Order of battle in the Algeciras campaign facts for kids
The Algeciras campaign, also known as the Battles of Algeciras, was a short but fierce naval fight. It happened between July 4 and 13, 1801. This battle involved ships from France and Spain fighting against the British Royal Navy.
A French group of ships, led by Admiral Charles Linois, sailed from Toulon on June 13. Their goal was to meet up with the Spanish fleet and other French warships at Cadiz, a Spanish port. On July 4, Linois's ships passed Gibraltar, a British naval base. He found out that a larger British group of ships, led by Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, was waiting near Cadiz. To avoid a big battle with the stronger British force, Linois decided to anchor his ships in the Spanish port of Algeciras. This port was very close to Gibraltar.
Admiral Saumarez found Linois's ships there on July 6. He attacked at 8:30 AM. However, the British ships faced problems. The winds were light, and Linois's ships were in a very strong defensive spot. They were protected by Spanish shore batteries and small gunboats.
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First Battle of Algeciras
During this first battle, the British ship HMS Hannibal got stuck on the seabed. It couldn't be moved. Two French ships also ran aground. But the Spanish cannons on shore and the lack of wind made it very hard for the British. Saumarez had to call off the attack at 1:35 PM. This left Hannibal stranded and alone. Its captain, Solomon Ferris, had no choice but to surrender. The rest of the British ships went back to Gibraltar to fix their damage.
Admiral Linois asked for help from the Spanish forces in Cadiz. On July 9, a rescue group of six large warships and two smaller frigates was sent. This group was led by Juan Joaquín Moreno de Mondragón. They arrived on July 9 and anchored in Algeciras.
British Ships in the First Battle
The British ships were part of a group that was blocking the Spanish fleet in Cadiz. One British ship, HMS Superb, was not there. It was on a different mission and arrived too late. All the British ships fought hard. HMS Hannibal and HMS Pompée were hit the worst. They were at the front of the British line and got stuck because of the calm winds. Pompée had to be pulled away by smaller boats. Hannibal was badly damaged, got stuck, and was captured. These two ships had more than half of all the British injuries and deaths.
In total, the British had about 135 sailors killed and 239 wounded in this battle.
French and Spanish Ships in the First Battle
Admiral Linois's ships were in a very good defensive spot. They were close to shore and protected by Spanish forts and gunboats. The French ships also had over 1,500 soldiers on board who helped fight from the shore. The main French warships, Desaix and Indomptable, were driven ashore and badly damaged. Formidable was also heavily damaged. All three needed a lot of repairs. The Spanish forts and the town of Algeciras itself also suffered a lot of damage. Several Spanish gunboats were destroyed.
In total, the French and Spanish forces had about 172 sailors killed and around 324 wounded.
Second Battle of Algeciras
On July 12, the combined French and Spanish fleet was ready to sail. It was much larger than the British fleet. They left Algeciras heading west with the wind. Saumarez followed them. He sent HMS Superb to attack the Spanish ships at the back of the line.
Dramatic Night Battle
During the start of the second battle, HMS Superb attacked the huge 112-gun Spanish ship Real Carlos. Superb set Real Carlos on fire! The British also captured the French ship Saint Antoine.
Later, the burning Real Carlos drifted into another Spanish ship, the San Hermenegildo. The fire spread to San Hermenegildo. At 12:15 AM on July 13, both ships exploded! This caused a terrible loss of life, with hundreds of sailors dying.
Final Chase and Outcome
The British ships kept up their attack. At 5:15 AM on July 13, HMS Venerable and HMS Thames attacked the French ship Formidable near the Spanish coast. In a very tough fight, Formidable managed to knock down Venerable's masts. This caused Venerable to run aground. However, Formidable then escaped with the rest of the fleet to Cadiz.
Venerable was later rescued and brought back to Gibraltar. After these battles, Admiral Saumarez started blocking the port of Cadiz again, keeping the French and Spanish ships trapped inside.
British Ships in the Second Battle
Admiral Saumarez's ships were still recovering from the first battle. HMS Caesar had its masts replaced in just four days. HMS Pompée was too damaged to sail, so Saumarez left it in Gibraltar. Its crew was moved to other ships. The only fresh British ships were HMS Superb and HMS Thames. They had rejoined the fleet on July 10.
In this second battle, only Superb, Venerable, and Thames were directly involved in the fighting. The other British ships were too far behind. However, their presence still made the French and Spanish admiral, Moreno, decide not to continue the battle the next morning.
In total, the British had about 18 sailors killed and 101 wounded in this battle.
French and Spanish Ships in the Second Battle
The combined French and Spanish fleet was formed on July 9. It included five Spanish warships and four French ones. It was much bigger than the British fleet. However, all of Admiral Linois's French ships were badly damaged from the first battle. The captured British ship Hannibal was so damaged that Moreno ordered it to return to Algeciras. Neither Hannibal nor the French frigate Indienne took part in the second battle.
Many of the combined French and Spanish ships were not involved in the fighting. They managed to escape Saumarez's chase and reached Cadiz safely. However, the ships at the back of their line – Real Carlos, San Hermenegildo, and Saint Antoine – were overwhelmed during the night. Formidable only escaped after a very tough fight the next morning.
The total number of casualties for the French and Spanish in this battle was very high, estimated at around 2,000 sailors killed, mostly from the explosions of Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo.
