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action of 23 April 1794

{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Infobox military conflict

|conflict=Action of 23 April 1794

|partof= the War of the First Coalition

|image=Capture of La Pomone L' Engageante & La Babet April 23rd 1794.jpg

|caption=Capture of Pomone, Engageante and Babet
by Thomas Whitcombe

|date=23 April 1794

|place=South-west of Guernsey

|result= British victory

|combatant1={{flagcountry|French First Republic}}

|combatant2={{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}

|commander1={{flagicon|France|naval-1790}} F. Desgareaux{{KIA}}Rouvier

|commander2={{flagdeco|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}} Sir John Borlase Warren
{{flagdeco|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}} Richard Strachan

|strength1=3 frigates
1 corvette

|strength2=5 frigates

|casualties1=2 frigates and the corvette captured.
Pomone:
80 and 100 killed and wounded
Babet:
30 and 40 killed and wounded
Engageante:
30 to 40 men killed and wounded{{cite journal |title=The late Sir Richard Strachan |journal=The Naval and Military Magazine |year=1828 |volume=3 |page=256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYcEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR199 |accessdate=22 April 2011}}

|casualties2=Flora:
1 killed, 3 wounded
Arethusa:
3 killed, 5 wounded
Melampus :
5 killed, 5 wounded{{cite web |url= http://www.pellew.com/Exmouth/Exmouth%20003/Chapter%2005%20-%20V.htm |title=The Life of Edward Pellew, Viscount Exmouth |first=C. Northcote |last=Parkinson |authorlink=C. Northcote Parkinson |work=pellew.com |year=2008 |accessdate=22 April 2011}}
Concorde:
1 killed, 12 wounded

|campaignbox={{Campaignbox First Coalition}}

{{Campaignbox French Revolutionary Wars Naval Battles}}

}}

The action of 23 April 1794 took place between a British squadron of five frigates under the command of Sir John Borlase Warren and three frigates and a corvette under the command of Chef d'escadre F. Desgarceaux during the French Revolutionary Wars. Three of the French ships were captured.

The battle

On 21 April the frigate {{HMS|Minerva|1780|2}} sighted four distant ships in the English Channel. The next morning Minerva met Warren's squadron, and passed this information on. Warren promptly set off in pursuit, and at dawn the next day, around 4 a.m., sighted three frigates and a corvette about seven or eight leagues (24.5–28 nautical miles) south-west of Guernsey. The French formed a line of battle, and Warren signalled his squadron to engage, with his own flagship {{HMS|Flora|1780|2}} in the lead, supported by {{HMS|Arethusa|1781|2}}. Taking advantage of the weather gage the British were able to force the French into a close action which lasted for nearly three hours, before the {{Ship|French frigate|Pomone|1785|2}} and {{HMS|Babet|1794|2}} surrendered at around 11 a.m.{{London Gazette|issue=13646|date=28 April 1794|pages=377–379}}

The {{Ship|French frigate|Engageante|1766|2}} and {{Ship|French frigate|Résolue|1778|2}} attempted to escape, and Warren ordered {{HMS|Concorde|1783|2}}, {{HMS|Melampus|1785|2}} and {{HMS|Nymphe|1780|2}} to pursue, as Flora was in no condition to do so. After an hour Concorde caught up with Engageante and attempted to disable her, intending to then attack the Résolue, leaving Engageante to Melampus and Nymphe, which were following.

However, while Concorde was engaged with Engageante, the Résolue dropped back and laid herself across Concorde{{'s}} bows, badly damaging her sails and rigging to the point where she was disabled. Having made hasty repairs Concorde came up again to re-engage the Engageante, which eventually surrendered at about 1.45 p.m. Résolue fired a few shots and then made off, pursued by Melampus and Nymphe, who chased her into Morlaix, before returning to assist Concorde which was towing the crippled Engageante to port.

Ships

=Britain=

=France=

See also

{{Commons category-inline}}

References

{{reflist}}

  • {{cite book|title=Histoire des marins français sous la République, de 1789 à 1803|first=Charles|last=Rouvier|publisher=Arthus Bertrand|year=1868|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9S8BAAAAQAAJ|language=French}}

{{coord missing|Channel Islands}}

Category:1794 in France

Category:Conflicts in 1794

Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving France

Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Great Britain