Battle of Groix

Second Battle of Groix
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Date 23 June 1795 Location Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of France Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport	Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse
Strength
14 ships of the line	12 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
No ships lost	3 ships captured

The Second Battle of Groix was a naval engagement that took place on 23 June 1795 during the French Revolutionary War off the west coast of France.

A British fleet of 14 ships of the line under Admiral Lord Bridport in Royal George, chased a French fleet of 12 of the line under Vice-Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse from the southwest toward the Île de Groix, and in a battle lasting around 2hr 40min captured three ships before breaking off the action as the ships were coming too close to the shore. Lord Bridport was much criticized in the navy for his failure to win a more decisive victory.

Battle

Lord Bridport's fleet first caught sight of the French fleet at 3:30AM on the 22nd. Upon finding that Vice-Admiral Joyeuse had no intention of offering battle, at 6:30AM he ordered his best sailing ships, the Sans Pareil, Orion, Colossus, Irresistible, Valiant, and Russell, to chase. At 6:45PM, he signalled the rest of the fleet to general chase.

At 7 p.m. the Lord Bridport made the signal to harass the enemy's rear, and at 7:25PM to engage as the ships came up, and to take stations for mutual support. By sunset, the British fleet had advanced considerably on the French fleet. At 10:30pm the ships were becalmed, but at 3:00AM on the 23rd, a light breeze had sprung up. Daylight showed the French fleet, except 3-4 ships clustered, with the closest being three miles from the British van.

By this time, the British fleet was much scattered, with all astern, surprisingly, of the Queen Charlotte, of 100 guns, except Irresistible, which was within hailing distance. The nearest ships, besides the two above were Sans Pareil, Russell, Orion and Colossus. Flagship Royal George and two other ships were eight miles east of Queen Charlotte.

A few minutes before 6:00AM, the rearmost French ship, Alexandre, opened fire on Irresistible with her stern chasers, and Irresistible opened fire at approximately 6AM, with Orion joining soon after. At 6:15AM, the ship ahead of Alexandre, Formidable, came under fire from the starboard guns of Queen Charlotte, and at 6:30, the Sans Pareil for a short time as well. She caught fire on the poop, and was soon badly damaged in the hull, masts, rigging, and sails by the well-directed broadsides of the two, particularly of the Queen Charlotte, and she dropped astern. Shortly afterwords, on her mizzenmast falling over the side, the Formidable bore up and struck her colours.

The Colossus, Russell, London, and Queen, on the part of the British, and the Peuple Souverain, Mucius, Redoutable, Wattignies, and Nestor, on the part of the French, now participated more or less in the action. The remaining four French ships, the Zélé, Fougueux, Jean Bart, and Droits de l'Homme, kept too far ahead to be engaged; and all the British ships, except the eight already named, were far astern.

The rigging and sails of Queen Charlotte showed the damages from the French rear ships and was becoming unmanageable. At 7:14, she was fired on by a ship on her larboard beam. Returning fire, she shortly compelled Alexandre to strike her colors. As Queen Charlotte attempted to close on Alexandre, she fired on Peuple Souverain and Tigre with her larboard batteries also. Tigre was pursued by Sans Pareil, and when she came under fire from London and Queen, she struck her colors.

At 7:57, Royal George passed Queen Charlotte as she was repairing her rigging. Having repaired as best as she could, Queen Charlotte again set off in pursuit of the French. At 8:15, Lord Bridport signaled Colossus to discontinue the chase and did the same to the Sans Pareil at 8:20. Royal George then came under fire from Peuple Souverain, and Royal George bore up and fired her starboard broadside at her and her larboard broadside (not knowing that she had struck) into the starboard bow of the Tigre; who made the signal of submission a second time.

At 8:37, the Royal George wore round and the rest of the British fleet followed.

Post-script

1n 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "23rd June 1795" to all (any) surviving claimants from the action.

Order of Battle

Only ships marked * were in action

Britain (Alexander Hood)

Royal George* 100 (Admiral Alexander Hood, Captain William Domett) 7 wounded
Queen Charlotte* 100 (Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas) 4 killed, 32 wounded
Queen* 98 (Vice-Admiral Alan Gardner, Captain William Bedford)
London* 98 (Vice-Admiral John Colpoys, Captain Edward Griffith) 3 wounded
Prince of Wales 98 (Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey, Captain John Bazely)
Prince 98 (Captain Charles Powell Hamilton)
Barfleur 98 (Captain James Richard Dacres)
Prince George 98 (Captain William Edge)
Sans Pareil* 80 (Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour, Captain William Browell) 10 killed, 2 wounded
Valiant 74 (Captain Christopher Parker)
Orion* 74 (Captain James Saumarez) 6 killed, 18 wounded
Irresistible* 74 (Captain Richard Grindall) 3 killed, 11 wounded
Russell* 74 (Captain Thomas Larcom) 3 killed, 10 wounded
Colossus* 74 (Captain John Monkton) 5 killed, 30 wounded
Revolutionnaire* 46 (Captain Francis Cole)
Thalia 36 (Captain Lord Henry Paulet)
Nymphe 36 (Captain George Murray)
Aquilon 32 (Captain Robert Barlow)
Astraea 32 (Captain Richard Lane)
Babet 24 (Captain Edward Codrington)
Maegera 14 (fireship) (Captain Hon. Henry Blackwood)
Incendiary 14 (fireship) (Captain John Draper)
Charon 44 (hospital ship) Commander Walter Locke)
Argus (lugger) 14
Dolly (lugger) 14

France (Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse)

Peuple Souverain* 118
Alexandre* 74 (François-Charles Guillemet) - Captured, 220 killed and wounded
Droits de l'Homme 74
Formidable* 74 (Charles-Alexandre Durand-Linois) - Captured, 320 killed and wounded
Fougueux 74
Jean Bart 74
Mucius* 74
Nestor* 74
Révolutionnaire
Redoutable* 74
Tigre* 74 (Jacques Bedout) - Captured, 130 killed and wounded
Wattignies* 74
Zélé 74

References

• The Royal Navy 1793-1815, Gregory Fremont-Barnes, p. 79.
• Naval History Of Great Britain - Vol I, William James pp. 245-250