Battle of Port Louis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Port Louis |
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| Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
 Combat de la Preneuse, Auguste Mayer |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 John Osborn |
Jean L'Hermite |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 2 ships of the line | 1 frigate | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 1 frigate destroyed | ||||||
The Battle of Port Louis was a small but important sea fight during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened on December 11, 1799, near Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. At the time, this island was called Île de France and belonged to France.
This battle was the end of a three-month journey by a French warship called Preneuse. It was a 40-gun frigate, a type of fast warship, led by Captain Jean-Matthieu-Adrien Lhermitte. His mission was to attack British merchant ships. During its journey, Preneuse had already faced some British ships.
When Preneuse tried to return to Port Louis, two large British warships were waiting. These were HMS Tremendous and HMS Adamant. Captain Lhermitte tried to escape, but he couldn't reach the safety of the port. He had to crash his ship onto a beach to save his crew. After a short fight, the French ship surrendered. British sailors then went aboard, rescued the remaining crew, and set the ship on fire so the French couldn't use it again.
Contents
What Led to the Battle?
French Ships Arrive in the Indian Ocean
In 1796, the British Royal Navy was very strong in the Indian Ocean. But then, six French frigates arrived, led by Contre-amiral Pierre César Charles de Sercey. One of these ships was the new 40-gun frigate Preneuse, commanded by Captain Jean-Matthieu-Adrien Lhermitte.
Preneuse had traveled alone from France and met the other French ships at Port Louis. Sercey sent his ships to the Dutch East Indies to fight. However, they didn't have much success and returned to Port Louis. Over time, some of the French ships went back to France or were sent on other missions.
Preneuse's Secret Mission
In March 1798, Preneuse went on a special mission. It carried messages and soldiers to the Tipu Sultan in India. The Sultan was an enemy of the British and wanted to team up with France. Captain Lhermitte was told to be very careful.
But on April 20, he attacked a British port called Tellicherry. He captured two British merchant ships. This made the British aware of Preneuse's mission. Even though the soldiers landed safely in India, the British and the Sultan's kingdom ended up fighting. This led to the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, where the Sultan was killed.
The Squadron Shrinks
After this, Lhermitte sailed to meet Sercey again. They planned to join forces with Spanish ships to attack British merchant ships in China. But in January 1799, they were stopped by British warships.
Sercey's ships returned to Île de France. He found that only Preneuse and a smaller ship called Brûle-Gueule were left from his original group. The other ships had either gone back to France or were lost in battles.
The Battle Begins
Fight in Algoa Bay
In September 1799, Sercey sent his last two ships away. Brûle-Gueule went back to France. Preneuse was sent to attack British trade ships off the coast of Southeast Africa. Captain Lhermitte focused on the Mozambique Channel.
On September 20, Preneuse found some British ships anchored in Algoa Bay. These included a supply ship, HMS Camel, and a smaller warship, HMS Rattlesnake. These ships were supporting a British army fighting a local war. They were not ready for a fight.
Lhermitte approached the British ships, pretending to be Danish. A boat from Camel went to check on Preneuse but quickly realized it was an enemy ship. The British ships then got ready for battle.
At 8:30 PM, Preneuse started to attack. It fired its powerful guns at Camel. By midnight, Camel was badly damaged and taking on water. Its crew had to stop fighting to pump water out. Lhermitte then turned his guns on Rattlesnake. The fight continued until 3:30 AM, when Lhermitte sailed away.
The British ships were badly damaged, and some sailors were killed or hurt. Preneuse also suffered many casualties and was damaged. The British sent a 50-gun ship, HMS Jupiter, to chase Preneuse.
Chase at Sea
On October 9, Jupiter found Preneuse. The sea was very rough because of a strong storm. Jupiter chased the damaged French ship for two days. Captain William Granger of Jupiter tried to get close enough to fire his biggest guns.
However, the rough seas made it hard to open the lower gunports on Jupiter. So, Granger could only use his smaller guns. These guns were not as strong as Preneuses main guns. Jupiters ropes and sails were shot away, and the British ship fell behind to make repairs. This allowed Preneuse to escape.
The Final Chase off Port Louis
After escaping Jupiter, Preneuse didn't have much more success. It returned to Port Louis in early December 1799. But the port was blocked by two large British warships: HMS Tremendous and HMS Adamant. These ships had been sent specifically to catch Preneuse.
On December 11, the British ships saw Preneuse approaching. They chased it. Adamant got so close that Captain Lhermitte couldn't escape. He had to run his frigate onto a beach near the Tombeau River. There was a French shore battery nearby that could help protect the ship.
At 3:00 PM, Lhermitte ordered his ship's masts to be cut down. Preneuse and the shore battery then fired at Adamant. Captain William Hotham of Adamant carefully sailed his ship through the shallow waters. By 5:30 PM, Adamant was in a good position and fired its powerful guns at the beached French ship.
After just 15 minutes, it was clear that fighting was useless. Lhermitte lowered his ship's flag, which meant he surrendered. Preneuse was too damaged to be repaired.
The British commanders decided to destroy the ship completely so the French couldn't use it again. At 8:00 PM, a British boarding party went to Preneuse. They found only the officers and a few sailors left. The rest of the crew had escaped to shore. Captain Lhermitte was captured. The British then set the wrecked ship on fire and returned to their own ships without losing any men.
What Happened Next?
Since Preneuse was destroyed near Port Louis, Admiral Sercey watched the battle from the shore. He saw the last ship of his squadron from 1796 burn. With no ships left to command, he returned to France and retired from the navy.
For a while, France had no navy ships in the Indian Ocean. However, French privateers (private ships allowed to attack enemy merchant ships) still posed a threat to British trade. Later, more French ships arrived in the area, but not until after the Napoleonic Wars began in 1803.
