Naval battles of Barfleur and La Hougue

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Naval battles of Barfleur and La Hougue
The Battle of Barfleur, May 29, 1692, painted by Ludolf Bakhuizen. The picture shows the three-decker flagships of the three participating fleets.
The Battle of Barfleur, May 29, 1692, painted by Ludolf Bakhuizen . The picture shows from three-deckers existing flagships of the involved three fleets.
date May 29, 1692 to June 4, 1692
place Cotentin Peninsula
output Barfleur: tactically undecided, Anglo-Dutch strategic victory

Cherbourg, La Hogue: Anglo-Dutch victory

Parties to the conflict

England kingdomKingdom of England England United Netherlands
Republic of the Seven United ProvincesRepublic of the Seven United Provinces 

France Kingdom 1792France France

Commander

Edward Russell

Anne Hilarion de Tourville

Troop strength
over 120 ships, including 82 ships of the line 70 to 80 ships, of which 44 ships of the line
losses

Barfleur: 2,000 dead, 3,000 wounded
Cherbourg: minor losses
La Hogue: minor losses

Barfleur: 1,700 dead and wounded
Cherbourg: 3 ships
La Hogue: 12 ships

Battles and sieges in the
Palatinate War of Succession (1688–1697)

The naval battles of Barfleur and La Hougue were battles in quick succession of the War of Palatinate Succession between the allied fleets of the Kingdom of England and the United Netherlands on the one hand and France on the other between May 19th jul. / May 29, 1692 greg. and May 25th jul. / June 4, 1692 greg. . The first battle took place near Barfleur ; further battles followed at Cherbourg and at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue on the Cotentin peninsula , Normandy , France. It is the decisive naval battle of the Palatinate War of Succession.

prehistory

Louis XIV and his naval secretary, Count Louis Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain (1643–1727), planned an invasion of England to restore the deposed King James II to the British throne. The invasion was supposed to take place in April 1692 before the English and Dutch fleets set sail and united. Troops were concentrated at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue , and cavalry and artillery were embarked at Le Havre . Admiral Tourville was to arrive with the French fleet from Brest and protect the transport ships during the crossing to England, defeat the English fleet and bring the invading army ashore in England.

However, the French fleet was unable to gather in time, as the squadron from Toulon under the command of d'Estrées was thrown back by a storm in the Strait of Gibraltar and lost two ships. The squadron from Rochefort was late. The squadron in Brest lacked sufficient crews, and Tourville had to leave 20 ships under the command of Chateau-Renault . Unfavorable winds caused a further delay until May 12th.

Tourville reached the English Channel with 37 ships of the line and escort ships. On May 25th, Villette joined the squadron from Rochefort, 7 ships of the line and escort ships. The total strength was now 44 ships of the line; together with the escort ships, there were between 70 and 80 ships in total.

In the meantime the Allied fleet was gathering at St. Helens on the Isle of Wight . Delaval reached St. Helens on May 18; the next day Carter, who had been in the western English Channel, where he led a convoy and brought troops to Guernsey . The Dutch had sent a fleet from Texel under Almonde in April , which was on its way south. Ashby set sail from the Nore on May 7th . Russell was late for May 9th. He met Almonde and another Dutch flotilla at Dungeness. On May 24, Russell had more than 80 ships of the line and additional escort ships available. At this point in time, the French strategy of using concentrated forces against a scattered enemy had already failed.

Louis XIV had ordered Tourville to seek combat regardless of the balance of power ("fort ou faible"), which he did.

The battle of Barfleur

Barfleur.png

The fleets sighted each other at daybreak on May 29 off Cape Barfleur. Tourville held a meeting with his officers, the result of which was that engagement was not advisable. Tourville, however, felt bound by the king's strict orders to seek battle. With a light breeze from the southwest, the fleets slowly drew closer, Russell from the northwest, Tourville from the south. Both fleets were divided into three squadrons and these in turn were each divided into three flotillas, each commanded by a flag officer.

Because of the weak wind, it took five hours from the first sighting to the start of the battle. Tourville had reinforced its center, the White Squadron under its own command, so that it could attack Russell's Red Squadron with roughly equal strength. He also tried to reduce his risk by spreading his vanguard to prevent them from being outmaneuvered and beaten. The rear guard was held back to hold the windward side .

Russell let the fire hold back as long as possible, only to fire at the enemy from a short distance. Almonde, the commander of the Allied vanguard, also had his ships pulled apart in order to adapt to the French formation. Ashby, standing with the rearguard a little way off, tried to approach and lead the Blue Squadron into battle. From 11:00 a.m. onwards, the two fleets fired at each other for the next few hours and caused considerable damage. The battle dragged on into the night. At 1:00 p.m., after the wind changed direction, Shovell managed to break the French line and the Dutch began to encircle the French vanguard. At 4 p.m. there was no wind. At 6:00 p.m. Tourville was able to use the tide to get some rest. At 20:00 Shovell used the Tide for an attack with fire-ships .

At around 10:00 p.m. the battle was over. Although most of the ships were badly damaged on both sides, no ship was lost. Tourville used the onset of the ebb to withdraw from the battle. Russell chased him in the night.

Aftermath

On May 30th, the French withdrawal was hampered by wind, tide and the fact that the French Ministry of the Navy had, for reasons of cost, equipped the ships with anchors too weak to withstand the strong tides in the region. In addition, the port in Cherbourg was not protected by a fortress.

On the morning of May 30th, the French fleet was scattered in small groups over a wide area. Gabaret and Langeron stood with four other ships to the north. Later that day they drove past the English coast into the Atlantic and later reached the port of Brest. To the south was Nesmond with six ships. He was driving southwest towards the Normandy coast. Two of his ships had to be put aground in St. Vaast-la-Hougue, two more reached Le Havre, where the L'Entendu was lost at the port entrance. With the remaining ships Monarque and Aimable , he passed the Strait of Dover , circled Great Britain and finally reached Brest.

The main group was in three groups on a western course. Villette was in the lead with 15 ships, followed by d'Amfreville with 12 and Tourville, which brought up the rear with seven ships. During the day the units rallied, but Tourville had been held up by attempts to rescue its flagship. Later that day he moved his flag from the Soleil-Royal , which was in dire condition, to the L'Ambitieux , the flagship of Mursay.

Almonde pursued the French fleet with the Dutch fleet and a number of English ships. Many ships, especially those of the English Red Squadron, were slowed down by damage and fell back. Ashby caught up with the French by the end of the day. Russell had to release three ships from his formation for repairs. They later sighted Gabaret's group, but there was no fighting. Shovell transferred his command to the Kent as its flagship, the Royal William , was damaged. The damage to the Britannia , Russell's flagship, caused his squadron to be delayed.

On May 31, the French fleet anchored against the tide off Cape de la Hague. The contingent under Pannetier, 21 ships of the line, had circled the cape and headed for Alderney , while the remaining units, 13 ships of the line under Tourville and other flag officers, were east of it. When the weather changed, the ships anchors no longer held, the ships could no longer hold their position due to the tide and wind and had to be abandoned. The three most damaged ships had to be beached off Cherbourg, the remaining ten ships reached Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, where they were also beached together with the two units of Nesmond who were already there. Russell and his units and some of Ashby's units continued to chase, while Ashby and Almonde followed Pannetier's group.

Pannetier was able to escape through a risky passage at Alderney, since Almonde and Ashby did not follow him; Carter, her only officer who knew the waters, had succumbed to his injuries. They were later criticized for this by Russell. Almonde tried to reach Pannetier by a course west of Alderney, but the lead was too great and Almonde broke off the pursuit. Pannetier later reached Saint-Malo while Almonde and Ashby turned east to meet Russell at La Hougue.

The Soleil Royal , the Admirable and the Triomphant , which had been beached at Cherbourg, were destroyed on June 3rd by Delaval, who attacked them with dinghies and fire.

Meanwhile, Russell had turned to the remaining ships, which were protected by land forces and a battery at La Hougue. On June 3rd and 4th, Rooke and Danby attacked with dinghies. By this point the French crews were exhausted and discouraged. The Allies successfully deployed landing forces and fires, which burned down all twelve ships of the line. This fight was celebrated in England as the Battle of La Hogue .

consequences

The defeat of the French fleet ended the invasion plans. The Allied victory was celebrated in England with a naval parade. After the battle, the French no longer tried to achieve naval supremacy, but instead pursued a continental strategy. At sea they limited themselves to the trade war.

The battle is received differently on both sides of the English Channel. The British view the battle as a single event over six days, often referred to as the "Battle of La Hogue". The French see the different battles as different battles of Barfleur, Cherbourg and La Hougue. Neutral observers like the American admiral Mahan and Pemsel saw the battle as a whole, since sea battles over several days were not uncommon at this time. The name Battle of Barfleur and La Hogue represents a compromise.

Both sides assess the result differently. The British speak of a victory, the French, who admit defeat on La Hougue and Cherbourg, claim Barfleur as a victory.

The British way of looking at a great victory is plausible but incorrect. Even in Mahan's day, victory was considered less important. The French plans for invasion were thwarted, but the battle was not the decisive blow against the French navy. The French losses were quickly made up, and the following year Tourville was able to inflict a defeat on the Allies off Lagos. The French reorientation towards a trade war was more a question of politics than military necessity.

The French view of a win at Barfleur is also incorrect. The battles at Cherbourg and La Hougue can only be seen as defeats, but Barfleur was not a victory either. The strategic goal of concentrating the fleet and gaining control of the English Channel before the Allied fleet had rallied had already failed on May 24th, and the possibility of an invasion was lost before the battle. Tactically, Tourville made the best of a difficult situation. He skillfully used the tide to withdraw his fleet and later to escape. Since no ships were lost at Barfleur on either side, the outcome of the battle can at best be regarded as a draw.

Even so, historians have generally recognized the skills of the French. The French are proud of the Battle of Barfleur.

Units involved

  • England: 56 ships of the line
  • Netherlands: 26 ships of the line
  • France: 44 ships of the line
White Flotilla (Almonde) (Netherlands) Cannons Whereabouts Blue and white flotilla (d'Amfreville) (France) Cannons Whereabouts
Noordholland 68 bourbon 68 burned at La Hougue
Zeelandia 90 Monarque 90
Ter Goes 54 Aimable 70
Gelderland 64 Saint-Louis 64 burned at La Hougue
Veere 62 diamond 60
Conink William 92 ...
First noble 74 ...
Medenblick 50 ...
Brandenburg 92 ...
West Vriesland 88 Gaillard 68 burned at La Hougue
Zeeland 64 Terrible 80 burned at La Hougue
Ripperda 50 Merveilleux 90 burned at La Hougue
Slot Muyden 72 Tonnant 80 burned at La Hougue
Prins 92 Saint-Michel 60
Elswoud 72 Sans Pareil (Vermandois?) 62
Schaterschoeff 50 ...
Leyden 64 ...
Princes 92 ...
Amsterdam 64 Sérieux 64
City country 50 Foudroyant 84 burned at La Hougue
Veluw 64 brilliant 62
Castel Medenblick 86 ...
Ridderschap 72 ...
Maegt van Doort 64 ...
Captaen Generael 84 ...
De Zeven Provinciën 76 ...
Red Flotilla (Russell) (England) Cannons Whereabouts White Flotilla (Tourville) (France) Cannons Whereabouts
St Michael 90 Away 60 burned at La Hougue
Lenox 70 Henri 64
Bonaventure 50 Ambitieux 96 burned at La Hougue
Royal Katherine 82 Couronne 76
Royal Sovereign 100 Moor 52
Captain 70 Courageux 58
Centurion 50 ...
Burford 70 ...
Elizabeth 70 pearl 52
Rupert 66 Glorieux 64
eagle 70 Conquerant 84
Chester 50 Soleil Royal 104 burned at Cherbourg
St Andrew 96 Sainte Philippe 84 burned at La Hougue
Britannia 100 Admirable 90 burned at Cherbourg
London 96 ...
Greenwich 54 ...
Restoration 70 ...
Grafton 70 ...
Hampton Court 70 Content 68
Swiftsure 70 Sovereign 80
St Albans 50 Illustrious 70
Kent 70 Moderé 52
Royal William 100 ...
sandwich 90 ...
Oxford 54 ...
Cambridge 70 ...
Ruby 50 ...
Blue Flotilla (Ashby) (England) Cannons Whereabouts Blue Flotilla (Gabaret) (France) Cannons Whereabouts
Hope 70 Excellent 60
Deptford 50 Prince 56
Essex 70 Magnifique 86 burned at La Hougue
Duke 90 Laurier 64
Ossory 90 ...
Woolwich 54 ...
Suffolk 70 ...
Crown 50 ...
Dreadnought 64 ...
Stirling Castle 70 ...
Edgar 72 Brave 58
Monmouth 66 Entendu 60
Duchess 90 Triomphant 76 burned at Cherbourg
Victory 100 Orgueilleux 94
Vanguard 90 Fier 80 burned at La Hougue
Adventure 50 Fleuron 56
Warspite 70 ...
Montague 62 ...
Defiance 60 ...
Berwick 70 ...
Lion 60 Courtesan 64
Northumberland 70 Grand 84
Advice 50 Saint-Esprit 74
Neptune 96 Siren 64
Windsor Castle 90 ...
expedition 70 ...
Monck 60 ...
resolution 70 ...
Albemarle 90 ...

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Castex, p. 43.
  2. ↑ a b Mahan
  3. ↑ a b Pemsel, page 59
  4. ↑ Aubrey pages 156-160
  5. ^ Aubrey, p. 104.

literature

Web links

Commons : Battle of Barfleur  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Battle of La Hougue  - Collection of images, videos and audio files