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n
the whole period of the wars with France and her allies (1793-1815) there were
only relatively few great fleet actions. Much of their time at sea sailors spent
on blockade duty or if they were very lucky, taking part in daring actions all over the world.
However
it is these mighty battles that have caught our imagination and inspired our admiration
for Britain’s mastery of the seas.
During the early 18th century England faced
the Marine Royale, the French Royal Navy, which was then arguably the best in the
world in terms of the skill of its gunners and the speed of its ships. However France
suffered serious naval setbacks during the Seven Years War, 1756-1763, especially
at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759. This was largely due to the greatly
increased professionalism of the British Navy.
The excesses of the French Revolution in 1792 sent almost the entire naval officer corps into exile or to the guillotine. The superb naval artilery regiment was denounced as "an aristorcracy of the sea" and disbanded.
The major battles of the 22 years or of the war were: – the Glorious First of June, the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the Battle of Camperdown, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen – and of course the battle of Trafalgar. At this battle, on October 21, 1805 Admiral Nelson virtually annihalted the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, ensuring British naval domination of the seas until 1914.
BATTLE OF THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE
1st June 1794 The first major sea encounter of the wars; a struggle that lasted over three days and resulted in the smashing of the French Fleet but the escape of a vital grain convoy.
BATTLE OF CAPE ST VINCENT
14th February 1797 Fifteen ships of the British Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated 27 Spanish sail of the line under Vice Admiral Don Jose de Cordoba
BATTLE OF CAMPERDOWN
11th October 1797 Admiral Duncan dealt the Dutch fleet a crushing blow, taking nine ships-of-the-line, two frigates and the Dutch commander-in-chief, Admiral de Winter.
BATTLE OF THE NILE
1st August 1798 Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson defeated the French under Vice Admiral Brueys at Aboukir Bay. This was Nelson's first command of a full fleet action and his aggressive tactics produced a crushing and decisive victory
BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN
April 2nd 1801. The British under Nelson, commanded overall by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker defeated a Danish force anchored off Copenhagen, Denmark's chief port, in probably Nelson's bloodiest fight (in 1807 they went on to defeat the Danish again at Copenhagen, capturing the whole Danish fleet)
BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR
October 21st 1805. Nelson in Victory defeated the combined Franco-Spanish fleet of 33 sail of the line, ending for all time Napoleon's chances of world domination. British ships destroyed 16 of the enemy and captured four, but Nelson was killed.