Naval/Maritime History - 12th of August - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History (2024)

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

22nd of January

some of the events you will find here,
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645 – Birth of William Kidd, Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (d. 1701)
William Kidd, also Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sailor who was tried and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Some modern historians, for example Sir Cornelius Neale Dalton (see Books), deem his piratical reputation unjust.

Captain Kidd, gibbeted, following his execution in 1701.

1761 – Launch of HMS Arrogant, a 74-gun Arrogant class third rate ship of the line
HMS Arrogant was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 January 1761 at Harwich. She was the first of the Arrogant class ships of the line, designed by Sir Thomas Slade.
he took part in the Action of 8 September 1796 and in January 1799 was with the British squadron at the defence of Macau during the Macau Incident.
By 1804 she had been converted to a hulk at Bombay where she served as a receiving ship, sheer hulk, and floating battery. In 1810 she was condemned as unfit for further service. She was sold out of service in 1810

The Arrogant, Intrepid and Virginie chasing French and Spanish Squadron off coast of China, 27 January 1799 (PAH9508)

Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines with quarter gallery decorations, and longitudinal half-breadth proposed for 'Defence (1763), Kent' (1762), 'Cornwall' (1761), and 'Arrogant' (1761), all 74-gun Third Rate, two deckers. Signed by Thomas Slade [Surveyor of the Navy, 1755-1771].

Model of HMS Illustrious at Buckler's Hard

1783 - The Action of 22 January 1783 was a single ship action fought off the Chesapeake Bay
The Action of 22 January 1783 was a single ship action fought off the Chesapeake Bay during the American War of Independence. The British frigate Hussar, under the command of Thomas McNamara Russell, captured the French frigate Sybille, under the command of Kergariou-Locmaria. The circ*mstances of the battle included controversial violations of accepted rules of war regarding the flying of false flags and distress signals.

1785 - Launch of spanish San Ildefonso, a 74 gun Ildefonso class ship of the line
San Ildefonso was a ship of the Spanish Navy launched in 1785. She was designed to be lighter than traditional Spanish vessels which had had difficulty matching the speed of ships of the Royal Navy. Though nominally a 74-gun ship the San Ildefonso actually carried 80 cannons and howitzers. She saw service against French and British vessels in the late 18th century, sailed twice to the Americas and was trapped in Cadiz by the British blockade. San Ildefonso was captured by the British third-rate HMS Defence at the Battle of Trafalgar and successfully weathered the storm afterwards to be taken into Royal Navy service as HMS Ildefonso.

This is a plate from 'The Naval Chronicle' , 1806, subsequently extracted and hand-coloured. It shows the day after the Battle of Trafalgar, with the captured and dismasted Spanish 'San Ildefonso' on the right and on the left her captor, the 'Defence', riding at anchor in the wake of the post-battle storm near Cadiz, with other ships wrecked on the coast around Rota in the distance.

1794 – Launch of French Jemmapes, a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy
Jemmapes was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.
Laid down as Alexandre, she was renamed Jemmapes on 7 January 1793 in honour of the Battle of Jemappes. She took part in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 and ultimately in the Glorious First of June. She was attacked and totally dismasted by HMS Queen, with the loss of 60, including her captain, and 55 wounded.

Scale model of Achille, sister ship of French ship Jemmapes (1794), on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris.

1794 - Action of 22 January 1794 - Sunda Strait campaign of January 1794
HEICS Britannia and HEICS Nonsuch captured French privateers Vengeur (34) and Resolu (26) off Zuften isles.
With the Royal Navy unable to provide forces to protect trade in the East Indies, the East India Company authorities in India decided to form a squadron from their own ships to patrol the region. Two East Indiamen, William Pitt and Britannia, and the country ship Nonsuch, were diverted from their regular route for the service, accompanied by the brig Nautilus (or possibly Viper), and under the overall command of Commodore Charles Mitchell, captain of William Pitt. On 2 January 1794 this force passed Singapore and entered the Malacca Strait, sailing eastwards in search of French raiders. As the British squadron travelled along the northern coast of Sumatra, two French privateers attacked the East India Company's trading post at Bencoolen on the southern coast. The privateers were the 30-gun Vengeur under Captain Corosin and the 26-gun Résolue under Captain Jallineaux, and on 17 January they approached the mouth of Rat Island Basin close to Bencoolen where the 32-gun East Indiaman Pigot lay at anchor. Pigot, under Captain George Ballantyne, had a crew of 102 men, but was completely unprepared for action. At 08:15 Vengeur opened fire at 150 yards (137 m), maintaining the battle for an hour and 45 minutes before hauling off so that Résolu could continue the combat. Ballantyne defended his vessel intelligently, positioning Pigot so that the French could only approach one at a time through the narrow mouth of the bay. This allowed him to drive off each ship in turn, the privateers falling back together at 10:20 with damaged rigging. Pigot too had suffered, with one man killed and sufficient damage to the rigging to require several weeks of repairs. After immediate repairs had been completed, Corosin abandoned Bencoolen and retreated to the Sunda Strait in search of weaker targets

The Calcutta-trade merchantman 'Nonsuch' in two positions off the Kingsgate Gap

1809 - Action of 22 January 1809
HMS Cleopatra (1779 - 32), HMS Jason (1804 - 32) and HMS Hazard (1794 - 16) captured Topaze (1805 - 48), anchored under a small battery south of Point Noir, Guadeloupe.
The Action of 22 January 1809 was a minor naval engagement fought off the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe during the Napoleonic Wars. The action was fought as part of the blockade of Guadeloupe and neighbouring Martinique by a large British Royal Navy squadron, which was seeking to cut the islands off from contact and supplies from France by preventing the passage of shipping from Europe to the islands. The British blockade was part of their preparation for planned invasions during the next year.
The French made numerous efforts to supply their colonies during this period, attempting to use fast frigates to bring food and military stores to the Caribbean past the British blockades, themselves a response to Napoleon's Continental System, but often losing the vessels in the process. One such attempt was made by the French frigate Topaze, despatched from Brest to Cayenne with a large cargo of flour. Driven away from Cayenne by Portugal (allies of Britain, and fighting France themselves in be Peninsular War), who had recently captured the colony, Topaze took refuge under the gun batteries of Guadeloupe.
Discovered at anchor off Pointe-Noire on 22 January by the British brig HMS Hazard, Topaze was isolated and attacked by two British frigates, led by Captain Samuel Pechell in HMS Cleopatra. In the ensuing engagement, the British ships outnumbered and overwhelmed their opponent, capturing the ship and her cargo, despite heavy fire from a French gun battery that overlooked the anchorage. The British ships were drawn from a force gathered for the impending invasion of Martinique, which was launched six days after Topaze had been captured and successfully completed in a campaign lasting just over three weeks.

Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with half stern board outline, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for building 'Cleopatra' (1778), a 32-gun, Fifth Rate Frigate, at Bristol by Mr Hilhouse. Signed by John Williams [Surveyor of the Navy, 1765-1784].

1809 - HMS Primrose (18), James Mein, wrecked on the Manacle near Falmouth.
HMS Primrose (1807) was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Thomas Nickells (or Nicholls), at Fowey and launched in 1807. She was commissioned in November 1807 under Commander James Mein, who sailed her to the coast of Spain on 3 February 1808.

1856 – Launch of French Audacieuse, an Ardente-class frigate of the French Navy
Audacieuse was an Ardente-class frigate of the French Navy.
She served between France and the Far East, notable ferrying ambassador Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros to China in 1857 and bringing guns from the Taku Forts to France.

udacieuse, drawn by Roux

1873 - The Northfleet, a British full rigged ship, is rammed by Spanish steamer Murillo and sinks 293 passengers and crew near Dungeness
The Northfleet was a British full rigged ship that is best remembered for her disastrous sinking in the English Channel in January 1873.

Loss of the Northfleet (The Captain's Farewell) 1873 (PAF7747)

1891 – The Hapag liner Augusta Victoria starts in Ciuxhaven for a 3 month cruise.
Off-season pleasure cruises were therefore started in 1891, and Augusta Victoria's cruise in the Mediterranean and the Near East from 22 January to 22 March 1891, with 241 passengers including the Ballins themselves, is often stated to have been the first ever cruise
Augusta Victoria, later Auguste Victoria, placed in service in 1889 and named for Empress Augusta Victoria, wife of German Emperor Wilhelm II, was the name ship of the Augusta Victoria series and

She was the first European liner with twin propellers and when first placed in service, the fastest liner in the Atlantic trade. In 1897, the ship was rebuilt and lengthened and in 1904 she was sold to the Imperial Russian Navy, which renamed her Kuban.

1906 – SS Valencia runs aground on rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, killing more than 130.
SS Valencia was an iron-hulled passenger steamer built as a minor ocean liner for the Red D Line for service between Venezuela and New York City. She was built in 1882 by William Cramp and Sons, one year after the construction of her sister ship Caracas. She was a 1,598 ton vessel (originally 1,200 tons), 252 feet (77 m) in length. In 1897, Valencia was deliberately attacked by the Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The next year, she became a coastal passenger liner on the U.S. West Coast and served periodically in the Spanish–American War as a troopship to the Philippines. Valencia was wrecked off Cape Beale, which is near Clo-oose, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on 22 January 1906. Since her sinking killed 100 people (including all of the women and children aboard), some classify the wreck of Valencia as the worst maritime disaster in the "Graveyard of the Pacific", a famously treacherous area off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.

SS Valencia around 1900, showing much of her original Red D Line profile

1941 - Operation Berlin started
Operation Berlin was a successful commerce raid performed by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau between January and March 1941. The commander-in-chief of the operation was Admiral Günther Lütjens, who subsequently commanded the famous cruise of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen.