Single-ship action
Encyclopedia
A single ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.
Anglo Spanish War
- 1579 March 1 - Golden HindGolden HindThe Golden Hind was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake...
captures the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Golden Age of Piracy
- 1720 October 20 - British sloop Tyger under Jonathan Barnet captures the pirate sloop William and its owner Calico JackCalico JackJohn Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century...
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War of the Austrian Succession
- 1743 June 20 - HMS CenturionHMS Centurion (1732)HMS Centurion was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Portsmouth Dockyard and launched on 6 January 1732. At the time of Centurion's construction, the 1719 Establishment dictated the dimensions of almost every ship being built...
captures the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Covadonga - 1747 October 18 - Spanish ship Glorioso destroys HMS DartmouthHMS Dartmouth (1698)HMS Dartmouth was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1698 at Southampton.She was rebuilt according to the 1706 Establishment at Woolwich Dockyard, relaunching on 7 August 1716. On 8 October 1736, Dartmouth was ordered to be taken to pieces at Woolwich and...
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American Revolutionary War
- 1778 April 24 - USS RangerUSS Ranger (1777)The first USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, and received the second salute to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power The first USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy, and received the second salute to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power The...
captures HMS DrakeHMS Drake (1777)HMS Drake was a twenty-gun sloop-of-war of the Royal Navy. Originally named Resolution, she was purchased in 1777. She served in the American Revolutionary War, and on 24 April 1778, off Carrickfergus, Ireland, she fought the North Channel naval duel with the 18-gun sloop Ranger of the Continental...
. (detailsNorth Channel naval duelThe North Channel naval duel was a single-ship action between the United States Continental Navy sloop of war Ranger and the British Royal Navy sloop of war Drake on the evening of 24 April 1778...
) - 1779 May 7 USS ProvidenceUSS Providence (1775)Originally chartered by the Rhode Island General Assembly as Katy, USS Providence was a sloop in the Continental Navy.-Service as Katy:...
captures HMS Diligent - 1779 September 10 - USS MorrisUSS Morris (1779)The second USS Morris was a schooner in the Continental Navy placed in commission in 1779.Morris was presented to Oliver Pollock by Governor Bernardo de Gálvez of Spanish Louisiana in the summer of 1779 for the use of American forces on the Mississippi River...
defeats HMS West Florida in the Battle of Lake PontchartrainBattle of Lake PontchartrainThe Battle of Lake Pontchartrain was a naval engagement on September 10, 1779 that was part of the American Revolution fought in the waters of Lake Pontchartrain between Mandeville and Lacombe in Louisiana...
. - 1779 September 14 - HMS Pearl defeats the Spanish frigate Santa Mónica. (detailsAction of 14 September 1779The Action of 14 September 1779 was a minor naval engagement between a British Royal Naval frigate HMS Pearl and a Spanish frigate Santa Mónica off the Azores during the American War of Independence....
) - 1779 November 11 - HMS TartarHMS Tartar (1756)HMS Tartar was a 28-gun sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The ship was designed by Sir Thomas Slade and based on the Lyme of 1748, "with such alterations as may tend to the better stowing of men and carrying for guns."...
captures the Spanish frigate Santa Margarita. (detailsAction of 11 November 1779The Action of 11 November 1779 was a minor naval engagement between the British Royal Naval frigate and the Spanish frigate Santa Margarita off Lisbon during the American War of Independence....
) - 1780 June 1 - USS TrumbullUSS Trumbull (1776)The second Trumbull was a three-masted, wooden-hulled sailing frigate and was one of the first 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress on 13 December 1775 and were superior in design and construction to the same class of European vessels in their day...
engages the British privateer Watt; both ships withdraw - 1780 August 11 - HMS Flora defeats the French ship Nymphe in the first engagment thought to involve the carronadeCarronadeThe carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
. - 1781 May 1 - HMS CanadaHMS Canada (1765)HMS Canada was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 September 1765 at Woolwich Dockyard.On 2 May 1781, Canada engaged and captured the Spanish ship Santa Leocadia, of 34 guns....
captures the Spanish frigate Santa Leocadia. (detailsAction of 1 May 1781The Action of 1 May 1781 was a minor naval engagement nearly 210 miles off the Port of Brest in which , a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy under Captain George Collier chased, intercepted and captured the 40-gun Spanish frigate Santa Leocadia, captained by Don Francisco de...
) - 1781 September 6 - American privateer Congress captures the British sloop HMS SavageHMS SavageEight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Savage: was a 14-gun sloop purchased in 1748 and wrecked later that year. was an 8-gun sloop launched in 1750 and wrecked in 1776. was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1778, hulked in 1804 and sold in 1815. was a 16-gun brig-sloop launched in 1805 and...
. (detailsCapture of HMS SavageThe Capture of HMS Savage refers to a naval battle of the Revolutionary War involving an American privateer and a British sloop-of-war. It occurred in September of 1781 off South Carolina and is considered one of the hardest fought single ship actions of the war.-Capture:By 1781 the smaller British...
) - 1782 December 6 - HMS RubyHMS Ruby (1776)HMS Ruby was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 November 1776 at Woolwich.She was converted to serve as a receiving ship in 1813, and was broken up in 1821....
defeats the French ship SolitaireFrench ship Solitaire (1774)Solitaire was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1774.She was captured by the Royal Navy on 6th December 1782, and commissioned as the third rate HMS Solitaire. She was sold out of the navy in 1790....
. (detailsAction of 6 December 1782The Action of 6 December 1782 was a single-ship action fought between HMS Ruby and the French ship Solitaire off the coast of Martinique. The Ruby easily defeated the Solitaire.-Battle:...
) - 1783 January 22 - HMS Hussar captures the French frigate Sybille. (detailsAction of 22 January 1783The Action of 22 January 1783 was a single ship action fought off the Chesapeake Bay during the American War of Independence. The British frigate under the command of Thomas McNamara Russell captured the French frigate Sybille under the command of Théobald René, Comte de Kergariou-Loemaria...
)
Russo-Swedish War
- 1789 May 21 - Cutter Mercury under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Roman Crown captures Swedish 40-gun frigate Venus which, according to tradition, joins Russian navy under the same name
French Revolutionary Wars
- 1793 December 1 - His Majesty's packet shipPacket shipA "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Antelope captures the French privateer Atlante. - 1794 May 29 - recaptures (detailsFrigate action of 29 May 1794The frigate action of 29 May 1794—not to be confused with the much larger fleet action of 29 May 1794 that took place in the same waters at the same time—was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars between a Royal Navy frigate and a French Navy frigate...
) - 1795 January 4 - captures PiqueHMS Pique (1795)HMS Pique was a 38-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had formerly served with the French Navy, initially as the Fleur-de-Lys, and later as the Pique. She was captured in 1795 by HMS Blanche, in a battle that left the Blanches commander, Captain Robert Faulknor, dead...
- 1795 March 13 - captures the French frigate Tourterelle
- 1796 June 6 - captures French frigate TribuneHMS Tribune (1796)HMS Tribune was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth rate. This frigate was originally a French ship captured and commissioned into service in the Navy. She only served for a year before being wrecked off of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia with the loss of all but 12 of her crew.-Capture:Tribune was originally the...
- 1797 December 22 - captures the French frigate NéréideFrench frigate Néréide (1779)The Néréide was a Sybille class 32-gun, copper-hulled, frigate of the French Navy. On 22 December 1797 HMS Phoebe captured her and she was taken into British service as HMS Nereide. The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Île de France in...
- 1798 April 2 - HMS MarsHMS Mars (1794)HMS Mars was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 October 1794 at Deptford Dockyard.-Career:In the early part of the French Revolutionary Wars she was assigned to the Channel Fleet. In 1797 under Captain Alexander Hood she was prominent in the Spithead mutiny...
captures the French ship HerculeFrench ship Hercule (1798)The Hercule was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During her maiden journey, on 21 April 1798, and just 24 hours out of port, she was captured by the British ship HMS Mars after a violent fight, off Île de Sein near Brest... - 1798 July 4 - French corvette Lodi in an inconclusive engagement with the English privateer brig Acquila (probably Eagle)
- 1798 June 21 - His Majesty's packet ship Princess Royal repels the French privateer Avanture.
- 1798 August 7 - captures the Genoese pirate Liguria
- 1799 November 23 - Hired cutter CourierHired armed cutter CourierThe Hired armed cutter Courier appears twice in the records of the Royal Navy. The size and armament suggests that both contracts may represent the same vessel...
captures French privateer Guerrier - 1800 March 5 - captures the privateer HeureuxHMS Heureux (1800)Heureux was a 22-gun French privateer brig that the British captured in 1800. She served with the Royal Navy as the 22-gun post ship HMS Heureux. She captured numerous French and Spanish privateers and merchant vessels in the Caribbean before she was lost at sea in 1806...
- 1800 August 20 - captures the French ship VengeanceHMS Vengeance (1800)The Vengeance was a Résistance class frigate of the French Navy, noted for her fight with during the Quasi-War, an inconclusive engagement that left both ships heavily damaged. During the French Revolutionary Wars, hunted Vengeance down and captured her after a sharp action...
- 1800 October 8 - captures the French privateer Quidproquo
- 1800 October 9 - French privateerPrivateerA privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Confiance captures British East Indiaman Kent - 1801 February 19 - captures the French frigate Africaine (detailsAction of 19 February 1801The Action of 19 February 1801 was a minor naval battle fought off Ceuta in Spanish North Africa in February 1801 between a French Navy frigate and British Royal Navy frigate during the French Revolutionary Wars...
) - 1801 May 6 - captures Spanish xebec frigate El Gamo
- 1801 August 18 - captures Spanish letter of marque Theresa
- 1801 September 25 - has an inconclusive engagement with a Spanish or French privateer.
Quasi-War
- 1799 February 9 - USS ConstellationUSS Constellation (1797)USS Constellation was a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. She was distinguished as the first U.S. Navy vessel to put to sea and the first U.S. Navy vessel to engage and defeat an enemy vessel...
captures the FrenchFrench NavyThe 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...
frigate L'Insurgente (detailsAction of 9 February 1799The USS Constellation vs L'Insurgente, or the Action of 9 February 1799, was the first United States naval victory against a foreign naval vessel...
) - 1800 February 1 - USS ConstellationUSS Constellation (1797)USS Constellation was a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. She was distinguished as the first U.S. Navy vessel to put to sea and the first U.S. Navy vessel to engage and defeat an enemy vessel...
defeats the French frigate La VengeanceHMS Vengeance (1800)The Vengeance was a Résistance class frigate of the French Navy, noted for her fight with during the Quasi-War, an inconclusive engagement that left both ships heavily damaged. During the French Revolutionary Wars, hunted Vengeance down and captured her after a sharp action...
(detailsUSS Constellation vs La VengeanceThe USS Constellation vs La Vengeance, or the Action of 1 February 1800, was a single-ship action fought between frigates of the French Navy and the United States Navy during the Quasi-War...
) - 1800 October 12 - USS BostonUSS Boston (1799)The third USS Boston was a 32-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted frigate of the United States Navy. Boston was built by public subscription in Boston under the Act of 30 June 1798. Boston was active during the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. On 12 October 1800, Boston...
captures the FrenchFrench NavyThe 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...
corvette Berceau (details) - 1800 October 25 - USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (1799)The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
captures French privateer Flambeau (details)
Napoleonic Wars
- 1803 July 16 - captures French corvette Lodi.
- 1803 August 13 - French privateer Bellone captures the East Indiaman Lord NelsonLord Nelson (East Indiaman)Lord Nelson was an East Indiaman, launched in late 1799, sailing for the East India Company. She made five voyages, of which she completed four. On her second voyage the French privateer Bellone captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her within about two weeks...
- 1803 August 27 - recaptures Lord Nelson
- 1804 February 5 - HMS EclairHMS Eclair (1801)HMS Eclair was a French schooner captured in 1801. The British took her into service under her French name and armed her with twelve 12-pounder carronades. In 1804 she engaged in a noteworthy, albeit indecisive single ship action with the 22-gun French privateer Grande Decide. In 1809 she was...
engages the 22-gun French privateer Grande Decide - 1804 March 21 - French privateer Blonde captures and sinks HMS WolverineHMS Wolverine (1798)HMS Wolverine , was a Royal Navy 14-gun brig-sloop, formerly the civilian collier Rattler, which was purchased in 1798 and converted into a brig sloop, but armed experimentally. She served during the French Revolutionary Wars and participated in one action that won for her crew a clasp to the Naval...
- 1804 March 25 or 28 - HMS HippomenesHMS Hippomenes (1803)HMS Hippomenes was a former Dutch corvette built in Vlissingen in 1797 for the Batavian Republic. The British took her in 1803 and she served with the Royal Navy until sold in 1813. With the Royal Navy she participated in two notable single-ship actions in the West Indies.-Dutch service:Hippomenes...
captures French privateer EgyptienneHMS Antigua (1804)HMS Antigua was a French frigate launched in 1779. She became a privateer that the British captured in 1804. She served the Royal Navy as a prison ship from 1804 to 1816, when she was broken up.-French service:... - 1804 June 21 - HMS HippomenesHMS Hippomenes (1803)HMS Hippomenes was a former Dutch corvette built in Vlissingen in 1797 for the Batavian Republic. The British took her in 1803 and she served with the Royal Navy until sold in 1813. With the Royal Navy she participated in two notable single-ship actions in the West Indies.-Dutch service:Hippomenes...
unsuccessfully engages the Guadeloupe privateer Buonaparte. - 1804 July 31 - HMS TartarHMS Tartar (1801)HMS Tartar was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built at Frindsbury and launched in 1801. She captured privateers on the Jamaica station and fought in the Gunboat War and elsewhere in the Baltic before being lost to grounding off Estonia in 1811.-Jamaica station:Captain James Walker...
captures French privateer Hirondelle - 1805 February 8 - HMS CurieuxHMS Curieux (1804)HMS Curieux was a French corvette launched 20 September 1800 at Saint Malo to a design by François Pestel, and carrying 16 6-pounder guns. She was commissioned under Capitaine de frégate Joseph-Marie-Emmanuel Cordier. The British captured her in 1804 in a cutting-out action at Martinique...
captures French privateer Dame Ernouf - 1805 February 13 - HMS San Fiorenzo captures French frigate PsycheFrench frigate Psyché (1804)Psyché was a 36-gun vessel built between February 1798 and 1799 at Basse-Indre as a privateer. As a privateer she had an inconclusive but bloody encounter with HMS Wilhelmina of the Royal Navy, commanded by Commander Henry Lambert, off the Indian coast in April 1804. The French then brought her...
- 1805 March 10 - Private ship of war KittyHired armed ship KittyThe Hired armed ship Kitty served the Royal Navy only from 17 May 1804 to 17 January 1805. She was armed with sixteen 18-pounder carronades and was of 16671/94 tons burthen ....
captures the Spanish private ship of war Felicity - 1805 July 19 - French frigate TopazeFrench frigate Topaze (1805)The Topaze was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy. The British captured her in 1809 and she the served with the Royal Navy under the name Alcmene until she was broken up in 1816.-French service:...
captures HMS Blanche - 1805 August 10 - HMS PhoenixHMS Phoenix (1783)HMS Phoenix was a 36-gun Perseverance-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The shipbuilder George Parsons built her at Bursledon and launched her on 15 July 1783. She served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and was instrumental in the events leading up to the battle of Trafalgar...
captures Didon - 1805 August 16 - HMS Raisonable vs French frigate Topaze
- 1805 November - HMS WolverineHMS Wolverine (1805)HMS Wolverine was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop, launched in 1805 at Topsham, near Exeter. Early in her career she was involved in two fratricidal incidents, one involving a British frigate and then a newsworthy case in which she helped capture a British slave ship...
vs HMS AmethystHMS Amethyst (1799)HMS Amethyst was a Royal Navy 36-gun Penelope-class fifth-rate frigate, launched in 1799 at Deptford. Amethyst served in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, capturing several prizes. She also participated in two boat actions and two ship actions that won her crew clasps to the... - 1806 May 11 - French ship Abeille captures HMS AlacrityHMS Alacrity (1806)HMS Alacrity was a built by William Row at Newcastle and launched in 1806. She served in the Baltic and was at the capture of Copenhagen in 1807. She captured a large privateer before herself falling victim to a French man-of-war in 1811 in an action in which her captain failed to distinguish...
- 1806 May 14 - HMS PallasHMS Pallas (1804)HMS Pallas was a 32-gun fifth rate Thames-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804 at Plymouth.-History:Pallas was one of the seven Thames class frigates ordered for the fleet in early 1804. Her keel was laid at Plymouth Dockyard in June 1804 and she was launched on the afternoon of 17...
vs French Minerve - 1806 July 19 - HMS BlancheHMS Amfitrite (1804)HMS Amfitrite was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the Spanish Navy before she was captured during the Napoleonic Wars and commissioned into the Royal Navy. The Admiralty renamed her HMS Blanche after she had spent just over a year as Amfitrite...
captures French GuerrièreHMS Guerriere (1806)HMS Guerriere was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which had previously sailed with the French Navy as the Guerrière. She became famous for her fight against .... - 1806 October 26 - captures the French privateeer Superbe
- 1806 December 29 - HMS SpitfireHMS Spitfire (1782)HMS Spitfire was a Tisiphone-class fireship of the Royal Navy. She served during the years of peace following the end of the American War of Independence, and by the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, had been reclassified as a 14-gun sloop-of-war...
captures French privateer Deux Frères - 1807 January 3 - HMS PickleHMS Pickle (1800)HMS Pickle was a topsail schooner of the Royal Navy. She was originally a civilian vessel named Sting. of six guns, that Lord Hugh Seymour purchased to use as an armed tender on the Jamaica Station...
captures the French privateer Favorite. - 1807 August 19 - captures the Danish frigate Frederickscvaern.
- 1807 October 1 - British packet shipPacket shipA "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Windsor Castle captures the French privateer Jeune Richard. (detailsCapture of the Jeune RichardThe capture of the Jeune Richard was the result of a naval engagement that took place in the Caribbean on 1 October 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, between the British packet ship Windsor Castle, and the French privateer Jeune Richard...
) - 1807 October 17 - captures the French privateer schooner Tape a L’OeilHMS Dominica (1807)HMS Dominica was the French privateer schooner Jopo L'Oeil that the British captured in 1807 in the Leeward Islands.British sources other than the after-action letter in the London Gazette give her name as Tape à LOeuil...
. - 1807 December 3 - HMS CurieuxHMS Curieux (1804)HMS Curieux was a French corvette launched 20 September 1800 at Saint Malo to a design by François Pestel, and carrying 16 6-pounder guns. She was commissioned under Capitaine de frégate Joseph-Marie-Emmanuel Cordier. The British captured her in 1804 in a cutting-out action at Martinique...
vs French privateer Revanche - 1808 March 2 - HMS SapphoHMS Sappho (1806)HMS Sappho was a Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Jabez Bailey at Ipswich and launched in 1806. She defeated a Danish brig, the Admiral Yawl in a single-ship action during the Gunboat War,The vessel's name varies by account. Variants include: Admiral Juhl, Admiral Jawl, Admiral Juul, and Admiral...
captures Danish privateer Admiral Yawl - 1808 March 6–8 - HMS San Fiorenzo captures French frigate PiémontaiseFrench frigate Piémontaise (1804)The Piémontaise was a 40-gun Consolante-class frigate of the French Navy. She served as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean until her capture in March 1808...
- 1808 May 11 and 12 - vs French 16-gun Requin
- 1808 June 24 - captures the Russian cutter OpytRussian cutter Opyt (1806)The Russian cutter Opyt was launched in 1806. The British 44-gun frigate Salsette captured Opyt in 1808 in the Baltic during the Anglo-Russian War after her captain and crew put up a heroic resistance. The Admiralty took her into service as HMS Baltic...
- 1808 July 5 and 6 - HMS Seahorse captures Turkish frigate Badere Zafer
- 1808 August 11 - HMS Comet captures French corvette Sylph
- 1808 September 6 - HMS RecruitHMS Recruit (1806)HMS Recruit was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Sandwich, Kent. She is best known for an act of pique by Cmdr. Warwick Lake, who marooned a seaman, and for an inconclusive but hard fought ship action under Cmdr. Charles John Napier against the French...
vs French corvette Diligente - 1808 September 29 - French navy corvette Départment-des-Landes captures
- 1808 October 3 - French brig PalinureFrench brig Palinure (1804)Palinure was a Palinure-class 16-gun brig of the French Navy, built by Caudan at Lorient and launched in 1804. In French service she captured before captured her in turn. Taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Snap, she participated in two campaigns that qualified for the Naval General Service Medal...
captures HMS CarnationHMS Carnation (1807)HMS Carnation was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Taylor at Bideford and launched in 1807. After the French brig Palinure captured her, she was burned by the French to prevent her recapture.-Career:... - 1810 January 11 - HMS ScorpionHMS Scorpion (1803)HMS Scorpion was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by John King at Dover and launched in 1803. She was the first of the class to be built since the launching of Cruizer in 1797...
captures French brig Oreste - 1810 August 10 - His Majesty's Hired armed cutter Queen CharlotteHired armed cutter Queen CharlotteThe hired armed cutter Queen Charlotte served the Royal Navy on two contracts, the first from 10 June 1803 to 13 February 1805, and the second from 17 September 1807 to 17 May 1814. She was of 75 14/94 tons burthen and carried an armament of eight 4-pounder guns...
drives off a substantially larger and more heavily armed French vessel.
First Barbary War
- 1801 August 1 - United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
warship USS EnterpriseUSS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise may refer to the following vessels:-United States of America:In watercraft, the prefix "USS" or "U.S.S." is applied to ships commissioned by and for the United States Navy. Private citizens also use the name unofficially...
captures TripolitanianTripolitaniaTripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
corsairCorsairCorsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
Tripoli near MaltaMaltaMalta , 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...
. (detailsAction of 1 August 1801The Action of 1 August 1801 was a single-ship action of the First Barbary War fought between the American schooner and the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli off the coast of modern-day Libya....
)
War of 1812
- 1807 June 22 Chesapeake-Leopard Affair - HMS LeopardHMS Leopard (1790)HMS Leopard was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812.-Construction and commissioning:...
boards the USS ChesapeakeUSS Chesapeake (1799)USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships... - 1811 May 16 Little Belt AffairLittle Belt AffairThe Little Belt Affair was a naval battle on the night of May 16, 1811. It involved the United States frigate USS President and the British sixth-rate HMS Little Belt, a sloop-of-war, which had originally been the Danish ship Lillebælt, before being captured by the British in the 1807 Battle of...
- USS PresidentUSS President (1800)USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a...
fires on HMS Little BeltHMS Little Belt (1807)Lillebælt was a Danish 22-gun warship launched in 1801. The Danes surrendered her to the Royal Navy in 1807 and she became the 20-gun post ship HMS Little Belt. The American USS President fired on her during peacetime, believing her to be , which had recently abducted a sailor from USS Spitfire,... - 1812 June 18 - USS EssexUSS Essex (1799)The first USS Essex of the United States Navy was a 36-gun or 32-gun sailing frigate that participated in the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War, and in the War of 1812, during which she was captured by the British in 1814 and served as HMS Essex until sold at public auction on 6 June...
captures HMS AlertHMS AlertSixteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Alert , while another was planned:... - 1812 August 19 - USS ConstitutionUSS ConstitutionUSS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
defeats HMS GuerriereHMS Guerriere (1806)HMS Guerriere was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which had previously sailed with the French Navy as the Guerrière. She became famous for her fight against .... - 1812 September 8 - French privateer brig Diligent (or Diligente or Diligence) captures the schooner HMS LauraHMS Laura (1805)HMS Laura was an of the Royal Navy, launched in 1805. She was built at Bermuda of the pencil cedar and was pierced to mount ten 18-pounder carronades, but was too small to carry conveniently that many guns...
- 1812 October 18 - USS WaspUSS Wasp (1807)The second USS Wasp of the United States Navy was a sailing sloop of war captured by the British in the early months of the War of 1812. She was constructed in 1806 at the Washington Navy Yard, was commissioned sometime in 1807, Master Commandant John Smith in command. In 1812 she captured , but...
defeats HMS FrolicHMS Frolic (1806)HMS Frolic was a 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was built by Boole, of Bridport and was launched on 9 February 1806. In 1812 the American sloop captured her after a fierce fight, but later that day the British recaptured Frolic and captured Wasp... - 1812 October 25 - USS United StatesUSS United States (1797)USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
captures HMS Macedonian - 1812 November 22 - HMS SouthamptonHMS Southampton (1757)HMS Southampton was the name ship of the 32-gun Southampton-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served for more than half a century until wrecked in 1812.- Fate :...
captures USS VixenUSS Vixen (1803)The first USS Vixen was a schooner in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War.Vixen was one of four vessels authorized by Congress on 28 February 1803... - 1812 December 29 - USS ConstitutionUSS ConstitutionUSS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
destroys HMS JavaHMS Java (1811)HMS Java was a British Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate frigate. She was originally launched in 1805 as the Renommée, described as a 40-gun Pallas-class French Navy frigate, but the vessel actually carried 46 guns... - 1813 January 17 - HMS Narcissus captures USS ViperUSS Viper (1806)USS Viper – commissioned as USS Ferret – was a brig serving the United States Navy during the early days of the republic. Viper was assigned to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807 along the U.S. East Coast. During the War of 1812, while cruising in the Caribbean, she was captured by the more heavily...
- 1813 February 24 - USS Hornet defeats HMS PeacockSinking of HMS PeacockThe sinking of HMS Peacock was a naval action fought off the mouth of the Demerara River, Guyana on 24 February, 1813, between the sloop of war USS Hornet and the Cruizer class brig sloop Peacock...
- 1813 May 23 - vs. Virginia privateer schooner Roger
- 1813 June 1 - HMS ShannonHMS Shannon (1806)HMS Shannon was a 38-gun Leda-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1806 and served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
captures USS ChesapeakeUSS Chesapeake (1799)USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships...
in the Battle of Boston HarborBattle of Boston HarborThe Capture of USS Chesapeake, or the Battle of Boston Harbor, was fought on 1 June 1813, between HMS Shannon and the USS Chesapeake, as part of the War of 1812... - 1813 August 5 - Privateer DecaturDecatur (privateer)The Decatur was an American schooner built in Charleston, South Carolina for privateering during the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for the United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur who served with distinction in many of America's earliest conflicts...
capturesCapture of HMS DominicaThe Capture of HMS Dominica was a notable single-ship action that occurred on 5 August 1813 off the Bermudas during the War of 1812. American privateer Decatur and the Royal Navy warship engaged in a fierce contest that ended with the capture of the British ship after a long battle.-Background:HMS...
HMS DominicaHMS DominicaFour vessels of Britain's Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Dominica, named for the island of Dominica. was a schooner purchased in 1805, whose crew mutinied in 1806 and turned her over to the French who sent her out as the privateer Napoleon. Within four days of the mutiny had recaptured her;... - 1813 August 14 - HMS Pelican captures USS ArgusUSS Argus (1803)The first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812.Argus was laid down as Merrimack on 12 May 1803 at Boston, Massachusetts, by Edmund Hartt; renamed Argus on 4 June 1803; and launched on 21 August 1803.-First Barbary War:Though no document...
- 1813 September 5 - USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (1799)The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
captures HMS BoxerHMS Boxer (1812)HMS Boxer was a 12-gun built and launched in July 1812. The ship had a short service history with the Royal Navy before the 16-gun USS Enterprise captured her near Portland, Maine in September 1813. She then went to have at least a decade-long commercial career.-Design and construction:The Bold... - 1813 September 23 - USS PresidentUSS President (1800)USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a...
captures HMS HighflyerHMS Highflyer (1813)HMS Highflyer was originally an American privateer schooner built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes. The Royal Navy captured her in 1813... - 1813 December 25 - HMS BelvideraHMS Belvidera (1809)HMS Belvidera was a 36-gun Royal Navy Apollo-class fifth-rate frigate built in Deptford in 1809. She saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and continued a busy career at sea into the middle of the 19th century...
captures USS Vixen IIUSS Vixen (1813)The second USS Vixen was a brig in commission in the United States Navy in 1813.Vixen was purchased by the U.S. Navy at Savannah, Georgia in 1813. She was captured at sea by the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Belvidera on 25 December 1813 while sailing from Wilmington, North Carolina, to... - 1814 February - HMS EpervierHMS Epervier (1812)HMS Epervier was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy built by Ross at Rochester, England, and launched on 2 December 1812. The USS Peacock captured her in 1814 and took her into service...
captures American privateer-brig Alfred - 1814 February 14 - USS ConstitutionUSS ConstitutionUSS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
destroys HMS PictouHMS Pictou (1813)HMS Pictou was a 16-gun schooner built as the American privateer Syren which was captured by the Royal Navy on 20 April 1813. Pictou was one of five British warships captured or destroyed during the War of 1812 by the American frigate USS Constitution.- History :During the War of 1812 Pictou was... - 1814 March 28 - HMS PhoebeHMS Phoebe (1795)HMS Phoebe was a 36-gun fifth rate of the British Royal Navy. She had a career of almost twenty years and fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
captures USS EssexUSS Essex (1799)The first USS Essex of the United States Navy was a 36-gun or 32-gun sailing frigate that participated in the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War, and in the War of 1812, during which she was captured by the British in 1814 and served as HMS Essex until sold at public auction on 6 June... - 1814 April 20 - HMS ShelburneHMS Shelburne (1813)HMS Shelburne was the American privateer schooner Racer, built in Baltimore in 1811 and captured by the British in 1813. She served on the American coast, capturing the American brig Frolic...
, with HMS Orpheus approaching, captures USS FrolicUSS Frolic (1813)USS Frolic was a sloop-of-war that served in the United States Navy in 1814. The British captured her later that year and she served in the Royal Navy in the Channel and the North Sea until she was broken up in 1819.-Construction:... - 1814 April 29 - USS PeacockUSS Peacock (1813)The first USS Peacock was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the War of 1812.Peacock was authorized by Act of Congress 3 March 1813, laid down 9 July 1813 by Adam & Noah Brown at the New York Navy Yard, and launched 19 September 1813. She served in the War of 1812, capturing twenty ships...
captures HMS EpervierHMS Epervier (1812)HMS Epervier was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy built by Ross at Rochester, England, and launched on 2 December 1812. The USS Peacock captured her in 1814 and took her into service... - 1814 June 22 - HMS LeanderHMS Leander (1813)HMS Leander was a 4th rate Ship-of-the-Line of 60 guns of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1813.In the War of 1812 she took part in the battle of Fort McHenry....
captures USS RattlesnakeUSS Rattlesnake (1813)USS Rattlesnake was a brig built in Medford, Massachusetts as a privateer and purchased by the United States Navy in 1813. She sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire 10 January 1814, under the command of Master Commandant John O. Creighton, and sailed with cruising the Caribbean... - 1814 June 28 - USS WaspUSS Wasp (1814)USS Wasp was a sloop-of-war that served in the U.S. Navy in 1814 during the War of 1812. She was the fifth US Navy ship to carry that name....
captures HMS ReindeerHMS Reindeer (1804)HMS Reindeer was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, built by Samuel & Daniel Brent at Rotherhithe and was launched in 1804. She was built of fir, which made for more rapid construction at the expense of durability... - 1814 July 12 - Privateer Syren captures HMS LandrailHMS Landrail (1806)HMS Landrail was a Cuckoo-class schooner built by Thomas Sutton at Ringmore Teignmouth. Like all her class she carried four 12-pounder carronades and had a crew of 20. She had a relatively uneventful career during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 until 1814 when she was taken in a notable...
- 1814 July 12 - HMS MedwayHMS Medway (1812)HMS Medway was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 November 1812 at Northfleet.Medway was converted to serve as a prison ship in 1847, and was sold out of the Navy in 1865....
captures USS SyrenUSS Syren (1803)USS Syren was a brig of the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812 until being captured by the Royal Navy in 1814.... - 1814 September 1 - USS WaspUSS Wasp (1814)USS Wasp was a sloop-of-war that served in the U.S. Navy in 1814 during the War of 1812. She was the fifth US Navy ship to carry that name....
sinks HMS AvonHMS Avon (1805)HMS Avon was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Symons at Falmouth and launched on 31 January 1805. In the War of 1812 she fought a desperate action with the USS Wasp that resulted in her sinking on 27 August 1814.-Service:... - 1815 January 15 - HMS EndymionHMS Endymion (1797)HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794...
defeats USS PresidentUSS President (1800)USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a... - 1815 March 23 - USS HornetUSS Hornet (1805, brig)The third USS Hornet was a brig-rigged sloop-of-war in the United States Navy. Later, however, she was re-rigged as a ship. Hornet was launched on 28 July 1805 in Baltimore and commissioned on 18 October...
captures HMS PenguinHMS Penguin (1813)HMS Penguin was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop launched in 1813. In 1815 the USS Hornet captured Penguin in a battle that took place after the end of the War of 1812. Hornet then scuttled Penguin as she was too damaged to merit keeping.-Service:Penguin was commissioned in November 1813 under...
Suppression of the slave trade
- 1828 April 2 - HMS Black JokeHMS Black Joke (1827)The third HMS Black Joke was probably built in Baltimore in 1824, becoming the Brazilian slave ship Henriquetta. The Royal Navy captured her in September 1827 and purchased her into the service. The West Africa Squadron employed her to chase down slave ships. Over the course of a five-year career...
captures Providentia - 1828 May 1 - HMS Black Joke captures Presidenté
- 1829 February 1 - HMS Black Joke captures Almirante
- 1830 September 7 - HMS Primrose captures Veloz Passagera Capture of the Veloz PassageraThe Capture of Veloz Passagera was a single ship action that occurred during the United Kingdom's blockade of Africa in the early and mid 19th century...
Texas
- 1835 June 15 - USRC InghamUSRC Ingham (1832)The United States Revenue Cutter Ingham was one of the 13 Coast Guard cutters of the Morris-Taney class. Named for Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D...
engagesIngham IncidentThe Ingham Incident, or the Montezuma Affair, was a naval battle fought in 1835, and the first between Mexico and the United States. The warship Montezuma patrolled the coast of Texas to prevent the smuggling of contraband into the territory...
the Mexican scooner Montezuma. - 1836 March 6 - Texas schooner LibertyTexan schooner LibertyThe Texas schooner Liberty was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She served in the Texas Navy for only about 6 months, capturing the Mexican brig Pelicano loaded with weapons for their army in Texas. Later that year, she sailed to New Orleans accompanying the wounded Sam Houston,...
captures the Mexican schooner Pelicano - 1836 April 3 - Texas schooner InvincibleTexan schooner InvincibleThe Texas schooner Invincible was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She began her service in January, 1836 and immediately began attacking ships supplying the Mexican army in Texas, including capturing the United States merchant vessel Pocket and later the British ship Eliza...
sinks the Mexican schooner Montezuma.
First Schleswig War
- 1849 June 27 - Prussian paddle steamer Preussischer Adler duels inconclusively with Danish brig St. Croix off Brusterort
Crimean War
- 1853 November 17 - Russian steam frigate Vladimir captures Turkish/Egyptian steam frigate Pervaz Bahri in the Black Sea (first battle between steamships)
American Civil War
- 1861 July 18 - USS St. LawrenceUSS St. Lawrence (1848)USS St. Lawrence was a frigate in the United States Navy. She was based on the same plans as .Although St. Lawrence was laid down in 1826 by the Norfolk Navy Yard, she remained uncompleted on the ways until work on her, interrupted by a shortage of funds, was resumed during the Mexican-American War...
sinksSinking of the PetrelThe Sinking of the Petrel occurred in July of 1861 during the American Civil War. While cruising off the coast of South Carolina the United States Navy warship USS St. Lawrence encountered the Confederate privateer named Petrel. The engagement ended in a Union victory and the survivng rebels were...
privateer Petrel off CharlestonCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... - 1863 January 11 - CSS AlabamaCSS AlabamaCSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never anchored in...
sinksAction off Galveston LightThe Action off Galveston Light was a short naval battle fought during the American Civil War in January 1863. Confederate raider CSS Alabama encountered and sank the United States Navy steamer USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas....
USS HatterasUSS Hatteras (1861)The first USS Hatteras was a heavy 1,126-ton steamer purchased by the Union Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat and assigned to the Union blockade of the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America...
off Galveston IslandGalveston IslandGalveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - 1864 June 19 - USS KearsargeUSS Kearsarge (1861)USS Kearsarge, a Mohican-class sloop-of-war, is best known for her defeat of the Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama during the American Civil War. The Kearsarge was the only ship of the United States Navy named for Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire...
sinks CSS AlabamaCSS AlabamaCSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never anchored in...
off Cherbourg, France - 1864 October 7 - USS WachusettUSS WachusettUSS Wachusett has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to:*USS Wachusett , a sloop-of-war in commission from 1862 to 1868, from 1871 to 1874, and from 1879 to 1885...
capturesBahia IncidentThe Bahia Incident was a naval skirmish fought in late 1864 during the American Civil War. A Confederate States Navy warship was captured by a Union warship in Bahia Harbor, Brazil...
CSS FloridaCSS FloridaAt least three ships of the Confederate States Navy were named CSS Florida in honor of the third Confederate state:* The blockade runner was commissioned in January 1862, captured by the U.S. Navy in April 1862, and became...
in Bahia Harbour, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Chincha Islands War
- 1865 November 26 - Battle of PapudoBattle of PapudoThe Naval Battle of Papudo was a naval engagement fought between Spanish and Chilean forces on November 26, 1865, during the Chincha Islands War...
- Chilean corvette EsmeraldaEsmeralda (1855)The Esmeralda launched in 1855, was a wooden steam corvette sunk during the War of the Pacific as was set against superior forces, fought until sunk with colors flying on 21 May 1879 at the Battle of Iquique...
captures Spanish gunboat Virgen de Covadonga - 1866 August 22 - Spanish frigate Gerona captures Chilean cruiser PamperoSpanish cruiser TornadoThe Tornado, was a 2100-ton and maneuverable at 13 knots bark-rigged screw steam cruiser of the Spanish Navy, first launched at Clydebank, Scotland in 1863, as the Confederate raider CSS Texas...
. (detailsAction of 22 August 1866The Action of 22 August 1866 occurred during the Chincha Islands War near Funchal, in Madeira.The Chilean steamer Pampero was captured by the Spanish frigate Gerona, on August 22, 1866 on the island of Madeira when it was brought to Chile, under the command of John MacPherson, an English commander...
)
War of the Pacific
- 1879 May 21 Battle of IquiqueBattle of IquiqueThe Battle of Iquique was a confrontation that occurred on May 21, 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacific, a conflict between Chile and Peru and Bolivia. The battle took place off the, by then, Peruvian port of Iquique...
- Peruvian monitor HuáscarHuáscar (ship)Huáscar is a 19th century small armoured turret ship of a type similar to a monitor. She was built in Britain for Peru and played a significant role in the battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific against Chile before being captured and commissioned with the Chilean Navy. Today she is one of...
sinks Chilean corvette EsmeraldaEsmeralda (1855)The Esmeralda launched in 1855, was a wooden steam corvette sunk during the War of the Pacific as was set against superior forces, fought until sunk with colors flying on 21 May 1879 at the Battle of Iquique... - 1879 May 21 Battle of Punta GruesaBattle of Punta GruesaThe Battle of Punta Gruesa took place on May 21, 1879 during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources as a separate battle.-Context:...
- Chilean schooner Covadonga defeats Peruvian ironclad IndependenciaPeruvian ironclad IndependenciaIndependencia was an broadside ironclad built in England for the Peruvian Navy during the mid-1860s. Independencia and Huáscar where the two main ships of the Peruvian Navy at the start of the War of the Pacific with Chile. Independencia ran aground while pursuing Covadonga during the naval battle...
Franco-Prussian War
- 1870 November 7 - French aviso Bouvet fightsBattle of Havana (1870)The Battle of Havana on 9 November 1870 was a single ship action between the German gunboat Meteor and the French aviso Bouvet off the coast of Havana, Cuba during the Franco-Prussian War....
German gunboat Meteor off Havana
Spanish-American War
- 1898 April 25 - Spanish gunboat Ligera repulses an attack by American torpedo boat USS Foote (detailsAction of 25 April 1898The Action of 25 April 1898 was a minor single ship action of the Spanish-American War fought near Cárdenas, Cuba, between the American torpedo boat USS Foote under Lieutenant William Ledyard Rodgers and the Spanish gunboat Ligera under Lieutenant Antonio Pérez Rendón. After a fierce exchange of...
)
Mexican Revolution
- 1914 March 31 - Huerista gunboatGunboatA 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:...
Guerrero sinks ConstitutionalistConstitutionalists in the Mexican RevolutionConstitutionalists, or Carranzistas were the third faction in the Mexican Revolution consisting of mainly middle-class urbanites, liberals, and intellectuals who desired a constitution under the guidelines “Mexico for Mexicans”...
gunboat Tampico at the Third Battle of TopolobampoThird Battle of TopolobampoThe Third Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action during the Mexican Revolution. At the end of March 1914, a Constitutionalist gunboat attempted to break the blockade of Topolobampo, Sinaloa after failing in the First and Second Battles of Topolobampo...
- 1914 June 16 - Huerista gunboatGunboatA 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:...
Guerrero sinks ConstitutionalistConstitutionalists in the Mexican RevolutionConstitutionalists, or Carranzistas were the third faction in the Mexican Revolution consisting of mainly middle-class urbanites, liberals, and intellectuals who desired a constitution under the guidelines “Mexico for Mexicans”...
gunboat Tampico at the Fourth Battle of TopolobampoFourth Battle of TopolobampoThe Fourth Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action fought during the Mexican Revolution and the last naval battle of the Topolobampo Campaign...
World War I
- 1914 August 26 - British cruiser defeats German auxiliary cruiser in the Battle of Rio de OroBattle of Rio de OroThe Battle of Río de Oro was a single-ship action fought in August of 1914 during the First World War. The British protected cruiser HMS Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off the small Spanish Saharan territory of Río de Oro.-Background:Under the command...
- 1914 September 14 - British armed merchantman HMS CarmaniaRMS Carmania (1905)The RMS Carmania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company for the Cunard Line. In World War I the Carmania was converted to an armed merchant cruiser.-History:...
sinks German auxiliary cruiser in an engagement off Trindade IslandBattle of TrindadeThe Battle of Trindade was a single-ship action fought during the First World War on 14 September 1914 off the coast of the Brazilian island of Trindade between the Imperial German Navy and the British Royal Navy.-Battle:...
in the South Atlantic - 1914 September 20 - In the Battle of ZanzibarBattle of Zanzibar (1914)The Battle of Zanzibar was a naval battle of the First World War between the Kaiserliche Marine and the Royal Navy. The German cruiser had been taking on coal in the delta of the Rufiji River when her crew were told that a British cruiser—, which had been part of the Royal Navy's Cape Squadron...
, the German cruiser attacks and sinks the British cruiser while it is in harbour for repairs. - 1914 November 9 - defeats in the Battle of CocosBattle of CocosThe Battle of Cocos took place on 9 November 1914 during the First World War off the Cocos Islands, in the north east Indian Ocean. The German light cruiser attacked the British cable station on Direction Island and was engaged several hours later by the Australian light cruiser...
. - 1917 March 10 - German auxiliary cruiser SMS MöweSMS MöweSMS Möwe was an merchant raider of the Imperial German Navy which operated against Allied shipping during World War I....
sinks New Zealand freighter OtakiAction of 10 March 1917The Action of 10 March 1917 was a single ship action during World War I fought between SMS Möwe, a German commerce raider, and an armed New Zealand Shipping Company cargo ship SS Otaki. Although the Otaki was sunk, the Möwe was badly damaged....
and is seriously damaged
World War II
- 1940 November 5 - German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer sinks convoy escort Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Jervis BayHMS Jervis Bay (F40)HMS Jervis Bay was a British liner later converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser, pennant F40. She was launched in 1922 and sunk on 5 November 1940 by the German pocket battleship ....
in the North Atlantic. - 1940 November 9 - the Free FrenchFree French Naval ForcesLes Forces Navales Françaises Libres were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Emile Muselier.- History :...
avisoAvisoAn aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
Savorgnan de Brazza sinks her sistership, Vichy French aviso Bougainville, off LibrevilleLibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :... - 1941 February 27 - HMNZS LeanderHMNZS LeanderHMNZS Leander was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of eight ships, the Leander class light cruiser and was initially named HMS Leander.- History :...
sinks Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb IItalian ship Ramb IThe Italian ship Ramb I was a pre-war "banana boat" that was converted to be an auxiliary cruiser during World War II. The Ramb I operated in the area around the Horn of Africa. It was sunk in the Indian Ocean before it could take a single prize....
in a brief engagement off the MaldivesAction of 27 February 1941The Action of 27 February 1941 was a single ship action between a New Zealand cruiser and an Italian auxiliary cruiser. The action began when the HMNZS Leander ordered a flagless freighter stopped for inspection. Instead of complying, the freighter, the , rose the Italian colours and engaged the... - 1941 April 4 - German auxiliary cruiser Thor sinks British armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire in an engagement 1200 km off the Cape Verde islands. (details)Action of 4 April 1941The Action of 4 April 1941 was a naval battle fought during the Atlantic Campaign of the Second World War. A German commerce raider encountered a British auxiliary cruiser and sank her with heavy losses after an hour of fighting.-Background:...
- 1941 May 8 - the British heavy cruiser HMS CornwallHMS Cornwall (56)HMS Cornwall was a County class heavy cruiser of the Kent subclass built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1920s. She was built at Devonport Dockyard .-History:...
sinks German auxiliary cruiser PinguinGerman auxiliary cruiser PinguinThe Pinguin was a German auxiliary cruiser which served as a commerce raider in World War II. The Pinguin was known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 33, and designated HSK 5. The most successful commerce raider of the war, she was known to the British Royal Navy as Raider F...
. in an engagement of the SychellesAction of 8 May 1941The Action of 8 May 1941 was a single ship action fought during the Second World War in the course of which the British heavy cruiser sank the German auxiliary cruiser... - 1941 November 19 - the battle between HMAS Sydney and the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran near Western Australia results in the loss of both ships.
- 1942 June 6 - German auxiliary cruiser StierGerman auxiliary cruiser StierThe German auxiliary cruiser Stier was a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II. Her Kriegsmarine designation was Schiff 23, to the Royal Navy she was Raider J....
sinks the tanker SS Stanvac CalcuttaAction of 6 June 1942The Action of 6 June 1942 was a single ship action fought during World War II. The German raider Stier encountered and sank the American liberty ship SS Stanvac Calcutta while cruising in the South Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.-Background:...
in the South Atlantic. - 1942 September 27 - German auxiliary cruiser StierGerman auxiliary cruiser StierThe German auxiliary cruiser Stier was a German auxiliary cruiser during World War II. Her Kriegsmarine designation was Schiff 23, to the Royal Navy she was Raider J....
and American Liberty ShipLiberty shipLiberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
SS Stephen HopkinsSS Stephen HopkinsThe SS Stephen Hopkins was a United States Merchant Marine Liberty ship that served in World War II. She was the first US ship to sink a German surface combatant during the war....
sink each other in the South Atlantic.
Korean War
- 1950 June 25 - ROKS Baekdusan sinks a North Korean troop transportBattle of PusanThe Battle of Korea Strait was a small naval battle fought on the first day of the Korean War, 25-26 June 1950, between the navies of South Korea and North Korea. A North Korean troop transport carrying hundreds of soldiers attempted to land its cargo near Busan but was encountered by a South...
- 1950 September 10 - ROKS PC-703 sinksBattle of HaejuThe Battle of Haeju was a small naval battle during the main phase of Korean War. Off Haeju Island in the Yellow Sea, on September 10, 1950, days before the Battle of Inchon, South Korean Navy patrol boat PC-703 encountered a North Korean Navy minelayer sailing vessel...
North Korean minelayerMinelayerMinelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
Vietnam War
- 1968 March 1 - USCGC WinonaUSCGC Winona (WHEC-65)USCGC Winona was an Owasco class high endurance cutter built for World War II service with the United States Coast Guard. The war ended before the ship was completed and consequently she did not see wartime service until the Vietnam War....
sinksAction of 1 March 1968The Action of 1 March 1968 refers to three naval engagements fought during the Vietnam War on the same morning. A large force of American and South Vietnamese warships assigned to Operation Market Time engaged three North Vietnamese ships at different locations along the South Vietnamese coast...
North VietnameseNorth VietnamThe Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
naval trawlerNaval trawlerA naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
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Anti-Piracy in Somalia
- 2008 November 18 - INS TaberINS Tabar (F44)INS Tabar is the third of the s of the Indian Navy. The frigate was commissioned on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. INS Tabar is the first vessel in the Talwar class to be armed with supersonic BrahMos anti-ship cruise missiles. She is also equipped with Barak missiles...
sinks the trawler Ekawat Nava 5FV Ekawat Nava 5FV Ekawat Nava 5 was a hijacked Kiribati-flagged, Thai-owned deep sea fishing trawler that was sunk by of the Indian Navy on 18 November 2008. The trawler sank when a fire broke out on the vessel after INS Tabar retaliated to being fired upon by pirates on board...
which had been captured by Somali pirates. - 2011 January 28 - INS CankarsoCar Nicobar class fast attack craftThe Car Nicobar class of high-speed offshore patrol vessels are built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers for the Indian Navy. The vessels are designed as a cost-effective platform for patrol, anti-piracy and rescue operations in India's Exclusive Economic Zone.The class and its vessels are...
sinks Somali pirate trawler Prantalay 14 off Minicoy IslandMinicoyMinicoy, locally known as Maliku is a census town in the Indian union territory of Lakshadweep and was formerly a part of Maldive Islands.-Etymology:...
. (detailsBattle off Minicoy IslandThe Battle off Minicoy Island was a single ship action in January 2011 between Indian naval forces and Somali pirates, during Operation Island Watch...
) - 2011 May 12 - USS Stephen W. GrovesUSS Stephen W. Groves (FFG-29)USS Stephen W. Groves , twenty-first ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Ensign Stephen W...
sinks Somali pirate longliner Jih Chun Tsai 68 in the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
off SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. - 2011 May 12 - HDMS Esbern SnareHDMS Esbern Snare (L17)HDMS Esbern Snare is an support ship, and is along with her sister ship, the HDMS Absalon , the largest combat vessel currently commissioned in the Royal Danish Navy....
sinks Somali pirate dhow NN Iran