Order of battle at the Battle of Genoa

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"The 'Agamemnon' engaging the Ca Ira', 13 March 1795", Nicholas Pocock, 1810. NMM

The Order of battle at the Battle of Genoa recounts the British-Neapolitan and French fleets which participated in a short campaign in the Gulf of Genoa during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign featured the principal Battle of Genoa on 13–14 March 1795, and an earlier smaller battle off Cap Corse on 8 March. Losses were even: although the British succeeded in capturing two French ships in the main action, two British ships were also lost elsewhere during the campaign. The French foray into the Ligurian Sea was driven back to a safe harbour, resulting in a restoration of the British blockade of Toulon, and leading to a second battle later in the year.

The campaign began on 3 March when the French Mediterranean Fleet sailed from the naval base at Toulon for an operation in the Ligurian Sea.[1] During the winter they had been under constant blockade from a British fleet based at San Fiorenzo on Corsica, which had been captured in a British invasion the previous year.[2] In February the British fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral William Hotham, had sailed from San Fiorenzo to Leghorn for repairs, leaving behind HMS Berwick, damaged in a January storm.[3] When news of Hotham's withdrawal reached Toulon, Contre-amiral Pierre Martin sailed the French fleet out and caught Berwick off the northern coast of Corsica. The damaged ship was unable to outrun pursuit and surrendered at the action of 8 March 1795 after the captain was decapitated by French shot.[4]

Hotham discovered Martin's movements and sailed to meet him, encountering the French near Cape Noli on 10 March.[5] For several days both fleets lay becalmed, unable to come to action. On 13 March the wind increased and Hotham attacked, Martin falling back under pursuit. One of Martin's rearguard, Ça Ira, collided with another ship and fell back.[6] Ça Ira was engaged by first the frigate HMS Inconstant and then HMS Agamemnon under Captain Horatio Nelson.[7] Elsewhere there was scattered fighting between other British and French ships. Over night the French flagship accidentally detached from the fleet, and in the morning Hotham renewed the attack, overwhelming Ça Ira and the Censeur, sent to support it.[8] A French counterattack was beaten off, although HMS Illustrious and HMS Courageux were badly damaged.[9]

Hotham declined to renew the action due to concern for his damaged ships, to the frustration of his subordinates, particularly Nelson.[10] The French withdrew to Gourjean Bay and then Toulon, and the British to the Gulf of La Spezia.[11] There a storm drove the damaged Illustrious ashore, and the ship was destroyed.[12] In the aftermath both fleets refitted and prepared for another engagement; in early July the French fleet was again attacked by the British, at the Battle of the Hyères Islands, and the rearmost ship Alcide was overrun and destroyed.[13]

Hotham's fleet[]

Note that as carronades were not traditionally taken into consideration when calculating a ship's rate,[14] these ships may have been carrying more guns than indicated below. Officers killed in action are marked with a  † symbol.

  • Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg British Royal Navy
  • Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816).svg Navy of the Kingdom of Naples
  •   Ships in this colour were destroyed or captured during the campaign
Vice-Admiral William Hotham's Fleet
Ship Rate Guns Fleet Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Van squadron
HMS Captain Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Samuel Reeve 3 19 22 Heavily engaged 13 March, damaged.
HMS Bedford Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Davidge Gould 7 18 25 Heavily engaged 13 March, badly damaged.
Third rate 74 Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816).svg Captain Chevalier Francesco Caracciolo 1 5 6
HMS Princess Royal Second rate 98 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Vice-Admiral Samuel Goodall
Captain John Child Purvis 		3 8 11 Engaged 14 March.
HMS Agamemnon Third rate 64 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Horatio Nelson 0 13 13 Heavily engaged 13 and 14 March.
Fifth rate 32 Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816).svg 0 4 4 Heavily engaged 13 March.
Fifth rate Flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816).svg 0 0 0
HMS Lowestoft Fifth rate 32 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Benjamin Hallowell 0 0 0 Heavily engaged 14 March, damaged.
HMS Poulette Sixth rate 26 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Commander Ralph Willett Miller 0 0 0
HMS Tarleton Brig 14 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Commander Charles Brisbane 0 0 0
Centre squadron
HMS Illustrious Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Thomas Frederick 20 70 90 Heavily engaged 14 March, badly damaged. Lost main and mizzenmasts. Wrecked on the Italian coast, 17 March.
HMS Courageux Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain 15 33 48 Heavily engaged 14 March, badly damaged. Lost main and mizzenmasts.
HMS Britannia First rate 100 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Vice-Admiral William Hotham
Captain John Holloway 		1 18 19
HMS Egmont Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain John Sutton 7 21 28 Heavily engaged 13 March, damaged.
HMS Windsor Castle Second rate 98 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Rear-Admiral Robert Linzee
Captain John Gore 		6 31 37
HMS Inconstant Fifth rate 36 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Thomas Fremantle 3 14 17 Heavily engaged 13 March, damaged.
HMS Meleager Fifth rate 32 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain George Cockburn 0 0 0
Rear squadron
HMS Diadem Third rate 64 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain Charles Tyler 3 7 10
HMS St George Second rate 98 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Vice-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker
Captain Thomas Foley 		4 13 17
HMS Terrible Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain George Campbell 0 6 6
HMS Fortitude Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain William Young 1 4 5
HMS Romulus Fifth rate 36 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain George Hope 0 0 0
Brig 18 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Commander 0 0 0
cutter 14 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Lieutenant 0 0 0
Total casualties: 74 killed, 254 wounded
Sources: James, p. 261; Clowes, p. 272
HMS Berwick
Ship Rate Guns Fleet Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
HMS Berwick Third rate 74 Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Captain  † 1 4 5 Defeated and captured at Action of 8 March 1795 while sailing independently off Cap Corse.
Sources: James, p. 255

Martin's fleet[]

Note that the number of guns refers to the official complement, traditionally taken into consideration when calculating a ship's rate,[14] and that these ships may have been carrying more guns than indicated below, although obusiers were not carried on French ships in this battle,[15] Officers killed in action are marked with a  † symbol.

  •   Ships in this colour were destroyed or captured during the campaign
Contre-amiral Martin's fleet
Ship Rate Guns Fleet Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Sans Culotte First rate 120 Flag of France.svg Contre-amiral Pierre Martin
Captain
Représentant Letourneur 		Unknown Engaged 13 March. Martin and Letourneur transferred to frigate in evening. Ship subsequently detached from fleet and anchored at Genoa.
Duquesne Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Zacharie Allemand Unknown Heavily engaged 14 March. Damaged.
Victoire Third rate 80 Flag of France.svg Captain Daniel Savary Unknown Heavily engaged 13 March. Damaged.
Tonnant Third rate 80 Flag of France.svg Captain Julien Cosmao-Kerjulien Unknown Heavily engaged 14 March. Damaged.
Ça Ira Third rate 80 Flag of France.svg Captain c.400 Heavily engaged 13 and 14 March. Badly damaged and captured. Later became HMS Ca Ira.
Mercure Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Catteford 0 0 0 Damaged in storm 12 March and detached from fleet. Did not participate in the battle.
Censeur Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain c.350 Heavily engaged 14 March. Badly damaged and captured. Later became HMS Censeur.
Alcide Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Leblond Saint-Hylaire Unknown
Barra Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Unknown Engaged 13 March
Conquérant Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Lemancq Unknown
Généreux Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Louis Unknown
Guerrier Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Louis Infernet Unknown
Heureux Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Unknown
Peuple Souverain Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain Charbonnier Unknown
Timoléon Third rate 74 Flag of France.svg Captain  [fr] Unknown Heavily engaged 14 March. Damaged
Vestale Frigate 36 Flag of France.svg Lieutenant Foucaud[16] Unknown Engaged 13 March.
Minerve Frigate 40 Flag of France.svg Lieutenant Delorme[17] - - -
Alceste Frigate 32 Flag of France.svg - - - Heavily engaged in action with Berwick on 8 March. Badly damaged and withdrew from fleet.
Artémise Frigate 32 Flag of France.svg Lieutenant Decasse[18] - - -
Courageuse Frigate Flag of France.svg - - -
Frigate Flag of France.svg Captain Louis-Léonce Trullet[19]
Contre-amiral Pierre Martin (after 13 March) 		- - -
Alerte Brig 10 Flag of France.svg - - -
Hazard Brig 18 Flag of France.svg Lieutenant Amand Leduc[20] - - -
Brig 18 Flag of France.svg Ensign Charabot[21] - - -
Total casualties: 400–750 [Note A]
Sources: Troude, p. 424; James, p. 261; Clowes, p. 272

Notes[]

  1. ^
    Note A: French casualties in the battle are uncertain. William James records a figure of 400 killed and wounded on Ça Ira and Censeur alone, and notes that further losses on the French ships were inevitable but unknowable.[9] His figures are supported by William Laird Clowes.[22] In his biography of Nelson, Geoffrey Bennett records a total of 750 casualties on the captured ships,[23] a figure presumably drawn from Ernle Bradford's estimate of 400 on Ça Ira and 350 on Censeur.[24] Digby Smith's book on Napoleonic statistics, apparently drawing on James and Clowes, lists much higher figures of 600 killed and 1,000 wounded.[25] This may come from French histories; Onésime-Joachim Troude reports 600 French sailors as killed in the battle.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ Clowes, p.268
  2. ^ James, p.254
  3. ^ Troude, p.426
  4. ^ James, p.255
  5. ^ Clowes, p.269
  6. ^ Gardiner, p.116
  7. ^ Bennett, p.42
  8. ^ James, p.260
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b James, p.261
  10. ^ Forester, p.75
  11. ^ James, p.264
  12. ^ Grocott, p.11
  13. ^ Mostert, p.163
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b James, p. 32
  15. ^ James, p. 262
  16. ^ Fonds Marin, p.136
  17. ^ Fonds Marin, p.133
  18. ^ Fonds Marin, p.131
  19. ^ Fonds Marin, p.134
  20. ^ Roche, p.238
  21. ^ Roche, p.408
  22. ^ Clowes, p.272
  23. ^ Bennett, p.44
  24. ^ Bradford, p.116
  25. ^ Smith, p.102
  26. ^ Troude, p.431

Bibliography[]

  • Bennett, Geoffrey (2002) [1972]. Nelson the Commander. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-141391-29-4.
  • Bradford, Ernle (1999) [1977]. Nelson: The Essential Hero. Ware: Wordsworth Military Library. ISBN 1-84022-202-6.
  • Clowes, William Laird (1997) [1900]. The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume III. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-012-4.
  • Forester, C. S. (2001) [1929]. Nelson. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-178-3.
  • Gardiner, Robert (editor) (2001) [1996]. Fleet Battle and Blockade. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-363-X.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  • Grocott, Terence (2002) [1997]. Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Era. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-164-5.
  • Ireland, Bernard (2005). The Fall of Toulon: The Last Opportunity the Defeat the French Revolution. Cassell. ISBN 0-3043-6726-5.
  • James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793–1796. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-905-0.
  • Mostert, Noel (2007). The Line upon a Wind: The Greatest War Fought at Sea Under Sail 1793 – 1815. Vintage Books. ISBN 9-78071-260-9272.
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922. (1671-1870)
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-276-9. OCLC 231766509.
  • Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). 2. Challamel ainé. pp. 424–431.
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