| Naval Battle of Genoa | |||||||
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| Part of the French Revolutionary War | |||||||
 Ça Ira fighting |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 First French Republic |
 Kingdom of Great Britain Kingdom of Naples and Sicily |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Rear Admiral Pierre Martin | Vice Admiral Hotham | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 13 ships of the line, 490 guns, 9,520 men |
14 ships of the line, 557 guns, 8,810 men |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 600 killed, 1,000 wounded, 2 ships of the line |
400 killed or wounded, 1 ship of the line |
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The Naval Battle of Genoa was fought off the coast of Genoa, a port city in north-western Italy, between French warships under Rear Admiral Pierre Martin and British and Neapolitan warships under Vice Admiral Hotham. The naval battle ended in a British-Neapolitan victory over the French. The French ships Ça Ira and Censeur were captured by the British, the British ship Illustrious was badly damaged and destroyed after the battle.
Contents |
Prelude
On 8 March, news reached Hotham that the French fleet was at sea and heading to invade Corsica with 5,000 troops. He immediately put to sea to intercept them. Among his captains was Horatio Nelson, who was eagerly anticipating his first fleet action. The French were reluctant to engage, and the two fleets shadowed each other after the British came within sight on 12 March. But the following day, two of the French ships collided, leaving the 84-gun Ça Ira damaged and lagging behind the main force. Captain Thomas Fremantle, aboard the 36-gun HMS Inconstant seized the opportunity and opened fire. The Ça Ira returned fire, her massive superiority in firepower soon forcing Fremantle to fall back. As he did so, Nelson aboard HMS Agamemnon surged past. Nelson's ship carried fewer and lighter guns, and had some 344 men, compared to nearly 1,060 sailors and soldiers aboard the Ça Ira. Two other French ships, the Sans-Culotte and the Jean Bart were approaching. Nelson nevertheless took the Agamemnon in close and exchanged broadsides with the Ça Ira for two and a half hours, until the arrival of the two larger French ships forced Nelson to veer away, having inflicted heavy casualties and considerable damage.[1] The two fleets then continued to shadow each other, before finally making contact again on 14 March.
Battle
Nelson joined the other British ships in attacking his previous quarry, the Ça Ira, now being towed by the Censeur. Heavily damaged, the two French ships were eventually forced to surrender, and Nelson took possession of the Censeur. The French fleet abandoned their plan to invade Corsica and returned to port.[2]
Order of battle
French fleet
Rear Admiral Pierre Martin commanding
One 3-decker and 13 2-deckers [3]
Ça Ira (80 guns)
Victoire (80 guns)
Mercure (74 guns)
Censeur (74 guns)
Vestale (36 guns)
Sans Culotte (120 guns)
Duquesne (74 guns)
Tonnant (74 guns)
Plus other unidentified ships of the line
British-Neapolitan fleet
Four 3-decker and 11 2-deckers[3]
Vice Admiral Hotham commanding
Van
HMS Captain, 74 guns, Captain Samuel Reeve
HMS Bedford, 74 guns, Captain Davidge Gould
Tancredi (Neapolitan), 74 guns, Captain Chev. Francesco Caracciolo
HMS Princess Royal, 98 guns, Vice-Admiral Samuel Goodall, Captain John Purvis
HMS Agamemnon, 64 guns, Captain Horatio Nelson
Minerva (Neapolitan), 32 guns
Pilade (Neapolitan)
HMS Lowestoffe, 32 guns, Captain Benjamin Hallowell
HMS Poulette, 26 guns, Commander Ralph Willett Miller
HMS Tarleton, 14 guns, Captain Charles Brisbane
Centre
HMS Illustrious, 74 guns, Captain Thomas Frederick
HMS Courageux, 74 guns, Captain Augustus Montgomery
HMS Britannia, 100 guns, Vice Admiral William Hotham, Captain John Holloway
HMS Egmont, 74 guns, Captain John Sutton
HMS Windsor Castle, 98 guns, Rear-Admiral Robert Linzee, Captain John Gore
HMS Inconstant, 36 guns, Captain Thomas Fremantle
HMS Meleager, 32 guns, Captain George Cockburn
Rear
HMS Diadem, 64 guns, Captain Charles Tyler
HMS St George, 98 guns, Vice-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Captain Thomas Foley
HMS Terrible, 74 guns, Captain George Campbell
HMS Fortitude, 74 guns, Captain William Young
HMS Romulus, 36 guns, Captain George Johnstone Hope
HMS Moselle, 18 guns, Captain Charles Pater
HMS Fox, cutter, Lieutenant John Gibson
Notes
- ^ Sugden 2004, p. 546
- ^ Sugden 2004, p. 550
- ^ a b The Naval History of Great Britain By William James, Frederick Chamier
References
- Adkin, Mark (2007). The Trafalgar Companion: A Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-84513-018-9.
- Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2007). The Royal Navy: 1793-1815. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-138-0.
- Smith, D. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books, 1998.
- Sugden, John (2004). Nelson: A Dream of Glory. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 0-224-06097-X.
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