Battle of Grand Port

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Grand Port
partof=the Napoleonic Wars


caption=
date=August 20 1810
place=Grand Port, Mauritius
result=French victory
combatant1=France
combatant2=Great Britain
commander1=Guy-Victor Duperré Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin
commander2=Sir Samuel Pym
strength1=5 ships
strength2=4 ships
casualties1=some ships damaged
casualties2=2 ships lost (HMS "Sirius", HMS "Magicienne") 2 captured (HMS "Néréide", HMS "Iphigenia"

The naval Battle of Grand Port took place on 20 August 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars in the harbour of Grand Port. A British fleet consisting of four frigates sought to ambush a French fleet consisting of three frigates and two captured Indiamen. The British were commanded by Captain Samuel Pym and the French by commander of division (commodore) Guy-Victor Duperré.

Context

During the Napoleonic Wars, Britain managed to seize all French possessions in the Indian ocean, except for the Île de France (now Mauritius). Réunion fell in July 1810.

In August 1810, British forces started to deploy East to Île de France. The Western side of the island was the best protected, with the squadron of Hamelin, composed of the frigates "Vénus" and "Manche" and the corvette "Créole", anchored in Port Louis, well fortified harbours, and numerous troops garrisoned there. The British planned to attack the weaker side of Grand Port (named "Port-Impérial" during the Empire).

The harbour of Grand Port lies at the end of a lagoon, protected from the Ocean by a coral bareer, which can be crossed only through a narrow channel. The channel was defended by coastal batteries on the small island Île de la Passe.

Battle

In the night of the 13 and 14 August, the British frigate "Nereide" managed to slip in the channel between the île de la Passe and Grand Port, and land marines South of the island. The fort fell at the hands of the British, and the 60 men which defended it were taken prisoners. The "Nereide" stayed anchored in Mahébourg bay. British parties were sent ashore, convincing plantors to join the English cause, and capturing the fortifications of the pointe du Diable. The squadron commanded by Hamelin was alerted and set sail to retrieve the île de la Passe.

On the 20 August, before the Hamelin squadron arrived, a French squadron commanded by Duperré, returned from a patrol, unaware of the developments. The Duperré squadron was composed of the frigates "Bellone", "Minerve" and "Victor" (ex-"Revenant"); they also ferried two captured East Indiamen, the "Ceylan" and "Windham". Since the English were flying French colours on the fortifications of the île de la Passe, Duperré entered the channel unprepared; the "Minerve" crossed under the fire of the British, followed by the rest of the squadron. The "Windham" was recaptured by the British, and the Duperré squadron was trapped in the lagoon between the Île de la Passe and the "Nereide". In the night, Duperré had the buoys marking the reefs moved in the hope of confounding the British.

On the 22 August, the British "Sirius" reinforced "Nereide", followed the next day by "Magicienne" and "Iphigenie". As such, the British squadron was 174-gun strong, against the 144 guns of the French, so Pym decided to attack. Because of the shallow waters, manoeuvres were impossible, so the two squadrons were anchored while exchanging artillery fire from the night of the 23rd. Round shots cut some of the anchors, and ships started to drift and run aground. "Sirius" and "Minerve" were beached away from the battle; the crew of "Minerve" joined "Bellone". The French vessels concentrated all their gunfire against "Néréide" and then towards "Magicienne". The battle continued without interruption all night and on the 24th August the French boarded the defenceless "Néréide". "Magicienne" was evacuated and scuttled by fire in the evening of the 24th. The next day, "Sirius" was scuttled by her crew. "Iphigenia" attempted to flee, but was intercepted by the Hamelin squadron and captured.

On the 28 August, the British marines stranded on the île de la Passe surrendered. Pym was captured.

On the 30 December 1899, the monument was erected at the harbour of Grand Port in the memory of English and French sailors who were killed during the engagement 20 - 29 August 1810.

Order of battle

Britain (Samuel Pym)

"Sirius" (Samuel Pym)
"Iphigenia" [ [http://pages.intnet.mu/mmcs/archeo/sirius.htm The Wreck of the 5th Rate British Frigate H.M.S "Sirius" (1797) in Mauritius] by Yann Von Arnim]
"Néréide" (Nesbit Willoughby)
"Magicienne"
HMS "Staunch" (brig)

France (Guy-Victor Duperré)

"Minerve" (Bouvet)
"Bellone" (Commodore Guy-Victor Duperré)
"Victor" (ex-"Revenant")
"Ceylon" (ex-British Indiaman)
"Windham" (ex-British Indiaman)

Trivia

*A fictionalised account of this battle is dramatised in Patrick O'Brian's "The Mauritius Command".
*The place of the battle is now a spectacular archeological sight [http://pages.intnet.mu/mmcs/archeo/sirius.htm]

References

External links

* [http://www.sfhm.asso.fr/article.php3?id_article=18 ]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/batrinque/personal2/index.htm The Mauritius Campaign]