Action of 15 July 1798
Encyclopedia
The Action of 15 July 1798 was a minor naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars
, fought off the Spanish Mediterranean coast by the Royal Navy
ship of the line
HMS Lion
under Captain Manley Dixon
and a squadron of four Spanish Navy
frigates under Commodore Don Felix O'Neil. Lion was one of several ships sent into the Western Mediterranean by Vice-Admiral Earl St Vincent
, commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet based at the Tagus
in Portugal during the late spring of 1798. The Spanish squadron was a raiding force that had sailed from Cartagena
in Murcia seven days earlier, and was intercepted while returning to its base after an unsuccessful cruise. Although together the Spanish vessels outweighed the British ship, individually they were weaker and Commodore O'Neil failed to ensure that his manoeuveres were co-ordinated. As a result one of the frigates, Santa Dorotea, fell out of the line of battle
and was attacked by Lion.
Despite ineffectual long-range gunfire towards the British ship by the remainder of the Spanish squadron, the isolated Santa Dorotea was rapidly forced to surrender, O'Neil eventually turning the other three frigates back towards Cartagena. Unopposed, Dixon was able to consolidate his prize and send it to St Vincent's fleet off Cadiz
, where it was subsequently purchased into the Royal Navy. Lion remained in the Mediterranean during the year, later participating in the blockades of Malta
and Alexandria
. The Spanish, their seaports carefully guarded by Royal Navy squadrons, launched no further expeditions into the Mediterranean during the year.
was entirely under the control of the French Navy
and their allies, including Spain, which had switched sides in the French Revolutionary Wars
in late 1796 at the Treaty of San Ildefonso
. Denied access to deep water ports and adequate supplies, the Royal Navy fleet deployed in the Mediterranean under Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis
was forced to withdraw to the nearest friendly fleet anchorage, at the mouth of the Tagus River in Portugal. Although forced to retreat, Jervis' force was not defeated and on 14 February 1797 he achieved a victory over the Spanish Navy
at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, capturing four Spanish ships of the line. A blockade
of the Spanish Atlantic ports was instituted, especially Cadiz
, the large southern fleet anchorage, and the Spanish did not again attempt to break out during the remainder of the year.
Early in 1798, rumours reached Jervis, recently ennobled as Earl St Vincent, of a build up of French forces around the Mediterranean seaport of Toulon
under General Napoleon Bonaparte. Similar rumours had reached the Admiralty
in London, and St Vincent therefore sent Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson and three ships of the line to observe French activity. Nelson arrived too late however, and the French fleet had already sailed, carrying over 30,000 men into the Eastern Mediterranean. Nelson, joined by a fleet of ten ships sent by St Vincent under Captain Thomas Troubridge, pursued the French
, but failed to learn of their destination before the French fleet captured Malta
. Ten days later, Bonaparte sailed for Alexandria
for the second stage of his operation and Nelson's fleet unwittingly passed his during the night, the British beating the French to Egypt but sailing off again before Bonaparte arrived.
While Nelson was crossing the Mediterranean, St Vincent was taking advantage of the absence of enemy forces in the Western Mediterranean to deploy newly arrived warships to the region. One of these vessels was the 64-gun ship of the line HMS Lion
, under the command of Captain Manley Dixon
, who had been sent to St Vincent's fleet early in the year as a replacement for one of Troubridge's ships. Initially ordered to patrol the Spanish Mediterranean coast, Lion was cruising 97 miles (156.1 km) southeast of Cartagena
, a port in the Spanish Region of Murcia
at 09:00 on 15 July when four sails were spotted to the southeast.
' s lookout were a squadron of Spanish frigates that had departed Cartagena on 8 July for a brief and unsuccessful commerce raiding operation in the Western Mediterranean. Each ship carried 34-guns and a weight of shot of approximately 180 pounds (81.6 kg) to Lion' s 678 pounds (307.5 kg). On sighting Lion, the Spanish ships formed a battle line, with Commodore Felix O'Neil's flagship Pomona under Captain Don Francis Villamil in the lead followed by Proserpine under Captain Don Quaj. Bial, Santa Dorotea under Captain Don Manuel Gerraro and Santa Cazilda under Captain Don Deam. Errara. Seeking to engage the strangers, Dixon bore up, halting his movement to ensure he held the weather gage. This would enable him to manoeuvre with the wind and attack the Spanish at the time of his choosing. Seizing the advantage, Dixon then bore down on the frigate squadron, which prepared to meet the attack.
One of the frigates, Santa Dorotea, had lost a topmast sometime earlier and as result was slower than the rest of the squadron. Falling behind the others, Gerraro soon found that his ship was in danger of being isolated by Lion, as Dixon steered for the rapidly opening gap between the Spanish ships. Recognising the danger, O'Neil ordered the front three frigates to turn around and sail to the defence of Santa Dorotea, passing close by Lion and opening a heavy fire at 11:15. Lion replied, and the Spanish frigates did not immediately turn back for a second pass, continuing ahead as Dixon closed with the straggling Santa Dorotea. In an effort to deter the ship of the line, Gerraro opened fire on Lion with his stern chasers, cannon situated in the frigate's stern, which caused considerable damage to Dixon's rigging. As Lion began to close the distance, O'Neil's ships returned, but the frigates passed Lion at extreme distance, their broadsides having no effect and again coming under fire themselves.
Eventually, Dixon succeeded in bringing his ship alongside the Spanish frigate and opened a heavy fire, to which Gerraro replied with his own broadside. The larger and more powerful British ship was able to rapidly inflict severe damage to the Santa Dorotea, and within minutes the mizenmast had fallen and the mainmast and rudder were severely battered. As Santa Dorotea veered off course, O'Neil passed Lion for a third time, at an even greater distance than before, and once again his broadsides failed to have an effect and again he came under fire from the British vessel. His last attempt to save Santa Dorotea defeated, O'Neil turned away and his ships raised all sail in the direction of Cartagena at 13:10. Gerraro, his isolated ship trapped by Lion, which was slowly turning back towards the drifting frigate, raised the Union Flag
upside down as a sign of surrender.
was shot in the shoulder. Although Lion' s rigging had been badly torn, there was no structural damage at all. Securing his prize, Dixon spent the next day conducting extensive repairs before sending Santa Dorotea to Earl St Vincent off Cadiz. The captured ship was purchased into the Royal Navy and served for several years as HMS Santa Dorotea, rated at 36-guns. The prize money
generated by the sale of the captured ship and the stores aboard was paid out to the Dixon's crew in October 1800. Nearly five decades later the Admiralty recognized the action with the clasp "LION 15 JULY 1798" attached to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
Lion remained in the Western Mediterranean for the next two months, eventually joining with a squadron of four Portuguese ships of the line under the command of Tomás Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama, Marquess de Niza
. In September, Niza's squadron was ordered to join Nelson in his search for the French and sailed eastwards, but while passing to the north of Malta they encountered a large convoy of battered vessels under Captain Sir James Saumarez. These ships were seven British ships of the line and six captured French ships, all survivors of the Battle of the Nile
, Nelson's successful conclusion of the campaign fought at Aboukir Bay off Egypt on 1 August. The Anglo-Portuguese squadron continued to Alexandria in October, briefly joining the blockade squadron there under Captain Sir Samuel Hood before returning to Malta in December as part of a new squadron formed off the island. Lion followed the Portuguese back to Malta in December. The Spanish did not launch another expedition from their Mediterranean ports during 1798.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, fought off the Spanish Mediterranean coast by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
HMS Lion
HMS Lion (1777)
HMS Lion was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, of the Worcester class, launched on 3 September 1777 at Portsmouth Dockyard....
under Captain Manley Dixon
Manley Dixon
Admiral Sir Manley Dixon, KCB was a prominent Royal Navy officer during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born into a military family in the late 1750s or early 1760s, Dixon joined the Navy and served as a junior officer in the American Revolutionary War, gaining an independent...
and a squadron of four Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
frigates under Commodore Don Felix O'Neil. Lion was one of several ships sent into the Western Mediterranean by Vice-Admiral Earl St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet based at the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
in Portugal during the late spring of 1798. The Spanish squadron was a raiding force that had sailed from Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
in Murcia seven days earlier, and was intercepted while returning to its base after an unsuccessful cruise. Although together the Spanish vessels outweighed the British ship, individually they were weaker and Commodore O'Neil failed to ensure that his manoeuveres were co-ordinated. As a result one of the frigates, Santa Dorotea, fell out of the line of battle
Line of battle
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
and was attacked by Lion.
Despite ineffectual long-range gunfire towards the British ship by the remainder of the Spanish squadron, the isolated Santa Dorotea was rapidly forced to surrender, O'Neil eventually turning the other three frigates back towards Cartagena. Unopposed, Dixon was able to consolidate his prize and send it to St Vincent's fleet off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, where it was subsequently purchased into the Royal Navy. Lion remained in the Mediterranean during the year, later participating in the blockades of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. The Spanish, their seaports carefully guarded by Royal Navy squadrons, launched no further expeditions into the Mediterranean during the year.
Background
At the start of 1798, the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
was entirely under the control of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
and their allies, including Spain, which had switched sides in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
in late 1796 at the Treaty of San Ildefonso
Treaty of San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso is a town in central Spain, the summer residence of the Kings of Spain, where several treaties were signed; each is referred to, in context, as the Treaty of San Ildefonso...
. Denied access to deep water ports and adequate supplies, the Royal Navy fleet deployed in the Mediterranean under Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
was forced to withdraw to the nearest friendly fleet anchorage, at the mouth of the Tagus River in Portugal. Although forced to retreat, Jervis' force was not defeated and on 14 February 1797 he achieved a victory over the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, capturing four Spanish ships of the line. A blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
of the Spanish Atlantic ports was instituted, especially Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, the large southern fleet anchorage, and the Spanish did not again attempt to break out during the remainder of the year.
Early in 1798, rumours reached Jervis, recently ennobled as Earl St Vincent, of a build up of French forces around the Mediterranean seaport of Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
under General Napoleon Bonaparte. Similar rumours had reached the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
in London, and St Vincent therefore sent Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson and three ships of the line to observe French activity. Nelson arrived too late however, and the French fleet had already sailed, carrying over 30,000 men into the Eastern Mediterranean. Nelson, joined by a fleet of ten ships sent by St Vincent under Captain Thomas Troubridge, pursued the French
Mediterranean campaign of 1798
The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 was a series of major naval operations surrounding a French expeditionary force sent to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Republic sought to capture Egypt as the first stage in an effort to threaten British India, and...
, but failed to learn of their destination before the French fleet captured Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. Ten days later, Bonaparte sailed for Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
for the second stage of his operation and Nelson's fleet unwittingly passed his during the night, the British beating the French to Egypt but sailing off again before Bonaparte arrived.
While Nelson was crossing the Mediterranean, St Vincent was taking advantage of the absence of enemy forces in the Western Mediterranean to deploy newly arrived warships to the region. One of these vessels was the 64-gun ship of the line HMS Lion
HMS Lion (1777)
HMS Lion was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, of the Worcester class, launched on 3 September 1777 at Portsmouth Dockyard....
, under the command of Captain Manley Dixon
Manley Dixon
Admiral Sir Manley Dixon, KCB was a prominent Royal Navy officer during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born into a military family in the late 1750s or early 1760s, Dixon joined the Navy and served as a junior officer in the American Revolutionary War, gaining an independent...
, who had been sent to St Vincent's fleet early in the year as a replacement for one of Troubridge's ships. Initially ordered to patrol the Spanish Mediterranean coast, Lion was cruising 97 miles (156.1 km) southeast of Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
, a port in the Spanish Region of Murcia
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
at 09:00 on 15 July when four sails were spotted to the southeast.
Battle
The four sails spotted by LionOne of the frigates, Santa Dorotea, had lost a topmast sometime earlier and as result was slower than the rest of the squadron. Falling behind the others, Gerraro soon found that his ship was in danger of being isolated by Lion, as Dixon steered for the rapidly opening gap between the Spanish ships. Recognising the danger, O'Neil ordered the front three frigates to turn around and sail to the defence of Santa Dorotea, passing close by Lion and opening a heavy fire at 11:15. Lion replied, and the Spanish frigates did not immediately turn back for a second pass, continuing ahead as Dixon closed with the straggling Santa Dorotea. In an effort to deter the ship of the line, Gerraro opened fire on Lion with his stern chasers, cannon situated in the frigate's stern, which caused considerable damage to Dixon's rigging. As Lion began to close the distance, O'Neil's ships returned, but the frigates passed Lion at extreme distance, their broadsides having no effect and again coming under fire themselves.
Eventually, Dixon succeeded in bringing his ship alongside the Spanish frigate and opened a heavy fire, to which Gerraro replied with his own broadside. The larger and more powerful British ship was able to rapidly inflict severe damage to the Santa Dorotea, and within minutes the mizenmast had fallen and the mainmast and rudder were severely battered. As Santa Dorotea veered off course, O'Neil passed Lion for a third time, at an even greater distance than before, and once again his broadsides failed to have an effect and again he came under fire from the British vessel. His last attempt to save Santa Dorotea defeated, O'Neil turned away and his ships raised all sail in the direction of Cartagena at 13:10. Gerraro, his isolated ship trapped by Lion, which was slowly turning back towards the drifting frigate, raised the Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
upside down as a sign of surrender.
Aftermath
Santa Dorotea had suffered severe damage during the brief engagement, and had at least 20 men killed and 32 wounded from a crew of 371. By contrast, Lion had lost just two men wounded in the exchange: a seaman lost a leg and a midshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
was shot in the shoulder. Although Lion
Prize money
Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...
generated by the sale of the captured ship and the stores aboard was paid out to the Dixon's crew in October 1800. Nearly five decades later the Admiralty recognized the action with the clasp "LION 15 JULY 1798" attached to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
Lion remained in the Western Mediterranean for the next two months, eventually joining with a squadron of four Portuguese ships of the line under the command of Tomás Xavier Teles de Castro da Gama, Marquess de Niza
Count of Vidigueira
Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese count title of nobility awarded by King Manuel I of Portugal to Dom Vasco da Gama, who discovered the maritime route from Europe to India...
. In September, Niza's squadron was ordered to join Nelson in his search for the French and sailed eastwards, but while passing to the north of Malta they encountered a large convoy of battered vessels under Captain Sir James Saumarez. These ships were seven British ships of the line and six captured French ships, all survivors of the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, Nelson's successful conclusion of the campaign fought at Aboukir Bay off Egypt on 1 August. The Anglo-Portuguese squadron continued to Alexandria in October, briefly joining the blockade squadron there under Captain Sir Samuel Hood before returning to Malta in December as part of a new squadron formed off the island. Lion followed the Portuguese back to Malta in December. The Spanish did not launch another expedition from their Mediterranean ports during 1798.