Naval Battle of Fort Royal

Naval Battle of Fort Royal

Part of: American War of Independence

date	April 29 and 30, 1781
place	off the island of Martinique , West Indies
output	French victory

Parties to the conflict
Great Britain	France
Commander
Samuel Hood	Comte de Grasse
Troop strength
17 ships of the line	24 ships of the line
losses
39 dead, 161 wounded	119 dead 150 wounded

St. Lucia - Grenada - Martinique - Fort Royal - Chesapeake - St. Kitts - Les Saintes

The naval battle of Fort Royal took place on April 29, 1781 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Samuel Hood and a French fleet under Admiral Comte de Grasse in front of the city of Fort Royal . After a four-hour battle, the British fleet broke off the fight and withdrew.

background

In March 1781, a large French fleet under the command of Comte de Grasse left the port of Brest . Of the 26 ships of the line , one was sent to North America , five to India under the command of Pierre André de Suffren and all the others to the West Indies . On April 28, the twenty ships reached Martinique. They anchored east of the island and sent a messenger ashore. They learned that 17 British liners under the command of Samuel Hood were blocking the port and four French liners were preventing them from leaving.

Hood had orders from Commanding Officer Admiral George Brydges Rodney to block the harbor from the leeward side , although Hood protested that this would be a great disadvantage in a sea battle. Another disadvantage was its lower fleet strength. It was advantageous that all British ships had a hull covered with copper sheet and that there were no auxiliary ships that had to be protected.

The battle

De Grasse prepared his fleet for engagement on the morning of April 29th. He sailed in keel line south around Cape Solomon and close to the coast to Fort Royal. At 8 o'clock the British fleet was sighted. At around 9:20 a.m., HMS Prince William Hood's fleet strengthened . Hood wanted to stop the French ships, but his bad position to the wind that was blowing from ONO prevented this project. At 11:00 the French leadership began firing from a distance without hitting. At 12:30 p.m., the ships were lined up facing each other at a distance. But de Grasse decided not to steer any closer to the British ships. The two ranks of the battles fired broadsides at each other. However, the damage was moderate due to the distance. Four ships at the south end, targeted by eight French ships, were the worst damaged. Hood eventually retired to St. Lucia , while de Grasse followed him for about a day.

Result

Hood sent the HMS Russell to St. Eustatius for repairs as it was damaged below the waterline . Admiral Rodney should also be informed of what was going on. Hood tried in vain to get upwind to the French ships. On May 11th, he met Rodney between St. Kitts and Antigua .

The figures for French casualties vary from 18 to 119 dead and between 56 and 150 injured.

Order of battle

Great Britain

Admiral Sir Samuel Hood's fleet
ship	rank	Cannons	crew	commander	losses			Remarks
					killed	wounded	All in all
Top management
HMS Alfred	3rd rank	74	600	Captain William Bayne	0	0	0
HMS Belliqueux	3rd rank	64	500	Captain J. Brine	0	0	0
HMS Prince William	3rd rank	64	500	Captain Stair Douglas	0	6th	6th
HMS Alcide	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Charles Thompson	1	4th	5
HMS Invincible	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Sir R. Bickerton	2	4th	6th
HMS Monarch	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Francis Reynolds	0	0	0
center
HMS Barfleur	2nd rank	98	750	Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood Captain John Nicholson Inglefield	5	0	0	Flagship of the center
HMS Terrible	3rd rank	74	600	Captain yes. Ferguson	0	0	0
HMS Princessa	3rd rank	70	550	Captain Sir Thomas Rich	0	0	0
HMS Ajax	3rd rank	74	600	Captain John Symonds	3	5	8th
HMS resolution	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Lord Robert Manners	1	8th	9
HMS Montague	3rd rank	74	600	Captain W. Houlton	0	4th	4th
The End
HMS Gibraltar	2nd rank	80	680	Rear Admiral Francis Samuel Drake Captain Charles Knatchbull	6th	8th	14th	Flagship of the end
HMS Centaur	3rd rank	74	600	Captain John Neale Pleydell Nott	13	27	40	Captain Nott and the first Lieutenant James Plowden also died.
HMS Russell	3rd rank	74	600	Captain A. Sutherland	5	16	21st	Master Robert Johnson also died.
HMS Torbay	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Lewis Gedoin	3	29	32
HMS Intrepid	3rd rank	64	500	Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy	1	0	1
HMS Shrewsbury	3rd rank	74	600	Captain Mark Robinson	6th	14th	20th
Assigned frigates
HMS Lizard	6th rank	28	200	Captain Edmund Dod	0	0	0	Signal repetition
HMS Pacahunta	Sloop	14th		I. Coffin	0	0	0	Signal repetition
Total casualties: 39 killed, 161 wounded
Source: Isaac Schomberg: Naval Chronology , Volume 4, 1802, p. 382

France

Admiral Comte de Grasse 'fleet
ship	rank	Cannons	crew	commander	Remarks
Ville de Paris	1st rank	104	1000	Lieutenant-général François Joseph Paul de Grasse Major-général Pierre de Vaugiraud Capitaine de Sainte-Césaire
Auguste	2nd rank	80	800	Commodore Louis Antoine de Bougainville Capitaine de Castellan
Saint-Esprit	2nd rank	80	800	Capitaine Joseph Bernard de Chabert
Languedoc	2nd rank	80	800	Capitaine Baron d'Arros d'Argelos
Scepter	3rd rank	74	700	Captain Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil
César	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Coriolis d'Espinouse
Sovereign	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Chevalier de Glandevès
Northumberland	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Marquis de Briqueville
Pluton	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine François Hector d'Albert de Rions
Diademe	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Louis-Augustin de Monteclerc
Magnanime	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Comte Le Bègue
Zélé	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Chevalier de Gras-Préville
Marseillais	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Henri-César de Castellane Majastre
Bourgogne	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Chevalier de Charitte
Scipion	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Comte de Clavel
Hector	3rd rank	74	700	Captain Renaud d'Aleins
Hercule	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Viscount de Turpin de Breuil
Glorieux	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine Vicomte d'Escars
Citizens	3rd rank	74	700	Captain Comte d'Ethy
Vaillant	3rd rank	64	650	Captain Comte d'Ethy
Sagittaire	4th rank	50	450	Captain Perouze de Galaupe
Poor en flûte
Médée	frigate	32		Capitaine Chevalier de Girardin
Aigrette	frigate	26th	262	Capitaine Jean-Baptiste Prevost de Sansac de Traversay
Diligente	frigate	26th		Capitaine Vicomte de Mortemart
Cutter
Alert	Cutter	18th		Capitaine de Chabons
Pandour	Cutter	14th		Capitaine de Grasse-Limermont
Ships in Fort Royal harbor
Victoire	3rd rank	74	700	Capitaine François d'Albert de Saint-Hippolyte
Caton	3rd rank	64	600	Capitaine Comte de Framond
Refelchi	3rd rank	64	600	Capitaine Armand-François Cillart de Surville
Solitaire	3rd rank	64	600	Capitaine Louis-Toussaint Champion de Cicé
experiment	4th rank	50	400	Chevalier Morteilly Chantard
Total losses: 119 killed, 150 wounded, according to other sources, 18 killed, 56 wounded
Source: Onésime-Joachim Troude: Bataille navales de la France , ainé Challamel, 1867, Volume 2, pages 100-102 vol.2

literature

• Isaac Schomberg: Naval Chronology , Volume 2, 1802, pp. 60-61 ( online )
• Isaac Schomberg: Naval Chronology , Volume 4, 1802, pp. 382-383 ( online )
• William Laird Clowes , The royal navy: a history from the earliest time to the present. , Volume 3, p. 482 ( online )
• Onésime-Joachim Troude: Batailles navales de la France , Challamel ainé, 1867, pp. 100–102 ( online )
• Joseph Allen: Battles of the British Navy , 1852, Volume 1, p. 313 ( online )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Isaac Schomberg: Naval Chronology , Volume 4, 1802, p. 382 (online)
2. ^ Yves Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec : Relation des combats et des événements de la guerre maritime de 1778 entre la France et l'Angleterre, mêlée de réflexions sur les manœuvres des généraux: précédée d'une adresse aux marins. sur la disposition des vaisseaux pour le combat: et terminée par un précis de la guerre présente, des causes de la destruction de la marine, et des moyens de la rétablir. , Paris 1796, pp. 181-185 ( online )

( online )