Battle of Martinique (1780)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Martinique, also Combat de la Dominique, took place on April 17, 1780 during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy
and the French Navy
.
was sent to the French
base at Martinique
in the West Indies with a strong squadron. He was opposed by British
admiral Sir George Rodney, who reached the British base at St. Lucia in late March.
Guichen sailed from Martinique on April 13, 1780, with a fleet of 23 ships of the line and 3,000 troops. His objective was to draw Rodney out, but then to escape him and make an attack on either St. Lucia or the British base at Barbados
. Rodney sailed out at once upon being informed that Guichen had sailed. On April 16, his sentinels spotted Guichen on the leeward side of Martinique, beating against the wind. Rodney gave chase, but was unable to close in time for battle that day. Rodney managed to maintain contact with Guichen and hold his line that night.
on the morning of April 17. By 8:45 Rodney had successfully reached a position to the windward of Guichen, in a relatively close formation. To escape the danger to his rear, Guichen ordered his line to wear and sail to the north, stringing out the line in the process. This forced Rodney to go through another series of maneuvers to regain his position, which he did by late morning. At this point he hoped to engage the rear and center of Guichen's elongated line, concentrating his power to maximize damage there before Guichen's van could join the action. The signal that Rodney issued was for each ship to engage the appropriate ship it was paired with according to the disposition of the two fleets. He issued this signal with the understanding that his captains would execute it in the context of signals given earlier in the day that the enemy's rear was the target of the attack.
Unfortunately, Robert Carkett, commander of HMS Stirling Castle
, the lead ship, either misunderstood the signal or had forgotten the earlier one, and moved ahead to engage Guichen's van; he was followed by the rest of Rodney's fleet, and the two lines ended up engaging ship to ship.
Thanks to the orderly fashion in which De Guichen's subordinate squadron-commanders dealt with the crisis, especially the third-in-command Comte de Grasse's rapid closing-up of the battle-line, Guichen managed to extricate himself from a difficult situation and, instead turn a narrow defeat to a drawn battle, although his and Marquis de Bouillé's objective to attack and seize Jamaica were cancelled.
During the battle, both Rodney's Sandwich
and Guichen's Couronne
were temporarily cut off from their respective fleets and bore the brunt of the battle.
Both fleets avoided further action prior to the hurricane season. Guichen returned to France with many of his damaged ships in August, and Rodney sailed for New York
.
Incomplete order of battle
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
.
Origins
In January 1780 the Comte de GuichenLuc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen
Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen - French admiral; entered the navy in 1730 as "garde de la Marine," the first rank in the corps of royal officers.His promotion was not rapid...
was sent to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
base at Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in the West Indies with a strong squadron. He was opposed by British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
admiral Sir George Rodney, who reached the British base at St. Lucia in late March.
Guichen sailed from Martinique on April 13, 1780, with a fleet of 23 ships of the line and 3,000 troops. His objective was to draw Rodney out, but then to escape him and make an attack on either St. Lucia or the British base at Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. Rodney sailed out at once upon being informed that Guichen had sailed. On April 16, his sentinels spotted Guichen on the leeward side of Martinique, beating against the wind. Rodney gave chase, but was unable to close in time for battle that day. Rodney managed to maintain contact with Guichen and hold his line that night.
Battle
The fleets began maneuvering for the advantage of the weather gageWeather gage
The weather gage is a nautical term used to describe the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel, relative to another. The term is from the Age of Sail, and is now antiquated. A ship is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position, at sea, upwind of the other vessel...
on the morning of April 17. By 8:45 Rodney had successfully reached a position to the windward of Guichen, in a relatively close formation. To escape the danger to his rear, Guichen ordered his line to wear and sail to the north, stringing out the line in the process. This forced Rodney to go through another series of maneuvers to regain his position, which he did by late morning. At this point he hoped to engage the rear and center of Guichen's elongated line, concentrating his power to maximize damage there before Guichen's van could join the action. The signal that Rodney issued was for each ship to engage the appropriate ship it was paired with according to the disposition of the two fleets. He issued this signal with the understanding that his captains would execute it in the context of signals given earlier in the day that the enemy's rear was the target of the attack.
Unfortunately, Robert Carkett, commander of HMS Stirling Castle
HMS Stirling Castle
A number of ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Stirling Castle after Stirling Castle in Scotland, including:...
, the lead ship, either misunderstood the signal or had forgotten the earlier one, and moved ahead to engage Guichen's van; he was followed by the rest of Rodney's fleet, and the two lines ended up engaging ship to ship.
Thanks to the orderly fashion in which De Guichen's subordinate squadron-commanders dealt with the crisis, especially the third-in-command Comte de Grasse's rapid closing-up of the battle-line, Guichen managed to extricate himself from a difficult situation and, instead turn a narrow defeat to a drawn battle, although his and Marquis de Bouillé's objective to attack and seize Jamaica were cancelled.
During the battle, both Rodney's Sandwich
HMS Sandwich (1759)
HMS Sandwich was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 April 1759 at Chatham.Sandwich participated in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780, where she served as Admiral Rodney's flagship....
and Guichen's Couronne
French ship La Couronne (1768)
The Couronne was an 80-gun Saint-Esprit-class ship of the line of the French Navy.She was laid down at Brest in August 1766 and launched in May 1768. She took part in the Battle of Ushant in 1778 and the Battle of Martinique under Guichen in July 1780...
were temporarily cut off from their respective fleets and bore the brunt of the battle.
Aftermath
Rodney felt that the failure to properly attack the French rear cost the British an opportunity for a significant victory, and assessed blame to Carkett and others who did not properly follow his signals. Others assigned the blame to Rodney, for failing to inform his captains in advance of his intended tactics.Both fleets avoided further action prior to the hurricane season. Guichen returned to France with many of his damaged ships in August, and Rodney sailed for New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Order of battle
Royal Navy
- HMS AlcideHMS Alcide (1779)HMS Alcide was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 30 July 1779 at Deptford Dockyard.She fought at the battles of Cape St Vincent and Martinique in 1780, and the battles of St. Kitts and the Saintes in 1782....
- HMS IntrepidHMS Intrepid (1770)HMS Intrepid was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 4 December 1770 at Woolwich.In 1772 the Intrepid sailed to the Dutch East Indies...
- HMS AlbionHMS Albion (1763)HMS Albion was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 16 May 1763 at Deptford, being adapted from a design of the old 90-gun ship which had been built in 1730, and was the first ship to bear the name...
- HMS Magnificent
- HMS GraftonHMS Grafton (1771)HMS Grafton was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 September 1771 at Deptford Dockyard.In 1779 she fought at the head of the British line at the Battle of Grenada, and in 1780 she was part of Rodney's fleet at the Battle of Martinique.From 1792 Grafton was on...
French Navy
- PlutonFrench ship Pluton (1778)Pluton was a of Scipion class 74-gun French ship of the line built at Rochefort.She fought in a series of battles during the American War of Independence, including the battles of Martinique , Fort Royal , Chesapeake , St. Kitts, , and the Saintes .She was renamed Dugommier in 1797 and seems to...
- Sphinx