Battle of Martinique (1779)

Battle of Martinique Part of the Anglo-French War Combat de la Martinique, 1779, by Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy Date 18 December 1779 Location Martinique, West Indies Coordinates: 14°35′N 61°09′W / 14.583°N 61.150°W / 14.583; -61.150 Result Minor British victory[1] Belligerents  Great Britain  France Commanders and leaders Hyde Parker Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte Strength 13 ships of the line 3 ships of the line 26 merchant vessels Casualties and losses 150 wounded and dead 9 ships taken 4 driven ashore

Anglo-French War 1778–1783 Europe 17 June 1778 1st Ushant 1st Jersey English Channel Plymouth Gibraltar Flamborough Head 6 October 1779 Cape Santa Maria 13 August 1780 2nd Jersey Minorca 2nd Ushant 3rd Ushant Île-de-Batz Cape Spartel 12 December 1782 Caribbean Dominica 1st St. Lucia 2nd St. Lucia Saint Vincent 1st Grenada 2nd Grenada 1st Martinique Guadeloupe 2nd Martinique Bermuda Fort Royal Tobago Brimstone Hill Frigate Bay Demerara & Essequibo Montserrat The Saintes Mona Passage 18 October 1782 6 December 1782 15 February 1783 Grand Turk North America Rhode Island Charles Town Savannah 1st Long Island Cape Henry Cape Breton Cape Ann Yorktown Chesapeake Yorktown Hudson Bay 2nd Long Island Delaware Bay 2nd Chesapeake East Indies Pondicherry Porto Praya Sadras Providien Negapatam Pisang Trincomalee 1st Cuddalore 2nd Cuddalore

The Combat de la Martinique, or Battle of Martinique, was a naval encounter on 18 December 1779 between a British squadron under Admiral Hyde Parker and a French squadron under Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte near the island of Martinique in the West Indies.

Background

In the fall of 1779, a British fleet under Admiral Hyde Parker was anchored at St. Lucia (which they had captured a year before), while a French fleet under Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte was undergoing a refit at the nearby island of Martinique in the West Indies. Parker was awaiting the arrival of Admiral George Brydges Rodney, who was to lead the 1780 campaign, and his fleet was largely at rest, with crews ashore and repairs being made to some vessels.

Encounter

Around 8 am on 18 December, HMS Preston, which was stationed in the channel between the two islands, gave a signal indicating the arrival of an unknown fleet. Parker immediately scrambled, and managed to get five ships of the line and a 50-gun frigate out to meet the arriving fleet, which turned out to be a French supply fleet destined for Martinique. Before La Motte was able to muster some of his ships to meet them, Parker managed to capture nine of the convoy ships, forcing four of them ashore. Parker, who has called on all his ships, now has 13 ships of the line, against only three for the French.

La Motte left the anchorage at Fort Royal with his flagship Annibal (74 guns) and two ships of the line, Vengeur (64) and Réfléchi (64). As his arrival was to the windward, he was able to cover the arrival of the remaining convoy ships. The British fleet, with HMS Conqueror in the lead, began beating against the wind to closing with the French fleet. By 5 pm, Conqueror came with the range of Annibal's guns, and battle was engaged between those two, with the other French ships eventually joining in. The defense of La Motte-Picquet is facilitated by the shore batteries firing on the vessels of Parker.

By the time evening arrived, HMS Albion had also come within range, but the action had worked its way toward shoals near Fort Royal, and the French fleet was coming under the protection of the port's guns. Parker finally called his fleet off at 6:45 pm, but one last broadside from the French fleet took the life of Conqueror's captain, Walter Griffith.

Aftermath

The loss to the French convoy was significant with thirteen ships captured or driven ashore. Parker was however satisfied with his squadrons conduct and the prizes captured but was also with the French.^[1] La Motte's conduct during the battle impressed Hyde Parker sufficiently to make him send a congratulatory letter to his adversary when they had occasion to communicate via a truce flag:

References