Battle of the Hyères Islands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of the Hyères Islands
Part of the naval operations during the War of the First Coalition
Map of the Western Mediterranean Location of the battle.
Date 13 July 1795 Location Off Îles d'Hyères, Mediterranean Sea Result British-Neapolitan victory
Belligerents
Great Britain Naples	France
Commanders and leaders
William Hotham Horatio Nelson	Pierre Martin
Strength
23 ships of the line 2 frigates 1 corvette 3 brigs 1 cutter (OOB)	19 ships of the line 7 frigates 1 corvette 4 brigs (OOB)
Casualties and losses
11 killed 28 wounded	c. 300 killed and wounded 1 ship of the line destroyed

The Battle of the Hyères Islands was a sea fight that happened on July 13, 1795. It was part of the French Revolutionary Wars. In this battle, a combined fleet of ships from Britain and Naples fought against the French Mediterranean Fleet.

Since the war began in 1793, the French fleet had faced many defeats. They were mostly stuck near the French Mediterranean coast. This was because the British and their allies had set up a strong blockade (a naval barrier to stop ships from entering or leaving).

The French fleet, led by Admiral Pierre Martin, tried to break this blockade in 1795. In March, the British fleet, led by Admiral William Hotham, caught them in the Gulf of Genoa. In the battle that followed, called the Battle of Genoa, two French ships were captured. Admiral Martin then managed to escape to a safe harbor.

Over the next few months, both sides received more ships. Admiral Hotham sailed near Minorca, while Admiral Martin had to deal with some of his sailors refusing to follow orders. By June, Hotham was back in the Ligurian Sea. The French fleet sailed out again in early July. British ships, led by Captain Horatio Nelson, spotted them. After some delays, Hotham chased the French. Martin tried to retreat to the safe Îles d'Hyères, but on July 13, his slower ships were caught by the British. In a quick fight, the British captured the last French ship, Alcide.

Sadly, the Alcide caught fire and exploded soon after, causing many deaths. Admiral Hotham could have attacked the rest of the French fleet, but he decided not to. This decision frustrated his officers and was later criticized by historians. The British kept their blockade, and Martin did not challenge it again that year. This was the last big fleet battle in the Mediterranean before the British fleet had to leave the area in late 1796. The next major battle there was the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

Why the Battle Happened

Early in the French Revolutionary Wars, the British Mediterranean Fleet took control of the entire French Mediterranean Fleet. This happened during the Siege of Toulon in August 1793. When French forces took back the city in December, British and Spanish teams tried to burn the French ships. However, only about half of them were destroyed.

In 1794, while the French repaired their ships, the British invaded and captured the island of Corsica. They then used San Fiorenzo Bay as a base. From here, they could blockade (block off) Toulon, where the French fleet was.

French Fleet's First Attempts

The French fleet, led by Admiral Pierre Martin, made a short trip out of port in June 1794. But it wasn't until March 1795 that they were strong enough for a larger journey. On March 3, they sailed from Toulon. They soon found and captured the British ship HMS Berwick near Cap Corse.

However, a combined British and Neapolitan fleet, led by Vice-Admiral William Hotham, chased them into the Gulf of Genoa. The French tried to escape back to Toulon, but they couldn't get away. On March 13, at the Battle of Genoa, the last French ship was cut off and badly damaged. The next day, this ship, the Ça Ira, and another, the Censeur, had to surrender. Admiral Martin and the rest of his ships managed to escape.

British Reinforcements and French Troubles

After the Battle of Genoa, Hotham sailed to a safe spot near La Spezia. Then he returned to San Fiorenzo for repairs. In April, he went to Leghorn, where he learned he had been promoted. He then sailed to Minorca. On June 14, he met a large group of nine ships of the line that had arrived from Britain. These extra ships were led by Rear-Admiral Robert Mann.

Hotham was worried the French fleet might have sailed while he was away. He sent a small group of frigates (fast warships) to search for Martin. This group, led by Captain George Henry Towry, instead met some French frigates on the same mission. In a fight on June 24, 1795, the French frigate Minerve was captured.

Meanwhile, the French had not been able to sail for most of the spring. Admiral Martin was busy gathering his ships and fixing them at the Îles d'Hyères. He sent his most damaged ships back to Toulon. On April 4, six more ships of the line joined them from Brest, France. Martin joined this force soon after.

But in May, a big problem hit his fleet: many sailors refused to work. It was only thanks to the efforts of a French official named Joseph Niou that the sailors agreed to return to duty.

The Chase Begins!

On June 7, Admiral Martin took his fleet to sea again. He had 17 ships of the line and six frigates. Hotham stayed near Minorca until June 24. He then sailed along the coast of Corsica and Sardinia, reaching San Fiorenzo on June 29.

On the way, Hotham received messages from Captain Towry. Prisoners from the captured French ship Minerve said that Martin's fleet was at sea. Hotham thought the French were just practicing and decided not to chase them right away. He ordered his ships to get ready and resupply. He didn't even send out scout ships to find Martin.

On July 4, Hotham sent a small group of ships led by Captain Horatio Nelson in HMS Agamemnon. Nelson's job was to talk with an Austrian general about fighting French forces in Italy. He was also to patrol near Genoa and then sail along the French coast.

Spotting the French Fleet

At 4:00 PM on July 7, near Cape del Melle, Nelson's ships spotted the French fleet. Martin had visited Genoa, where the Grand Duke of Tuscany had just made peace with France. Martin had then sent two of his ships back to Toulon. When he saw Nelson's small force, Martin decided to chase them. Nelson retreated towards San Fiorenzo.

The next morning, at 7:20 AM, Agamemnon began firing signal guns to alert Hotham. At 9:30 AM, the leading French ships saw the British fleet anchored. Even though the British were not ready and could have been attacked, Martin immediately ordered his fleet to turn away. They headed west, towards Toulon.

The wind was blowing from the west, making it hard for both fleets to move quickly. The British fleet was not prepared. It took Hotham until 9:00 PM to lead 23 ships of the line, including Agamemnon and two ships from Naples, out of the bay. They chased the French, who had used the delay to escape north.

For four days, Hotham searched for the French, fighting against the wind. Late on July 12, about 24 nautical miles (44 km) east of Île du Levant, a small frigate learned that the French had recently passed to the south. Hotham gave the signal to "prepare for battle" and led his fleet southwest. During the night, a strong wind damaged some sails. But at dawn on July 13, the French were seen just 5 nautical miles (9 km) away, spread out.

At 3:45 AM, Hotham ordered his ships to get into formation and sailed to the left. He wanted to cut off the French from the land. Martin used this time to organize his fleet. By 8:00 AM, the French were sailing in a line of battle back towards the Îles d'Hyères.

The Battle Unfolds

Realizing that the French might escape, Hotham ordered a "general chase." This meant his fastest ships could go ahead and try to catch the French. By noon, the French were about 0.75 nautical miles (1.4 km) ahead of the British to the northeast. Hotham's fleet was spread out over 8 nautical miles (15 km) of sea.

At 12:30 PM, the wind changed direction. It shifted from southwest to north. This change allowed the last three French ships to turn and fire their broadsides (all the guns on one side) at the approaching British. The leading British ships, HMS Culloden, HMS Cumberland, and HMS Victory, all came under fire.

The wind shift helped the British, allowing them to quickly gain on the French. The British ships soon began firing back. They focused on the slowest French ship, Alcide. Even though Culloden had to pull back after losing a mast, Alcide was soon badly damaged and alone.

At 2:00 PM, the Alcide was in danger of being completely overwhelmed. Its captain, Leblond Saint-Hylaire, struck his colours (lowered his flag as a sign of surrender). He surrendered his ship to Cumberland. However, Captain Bartholomew Rowley of Cumberland did not accept the surrender. He sailed past to attack the next French ship in line.

The French frigates Alceste and Justice tried to help Alcide. They attempted to pass a rope to tow it away from the British fleet. But the small boat carrying the rope was sunk by fire from Victory. The frigates then turned away under heavy fire. An attempt by Aquilon to reach Alcide was also stopped when it became clear that the surrendered ship was on fire.

Hotham's Decision

By 2:42 PM, more British ships, including Agamemnon, HMS Blenheim, HMS Captain, and HMS Defence, were close enough to fire. They exchanged shots with the last French ships: Généreux, Berwick, Tyrannicide, and Aquilon. Cumberland was heavily fighting Aquilon.

Then, Admiral Hotham suddenly sent flag signals telling his captains to stop fighting. He ordered them to return to his flagship, HMS Britannia. At this point, Hotham was 8 nautical miles (15 km) away from the action. He couldn't see that his ships were about to attack the main French fleet. He was worried that his spread-out ships were vulnerable to fire from the French fleet and shore batteries.

Admiral Mann on Victory had to repeat the order twice before Captain Rowley of Cumberland finally stopped fighting and pulled back. At this time, the ships were about 12 nautical miles (22 km) southeast of Cape Roux. The French, who now had the advantage of the wind, were sailing towards it.

Fire had started on the surrendered Alcide in the foretop (the top part of the mast). It was probably caused by an exploding grenade. By 2:15 PM, the fire was out of control, spreading across the ship. The crew jumped into the sea to escape the flames. About 300 were rescued by boats from the passing British ships. However, at least 300 people are believed to have died when the ship's gunpowder storage exploded at 3:45 PM. Captain Leblond Saint-Hylaire was among those who died.

What Happened After?

Besides the many lives lost on Alcide, there are no reports of other French losses. Few other French ships were heavily involved in the fighting. British losses were small, with 11 killed and 28 wounded across five ships. Cumberland, which fought the most, had no casualties at all. Victory, Cumberland, and Culloden had some damage to their sails and rigging, but nothing serious.

Admiral Martin led his remaining ships into the bay near Fréjus. They anchored there by 7:00 PM. The French fleet was later able to return to Toulon along the coast without any trouble from Hotham. They stayed in the harbor until September 14. Then, orders arrived telling Martin to send six ships of the line and three frigates back to the Atlantic fleet. This was to replace ships lost in the Battle of Groix in June.

This group of ships, led by Admiral Joseph de Richery, met and attacked a British convoy (a group of merchant ships with escorts) on October 7. This happened near Cape St. Vincent. They captured a ship of the line and 30 merchant ships.

Hotham returned to San Fiorenzo and then to Leghorn. In August, he briefly sailed near Toulon before leaving again. However, Nelson was sent with a group of ships to fight French army movements on the Mediterranean Coast. He attacked positions near Alassio. In September, Hotham sent ships to chase Richery, but they were too late to stop the convoy from being attacked. Later that year, another French group of ships, led by Captain Honoré Ganteaume, left Toulon and caused serious damage to British merchant ships in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Hotham left his command at Leghorn on November 1. Admiral Sir John Jervis took over the Mediterranean Fleet. Admiral Martin did not lead a fleet to sea again during the Mediterranean campaign. But in late 1796, French victories on land in Italy meant that Britain's allies were out of the war. This made it impossible for the British to keep a fleet near Toulon. The Mediterranean Fleet had to move to the Tagus river, giving control of the Mediterranean Sea to France.

Criticism of Hotham

Admiral Hotham was heavily criticized at the time for how he handled the battle. His delays and hesitations allowed the French to escape when they could have been easily defeated. His second-in-command was so angry that he reportedly kicked his hat across the deck!

Nelson wrote about the decision to stop fighting: "In the forenoon we had every prospect of taking every Ship in the Fleet; and at noon it was almost certain we should have the six near ships." He also criticized Martin, saying, "The French Admiral, I am sure, is not a wise man, nor an Officer: he was undetermined whether to fight or run away."

Later historians have been very critical of Hotham's failure to fight Martin earlier and more strongly. Historian C. S. Forester wrote that "Once more a French fleet had got away through a lack of energy and diligence on the part of a British Admiral." Another historian, Noel Mostert, called Hotham's indecision "a disastrous failure." He believed that missing the chance to defeat the French badly led directly to the British having to leave the Mediterranean the next year. No major British naval force returned to the Mediterranean until the Mediterranean campaign of 1798.