Sea meeting off Bantry Bay
A blue flag admiral of the English fleet fighting French units. Painting attributed to Adriaen van Diest
| date | May 1st jul. / May 11, 1689 greg. |
|---|---|
| place | Bantry Bay , Ireland |
| output | tactically undecided, strategic French success |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 18 ships of the line, 1 frigate, 3 briggs with a total of 1094 cannons and 6000 men | 24 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 10 smaller vehicles with a total of 1,500 cannons and 8,000 men |
| losses | |
|
94 dead and 300 wounded |
40 dead and 93 wounded |
Palatinate War of Succession (1688–1697)
Philippsburg - Koblenz - Walcourt - Bantry Bay - Mainz - Bonn - Fleurus - Beachy Head - Boyne - Staffarda - Québec - Mons - Cuneo - Leuze - Aughrim - Barfleur / La Hougue - Namur 1 - Steenkerke - Lagos - Neerektiven - Marsaglia - Charleroi - Torroella - Camaret - Texel - Sant Esteve d'en Bas - Gerona - Dixmuyen - Namur 2 - Brussels - Ath - Cartagena - Barcelona
1688–1691
Dromore - Derry - Bantry Bay - Newtownbutler - Carrickfergus - Newry - Cavan - Boyne - Athlone (1) - Limerick (1) - Cork - Athlone (2) - Aughrim - Limerick (2)
The sea meeting in front of Bantry Bay on May 1st jul. / May 11, 1689 greg. was carried out between a French and an English fleet. The battle as such was insignificant, but the French managed to land support for the exiled English King James II in Ireland.
prehistory
In the course of the Nine Years' War (War of Palatinate Succession ), Louis XIV supported James II, who had been deprived of the English throne by the Glorious Revolution, against William III. James II had fled to Ireland a short time before the battle in order to regain the throne from there. Before England and France were officially at war, the French king sent a fleet under the command of François Louis Rousselet de Chateau-Renault with reinforcements and supplies to Ireland. Among other things, 6000 soldiers were on board. The transport ship was escorted by 24 warships. Arrived off Ireland, the warships anchored in Bantry Bay while the transporters landed the troops and unloaded the cargo.
course
On May 11th, an English fleet under the command of Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington entered the bay. She actually had orders to disrupt James II's ties with England. There was a five-hour sea battle, which was mainly fought outside the bay. The English fleet was numerically at a disadvantage and the wind was not favorable either. The artillery battle between the two fleets did not result in high losses, but the English fleet was severely damaged. She broke off the fight and first went to the Isles of Scilly , because they were hoping for reinforcements there. When this failed, the fleet returned to Portsmouth and was repaired over the next two months. Due to disagreements between the French admiral and his subordinates, the English fleet was not pursued.
consequences
The disembarkation of troops, gold and material was successful. The French fleet was able to return to Brest . Both sides claimed victory for themselves. The House of Commons praised Herbert and James II celebrated a Te Deum . However, whoever was victorious in the battle itself is considered secondary. The French ruled the sea at this time and were able to send reinforcements to Ireland several times. The massive French support of the French fleet for James II was of great strategic importance. It forced William III to divide his forces between the fight against James II and his followers ( Jacobites ) and the mainland theater of war. However, the French superiority was quickly ended by the joint action of the English and Dutch fleets.
literature
- Tony Jacques: Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A – E. Westport 2007, p. 105.
- Cathal J. Nolan: Wars of the age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: an encyclopedia of global warfare and civilization. Westport, 2008 p. 33.
- Gaston Bodart: Military-historical war lexicon, (1618-1905). Vienna 1908, p. 109.