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| Action of 25 January 1797 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theAnglo-Spanish War (1796–1808) during theWar of the First Coalition | |||||||
 Battle between San Francisco de Asís and three British frigates and a corvette – oil on canvas,Naval Museum of Madrid | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |  Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 George Stewart | Alonso de Torres y Guerra | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3fifth-rate frigates, 1sixth-rate sloop[1] | 1third-rate ship of line[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 2 killed 12 wounded[2] | ||||||
  Location within Europe | |||||||
Theaction of 25 January 1797 was a minor naval battle of theFrench Revolutionary Wars, fought in theGulf of Cádiz. The Spanish third-rateship of the lineSan Francisco de Asís was attacked and pursued for several hours by a British squadron of three fifth-rates frigates and a sixth-ratecorvette underGeorge Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway. After an intermittent but fierce exchange of fire, the British warships, badly damaged, were eventually forced to withdraw.[1][better source needed] TheSan Francisco de Asís, which suffered only minor damage, was able to return toCádiz without difficulties. The commander of the ship, Captain Alonso de Torres y Guerra, was promoted for his success.
The winter of 1796–1797 was one of the stormiest of the 18th century.[1] TheBritish Royal Navy lost the ships of lineHMS Courageux, wrecked offGibraltar, andHMS Bombay Castle, foundered in the shoals of theTagus river's mouth, as well as two frigates.[2] AFrench expedition sent to Ireland to assist the rebelUnited Irishmen against the British government failed due to the storms. The Spanish navy also suffered the effects of the winter. The third-rate ship of the lineSan Francisco de Asís, commanded by Captain Don Alonso de Torres y Guerra, which was anchored in theBay of Cádiz during a mission to protect the arrival of Spanish commercial shipping from America, was hit by the storms, and having lost her anchor, she was forced to go out to open sea.[2]
Spain and Britain, which had been allies against theRevolutionary France until thePeace of Basel and had cooperated in theSiege of Toulon (1793), became enemies when Spain aligned itself with France bySecond Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1796. The British navy, on the outbreak of the war, withdrew from theMediterranean Sea and was stationed in the Iberian Atlantic coast, fromCape Finisterre toGibraltar.[3]Sir John Jervis, commander of theMediterranean Fleet, took its base atLisbon, having been ordered by the Admiralty to focus on "taking every opportunity of annoying the enemy", asides of protecting the British trade and cutting Spain from its colonies.[4] Among the British ships based in Lisbon, there was a division under the Earl of Galloway which comprised the frigatesLively,Niger andMeleager, and the sloopsFortune andRaven.[5] According toSir John Barrow, 1st Baronet,Second Secretary to the Admiralty for 40 years, Galloway, later known as Lord Garlies, was "an excellent man, but of a warm and sanguine temperament".[6]
At dawn on 25 January, the three frigates and one sloop of Galloway's division were sighted from theSan Francisco de Asís sailing north-eastwards at a distance of 11 leagues from the port of Cádiz, parallel to the city.[7] The lack of response to the signals of recognition made from the Spanish ship put on alert its crew.[7] The British ships began to come close to theSan Francisco de Asís relying on their lightness and their advantage, both in number and in artillery, as the division's ships mounted 40 pieces each of the two heaviest frigates, 34 the lesser one, and 28 the sloop.[7]Minerve andMeleager were armed, moreover, with 24-poundercarronades.[5]
At 1 pm the British division had approached enough to open fire on theSan Francisco, who had hoisted its flag, ready to engage Galloway's ships,[7] which also hoisted their British flags.[7] TheSan Francisco then opened fire, and a running battle ensued without intermission until 4 pm. In the process, theSan Francisco received the fire of two British frigates which successively shot him withgrapeshot.[7] The Spanish ship could only return the fire with thestern chasers of its batteries, although she luffed occasionally to shoot broadsides on the British frigates, inflicting serious damage.[7] The British gunners, noted for their skill through the war, were not particularly accurate during the action, andSan Francisco, already hit by the storm, didn't suffer serious damage.[5]
The British frigates left the battle at 4 pm, and although after consulting among themselves the British commanders resolved return to fight at 4:30 pm, they finally withdrew half an hour later.[7][dubious –discuss] The imminence of the nightfall and the possibility of running aground on the coast betweenHuelva andAyamonte convinced Alonso de Torres y Guerra to turn back to Cádiz instead of chasing Galloway's division, but trying before to sail between the retreating British ships to shoot upon them two complete broadsides. The British vessels, however, managed to avoid the action by taking advantage of its fasteness and the darkness of the dusk.[7]
TheSan Francisco de Asís had 2 men killed and 12 wounded in the action. She received a shot at themainyard, another one awash, and minor damage to the rigging and the hull. The ship had been repaired when, on 14 February, it took part in theBattle of Cape St Vincent. The British fleet, commanded by John Jervis, was victorious over the Spanish fleet underJosé de Córdoba y Ramos. TheSan Francisco played a role in the battle, helping at the end of the action to relieve the three-deckerSantísima Trinidad, which had been put out of action and was about to be taken by the British fleet.[5] The damage and casualties aboard the British division remain unknown, and the action is not mentioned in English sources,[5][additional citation(s) needed] though the Spanish naval historianCesáreo Fernández Duro states that one of Galloway's frigates lost itsforetopmast.[2]
A success by ship of line fighting alone against a squadron of well armed frigates was not common during theFrench Revolutionary andNapoleonic Wars.[8] For example, in theaction of 8 March 1795, the 74-gunHMS Berwick was captured in just 15 minutes by the French frigateAlceste, supported by the frigatesMinerve andVestale.[8] As a reward for his victory, Captain Alonso de Torres y Guerra was given the encomienda ofCorral de Caracuel in theOrder of Alcántara, which included, asides of the title of knight, an income of 15.800 reales.[5] On the other hand, Galloway's career wasn't damaged by the result of the action, and he was chosen by Admiral Jervis to carry back to England news of the victory of St Vincent.[9]
Media related toAction of 25 January 1797 at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Rivoli | French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns Action of 25 January 1797 | Succeeded by Treaty of Leoben |
