Action at La Hogue (1692)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of La Hogue
partof=the War of the Grand Alliance
date=21st-24th May OS(1st-4th June(NS)), 1692
place=Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, France
result= English victory
combatant1=France
combatant2=England
commander1=Anne Hilarion de Tourville
commander2=Edward Russell
strength1=
12 ships
strength2= (Inshore Squadron)
14 ships
casualties1=12 ships burnt
casualties2=minor casualties|

The action at La Hogue occurred during the pursuit of the French fleet after the battle of Barfleur on 19th May Old Style(29th May (New Style))1692 . Tourville’s fleet of badly damaged ships was swept by wind and tide down the coast of the Cotentin peninsula, pursued by an English fleet under Russell. Three of the most badly damaged ships were beached at Cherbourg, where they were attacked and destroyed by an English squadron under Delaval.The remaining ten French ships, with Tourville and four of his flag officers, were swept down the coast, to be beached on the evening of 21st May (OS) outside the small port of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.

Action

Situation 21st May 1692

This was the place where the French had assembled an army, under the command of James II, and fleet of transports, for the invasion of England.Tourville’s force joined two of the ships that had retired from the battle with Nesmond, ( "Bourbon" 68 and "Saint-Louis" 64) which had been beached at la Hougue the day before.The ships were put ashore in two groups on the wide beaches on either side of the town.On the north beach, between the town and the small tidal island of Tatihou, lay "Ambitieux" 96guns,( flagship of Villette Mursay and Tourville), "Merveillieux" 90 (d’Amfreville), "Foudroyant" 84 (Relingue), and "Magnifique" 86 (Coetlogon). With them was the smaller "St Philippe" 84, and, further out on the shore of Tatihou, the "Terrible" 80. These ships were covered by shore batteries at the Fort d’Islet, on Tatihou, (44 guns in total) and on platforms set up by the army on the north shore.

On the south beach, under the eyes of James and his army at Morsalines, were the "Bourbon" 68, and "St Louis" 64, from Nesmond’s division, and "Fier" 80, "Tonnant" 80, "Gaillard" 68, and "Fort" 60, which came in with Tourville. These were covered by the 68 guns of Fort St Vaast, and artillery on gun platforms along the shore. Also, in a small harbour known as the port of La Hougue, which was behind the town of St Vaast and under the guns of the fort, was the fleet of transports prepared for the invasion. The fleet was also protected by a fleet of 200 boats, and 3 oared galleys mounting 12 guns each, though an offer by James to station troops on the ships to guard against boarding was not taken up.

Preparations 22nd May

The English fleet, under Russell, started to arrive on the evening of 21st May; the rest of the fleet joined during the night and over the next two days. Russell immediately organized an inshore squadron under Shovell to attack the French positions, but Shovell later collapsed from wounds received at Barfleur, and had to be replaced by Rooke, while the waters around St Vaast and La Hougue had to be sounded, which took up most of the 22nd, so the assault did not start until the following day. Russell also used the 22nd to organize the 3rd and 4th rates of his command to form a blockade line close inshore, while the bigger 1st and 2nd rates were set to organize boats and boarding crews. Danby was keen to take part in the action, and appealed first to Shovell, and later to Rooke, to do so. In the assault he was given command of the boat parties that went close inshore.

First Action 23rd May

At 6am on the 23rd, the ships of the inshore squadron were ordered to attack the ships on the north beach. After a preliminary bombardment the boats were despatched, and about 8.30 am one of the fireships grappled the "Terrible", which was in a more exposed position. Finding her deserted the fireship captain refrained from igniting his ship, but boarded "Terrible" and started fires with what material was to hand; for this he was much commended in saving his charge for a better occasion. Meanwhile the boats closed with the other ships. They were accompanied by another fireship, which drew the fire from the French batteries; the supporting ships countered, sweeping the French gun platforms, which were too exposed to continue. One boat, from the "Eagle", grounded on the shore, and was attacked by French cavalry; in a highly unusual encounter, one of the troopers was pulled down by a sailor using a boathook, before the boat was re-floated. Resistance melted away as the attack was pressed, and the English sailors were able to board and fire the remaining great ships.

Second Action 24th May

The second action opened at 5am on the 24th when Rooke again sent in his boats, to attack the six great ships on the south beach. Supported by gunfire from "Deptford" and "Crown", and with close support from "Charles" and "Greyhound", both under oars, the English sailors were able to board and fire all six ships. The French seamen, and the troops ashore, were demoralized by this point, and had abandoned the ships with little resistance in the face of the determined English assault.This episode was seen by James II, who had been watching from his camp at Marsaline; he was moved to remark, with the lack of tact for which he was notorious, “ Only my English tars could have done such a deed”.

Third Action 24th May

Rooke now saw an opportunity to follow up the success with an attack, at high water, on the transports in La Hougue harbour. The boats, led by Rooke, and with two fireships in tow, entered the harbour on the flooding tide, despite gunfire from both the fort and the ships. Both fireships grounded in the shallows below the fort, and had to be burned without result, but a number of ships in the harbour were boarded and set alight, mostly transports, but also a 4th or 5th rate warship and a hulk. Several other of the transports were captured, and carried away when the boats retreated on the ebb, but most of the transports were too far up the harbour to be boarded, and escaped serious damage.

Conclusion

This marked the end of the action, which had been a complete success for the allied fleet; 12 French ships of the line and a number of smaller ships had been destroyed, with minimal English casualties. The action also dashed any hope that James or Louis might have had to mount an invasion that year.

hips

English :
: Perhaps 30 ships of the line, of which
The Inshore Squadron : 14 ships of the line plus auxiliaries

(from the Red Squadron)"Eagle" 70, "Chester" 50, "Greenwich" 54, "Swiftsure"70, "Kent" 70," Oxford" 54," Cambridge" 70,
(from the Blue Squadron)"Deptford" 50, "Woolwich" 54, "Crown" 50, "Dreadnought" 64, "Stirling Castle" 70, "Warspite" 70, "Berwick" 70, "Resolution" 70.

French :
12 ships of the line, plus auxiliaries.

"Bourbon" 68, "St Louis" 64, "Gaillard" 68, "Terrible" 80, "Merveilleux" 90, "Tonnant" 80, "Foudroyant" 84,

"Fort" 60, "Ambiteiux" 96, "St Philippe" 84,

"Magnifique" 86, "Fie"r 80,

ources

*Aubrey P: The Defeat of James Stuart's Armada 1692(1979). ISBN 0-7185-1168-9 .
*Jenkins, E.H.: "A History of the French Navy" (1973)

*N. A. M. Rodger: "The Command of The Ocean". (2004) ISBN 0-7139-9411-8 .

*A.T. Mahan : The Influence of Sea-Power upon History 1660-1805. ISBN 0 60034162 3 .