Battle of the Windward Passage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of the Windward Paassage |
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| Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Charles Holmes |
Unknown |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 2 frigates 1 post ship |
4 frigates 1 corvette 3 merchant ships |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| light | 200 casualties 3 frigates lost 1 corvette lost 3 merchant ships lost |
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The Battle of the Windward Passage was a small but important sea fight. It happened between the British and French navies. This battle took place from October 17 to 19, 1760. It was part of the bigger Seven Years' War.
The fight happened in the Caribbean Sea. This area is near Cap-François and Eastern Cuba. The British navy won this battle.
Contents
What Happened?
The Chase Begins
On October 17, 1760, at sunrise, British Admiral Charles Holmes led his ships. He was on the 50-gun ship named HMS Hampshire. Captain Coningsby Norbury was also on board.
Admiral Holmes also had two other ships with him. These were the HMS Boreas, led by Captain Samuel Uvedale. The third ship was the 20-gun HMS Lively, led by Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland.
They saw a group of French ships in the Windward Passage. This group was a convoy, meaning merchant ships protected by warships. The British ships set out to stop them.
French Convoy Ships
The French convoy was guarded by several warships. These included four frigates: Sirène, Duc de Choiseul, Prince Edward, and Fleur de Lys. There was also a 20-gun corvette named Valeur. Corvettes are smaller warships.
First Fight: Boreas vs. Sirène
The British ships started chasing the French. But the wind was very light. This made it hard for the ships to move fast. It was evening before the lead British ship, Boreas, could reach the French frigate Sirène.
The French ship Sirène fired first. Its shots damaged the Boreas's sails and rigging. This meant Boreas could not fight Sirène again right away. They had to wait until the next afternoon.
When they fought again, Boreas won. They captured the Sirène. About 80 French sailors were killed or hurt on Sirène. Many of them died later. The British ship Boreas had only one sailor killed and one wounded.
Second Fight: Lively vs. Valeur
The next day, the British ship Lively caught up with the French corvette Valeur. The Lively used its "sweeps," which are like giant oars. This helped it move faster in the light wind.
The Valeur had 160 sailors and was led by Captain Talbot. Lively caught Valeur near the eastern tip of Cuba. They fought for 90 minutes. Lively hit Valeur hard until it surrendered.
Lively lost two sailors, but no one was wounded. On Valeur, 38 sailors were killed. Another 25 were wounded, including their captain.
Other French Ships
At the same time, the British ship Hampshire was chasing the French frigate Prince Edward. This chase happened off the coast of Sainte Domingue (modern-day Haiti). The Prince Edward was chased onto the shore. Its 180 crew members, led by Captain Dubois, set the ship on fire. The ship then exploded to prevent the British from capturing it.
Another French frigate, Duc de Choiseul, managed to escape. It had 180 men and was led by Captain Bellevan. It got away into Port-de-Paix.
The last French frigate, Fleur de Lys, was found on October 19. It was in a bay where it was not protected. Its 190 crew members, led by Captain Diguarty, sank their own ship. They did this to stop Hampshire from capturing it.
The British also captured three French merchant ships. These ships were carrying valuable goods like sugar and indigo. They had only left Cap-François the day before.
Prize Money
The British ships Cambridge, Boreas, Hussar, and Viper shared money from the captured ships. This money came from the Sirène, Valeur, and the merchant ships named Maria, Elizabeth, and Pursue.
See also
