Battle of the Levant Convoy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of the Levant Convoy
Part of the French Revolutionary War
Date 7 October 1795 Location off Cape St Vincent, Portugal Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Commodore Joseph de Richery	Commodore Thomas Taylor
Strength
6 ships of the line 3 frigates	3 ships of the line 1 frigate 31 merchantmen
Casualties and losses
Light	1 ship of the line captured 30 merchantmen captured

The Battle of the Levant Convoy was a sea fight during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened on October 7, 1795. A strong French fleet surprised a valuable British group of merchant ships. This happened near Cape St Vincent off the coast of Portugal.

The British ships were not well protected. Their small escort squadron tried to fight back. But they were no match for the French. During the battle, one British warship and almost all the merchant ships were captured. The French commander, Commodore Joseph de Richery, then sailed to Cádiz. This was a neutral port in Spain. There, the British navy started a blockade to trap him.

The British Levant convoy was a yearly event. It involved many merchant ships from the Eastern Mediterranean. These ships gathered together for safety. They were escorted to Britain by Royal Navy warships. In 1795, Commodore Thomas Taylor led this escort. He had three large warships and some smaller frigates. One of his warships was in poor condition. Taylor split the convoy into two groups. On October 7, a French fleet led by Richery found Taylor's group. Richery's fleet was on its way to attack fishing areas in Newfoundland.

Taylor tried to hold off the French. He hoped this would give the merchant ships time to escape. But one of his ships, HMS Censeur, had problems. It lost a mast while forming a battle line. The French quickly overwhelmed it. With his battle line broken, Taylor pulled away. He left the merchant ships to their fate. Only one British merchant ship escaped. Richery took his captured ships to Cádiz in Southern Spain. There, a British squadron led by Rear-Admiral Robert Mann blockaded him. Almost a year later, Richery escaped with Spanish help. He then caused much damage to fishing fleets off Maritime Canada.

Why the Battle Happened

French Naval Troubles

The French Navy had a tough time early in the French Revolutionary Wars. They lost many ships in battles like the Glorious First of June in 1794. More ships were lost in the winter of 1795. In June 1795, three more ships were lost at the Battle of Groix. France needed more ships for its Atlantic fleet. So, they asked their Mediterranean fleet for help. That fleet had also lost many ships.

Vice-Admiral Pierre Martin, who led the Mediterranean fleet, agreed to help. He prepared a squadron of six large warships and three frigates. Commodore Joseph de Richery was put in charge of this group. Their mission was to sail across the Atlantic. They were to join other French ships in the Caribbean. Then, they would land soldiers in Saint-Domingue. After that, they would attack British ships near Jamaica. Finally, they would sail north to attack the important cod fisheries off Newfoundland and Maritime Canada. They would then return to France.

British Convoy Plans

Admiral Martin knew the British Mediterranean fleet was strong. But the British commander, Admiral William Hotham, kept his blockade of Toulon loose. This allowed Richery to slip away unnoticed on September 14. Martin also knew that the yearly British merchant convoy from the Levant was due to sail west. Weeks later, he sent another squadron to find it.

However, Martin didn't know the convoy had sailed earlier than expected. It reached Gibraltar before Richery even left. At Gibraltar, the 63-ship convoy met its escort. This escort came from Hotham's fleet. Commodore Thomas Taylor led this force. He was on the 74-gun HMS Fortitude. He also had HMS Bedford and HMS Censeur. Smaller ships included the frigates HMS Argo, HMS Juno, HMS Lutine and the fireship HMS Tisiphone. Censeur, commanded by Captain John Gore, was not ready for battle. It was a French warship captured in March. It was still damaged and had temporary masts.

The Battle Begins

Taylor's convoy left Gibraltar on September 25. It sailed slowly west into the Atlantic. The next day, Taylor split his force. He sent 32 merchant ships with Argo and Juno. He took 31 merchant ships along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. By the morning of October 7, the convoy was passing Cape St Vincent. They were about 144 nautical miles (267 km) offshore.

At 9:30 AM, sails were spotted to the northeast. Taylor quickly realized they were enemy ships. He quickly ordered his squadron to form a battle line. Fortitude was in the lead, followed by Bedford and Censeur. Lutine and Tisiphone supported them. The merchant ships were told to scatter and escape.

Richery's fleet sailed towards Taylor's small squadron. He sent his frigates, Embuscade, Félicité and Friponne, to attack the fleeing merchant ships. Taylor hoped to hold off the French long enough for the convoy to get away. But the French frigates simply avoided his battle line.

The Fall of Censeur

The damaged Censeur could not keep its position. At 1:00 PM, its temporary top-foremast broke. Captain Gore had to fall back, away from Taylor's other ships. Taylor talked with his officers and Captain Augustus Montgomery on Bedford. They agreed to withdraw. Fortitude and Bedford then pulled away from the French. They left Censeur behind.

At 1:50 PM, the leading French ships opened fire on Censeur. Gore fired back. Fortitude and Bedford also fired their stern guns. Richery's squadron closed in on the retreating British line. They fired at Censeur's masts. Both remaining topmasts quickly fell. Censeur was not expected to fight, so it had little gunpowder. By 2:30 PM, all the gunpowder was gone. Abandoned by Taylor, Gore surrendered. Three French ships captured Censeur. Richery's leading ships then engaged Lutine. Captain William Haggitt fired back briefly as he pulled away. With Censeur captured and his frigates among the merchant ships, Richery stopped chasing Taylor. He let the remaining British warships retreat.

Aftermath

The Levant convoy was left unprotected and was mostly destroyed. Richery's frigates captured 30 of the 31 British merchant ships. Richery gathered his prizes and sailed back to the Spanish coast. He eventually anchored in the neutral port of Cádiz. Because of treaties, only three of Richery's ships could dock in Cádiz itself. The rest anchored in the less protected port of Rota.

Richery was now trapped. Hotham had learned on September 22 that Richery was at sea. On October 5, he sent a squadron of six warships and two frigates to chase him. Rear-Admiral Robert Mann led this force. Richery had a three-week head start. So, Mann arrived off Cádiz too late to stop the battle. But he found Richery newly anchored in the harbor. Mann followed his orders to pursue the French. He set up a blockade of Cádiz, waiting for Richery to leave. The other part of the convoy, led by Captain Richard Burgess on Argo, reached Britain safely.

The Blockade and Escape

The blockade lasted ten months. Richery could not find a way to escape Mann's watch. His ships were damaged by winter storms. On December 17, three of his ships, Victoire, Duquesne and Révolution, were blown ashore. They were badly damaged. They needed many repairs in the Cádiz shipyards.

The French were finally freed by diplomatic means. In the spring of 1796, France and Spain began talking about an alliance against Britain. This alliance was signed on August 19, 1796, as the Treaty of San Ildefonso. As a friendly gesture, the Spanish fleet at Cádiz agreed to help Richery escape. Admiral Juan de Lángara took 20 warships and 14 other vessels to sea on August 4. Richery's ten warships went with them. They found the waters near Cádiz empty. Mann had left the blockade on July 29. He had orders from Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis to leave.

Lángara sent Richery 300 nautical miles (556 km) west with a large escort. Richery then separated from the Spanish ships. He continued his original mission to attack the fishing areas of Maritime Canada. In September, he burned fishing fleets and towns across Newfoundland and Labrador. He captured or destroyed over a hundred British merchant ships. Then, he returned to France without any problems.

Ships in the Battle

Richery's Squadron (French)

Taylor's Squadron (British)