Action of 23 August 1806
Encyclopedia
The Action of 23 August 1806 was a minor naval battle of the Napoleonic wars, fought off the coast of Spanish Cuba
near the port of Havana
. The Spanish frigate Pomona was captured by the frigates HMS Anson and HMS Arethusa under the commands of Captain Charles Lydiard
and Charles Brisbane respectively. As well as the frigate being captured; a shore battery was silenced and a fleet of gunboats was defeated.
which also meant that the Spanish had been on the defensive due to the diminished French naval power and the subsequent blockade of Cádiz made possible by the battle of Trafalgar
. Lydiard was appointed to command the 38-gun in 1805. Anson had originally been a 64-gun third rate, but had been razee
d in 1794. He sailed Anson to the West Indies in early 1806 and in August was sailing in company with Captain Charles Brisbane
's when on 23 August they came across the 38-gun Spanish frigate Pomona off Havana
, guarded by a shore battery and twelve gunboat
s.
in January 1807.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
near the port of Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. The Spanish frigate Pomona was captured by the frigates HMS Anson and HMS Arethusa under the commands of Captain Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard
Charles Lydiard was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
and Charles Brisbane respectively. As well as the frigate being captured; a shore battery was silenced and a fleet of gunboats was defeated.
Background
The West Indies was a Royal Navy dominated region after the French defeat at San DomingoBattle of San Domingo
The Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
which also meant that the Spanish had been on the defensive due to the diminished French naval power and the subsequent blockade of Cádiz made possible by the battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. Lydiard was appointed to command the 38-gun in 1805. Anson had originally been a 64-gun third rate, but had been razee
Razee
A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French vaisseau rasé, meaning a razed ship.-Sixteenth century:...
d in 1794. He sailed Anson to the West Indies in early 1806 and in August was sailing in company with Captain Charles Brisbane
Charles Brisbane
Sir Charles Brisbane KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, and with distinction under Lords Hood and Nelson....
's when on 23 August they came across the 38-gun Spanish frigate Pomona off Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, guarded by a shore battery and twelve gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s.
Action
The Pomona was trying to enter the harbour, whereupon Lydiard and Brisbane bore up and engaged her. The gunboats came out to defend her, whereupon the two British frigates anchored between the shore battery and gunboats on one side, and the Pomona on the other. A hard fought action began, which lasted for 35 minutes until the Pomona struck her colours. Three of the gunboats were blown up, six were sunk, and the remaining three were badly damaged. Some of the Spanish were rescued in all total of 317 were captured many of them wounded. The shore battery after a huge explosion was seen rising out of it ceased firing.Aftermath
There were no casualties aboard Anson, but Arethusa lost two killed and 32 wounded, with Brisbane among the latter. The captured Pomona was subsequently taken into the Navy as . Charles Brisbane with Anson would later, with an expedition take the Dutch island of CuraçaoCuraçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in January 1807.