During the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the fleets of Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands vied for control of the world’s vital sea routes.
Horatio Nelson is the most famous naval figure of this era. His four major battles (Cape St Vincent 1797, Nile 1798, Copenhagen 1801, and Trafalgar 1805) are the most renowned naval engagements of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. At his moment of triumph at Trafalgar, Nelson perished. His death cemented his legacy in Britain, casting a shadow over every other naval officer’s career.
Yet, beyond these famous battles, many other significant naval clashes occurred during these conflicts. The Royal Navy faced off against French, Spanish, American, and Dutch fleets. Here are five lesser-known but pivotal Napoleonic naval battles from these wars.
Battle of the Glorious First of June (French Revolution)
At 5 a.m. on June 1, 1794, British Admiral Richard Howe, aged 68, faced three urgent issues. First, a powerful French fleet he’d been engaging for three days was now in sight. Second, the enemy’s wheat convoy he was tasked to intercept risked escaping. Third, his own warships were in dire condition, having been at sea without repairs for months. The British public expected a total victory.
The French Revolutionary government declared war on Britain in early 1793. French ports were almost immediately blockaded by the Royal Navy, but no major fleet battle occurred until the following year.
The battle, fought 400 nautical miles west of Brittany, saw 25 British warships clash with 26 French ships. At the time, fleets fought in long lines to maximize cannon use. Britain’s traditional tactic was to attack and encircle the front or rear of the enemy line.
On June 1, Howe (like Nelson later) abandoned tradition, ordering all his ships to charge the French fleet, breaking their line at multiple points. He issued his famous signal: “Commence the work of slaughter,” to his ship commanders.
Though this tactic caused chaos, it achieved significant success. In the ensuing melee, six French warships were captured and one sunk, with no British ships lost. The human cost was steep: 1,200 British casualties and 7,000 French.
Despite heavy losses, the French claimed a partial victory, as Howe’s battered fleet couldn’t pursue the wheat convoy by day’s end, allowing it to slip through and supply the nascent Revolutionary government.
Battle of Camperdown (French Revolution)
The Battle of Camperdown saw the Dutch Navy set sail to contest control of the English Channel routes against the Royal Navy.
Early in the French Revolution, the Dutch Republic sided with Britain. But in the winter of 1794-95, French forces occupied the Netherlands, establishing a puppet state. The new Batavian Republic then joined France against Britain.
In October 1797, Dutch Admiral De Winter commanded a formidable fleet of 15 warships. His two-part plan was to sweep the North Sea, destroying any small British forces, then, if possible, enter the Channel and link with a French fleet at Brest to prepare an Irish invasion.
British Admiral Duncan left Yarmouth with 16 warships to intercept. The showdown came when Duncan ordered his fleet into close combat, crushing the Dutch Navy and capturing nine of their warships. De Winter himself was taken prisoner.
When the commanders met post-battle, De Winter offered his sword in surrender. Duncan let him keep it, shaking his hand instead.
Camperdown effectively eliminated the Dutch Navy from the French Revolutionary War and sealed the fate of future Irish uprisings, which ended in bloody failure.
Both De Winter and Duncan were tall, imposing figures. After the battle, De Winter remarked it was “miraculous that two such hulking objects as Admiral Duncan and I escaped the general carnage of that day.”
Battle of Pulo Aura (Napoleonic Wars)
The Napoleonic Wars began in 1803. A revitalized France under Napoleon sought to recover earlier naval losses. Britain’s global trade dominance posed a major threat.
The British East India Company (HEIC) managed Britain’s trade interests in India and China. Each year, many company merchant ships (East Indiamen) gathered in Guangzhou. This “China Fleet” then sailed to Britain to unload Chinese goods at British ports.
France sent Admiral Charles Linois with a squadron to intercept the China Fleet. Linois, a skilled sailor, positioned his ships near the Malacca Strait. On February 14, 1804, he spotted the British fleet.
The fleet comprised 29 merchant ships. The cost-conscious HEIC sent only one lightly armed brig to protect them. It seemed inevitable that Linois, with a 74-gun warship and four smaller vessels, would capture most of the fleet.
The China Fleet’s commander, Nathaniel Dance, was an East India Company sailor with decades of experience. He saw the situation as hopeless. Yet, Linois was cautious, merely shadowing the fleet for the rest of the day.
This respite gave Dance time to devise a brilliant plan. The East Indiamen were poorly armed and understaffed but large and imposing. On the morning of the 15th, as Linois continued trailing, Dance ordered the four lead East Indiamen to hoist Royal Navy battle flags, implying they were warships.
Linois observed for hours, edging closer to the fleet, risking exposure of the ruse. Then Dance did the unthinkable: he ordered the four lead ships to turn and charge Linois’s approaching squadron. The bluff worked—after a brief cannon exchange, Linois lost nerve and retreated, believing he faced stronger warships.
Dance didn’t stop there. To sustain the deception, he made the incredible decision to pursue. He did so for two hours until certain Linois wouldn’t return.
For this unique feat, Dance received hefty rewards from the HEIC, enough to retire in Britain. Post-war, Linois remarked that the British officer had presented a “resolute front.”
Capture of the Spanish Treasure Fleet (Napoleonic Wars)
Early in the Napoleonic Wars, Spain remained neutral but faced heavy pressure from France to join the conflict. By 1804, Spain’s declaration of war on Britain seemed imminent. Still, the Spanish government resolved to safely bring its annual treasure fleet from the Americas into Cadiz.
In September, Commodore Graham Moore of the Royal Navy was tasked with intercepting and seizing the Spanish treasure fleet, ideally peacefully if possible.
This was a controversial and challenging order. The treasure fleet was well-armed. For the mission, Moore had HMS Indefatigable (famed as Horatio Hornblower’s fictional ship) and three other frigates.
Moore intercepted the Spanish fleet off Cape Santa Maria, quickly bringing his ships within “pistol-shot range” and inviting Spanish commander Don José de Bustamante y Guerra to surrender. Bustamante, with four frigates laden with gold, refused Moore’s offer.
Shortly after, the two sides traded fire. Soon, Britain’s superior firepower prevailed. At such close range, the combat was brutal. Nine minutes after the cannons roared, the Spanish frigate Mercedes exploded in a “terrific blast.” The remaining Spanish fleet was swiftly surrounded and captured.
The haul from the three ships was worth over £70 million in today’s value. Unfortunately for the sailors, the British government exploited a legal loophole to deny them most of the prize money. Moore’s next battle was in naval court, fighting to reclaim the funds he and his crew deserved.
Battle of Basque Roads (Napoleonic Wars)
In 1805, a combined Franco-Spanish fleet aimed to invade Britain and crash London’s stock market in a daring plan. The chase to the Caribbean and back saw Horatio Nelson defeat them at Trafalgar, where he died but secured a decisive victory.
Post-Trafalgar, major fleet battles were rare. Though the French and Spanish navies remained potent, the Royal Navy’s morale edge deterred foes from sailing in force.
An exception was the Battle of Basque Roads in 1809.
Early that year, part of the French fleet at Brest escaped Britain’s blockade. The Royal Navy, under Admiral James Gambier, pursued and cornered them at Basque Roads (near Rochefort). The narrow channels made Basque Roads hard to attack. Lord Thomas Cochrane (the real-life inspiration for Jack Aubrey) was sent there under Gambier’s command.
Special fireships were prepared in Britain to destroy the French fleet. But upon arriving, an impatient Cochrane built fireships from captured French merchant vessels. When ready, he pressed Gambier for an attack. Gambier initially refused, but after heated debate, relented, telling Cochrane: “If you choose the path of self-destruction, that’s your affair.”
On the night of April 11, Cochrane led his squadron. The assault panicked the French, who began firing on each other in confusion. Cochrane delayed igniting his fireship until the last moment, further stalled while retrieving the ship’s dog. Once found, he leapt into the sea and was rescued by his crew.
By morning, most of the French fleet had run aground and was ripe for capture.
Yet, Gambier hesitated, refusing to send the Royal Navy in. A furious Cochrane attacked alone with his 38-gun frigate Imperieux, soon facing three French ships. Still, Gambier held back.
Ultimately, some French ships were destroyed, but most escaped. Post-battle, Cochrane criticized Gambier in Parliament. Gambier, well-connected, weathered the backlash, while Cochrane, the hero, faced public censure.
After the war, Napoleon told a British journalist of Gambier: “The French admiral was a fool, but yours was no better.”
Conclusion
Napoleonic naval battles were defining moments in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, with major clashes like Trafalgar and numerous other encounters between British, French, Spanish, and Dutch fleets. Through this article, Thefactsofwar offers deep insight into lesser-known but impactful naval battles that shaped the war’s outcome. The clever tactics and resolve of commanders like Howe, De Winter, and Cochrane left a lasting mark on military history.
Translated by: Minh Tuan
Source: thecollector.com – 5 Naval Battles of the French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars
