Java campaign of 1806–1807 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Java campaign of 1806–1807
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Capture of the Maria Riggersbergen, Octr. 18th 1806 Thomas Whitcombe, 1817
Date June 1806 – December 1807 Location Java, Dutch East Indies Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Holland
Commanders and leaders
Edward Pellew	Admiral Hartsinck
Strength
4 ships of the line 4 frigates 4 smaller warships	3 ships of the line 3 frigates 1 corvette 12 smaller warships 24 merchant ships
Casualties and losses
11 killed 37 wounded	101 killed and wounded 3 ships of the line destroyed 1 frigate destroyed 7 smaller warships destroyed 20 merchant ships destroyed 2 frigates captured 1 brig captured 4 merchant ships captured

The Java campaign of 1806–1807 was a series of naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars. British Royal Navy ships fought against the Dutch navy near the island of Java. Java was part of the Dutch East Indies, which was controlled by the Kingdom of Holland. At this time, Holland was allied with the French Empire.

The British wanted to protect their valuable trade ships. These ships sailed through the Malacca Straits near Java. Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew decided that the Dutch ships in Java were a threat. He planned to defeat them to make sure Britain controlled the seas in that area. Since he didn't have enough soldiers for a full invasion, Pellew decided to attack the Dutch ships directly.

Pellew's plans were delayed at first. But in July 1806, the British frigate HMS Greyhound won a battle against a Dutch convoy. Later, in October, HMS Caroline captured a Dutch frigate. After these wins, Pellew brought his main fleet to Java. In November 1806, he launched a big attack on Batavia. He destroyed the remaining Dutch frigate and many smaller warships. The larger Dutch ships had already moved to Griessie. So, Pellew had to lead a second mission in October 1807. He captured Griessie and destroyed the last Dutch naval forces in the East.

This victory gave Britain control over the seas in the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean. British trade ships could now travel safely. This also allowed Britain to focus on other threats, like the French islands of Île Bonaparte and Isle de France (now Mauritius).

Why the Campaign Happened

At the start of 1806, different countries were fighting for control of the Indian Ocean. This was during the Napoleonic Wars. France and its ally, the Kingdom of Holland, had important naval bases. Their warships could attack British ships from these bases.

The French islands of Île Bonaparte and Isle de France were in the middle of the Indian Ocean. From there, French ships could attack British trade routes. The Dutch had colonies at the Cape of Good Hope and in the Dutch East Indies. These colonies controlled the entry points to the ocean.

Britain had bases in India, which helped them control the Northern Indian Ocean. It was easier for Britain to get supplies and help from Europe. This was because the Royal Navy was very strong in European waters. However, British forces in the Indian Ocean were not strong enough to attack French and Dutch lands easily.

Controlling the Indian Ocean was very important for Britain. The British economy depended a lot on trade. They traded with the Honourable East India Company in India and with ports in the East, especially China.

In 1803, when the Napoleonic Wars began, a French fleet was already in the Indian Ocean. This fleet, led by Rear-Admiral Charles Linois, attacked British trade. Linois's main target was the China Fleet. This was a large group of valuable merchant ships that sailed from Canton every year. In 1804, this convoy was worth over £8 million. Linois tried to capture it, using Batavia on Java as his main base. He failed to defeat the convoy at the Battle of Pulo Aura. But this event showed how important Batavia was as a base against British shipping.

The British commander in the Indian Ocean, Rear-Admiral Peter Rainier, was busy protecting ships near India. He couldn't send ships to the Java Sea. His replacement, Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, was also busy with Linois's ships. He couldn't attack the Dutch before the monsoon season in late 1805. Hurricanes during the monsoon made major sea operations impossible.

By early 1806, Linois had left the Indian Ocean. This allowed Pellew to plan attacks on enemy ports. The Dutch had their own navy in Java, led by Rear-Admiral Hartsinck at Batavia. This fleet had four large warships, three frigates, and many smaller ships. Their main job was to fight pirates. But their presence near the Malacca Straits worried the British in India.

The Campaign Begins

Scouting by Frigates

Pellew wanted to launch a big attack in 1806. His first plan was to attack Isle de France, then Java. But his Royal Marines soldiers were needed to stop the Vellore Mutiny in India. This delayed his plans.

Even so, Pellew sent several frigates to the Java Sea. Their job was to scout the area, attack Dutch ships, and report on the Dutch navy in Batavia. The first ships sent were HMS Greyhound and HMS Harrier.

On July 25, 1806, Captain Edward Elphinstone on Greyhound found four Dutch ships. They were off the coast of Sulawesi. Elphinstone watched them overnight. The next morning, he saw they were a frigate, a corvette, and two merchant ships. The Dutch commander, N. L. Aalbers, lined up his ships for battle. He hoped to scare Elphinstone away.

But the British ships were not scared. Greyhound attacked the Dutch frigate Pallas. Harrier sailed between Pallas and a merchant ship, firing at both. Within 40 minutes, Pallas gave up. Harrier then chased and captured the two merchant ships. The corvette escaped to the Sulawesi coast.

After this success, another frigate, HMS Caroline, entered Dutch waters in October. Captain Peter Rainier (nephew of Admiral Rainier) was in command. Rainier found that the large Dutch warships had sailed east from Batavia. One of them, Schrikverwekker, had been wrecked in May. He also learned that the Dutch frigate Phoenix was being repaired near Batavia.

On October 18, Caroline arrived near the port. Two Dutch ships raised the alarm, and Phoenix escaped into the main harbor. Rainier still sailed into Batavia roadstead (an open bay). There, he found several small warships and the frigate Maria Riggersbergen. The smaller ships ran aground on purpose to avoid fighting. But Captain Claas Jager on Maria Riggersbergen fought Caroline. After 30 minutes, the Dutch ship was defeated and captured. Rainier sent the prisoners ashore. The captured frigate was later renamed HMS Java.

Attack on Batavia

Pellew was happy with his frigates' success. In late 1806, he gathered a strong force. It included four large warships, two frigates, and a brig. His goal was to destroy the remaining Dutch ships.

On November 23, Pellew reached the Sunda Strait. On November 27, he arrived at Batavia. He split his ships. The smaller ships sailed close to shore. The large warships stayed in deeper water outside the harbor entrance.

The Dutch ships were surprised. They thought Pellew's fleet was French. By the time they realized their mistake, the harbor was blocked. Captain Vander Sande purposely ran his ship, Phoenix, aground. Six other warships and 22 merchant ships followed.

Admiral Pellew wanted to destroy all the Dutch ships. He ordered his squadron's small boats to gather near the frigate HMS Terpsichore. This ship was commanded by his son, Captain Fleetwood Pellew. Sailors and Royal Marines then went in the boats to board the stranded Dutch ships. The British frigates provided cover from a distance. Dutch shore batteries fired at the British boats.

When they boarded Phoenix, they found that Vander Sande had sunk his ship. It was useless. Captain Pellew used the wrecked ship's guns to fire at other grounded ships. His boats then approached and boarded them. This whole operation cost the British only one man killed and four wounded.

The ships that couldn't be refloated were burned. Captain Pellew waited until all other Dutch ships were destroyed. Then he set fire to the wreck of Phoenix and returned to his ship. In total, one frigate, seven smaller warships, and 20 merchant ships were destroyed. One small warship and two merchant ships were captured. With his mission done, Admiral Pellew ordered his ships to return to friendly ports for the winter.

The Battle at Griessie

When the winter hurricane season ended in spring 1807, Admiral Pellew's ships were spread out. They were on different missions from the Red Sea to the South China Sea. Pellew didn't have enough ships for a long operation against the remaining Dutch fleet. So, he sent frigates to scout the Java Sea. HMS Caroline and Psyche (commanded by Fleetwood Pellew) were sent to find the Dutch warships.

On August 29, the frigates reached Panka, on the eastern tip of Java. The next day, they captured a merchant ship from Batavia. This ship revealed that the Dutch warships were anchored at Griessie, near Surabaya. The report said the ships were old and too damaged to be repaired. With their mission complete, the frigates split up to raid Dutch shipping. Psyche sailed west along the coast to the port of Semarang.

At Semarang, Pellew saw two ships anchored. On the morning of August 31, he sent his ship's boats, led by Lieutenant Kersteman. Despite heavy fire from shore batteries, Kersteman successfully towed the ships out. No British sailors were hurt. They captured an 8-gun schooner and a merchant brig.

While the boats were at Semarang, Pellew saw three more ships cruising near the harbor mouth. He quickly set fire to the captured ships and called his boats back. He then chased the three Dutch vessels. At 3:30 PM, Psyche was quickly catching up. The Dutch captains deliberately ran their ships ashore. They were about 9 miles (14 km) west of Semarang.

Psyche got close to the grounded ships and fired at them from a distance. The shallow water prevented a closer fight. At 4:30 PM, just as Pellew was preparing to send his boats to board, one of the Dutch ships surrendered. Within minutes, the others followed. They fired their last shots and lowered their flags.

The surrendered ships were boarded and refloated. They were identified as the 24-gun corvette Scipio, the armed merchant ship Resolutie, and the 12-gun Dutch East India Company ship Ceres. The number of Dutch casualties is unknown. But the Dutch commander, Captain Carriage, was killed. Psyche had no one killed or wounded. All the prisoners were sent ashore at Semarang. Many of Pellew's men were on the captured ships, so he couldn't spare men to guard the Dutch prisoners.

In summer 1807, Rear-Admiral Albemarle Bertie took over the blockade of French bases in the Indian Ocean. This allowed Pellew to focus on the Dutch East Indies. He moved his base temporarily to Malacca in the Malay Peninsula.

After getting reports from his scouting frigates, Pellew sailed from Malacca on November 20. He planned to destroy the remaining Dutch ships on Java. On December 5, he reached the Madura Strait. Pellew sent a small boat party to Griessie. They demanded that the Dutch authorities surrender the ships. However, Captain Cowell, the American-born Dutch naval commander, refused. He arrested the boat party and told Pellew he was preparing his defenses.

The next day, Pellew sailed his fleet into the Straits. They exchanged fire with a gun battery at Sambelangan on Madura Island. As Pellew's fleet got closer to Griessie, a message arrived. It was from the Dutch civilian governor at Sourabaya. He reversed Cowell's orders and offered to surrender completely.

Pellew accepted the surrender. On December 7, his ships entered Griessie. But while messages were being exchanged, Cowell had ordered all ships in Griessie harbor to be destroyed. This was to stop the British from getting them. The ships were sunk in shallow water, leaving only wrecked hulls. Pellew ordered the hulls burned. British landing parties searched the town. They burned and destroyed all military supplies and cannons they found. Another party landed at Sambelangan and destroyed the battery there. Pellew left on December 11. He had achieved his goal of destroying the Dutch navy in the East Indies.

What Happened Next

The British victory against the Dutch in the East Indies was very important. It allowed British forces in the Indian Ocean to focus only on the French islands of Île Bonaparte and Isle de France. These islands were very hard to capture during the Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811.

Being able to move freely in the East Indies was very helpful for Britain. For example, on January 27, 1807, Peter Rainier on Caroline captured a Spanish ship. It was carrying over half a million Spanish dollars and other valuable goods. British ships could now easily attack French, Spanish, and Dutch merchant ships in the area.

Later, Pellew's replacement, Rear-Admiral William O'Bryen Drury, tried to take over the Dutch East Indies islands. In 1810, the Spice Islands were captured. In 1811, Java was seized. British naval movements faced no opposition. This led to a quick and successful end to the war in the Pacific.