Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Barfleur–La Hougue
partof=the Nine Years' War


caption="The Battle of Barfleur, 29 May 1692" by Richard Paton, painted 18th century.
date=29 May - 4 June(NS)(19-24 May OS), 1692
place=near Cherbourg Peninsula, France
casus=
territory=
result= Barfleur:tactically indecisive,
Anglo-Dutch strategic victory
Cherbourg,La Hogue,allied victory
combatant1= Kingdom of France
combatant2=
commander1=Anne Hilarion de Tourville
commander2=Edward Russell
strength1=70 or 80 sail
44 ships of the line
plus auxiliaries
strength2=over 120 sail
82 ships of the line
plus auxiliaries
casualties1=Barfleur: no ships lost
many damaged
Cherbourg: 3 ships burned
La Hogue: 12 ships burned
casualties2=Barfleur:no ships lost
many damaged
Cherbourg,minor casualties
La Hogue: minor casualties|The related naval battles of Barfleur and La Hougue took place between 29 May and 4 June New Style(NS), 1692 (19th-24 May in the Old Style(OS) Julian calendar then in use in England).The first action took place near Barfleur; later actions were at Cherbourg and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in the Cotentin peninsula, Normandy, France. It was the decisive naval battle of the Nine Years' War.

In May 1692 the French fleet of 44 ships of the line under the command of the Comte Anne Hilarion de Tourville was preparing to transport an invading army of Franco-Irish troops to restore James II to the English throne. The French victory at the Battle of Beachy Head two years earlier, in June 1690, had opened up the possibility of destroying the allied fleet and landing an invading army. Tourville boldly engaged the 82 strong Anglo-Dutch fleet at Barfleur.After a fierce but indecisive clash, which left many ships on both sides damaged, Tourville was able to disengage. He slipped off into light fog and for several days tried to escape the superior forces.The French fleet was scattered, and 15 were lost, 3 at Cherbourg and a further 12 at La Hougue. The threat of invasion of England was lifted.

Prelude

King Louis XIV and his naval minister, Pontchartrain, planned to land an army in England and restore James II to the throne. They first planned to launch the invasion in April 1692 before the English and Dutch fleets had got to sea and joined up. Troops were collected at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and the cavalry and guns were to be loaded into transports at Le Havre. Tourville was to bring the French fleet up from Brest and collect the transports and the troops, then fight off the English fleet and land the army in England.

However the French fleet was unable to concentrate in time; D’Estrees and the Toulon fleet were beaten back at the Straits of Gibraltar losing 2 ships in a storm, and Villette Mursay with the Rochefort squadron was delayed.Tourville's Brest fleet was undermanned, and when he sailed , on 29th April(OS), he was forced to leave 20 ships under Chateau-Renault behind.His fleet was further delayed by adverse winds and did not clear Berteaume Roads until 2nd May(OS).Tourville entered the Channel with 37 ships of the line, accompanied by 7 fireships, plus frigates, scouts, and transports. He was joined on 15th May(OS) by Villette and the Rochefort squadron, 7 ships of the line and attendant vessels, giving Tourville a combined fleet of 44 ships, plus attendant vessels 70 or 80 sail altogether.

Meanwhile the allied fleet was assembling at St Helens on the Isle of Wight;
Delaval arrived off St Helens on 8th May(OS); next day he was joined by Carter, who had been in the western channel guarding a convoy, and delivering troops to Guernsey. The Dutch had despatched a fleet, under Almonde, from Texel in April, which was making its way south
Ashby sailed from the Nore on 27th April(OS); .Russell was delayed until 29th, but gained time by making a risky passage through the Gull channel. He met Almonde at the Downs , and a further Dutch squadron at Dungeness, arriving at St Helens in the second week in May. More detachments joined over the next few days, until 14th May(OS), when Russell had a force of over 80 ships of the line, plus auxiliaries.Thus by 14th May, when the allied fleet was fully assembled, the French strategic aim of acting with a concentrated force while the allies were scattered was already lost.

However Louis XIV had furnished Tourville with strict orders to seek battle, strong or weak ("fort au faible") and this he proceeded to do.

Battle of Barfleur

The fleets sighted each other at first light on 29 May (NS)(19th May OS)1692, off Cap Barfleur. On sighting the allied fleet Tourville held a conference with his officers. Their advice, and his own opinion, was against action; however Tourville felt bound by strict orders from the king to engage. He may also have expected some defections by English captains with Jacobite sympathies, though in this he was to be disappointed. In the light south westerly breeze the fleets slowly closed, Russell from the northeast, Tourville, with the weathergage, from the south, on a starboard tack to bring his line of battle into contact with Russells. Both fleets were in three squadrons, each split into three divisions and commanded by a flag officer. Because of the calm conditions it was not until after 11 am, five hours after first sighting each other, that the two fleets engaged.Tourville had reinforced his centre, the White squadron under his own command, in order to engage Russell's Red squadron with close to equal numbers. Elsewhere, he sought to minimize damage by extending and refusing the van, to avoid them being turned and overwhelmed, while the rear was held back to keep the weathergage. Russell countered by holding fire as long as possible, to allow the French to come closer; Almonde, in the van extended to try and overlap the French line, while Ashby, with the rear and some way off, sought to close and bring his Blue squadron into action. From around 11 am, and for the next few hours, both fleets bombarded each other, causing considerable damage.

The battle continued for the rest of the day and into the night, and was full of incident. At 1pm a change in the wind allowed Shovell to break the French line, and the Dutch to start enveloping the French van; at 4pm a flat calm descended, leaving both fleets in a fog; at 6pm Tourville was able to use the tide to gain a respite, and at 8pm Shovell used the same tide for a fireship attack.

By 10 pm the battle was almost over. Surprisingly, though most ships on both sides were damaged, and some severely, no ships from either battle line were lost.At the turn of the tide, Tourville again took advantage of this to cut cables and be carried down channel on the ebb, away from the scene of battle. Russell also cut when he realized what had happened, to give chase into the night.

Aftermath

On the 30 May(NS)(20th May OS) the French withdrawal was hampered by wind and tide, and the fact that, due to economies by the French Naval Ministry, many of the ships had anchors inadequate to withstand the strong tidal races in the region. There was also the lack of a fortified haven at Cherbourg.Tourville probably tried for too long to save his magnificent flagship, the "Soleil Royal", but eventually he realised it was hopeless and switched his command to the "Ambitieux", the flagship of Villette Mursay.

Pursuit

First light on the 30 May(20th May OS) saw the French fleet scattered into groups across a wide area.To the north of the battle scene, and heading northward, were Gabaret, and Langeron, with 4 ships altogether. Later that day they skirted the English coast and headed out to the Atlantic. Later they would arrive safely at Brest.To the South, Nesmond, with 6 ships, was heading south-east towards the Normandy coast. 2 of these would be beached at St Vaast la Hougue, while another 2 would later put into Le Havre, where "L’Entendu" was wrecked at the harbour entrance. Nesmond, with the remaining 2 ships "Monarque" and "Aimable", passed through the Straits of Dover, and led them north-about round the Britain, finally arriving safe at Brest.Heading West was the main body in 3 groups; Villette leading with 15, followed by d’Amfreville with 12, and bringing up the rear , Tourville with 7. During the day the French were able to close up, but Tourville was hampered by his efforts to save his flagship, "Soleil Royal", which was in a pitiable condition. Later that day Tourville recognized this and transferred his flag to "L’Ambiteux".

In pursuit was Almonde and the Dutch fleet, with the various English divisions scattered behind. Many of these, particularly those of the English Red were hampered by damage, and lagged behind, leaving Almonde and Ashby closed up to the French by the end of the day. Russell was forced to detach 3 ships to return to port for repairs. Later these sighted Gabarets group, but neither engaged. Shovell had to move his flag to" Kent" due to the damage to his flagship, "Royal William", while the damage to "Britannia", Russells flagship, caused his division serious delay.

On 31 May(21st May OS) the French fleet was anchored against the tide off Cap de la Hague; the leading contingent, 21 under Pannetier, had rounded the cape and were in the Alderney Race, while the remainder, 13 with Tourville and the other flag officers, were to the east. As the weather deteriorated, these ships began to drag their anchors, and were forced to cut and run before the wind and tide. 3 of the most badly damaged were forced to beach at Cherbourg; the rest, 10 ships, reached St Vaast la Hougue where they too were beached, joining the 2 of Nesmond’s division that were already there. Russell’s and the ships with him, together with some of Ashby’s Blue squadron, also cut to pursue him, while Ashby himself, with Almonde, continued to shadow Pannetiers group. Pannetier, in order to escape the pursuing allied fleet, wished to make the hazardous passage through the Alderney Race; in this he was helped by finding in his crew a local man, Hervé Riel, to act as pilot when his navigators demurred. Almonde and Ashby did not try to follow him and were criticized later by Russell for not doing so, although the only flag officer who knew the waters, Carter, had died of his wounds.Almonde attempted pursuit by taking his squadron west of Alderney, but the delay allowed Pannetier to pull too far ahead, and he abandoned the chase. Pannetier later reached St Malo in safety, while Almonde and Ashby turned east to rejoin Russell at la Hougue.

While Almonde and Ashby pusued Pannetier, Russell was chasing Tourville eastward along the Cotentin coast. Without anchors Tourville was unable to do more than beach his ships, which he was able to do, leaving three at Cherbourg and taking the remaining twelve to St Vaast la Hougue.

Actions at Cherbourg and La Hogue

The "Soleil Royal", "Admirable", and "Triomphant" were in such bad shape they had to be beached at Cherbourg. There they were destroyed on the 3 June(NS)(23rd May OS) by Delaval attacking from long boats and with fire ships.

Meanwhile, Russell had turned on the remaining ships These had sought refuge at La Hougue where they would be under the protection of the assembled land forces and a battery. On 3 June and 4 June(NS)(23rd and 24th May OS), Rooke and Danby attacked with long boats. By this time the French crews were exhausted and disheartened and were no match. The allies successfully deployed shore parties and fire ships which burnt all twelve French ships of the line which had sought shelter there. This last mopping up action became celebrated in England as the Battle of La Hogue.

Conclusion

The dispersal of the French fleet put paid to the invasion plans, and the Allied victory was commemorated in England by a Fleet Review.

hips involved

*Britain:
*Netherlands:
*Total allied: 82 ships,plus auxiliaries
*France: 44 ships, plus auxiliaries

Sources

* 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" (1890, abridged 1980) . ISBN 0 60034162 3 .
* Log of capt. Robt. Robinson, Cmdr of ye Ship Monmouth, The National Archives ADM 51/4264, (1692)
* http://www.bataviawerf.nl/7provincien_geschiedenis.html