking on water. It became clear that the ships could not be saved. They had to be left behind and destroyed.

General Frégeville, who led the local national guard, helped. He found boats and brought guards from Montpellier to help rescue the crews. Early on October 26, Frégeville met Baudin on Robuste. They decided to set up cannons on the shore. They also lit fires to stop British boats from attacking.

They started moving the crews off the ships. They also took off all useful equipment. In the afternoon, British ships came closer and sent out boats. The French fired at them with small cannons. They also sent their own boats to fight the British. At 6:30 PM, Baudin signaled that he was going to set his ships on fire. Robuste and Lion exploded during the night.

Attack on the Convoy

On November 1, British boats attacked the convoy in Baie des Roses. These boats came from ships like HMS Tigre and Cumberland. The convoy was protected by the 18-gun ship Lamproie and other smaller ships.

Some British boats suffered many injuries in the fight. Still, they captured three merchant ships. They also set ten ships on fire, including Lamproie. The French ship Victoire fought hard, stopping three attempts to board it before it was destroyed.

What Happened Next

The French frigate Amélie had a broken front mast. She escaped to Marseille and returned to Toulon on November 3. Borée and Pauline arrived at Toulon on November 19.

In January 1813, the British sailors who took part in the battle received prize money. This was for capturing the ships Grondeur and Normande, and the transports Dragon and Indien. In 1847, a special medal was given to surviving sailors from this action.

Ships in the Battle

Here are some of the ships that took part in the Battle of Maguelone.

French Squadron (Rear Admiral François-André Baudin)
Ship	Type	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties			Notes
					Killed	Wounded	Total
Robuste	Large warship	80		Captain François Legras				Ran aground and was destroyed
Lion	Warship	74		Captain Eustache-Marie-Joseph Bonamy				Ran aground and was destroyed
Borée	Warship	74		Captain Louis-André Senez				Escaped to Sète
Calypso	Frigate	40		Captain François-Gilles Montfort				Escaped to Sète
Amélie	Frigate	40		Captain Marie-Jean-François Meynard-Lafargue				Escaped to Sète
Casualties:

British Squadron (Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood)
Ship	Type	Guns	Navy	Commander	Casualties			Notes
					Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Canopus	Large warship	80		Rear-Admiral George Martin Captain Charles Inglis
HMS Renown	Warship	74		Captain Philip Charles Durham
HMS Tigre	Warship	74		Captain Benjamin Hallowell
HMS Sultan	Warship	74		Captain Edward Griffith Colpoys
HMS Leviathan	Warship	74		Captain John Harvey
HMS Cumberland	Warship	74		Captain Philip Wodehouse
Casualties:
Sources: Troude, p. 56