Action of 30 May 1781
Encyclopedia
The Action of 30 May 1781 was a naval battle fought between two frigates of the Royal Navy
and two of the Dutch Republic
off the Barbary Coast
. In the Netherlands it is known as the zeegevecht bij Kaap Sint-Marie (sea battle of Cape St Mary, after the Cabo de Santa Maria
). In a battle lasting more than two hours, Captain William Peere Williams-Freeman
of the Flora (36 guns), compelled Captain Pieter Melvill's Castor (36 guns) to strike her colours. Shortly after, Captain Gerardus Oorthuys of den Briel (36 guns) compelled Thomas Pakenham
to strike Crescent (28 guns). However, Flora came to Crescent rescue before Oorthuys could board her, and forced him to retreat.
a fleet returning from the Dutch East Indies
left the Mediterranean, escorted by the 36-gun frigates Castor under captain Pieter Melvill van Carnbee
and the Den Briel under captain Gerardus Oorthuys. They did not pass Gibraltar
unnoticed and were intercepted by two British frigates, the 44-gun under captain William Peere Williams-Freeman
and the 36-gun under captain Thomas Pakenham
. The Dutch frigates reached the Atlantic and fired a salvo at their pursuers, frightening them off, but Carnbee decided not to pursue the faster British ships but to proceed with their primary objective of escorting the merchantmen. The Dutch ships thus turned south under cover of darkness to reach the Canary Islands
.
On the morning of 30 May 1781 the Dutch saw the British ships following them. The British opened fire and Carnbee and Oorthuys tried and failed to get one of the British ships between them. The battle then became a ship-to-ship action between the Den Briel and the Crescent in one case and the Castor and the Flora in the other. The Castor was a 23-year-old ship with low calibre guns and a maximum salvo of 372 pounds, thus proving no match for the modern Flora with its 720 pound salvo. The Castor soon became unmanageable, with her sails and rigging destroyed, holes below the waterline, five feet of water in her hold, most of her guns out of action, 30 of her 230 man crew killed and 40 wounded. Carnbee hoisted a white flag, he and his crew were taken on board the Flora and the sinking Castor was taken in tow as a prize ship
.
The battle between Den Briel and the Crescent was a mirror image of the defeat of the Castor. The guns of the Den Briel brought down the main-mast and mizzen-mast of the Crescent for only 12 dead and 44 wounded, compared to the toll on the Crescent of 27 dead and 65 wounded (including her captain, who was slightly injured). Both ships were badly damaged however and an hour after the Crescent surrendered the mast of the Den Briel fell overboard. The Dutch ship also did not have any boats left in a seaworthy condition to take the Crescent as a prize. The Crescent then managed to get taken in tow by the Flora and Oorthuys had to watch his prize escape.
on 2 June, whilst the fleet he was escorting also reached Spain without being attacked by the British. With two badly damaged ships in tow, Pakenham then met two French frigates in the English Channel and was defeated, though the Flora escaped. Pakenham had refused to resume the command of the Crescent, maintaining that by his surrender to the Den Briel his commission was cancelled, and that when recaptured the ship was on the same footing as any other prize. The Castor thus became a French prize (though it was beyond use and soon demolished in a French shipyard) and Carnbee and the Dutch prisoners were repatriated.
The battle became major news back in the Netherlands, with Carnbee and Oorthuys compared to earlier naval heroes Michiel de Ruyter
and Maarten Tromp
. In Britain, Pakenham was tried by court-martial for the loss of his ship and honourably acquitted, it being proved that he did not strike the flag till, by the fall of her masts and the disabling of her guns, further resistance was impossible.
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 two of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
off the Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
. In the Netherlands it is known as the zeegevecht bij Kaap Sint-Marie (sea battle of Cape St Mary, after the Cabo de Santa Maria
Cabo de Santa Maria (Faro)
Cape of St. Mary is the southernmost point of mainland Portugal, in the municipality of Faro. It is a point in the curve of a beach in the Island of Barreta, which has also the name of Island of Cabo de Santa Maria....
). In a battle lasting more than two hours, Captain William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman was an officer in the Royal Navy, eventually becoming admiral of the fleet for a brief period before his death at the age of 90.-Family and early life:Williams was born in Peterborough on 6 January 1742, the son of Frederick Williams,...
of the Flora (36 guns), compelled Captain Pieter Melvill's Castor (36 guns) to strike her colours. Shortly after, Captain Gerardus Oorthuys of den Briel (36 guns) compelled Thomas Pakenham
Thomas Pakenham (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Thomas Pakenham GCB , styled The Honourable from birth to 1820, was a British naval officer and politician.Pakenham, third son of Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford , was born in 1757. He entered the Royal Navy in 1771 on board the , with Captain John MacBride, with whom he moved to the in 1773...
to strike Crescent (28 guns). However, Flora came to Crescent rescue before Oorthuys could board her, and forced him to retreat.
Course
During the Fourth Anglo-Dutch WarFourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Fourth Anglo–Dutch War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, tangentially related to the American Revolutionary War, broke out over British and Dutch disagreements on the legality and conduct of Dutch trade with Britain's enemies in that...
a fleet returning from the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
left the Mediterranean, escorted by the 36-gun frigates Castor under captain Pieter Melvill van Carnbee
Pieter Melvill van Carnbee (1743-1810)
Pieter baron Melvill van Carnbee was a Dutch naval officer from a military family of Scottish descent, who rose to the rank of vice admiral. His name was sometimes spelled Melville van Carnbée. His grandson Pieter Melvill van Carnbee was a notable geographer.-Life:He is most noted for his...
and the Den Briel under captain Gerardus Oorthuys. They did not pass Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
unnoticed and were intercepted by two British frigates, the 44-gun under captain William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman
William Peere Williams-Freeman was an officer in the Royal Navy, eventually becoming admiral of the fleet for a brief period before his death at the age of 90.-Family and early life:Williams was born in Peterborough on 6 January 1742, the son of Frederick Williams,...
and the 36-gun under captain Thomas Pakenham
Thomas Pakenham (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Thomas Pakenham GCB , styled The Honourable from birth to 1820, was a British naval officer and politician.Pakenham, third son of Thomas Pakenham, 1st Baron Longford , was born in 1757. He entered the Royal Navy in 1771 on board the , with Captain John MacBride, with whom he moved to the in 1773...
. The Dutch frigates reached the Atlantic and fired a salvo at their pursuers, frightening them off, but Carnbee decided not to pursue the faster British ships but to proceed with their primary objective of escorting the merchantmen. The Dutch ships thus turned south under cover of darkness to reach the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
On the morning of 30 May 1781 the Dutch saw the British ships following them. The British opened fire and Carnbee and Oorthuys tried and failed to get one of the British ships between them. The battle then became a ship-to-ship action between the Den Briel and the Crescent in one case and the Castor and the Flora in the other. The Castor was a 23-year-old ship with low calibre guns and a maximum salvo of 372 pounds, thus proving no match for the modern Flora with its 720 pound salvo. The Castor soon became unmanageable, with her sails and rigging destroyed, holes below the waterline, five feet of water in her hold, most of her guns out of action, 30 of her 230 man crew killed and 40 wounded. Carnbee hoisted a white flag, he and his crew were taken on board the Flora and the sinking Castor was taken in tow as a prize ship
Prize Ship
Prize Ship is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1954 in Thrilling Wonder Stories and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick...
.
The battle between Den Briel and the Crescent was a mirror image of the defeat of the Castor. The guns of the Den Briel brought down the main-mast and mizzen-mast of the Crescent for only 12 dead and 44 wounded, compared to the toll on the Crescent of 27 dead and 65 wounded (including her captain, who was slightly injured). Both ships were badly damaged however and an hour after the Crescent surrendered the mast of the Den Briel fell overboard. The Dutch ship also did not have any boats left in a seaworthy condition to take the Crescent as a prize. The Crescent then managed to get taken in tow by the Flora and Oorthuys had to watch his prize escape.
Aftermath
Using makeshift sails Oorthuys then reached the neutral port of CadizCádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
on 2 June, whilst the fleet he was escorting also reached Spain without being attacked by the British. With two badly damaged ships in tow, Pakenham then met two French frigates in the English Channel and was defeated, though the Flora escaped. Pakenham had refused to resume the command of the Crescent, maintaining that by his surrender to the Den Briel his commission was cancelled, and that when recaptured the ship was on the same footing as any other prize. The Castor thus became a French prize (though it was beyond use and soon demolished in a French shipyard) and Carnbee and the Dutch prisoners were repatriated.
The battle became major news back in the Netherlands, with Carnbee and Oorthuys compared to earlier naval heroes Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel de Ruyter
Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the most skilled admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French and scored several major victories against them, the best known probably...
and Maarten Tromp
Maarten Tromp
Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten.-Early life:...
. In Britain, Pakenham was tried by court-martial for the loss of his ship and honourably acquitted, it being proved that he did not strike the flag till, by the fall of her masts and the disabling of her guns, further resistance was impossible.