Battle of Mykonos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Mykonos
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Romney and Sibylle at Myconi
Date 17 June 1794 Location off Mykonos, Aegean Sea 37°27′N 25°19′E / 37.450°N 25.317°E / 37.450; 25.317 Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
William Paget	Jacques Rondeau
Strength
1 ship of the line	1 frigate 3 merchant ships
Casualties and losses
10 killed 28 wounded	55 killed 103 wounded 1 frigate captured 3 merchant ships captured

The Battle of Mykonos was a small but important sea battle. It happened near the Greek island of Mykonos on June 17, 1794. This fight was part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

A British Navy group, led by the 50-gun ship HMS Romney, was protecting eight merchant ships. They were sailing through the Aegean Sea. Suddenly, they spotted the French warship Sibylle anchored in Mykonos harbor. Three French merchant ships were with it.

Captain William Paget, who commanded Romney, sent the other ships away. He sailed Romney towards Mykonos and demanded that the French ship and its convoy surrender. The French commander, Jacques-Mélanie Rondeau, refused. He got his ship ready for a fight.

Captain Paget carefully moved Romney so his cannons wouldn't hit the town. Then, for about an hour and ten minutes, the two ships fired their cannons at each other. Both ships suffered many injuries. But Romney was bigger and stronger. Eventually, the French ship Sibylle had to surrender. Later, Sibylle joined the British Navy. It even fought in another famous battle in 1799.

Why the Battle Happened

In August 1793, Britain joined the French Revolutionary Wars. The British Navy, led by Lord Hood, took control of Toulon. This was a main French naval base. They also captured many French ships there.

Even though French armies took Toulon back in December 1793, the British destroyed many French ships. Some French ships were at sea during this time. They avoided being captured or destroyed. These included smaller warships called frigates.

In 1794, the French Navy was repairing its ships. So, these frigates kept sailing around the Mediterranean Sea. One of these ships was the new 40-gun Hébé-class frigate Sibylle. It was commanded by Commodore Jacques-Mélanie Rondeau. Sibylle was sent to operate alone in the Aegean Sea.

The British Navy was busy capturing Corsica. But they also sent smaller groups of ships to protect merchant ships. They also hunted for French frigates. One such British group left Naples in June 1794. It was heading to the Aegean Sea with a convoy of eight merchant ships. This group included HMS Romney and three frigates: HMS Inconstant, HMS Leda, and HMS Tartar.

The Battle Begins

On June 16, near Kimolos island, the British ships heard news. A French frigate had been seen near the Cycladic Islands of Tinos and Mykonos. HMS Inconstant was sent to search for it, but didn't find anything.

The next day, the British ships sailed through the islands. They saw a large warship anchored in Mykonos harbor. Captain Paget told the merchant ships to continue with the three frigates. He turned Romney to investigate. It was Sibylle, anchored with three French merchant ships.

Captain Paget's approach made it impossible for Sibylle to escape. Rondeau stayed anchored as the larger British ship entered the harbor. Romney stopped just short of the French ship. Paget sent a young officer to Sibylle in a small boat. He asked Rondeau to surrender his ship and convoy. This would prevent a bloody fight with the bigger Romney.

Rondeau replied that he knew Romney's size. But he was not afraid. He was ready for battle and had sworn "never to surrender." Rondeau had also learned that Romney had fewer crew members. It had 266 men instead of the usual 341. Sibylle had 380 men.

The young officer returned with Rondeau's answer. The French commander used this time to move Sibylle. He placed his ship directly between Romney's firing line and Mykonos town. He thought Paget wouldn't attack if it meant hitting the town. Mykonos was part of the neutral Ottoman Empire.

This forced Paget to change Romney's position. He used ropes to turn Romney so its cannons faced away from the town. But they could still fire at Sibylle. As he did this, he moved a cannon to fill an empty gunport. Rondeau did not stop him.

At 1:00 PM, the British ship was in position. Paget ordered "springs" on the anchor cables. This system made Romney more stable. It also allowed the ship to swing its cannons while staying still.

The Fight and Surrender

Once ready, Paget ordered his gunners to fire on Sibylle. The French ship immediately fired back. Both ships were anchored in the bay. They couldn't move or avoid enemy shots. The battle was fought with cannons firing side-by-side.

The fight lasted until 2:10 PM. Sibylle was badly damaged by Romney's bigger guns. Many French sailors were hurt. Some even swam to shore to escape. Rondeau saw that he would lose. Despite his oath, he surrendered his ship to stop more bloodshed.

On Sibylle, two officers and 44 sailors were killed. Nine more died later, and 103 were wounded. On Romney, losses were much lighter. Eight men were killed and 30 were wounded. Two of the wounded later died.

Ships in the Battle

"Guns" means all the cannons on the ship. "Broadside weight" is the total weight of cannonballs that could be fired at once from one side of the ship.

Ship	Commander	Navy	Guns	Tons	Broadside weight	Crew	Casualties
							Killed	Wounded	Total
HMS Romney	Captain William Paget		54	1046bm	462 pounds (210 kg)	266	10	28	38
Sibylle	Commodore Jacques-Mélanie Rondeau		44	1091bm	380 pounds (170 kg)	380	53	103	156
Source: Clowes, p. 486

What Happened Next

Even though Romney had ten more guns than Sibylle, their strengths were quite similar. Sibylle had cannons that could fire a total of about 380 pounds of shot. Romney's main cannons could fire about 414 pounds. So, Romney wasn't much stronger in terms of firepower.

Naval historian William James believed that Romney's two gun-decks were the key factor. He thought the French fought bravely. However, he criticized Rondeau for saying he would never surrender. James felt this made the fight less honorable for the French crew.

After Rondeau surrendered, Paget captured Sibylle and the three merchant ships. The next morning, HMS Inconstant arrived to help. All the ships then rejoined the convoy and continued to Smyrna, arriving on June 22.

Sibylle was bought by the British Navy and renamed HMS Sybille. Historian James Henderson called it "one of the finest frigates in the Navy." In 1799, under Captain Edward Cooke, Sybille fought another famous battle. This was in the Indian Ocean against the French frigate Forte. Forte was captured, but Captain Cooke was badly wounded and later died.

Many years later, in 1847, the British Navy honored this battle. They created a special medal clasp called "ROMNEY 17 JUNE 1794." It was given to any British sailors from the battle who were still alive.