Sunda Strait campaign of January 1794 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sunda Strait campaign
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Location of the action on 25 January 1794. The Sunda Strait is the channel between Java and Sumatra.
Date 2 January – 9 February 1794 Location Sunda Strait, off the Dutch East Indies Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
East India Company Dutch Republic	France
Commanders and leaders
Charles Mitchell Captain Kerwal	Jean-Marie Renaud
Strength
6 merchant ships 2 corvettes 1 brig	4 frigates 1 corvette 1 brig
Casualties and losses
3 killed 2 wounded 1 merchant ship captured	11 killed 25 wounded 1 frigate captured 1 corvette captured

The Sunda Strait campaign of January 1794 was a series of naval battles and movements. These fights happened between warships and privateers (privately owned ships allowed to attack enemy ships) from France. They fought against ships sent by the British East India Company, which later got help from Dutch warships.

This campaign started because French forces from an island called Île de France (now Mauritius) reacted quickly when the French Revolutionary Wars began on February 1, 1793. French privateers quickly spread out along British trade routes in the Far East. Many gathered near the narrow Sunda Strait, which is between the islands of Java and Sumatra. French Navy ships, called frigates, soon joined them and started capturing trading ships.

The Royal Navy (Britain's main navy) was busy elsewhere. So, the East India Company, a powerful British company that ruled much of British India, formed its own group of armed merchant ships. Their job was to patrol the Strait and chase away the French raiders.

This British force arrived on January 2, 1794, and had early success. On January 22, they captured two large French privateers. This happened shortly after the French ships had been defeated while attacking a British trading post at Bencoolen. On January 24, a bigger battle took place in the Strait itself against a larger French group. This battle ended without a clear winner. The British then got help from the Dutch frigate Amazone. The French ships later sailed south out of the Strait and attacked Bencoolen again on February 9. They captured a large British merchant ship (an East Indiaman) in the harbor before returning to Île de France with their prize.

Why Did the Sunda Strait Campaign Happen?

On February 1, 1793, France declared war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. This made the French Revolutionary Wars even bigger. It took several months for news of the war to reach British India. When it did, the British Royal Navy commander, Commodore William Cornwallis, demanded that French trading posts in India surrender. Most gave up quickly, but the important port of Pondicherry refused. It was then attacked and captured by British land and sea forces.

With the French gone from India, Cornwallis was ordered back to Europe. This left very few Royal Navy ships in the Indian Ocean.

The Importance of Indian Ocean Trade

The Indian Ocean was a super important area for Britain's trade. The East India Company controlled India. This company had its own army and navy in Indian waters. It also owned a fleet of very large merchant ships called East Indiamen. These ships were big, like 400 to 1500 tons, and carried up to 30 cannons. They could sometimes fight warships, but a fast frigate was usually too strong for one of them alone.

These ships sailed every year from China, the East Indies, or India. They carried valuable goods like spices, tea, or silk back to Britain. There, the goods were sold, and the ships were loaded with supplies, including military equipment and troops, for the journey back to the Indian Ocean.

One of the most important parts of this trade route was through the Sunda Strait. This narrow passage is between the islands of Sumatra and Java in the Dutch East Indies. Most of the trade from China and the East Indies passed through here on its way to the Indian Ocean.

French ships, both Navy warships and privateers, operated from their base on the isolated island of Île de France. They knew how important the Sunda Strait was. As soon as they heard about the war, French ships spread out into the Indian Ocean. They were looking for British and Dutch merchant ships. Many gathered near the Sunda Strait because it was a great place to catch trading ships.

On September 27, 1793, French privateers had their first big success. Three privateers, each with more than 20 guns, attacked the East Indiaman Princess Royal near Anjier Point in the Sunda Strait. Even though Captain James Horncastle fought back, the French ships had more guns and forced him to surrender.

Since the Royal Navy couldn't send ships to protect trade in the East Indies, the East India Company in India decided to form its own group of ships. They would patrol the area. Two East Indiamen, William Pitt and Britannia, and a local ship called Nonsuch, were sent for this job. They were joined by the brig Nautilus. Commodore Charles Mitchell, captain of William Pitt, was in charge of this group.

The Campaign Begins: Chasing French Raiders

On January 2, 1794, Commodore Mitchell's group sailed past Singapore and entered the Malacca Strait. They were heading east, looking for French raiders.

While the British ships were sailing along the northern coast of Sumatra, two French privateers attacked the East India Company's trading post at Bencoolen on the southern coast. These privateers were the 30-gun Vengeur (Captain François-Yves Carosin) and the 26-gun Résolue (Captain Jallineaux).

On January 17, they approached Rat Island Basin near Bencoolen. The 32-gun East Indiaman Pigot, commanded by Captain George Ballantyne, was anchored there. Pigot had 102 crew members but was not ready for a fight. At 8:15 AM, Vengeur started firing from about 150 yards away. The battle lasted for an hour and 45 minutes before Vengeur pulled back. Then Résolue continued the fight.

Captain Ballantyne defended his ship smartly. He positioned Pigot so that the French ships could only approach one at a time through the narrow entrance of the bay. This allowed him to fight off each ship in turn. The privateers finally retreated together at 10:20 AM with damaged ropes and sails. Pigot also suffered damage, with one man killed and enough damage to need several weeks of repairs. After quick repairs, Captain Carosin left Bencoolen and went back to the Sunda Strait to find easier targets.

British Success: Capturing Privateers

Early on January 22, Mitchell's group, now joined by another East Indiaman called Houghton, stopped a merchant ship to check it. While they were searching, two new sails appeared to the southwest near Shown Rock in the Zuften Islands. Mitchell was suspicious and sent Britannia and Nonsuch to chase them. The unknown ships turned away.

As the British ships got closer, they realized the fleeing ships were Vengeur and Résolue. The British ships were faster and soon caught up. The French ships opened fire, and the larger British ships fired back. Captain Thomas Cheap of Britannia fought Vengeur, while Captain John Canning of Nonsuch attacked Résolue at 10:45 AM. Soon, William Pitt and Houghton joined the fight.

The British had many more ships and bigger ones. Captains Carosin and Jallineaux quickly realized that fighting more was useless. Forty-five minutes after the first shots, both French ships surrendered. Captain Carosin died after the battle from a leg injury. Eleven other French sailors were killed, and 25 were wounded. British losses were one killed and two wounded on Britannia. The British then put their own crews on the captured French ships.

The Battle of the Sunda Strait

On the morning of January 24, most of Mitchell's ships were anchored near Pulau Panjang island in Bantam Bay, on the northwest tip of Java. Nonsuch and the newly captured French ships were about 15 miles away in the Zuften Islands. At 6:00 AM, sails were spotted in the northern part of the Sunda Strait, passing a small island called Dwars in de Weg. They were quickly identified as three frigates and a brig.

These were French Navy ships from Île de France. They included the frigates Prudente and Cybèle, the brig Vulcain, and the captured Princess Royal (now renamed Duguay-Trouin). Captain Jean-Marie Renaud was in charge of this French group. Captain Canning tried to communicate with the strange ships, but by 1:00 PM, it was clear they were enemy ships. Canning's ships were greatly outnumbered, so he quickly sailed northeast with his captured ships to avoid being destroyed.

During the evening, heavy rain made it hard to see, stopping any big movements by either side. But on January 25, the French ships had rounded St. Nicholas Point on Java's northwest tip and were chasing Canning's ships, which had been joined by Houghton. Resolu (one of the captured French ships) was struggling to escape the advancing enemy. But Mitchell had realized the danger and was sailing to meet the French.

At 6:30 AM, Houghton, Nonsuch, and Vengeur joined the rest of Mitchell's force. Two hours later, Renaud's ships met the British line. Resolu just barely made it to safety among the large East Indiamen, even though it was hit many times during the chase. For an hour, the two groups of ships fired at each other from a distance. Then, at 9:30 AM, Mitchell turned William Pitt, Houghton, and Nonsuch towards the French. The latter two ships managed to hit Cybèle with powerful broadsides (all guns on one side firing at once).

Firing continued for another 18 minutes as Renaud pulled back. He eventually anchored near Pulau Baby island. Neither commander wanted to keep fighting. Mitchell was worried his ships, which didn't have enough crew, wouldn't be able to properly fight the better-armed French ships. We don't know how many French sailors were hurt, but the only British loss was on Nonsuch, where one man was killed fighting Cybèle.

What Happened Next?

Mitchell's group needed more supplies and repairs, so they went to Batavia. There, they were joined by the 36-gun Dutch frigate Amazone (Captain Kerwal) and an armed merchant ship. Mitchell's ships then patrolled the Sunda Strait for two more weeks but didn't find any enemy ships. They ended their mission on February 8 and returned to the Indian Ocean by way of Bencoolen.

Captain Cheap died of an illness in June. Mitchell survived and was knighted by King George III when he returned to Britain in 1796. He also received £8,000 as a reward for his efforts.

Meanwhile, the Dutch kept their warships for a raid on Sourabaya. Two French corvettes (small warships) were hiding there. Both were captured without a fight and sent back to France carrying French prisoners. Another report said that the Dutch in Batavia bought the captured French ships Vengeur and Resolve and sent them to Mauritius with French prisoners.

The French ships under Renaud had used Mitchell's retreat to also leave the Sunda Strait and enter the Indian Ocean. They reached the British trading post at Bencoolen on February 9. The ship Pigot was still being repaired there and was caught by surprise and captured. As the merchant ship was being moved out of the bay, Renaud demanded that the nearby Fort Marlborough surrender. He was told that the fort was well-armed and that Mitchell's ships were expected to arrive any moment. Not wanting to fight Mitchell, Renaud immediately left without attacking the fort.

After the Campaign

The French ships later returned to Île de France. In a battle on October 22, 1794, they managed to draw away two British warships that were blocking the island.

The Sunda Strait and the waters around it remained an important strategic place throughout the war. However, the British later organized their East Indiamen into groups called convoys. Also, the Royal Navy returned to the area. These actions helped limit the losses to French privateers and smaller warships. More than once, large groups of East Indiamen successfully scared away big French squadrons from attacking the valuable merchant ships, simply because of their size and power.

Ships Involved in the Sunda Strait Campaign

Here are some of the main ships that took part in the battles:

East India Company Ships

• William Pitt: A large East Indiaman, the main ship of Commodore Charles Mitchell. It fought on January 25.
• Britannia: Another East Indiaman. It fought on January 22 and 25, and one sailor was killed.
• Nonsuch: An East Indiaman. It fought on January 22 and 25, and one sailor was killed.
• Houghton: An East Indiaman. It joined the British group and fought on January 25.
• Nautilus: A brig (a type of sailing ship).
• Vengeur: A French corvette captured by the British on January 22. It then fought with the British on January 25.
• Resolu: A French corvette captured by the British on January 22. It also fought with the British on January 25.
• Pigot: An East Indiaman. It was attacked on January 17 and later captured by the French on February 9.

French Navy and Privateer Ships

• Vengeur: A 30-gun privateer frigate. Captain Corosin was in charge and was killed. It attacked on January 17 and was captured by the British on January 22.
• Résolu: A 26-gun privateer corvette. Captain Jallineaux was in charge. It attacked on January 17 and was captured by the British on January 22.
• Prudente: A 36-gun French Navy frigate. Captain Jean-Marie Renaud was in charge of the French squadron. It fought on January 25 and February 9.
• Cybèle: A 40-gun French Navy frigate. It fought on January 25 and February 9.
• Vulcain: A 14-gun brig. It fought on January 25 and February 9.
• Duguay Trouin: A 30-gun frigate. This was actually the former British East Indiaman Princess Royal that the French had captured earlier. It fought on January 25 and February 9.

Images for kids

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  Location of the action on 25 January 1794. The Sunda Strait is the channel between Java and Sumatra.