Battle of Tory Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Tory Island |
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| Part of the naval operations during the War of the First Coalition and the Irish Rebellion of 1798 | |||||||
 Battle of Tory island, Nicholas Pocock |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Sir John Warren |
 Jean Bompart |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 3 ships of the line 5 frigates (OOB) |
1 ship of the line 9 frigates 3,000 soldiers (OOB) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 150 killed and wounded | 700 killed and wounded 2,400 captured 1 ship of the line captured 6 frigates captured |
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The Battle of Tory Island was a big naval fight during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened on October 12, 1798, near Tory Island off the coast of County Donegal, Ireland. This battle was the last part of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It stopped France's final attempt to send many soldiers to Ireland during the war.
The Society of United Irishmen, led by Wolfe Tone, started an uprising against British rule in Ireland in May 1798. The rebels asked France for help. A small French force landed in Killala, County Mayo. But by early September, both this French group and the rebellion were defeated.
France didn't know their first force had surrendered. So, on September 16, they sent more soldiers. The Royal Navy was ready for another invasion. When the French ships left Brest, they were quickly spotted. After a long chase, the British caught the French fleet near Tory Island. The French tried to escape but were defeated. The British captured four ships and scattered the rest. Over the next two weeks, British patrols caught three more French ships. Out of ten original French ships, only two frigates and a schooner got away safely. The British had very few losses.
This battle was the last time the French Navy tried to invade any part of the British Isles. It also ended the hopes of the United Irishmen for outside help. After the battle, Wolfe Tone was found on a captured French ship and arrested.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
For a long time, Britain's enemies in Europe saw Ireland as a weak spot. Landing troops there was a popular idea. Invaders hoped to get support from many Irish people. Also, they thought British troops in Ireland would be fewer and less experienced. Getting the British Army stuck in Ireland would also make it harder for them to fight elsewhere. French planners even thought a successful invasion of Ireland could lead to an invasion of Great Britain itself.
The ideas of the French Revolution inspired many Irish people. They wanted freedom and equality for their own nation. This meant becoming independent from Great Britain. In 1791, Wolfe Tone started the Society of United Irishmen in Dublin. This group secretly worked with the French Republic. When war started between France and Britain in 1793, the British government banned the society. Tone and others secretly went to France. They tried to convince the French government to invade Ireland. They said a French invasion would get help from many Irish fighters. If successful, it would seriously hurt Britain's war effort.
Earlier Invasion Attempts
Organizing an invasion of Ireland was hard for France. Their navy had suffered big defeats in 1794 and 1795. Many of their best officers were gone. This made the French Navy less willing to take risks.
Finally, in December 1796, a large French force called the Expédition d'Irlande set sail. It had 17 large warships and 27 smaller ones, carrying 25,000 soldiers. But the weather was terrible. Even though some ships spent a week in Bantry Bay, no French soldiers landed. This expedition was a total disaster. France lost 13 ships and over 2,000 men drowned.
The next year, Wolfe Tone tried again. This time, he convinced the Dutch government, which was controlled by France, to prepare their own invasion. In 1797, the Dutch fleet got ready. They planned to join the French fleet for a second invasion. But in October 1797, the British Navy attacked the Dutch fleet. In the Battle of Camperdown, the British captured or destroyed ten Dutch ships. This ended the Dutch invasion threat.
The 1798 Rebellion
In May 1798, a rebellion started in Ireland. Commodore Daniel Savary led a third, smaller French effort to help. In August, he landed 1,150 French troops under General Humbert in Killala. A bigger force was planned, but the French were not ready. The Irish rebellion had started early because British spies had arrested many United Irishmen leaders.
Even though Humbert's force had some early success, the rebellion was already losing. Humbert's army, joined by many United Irishmen, was defeated by larger British forces at the Battle of Ballinamuck. They surrendered on September 8. Savary's small force was not big enough to change the outcome of the rebellion.
Bompart's Mission to Ireland
The French didn't know that General Humbert had surrendered and the rebellion was over. So, they prepared another expedition. This one was led by Commodore Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart. Three thousand soldiers boarded the warship Hoche and eight frigates. They left Brest on September 16.
The Royal Navy was now very alert. They had missed Savary's small force earlier. British frigates patrolled near French ports and Ireland. Larger British warship groups were also nearby, ready to stop any new invasion. The British commander in the Irish area was Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren. He was a very experienced officer.
Bompart's ships left Brest at night, hoping to sneak past the British blockade. But they took too long and were spotted at dawn on September 17. A British frigate squadron, led by Captain Richard Goodwin Keats in HMS Boadicea, saw them. Keats sent two ships, HMS Ethalion and HMS Sylph, to follow the French. Keats himself went to tell Admiral Lord Bridport about the French movements.
The Chase Begins
Bompart knew the British were following, but he kept sailing north. Ethalion followed closely. On September 18, HMS Amelia joined the chase. Amelia had seen the chase the day before and caught up by sailing quietly through the French ships at night. Bompart tried to trick the British by pretending to go to different places, but the British captains stayed on his trail. On September 20, HMS Anson, a large frigate, joined the British.
By September 23, Ethalion's captain, Countess, figured out the French were heading for Ireland. He sent Sylph to warn Commodore Warren. On September 25, Bompart had to change course to avoid a large British convoy. He also tried to attack the British frigates with three of his own, but this failed. His flagship Hoche lost a topmast in bad weather and fell behind. The other French frigates had to go back to protect her.
Bompart finally gave up trying to hide his destination and turned north-west. High winds damaged Hoche and Anson again. For four more days, the chase continued north. On October 4, a storm hit, and Bompart managed to escape Countess in the darkness.
On October 11, the weather cleared. Countess saw two ships and went to investigate. They were Amelia and a ship from Warren's squadron. Warren had received Sylph's warning and was sailing north to find the French. Warren's squadron now had three large warships and a frigate. Two more frigates, HMS Melampus and HMS Doris, joined them. Warren sent Doris to scout the Irish coast and warn British garrisons.
The Battle Near Tory Island
Bompart finally reached Lough Swilly, where the landing was planned. He didn't know the rebellion was defeated. He hoped Humbert's army would be there. Bompart looked for a landing spot but couldn't find one before dark on October 10. He waited near Tory Island. The next day, he was surprised to see Warren's strong British fleet approaching.
Bompart gave up on landing troops. He tried to escape into the open sea. Both fleets struggled in a strong wind that hit around 8 PM. All three of Hoche's topmasts broke, and her sail was torn. This made her much slower. Other ships were also damaged.
During the night, Bompart tried to trick the British. He sent a small ship, Biche, with orders for the frigate Résolue to beach itself and fire flares. This was supposed to distract Warren. But the order was never carried out. In the morning, Warren was still close behind Bompart.
Bompart realized he couldn't escape. He formed his ships into a battle line and turned west, ready to fight. Warren's ships were spread out, so he didn't give the attack signal until 7 AM. He ordered HMS Robust to attack Hoche directly.
Captain Edward Thornbrough of Robust immediately attacked. He fired at the French frigates Embuscade and Coquille as he passed. Then, at 8:50 AM, he began a fierce fight with Hoche. Minutes later, Magnanime joined the battle. The next three British ships, Ethalion, Melampus, and Amelia, all fired at the damaged Hoche as they passed. They then chased the other French frigates that were trying to escape. By the time the main British ships passed, Hoche was a wreck. Bompart surrendered at 10:50 AM. About 270 of his crew and passengers were killed or wounded.
Embuscade surrendered next. She had been hit hard by Magnanime and then by long-range fire from Foudroyant. Her captain surrendered at 11:30 AM. Magnanime took possession of Embuscade. Robust, badly damaged from fighting Hoche, stayed with her captured opponent.
The French ships were fleeing in the direction of the wind, which led them towards the slower British ships. Most French frigates were faster than the big British warships. But Bellone was hit by a shot from Foudroyant, which caused a fire. This slowed her down a lot. She was then attacked by Melampus. Nearby, Coquille surrendered to Canada.
Ethalion chased Bellone for two hours, firing at her. Ethalion was faster and slowly got closer. After two more hours, the badly damaged Bellone finally surrendered. She had more casualties than any other ship except Hoche.
To the south, the struggling Anson was in danger. The remaining French frigates were heading towards her. Anson's captain, Durham, was confused at first because the French ships were flying fake British flags. But he quickly realized who they were and opened fire on Loire at 4 PM. Anson was too damaged to move well, so the French ships pulled back and sailed away. During the evening, the remaining French frigates escaped into the night. Four French ships, including their flagship, were captured.
The Chase Continues
By nightfall, some French ships entered Donegal Bay. Canada, Melampus, and Foudroyant were still chasing them. The ships passed each other in the dark. Canada almost ran aground.
Back at the battle site, Warren ordered Robust to tow Hoche to Lough Swilly. This was risky because Robust was also damaged. On October 13, a gale hit. Hoche lost more masts and broke her tow rope. Only the combined efforts of the British prize crew and French prisoners saved her from sinking. On October 15, Doris arrived and towed Hoche safely to Lough Swilly. Meanwhile, Ethalion brought Bellone to port. Magnanime and Amelia brought in Coquille and Embuscade.
Melampus and Résolue
On the morning of October 13, Warren saw two French frigates leaving Donegal Bay. He chased them, telling Moore in Melampus to look for other ships. Melampus searched the bay until late at night. At 11:30 PM, Immortalité and Résolue suddenly appeared in front of her. Immortalité quickly sailed away. But Résolue's captain, Bargeau, didn't see the British ship. He thought Melampus was Immortalité and came alongside. He only realized his mistake when Melampus opened fire.
Because of the rough seas, Résolue's main guns were tied down. She could only fire a few small guns. Bargeau's ship was also leaking badly. He surrendered in minutes, losing ten men. Melampus put a prize crew on Résolue and then chased Immortalité.
The Escape of Loire
Loire and Sémillante had escaped the battle. They headed south into Blacksod Bay in County Mayo, hoping to hide. But late on October 15, a British frigate group, led by James Newman-Newman, entered the bay. The French ships had to flee north. Newman chased them, sending HMS Révolutionaire after Sémillante. He chased Loire in HMS Mermaid, with the brig HMS Kangaroo. Loire and Sémillante split up. Mermaid and Kangaroo lost Loire in the evening. Sémillante escaped Révolutionaire after dark.
However, on the morning of October 16, Newman spotted Loire again. Loire was faster than Mermaid in the high winds. But she couldn't outrun Kangaroo, which fired at the much larger frigate from a distance. Kangaroo was damaged and fell behind. Loire was also damaged. By 6:45 AM the next day, Captain Segond of Loire knew he couldn't escape. He slowed down, planning to fight Mermaid, who was the only British ship close enough.
Mermaid and Loire began fighting at 7 AM. Both ships were badly damaged. Mermaid broke some of Loire's masts. But Mermaid was also hit by musket fire from the soldiers on Loire. At 9:15 AM, the French ship lost another mast. Newman tried to position Mermaid to fire along Loires length. As he did this, a shot from Loire hit Mermaids mizzenmast. This made Mermaid hard to control and disabled some of her guns.
Seeing a chance, the damaged Loire pulled away. She gained a lot of distance before Mermaid's crew could clear the wreckage. Strong winds also tore away sails and spars from Mermaid. By the time Mermaid was ready to fight again, Loire had escaped.
But on October 18, HMS Anson appeared. She was slowly sailing south after being damaged before the battle. Even though his ship was hard to control, Captain Durham was determined to fight. He slowly brought Anson towards Loire, who couldn't escape. Kangaroo, recovered from her damage, was also with Anson. At 10:30 AM, Anson and Loire began firing. Neither ship could move well, so they just fired at each other. Kangaroo got close to Loire's unprotected rear and fired repeatedly. By 12:00 PM, Loire had lost her mainmast and was leaking badly. Captain Segond had to surrender. His ship was towed to port, the sixth prize of the campaign.
Fisgard and Immortalité
The four remaining French ships had mostly avoided being caught. By October 19, they were near Brest in Brittany, hoping to sneak through the British blockade. Captain Mathieu-Charles Bergevin on Romaine tried to land his troops in Ireland on October 13, but the soldiers refused. He then sailed southwest and avoided all British ships. He met the schooner Biche and arrived at Brest on October 23. The same day, Sémillante arrived in Lorient after escaping Révolutionaire. She was the last French ship to return home.
Immortalité almost made it to safety. On the morning of October 20, Captain Jean-François Legrand was near Brest. He was spotted by Captain Thomas Byam Martin of HMS Fisgard. Fisgard was part of the British blockade. Immortalité tried to flee but was forced to fight the faster Fisgard at 11 AM. During the tough fight, Fisgard was badly damaged. Immortalité, which had lost a mast and was sinking, surrendered at 3 PM. Among the 115 casualties on Immortalité were Captain Legrand, his first officer, and General Monge (who commanded the 250 soldiers on board). All were dead. Fisgard, with help from other British ships, brought her prize safely to port.
Another French Attempt
The French leaders had not given up. They sent a second group of four frigates under Commodore Daniel Savary. This force was supposed to help Bompart and then escort any survivors back to France. On October 27, Savary learned about Bompart's defeat and the end of the Irish rebellion from locals in Killala. He immediately turned south to avoid the same fate.
However, on October 28, he was spotted by a three-ship British group led by Sir James Saumarez. This group included two large warships. Saumarez immediately chased them. The ships exchanged long-distance cannon fire all day. Late in the evening, Saumarez's flagship HMS Caesar lost a mast in strong winds. Command passed to Sir Richard Bickerton, 2nd Baronet, in HMS Terrible.
After another day of chasing, late on October 29, Savary split his ships. He sent two frigates southeast and turned northwest with two more. Bickerton also split his force. He sent the frigate HMS Melpomene after the southern group and followed Savary himself in Terrible. By October 30, both British ships were close to their targets. But at 5 PM, a severe storm hit. Savary's ships had been throwing guns, horses, and equipment overboard to make them lighter. So, they handled the high winds better. The heavier British ships couldn't keep up and fell behind. When the weather cleared, the French ships were gone. All four eventually returned to Brest. This ended the final French attempt to invade Ireland.
The Dutch also tried to help the French invasion fleet. On October 24, they sent two small frigates, Furie and Waakzaamheid, to Ireland with military supplies. Within hours of leaving port, both ships were caught by the British frigate HMS Sirius in the action of 24 October 1798.
What Happened Next
Savary's return to port marked the end of any country trying to land troops in Ireland. France lost so many ships and men that they never seriously thought about trying again. Also, the huge losses for the Irish during the rebellion, and British actions against the Irish people, ended any hope of starting the uprising again soon. The most serious blow for the United Irishmen was the arrest of Wolfe Tone. He was found among the prisoners taken from Hoche at Buncrana.
In Britain, the battle was seen as a huge success. The Parliament thanked all the British forces. Many junior officers were promoted. All crew members received money from selling the captured French ships. Of these captured ships, Immortalité and Loire were bought by the Royal Navy and served for many years. Hoche was renamed HMS Donegal, and Embuscade became HMS Ambuscade. Coquille was supposed to be bought, but she had a terrible explosion in December 1798. It killed 13 people and completely destroyed the ship. The last two captured ships, Résolue and Bellone, were too old and damaged for active service. But the Royal Navy bought them anyway so their captors could get prize money. Bellone became HMS Proserpine and Résolue became HMS Resolue. Both ships were used as harbor vessels for some years before being broken up. Fifty years later, the battle was one of the events recognized by a special medal, the "12th October 1798" clasp, on the Naval General Service Medal. This medal was given to all British participants who were still alive in 1847.
