- Croisière du Grand Hiver
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Croisière du Grand Hiver Part of the French Revolutionary Wars Date 24 December 1794 – 3 February 1795 Location Bay of Biscay Result Disastrous damage to the French fleet Belligerents 
Great Britain
First French RepublicCommanders and leaders Villaret de Joyeuse
Pierre Vanstabel
War of the First CoalitionVerdun – Avesnes-le-Sec – Valmy – Jemappes – 1st Mainz – Neerwinden – Raismes – Famars – 1st Arlon – Bellegarde – Hondshoote – Dunkirk – Méribel – Peyrestortes – Truillas – 1st Wissembourg – Wattignies – Kaiserslautern – San Pietro and Sant'Antioco – Toulon – 2nd Wissembourg – Martinique – Guadeloupe – Saint-Florent – Bastia – 2nd Arlon – Villers-en-Cauchies – Saorgio – Beaumont – Mouscron – Boulou – Tourcoing – Tournay – 3rd Arlon – Ushant – Fleurus – Calvi – Vosges – Fort-Dauphin – Baztan –San-Lorenzo – 1st Dego – Black Mountain – Roses – Gulf of Roses – Genoa – Luxembourg – Groix – Quiberon – Hyères – 2nd Mainz – Loano – Montenotte – Millesimo – 2nd Dego – Mondovì – Fombio – Lodi – Borghetto – Ettlingen – Lonato – Castiglione – Neresheim – Amberg – Würzburg – Rovereto – 1st Bassano – Biberach – Emmendingen – Schliengen – 2nd Bassano – Calliano – Caldiero – Arcole – Newfoundland - Expédition d'Irlande – Kehl – Rivoli – Mantua – Faenza – Fishguard – Neuwied – Veronese Easters – Camperdown
War in the Vendée – War of the Pyrenees – Flanders Campaign – Anglo-Spanish WarNaval Battles of the- Sardinia
- Toulon
- Guernsey
- May 1794
- Gulf of Roses
- Ushant
- Croisière du Grand Hiver
- Genoa
- Groix
- Hyères
- 1st St Vincent
- Saldanha Bay
- Newfoundland expedition
- Expédition d'Irlande
- Camperdown
- 2nd St Vincent
- Îles Saint-Marcouf
- Nile
- Tory Island
- Dunkirk
- Malta
- Copenhagen
- Algeciras
- Boulogne
The Croisière du Grand Hiver (French "Campaign of the Great Winter") was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the Glorious First of June.
Context
The Glorious First of June had ended on a strategic success for the French Navy, but on the tactical level, the fleet had suffered its greatest loss since the Battle of La Hogue.
The National Convention ordered the fleet to attempt a sortie during the Winter of 1794-1795, in an attempt to catch the Royal Navy off guard, contest its dominance over the seas and damage British commerce.
The plan was to have the 35-ship fleet of Brest sail to the Bay of Biscay. A six-ship and three-frigate strong squadron would be sent to Guadeloupe, and another, under Admiral Renaudin, to Toulon. The main fleet would then sail back to Brest. The fleet, under Admiral Villaret Joyeuse, departed on 24 December 1794.
Trouble began when Républicain (110 guns) ran aground at the exit of Brest harbour, with the loss of 10 men. Her crew abandoned ship, and the wreck was destroyed in a tempest a few days later. Two more ships, Téméraire and Nestor, sustained damage and had to sail back to harbour on 31 December.
Three British frigates, William Sidney Smith, speaking perfect French, managed to talk with the officers of the Nestor, and acquire significant insights of the French intentions. HMS Diamond sailed into Brest harbour on the 3rd to confirm.
Over the next few days, several ships sustained critical damage, from the sea and out of utter disrepair. Neptune's hull started to leak, and she ran aground to avoid sinking, with the loss of 50 crewmen. On 29 January, Neuf Thermidor sank; the next day, Scipion and Superbe sank, and Convention lost her rudder and had to be towed to Lorient.
The fleet captured around 70 British merchantmen during its mission, at the loss of three ships and severe damage to others. The Renaudin squadron had to delay its mission to reach Toulon in order support the rest of the fleet, whose units returned to Brest between 28 January and 3 February. Renaudin eventually departed for Toulon on 22 February and arrived safely on 2 April.
Overall, the campaign is considered as naval disaster because of the heavy losses, sustained without intervention of the Royal Navy, and especially since damaged ships could not easily be repaired with the endemic shortage of material in French arsenals. The French Navy effectively ceased to contest the British naval superiority from this point.
External links
Categories:- Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars
- Naval battles involving Great Britain
- Naval battles involving France
- Conflicts in 1794
- Conflicts in 1795
- 1794 in France
- 1795 in France
- Battles and conflicts without fatalities
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