Naval/Maritime History 22nd of March - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

19 July 1979 - The oil tanker SS Atlantic Empress collides with another oil tanker Aegean Captain, causing the largest ever ship-borne oil spill, 18 miles east of the island of Tobago.



At the time of the collision Atlantic Empress was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Beaumont, Texas, with a cargo of light crude oil owned by Mobil Oil. Aegean Captain was en route to Singapore from Aruba.

In heavy rain and thick fog the two ships did not sight each other until they were 600 yards (550 m) apart. Aegean Captain changed course, but it was too late, and at 7:15 p.m the two ships collided, with the Empresstearing a hole in the Captain's starboard bow. Large fires began on each ship, which were soon beyond the control of the crews, who abandoned their ships.

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The collision and fire claimed the lives of 26 of the Empress's crew members, and one crew member on the Captain. The remaining crew from both ships were taken to Tobago for medical treatment, while the Empress's captain was transported to a hospital in Texas, having inhaled fire.

Firefighters from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard brought the fires aboard the Captain under control the next day, and members of her crew returned to the ship, and were able to bring her into Curaçao, where her cargo was off-loaded. Meanwhile, a five-man specialist emergency crew from the Dutch Salvage organization Smit International and the German Bugsier, managed by a Salvage inspector of Smit International, attempted to control the fire aboard Empress, and contain the spreading oil slick. Two tugs (one of them being the Smit Zwarte Zee) towed the burning ship further out to sea.

On 24 July, a week after the collision, the Empress was still burning, and also listing, when an explosion occurred that increased the rate of flow. The next day another larger explosion increased the rate to 7,000-15,000 gallons an hour, twice the previous rate. Finally, on 3 August, the Empress sank, having spilled 287,000 metric tonnes of crude oil into the Caribbean Sea.

By comparison, in the Exxon Valdez spill ten years later only 37,000 metric tonnes of oil was released.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Atlantic_Empress
http://www.aukevisser.nl/supertankers/part-1/id704.htm
http://oilspillswiki.pbworks.com/w/page/64031584/Oil Spills
https://www.emaze.com/@ALOFWQZQ
 
20 July 1791 - launch of french 118 gun ship Orient

Orient was an Océan-class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, famous for her role as flagship of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798, and for her spectacular destruction that day when her magazines exploded. The event was commemorated by numerous paintings and poems.

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Modèle réduit d'un vaisseau de 118 canons du même type que l’Orient et permettant de juger de la puissance de feu du navire.

The ship was laid down in Toulon, and launched on 20 July 1791 under the name Dauphin Royal. In September 1792, after the advent of the French First Republic, and not yet commissioned, she was renamed Sans-Culotte, in honour of the Sans-culottes.

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On 14 March 1795, she took part in the Battle of Genoa as flagship of Rear Admiral Martin. She covered the rear of the French line, exchanging fire with HMS Bedford and HMS Egmont, but lost contact with her fleet during the night and was thus prevented from taking further part in the action. In May 1795, Sans-Culotte was again renamed as a consequence of the Thermidorian Reaction, and took her best-known name of Orient.

In 1798, Orient was appointed flagship of the squadron tasked with the invasion of Egypt, under Admiral Brueys, with Captain Casabianca as his flag officer. Orient also ferried the chiefs of the Armée d'Égypte, notably General Bonaparte. The fleet avoided the British blockade and captured Maltabefore landing troops in Egypt. Afterwards, the squadron anchored in a bay east of Alexandria, in a purportedly strong defensive position. The British 's squadron under the command of Nelson discovered the fleet on 1 August, and Nelson attacked the next day, starting the Battle of the Nile. Nelson had his units sail between the shore and the French ships at anchor, picking them one by one in a cross-fire. Orient eventually came under fire from five ships, caught fire and exploded spectacularly at 22:30.

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Battle of the Nile, August 1st 1798 at 10 pm, by Thomas Luny. Orient is depicted aflame at the centre-left.

The number of casualties is disputed: the British reported 70 survivors, reflecting the numbers they rescued aboard their ships, and inferring considerable losses over the 1,130-man complement; however, the crew was far from complete at the time of the battle and a number of survivors might have been picked up by French ships. Contre-amiral Decrès reported as many as 760 survivors.

The explosion is also often presented as a turning point of the battle; as a matter of fact, the battle was won by the British when their reinforcements arrived at nightfall, and the interruption of the fighting was brief after the explosion.

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Battle of the Nile, engraving by Thomas Whitcombe

The explosion of Orient struck the public of the time, both because of its historical signification and of its spectacular aesthetics. Its romantic load was compounded by the presence aboard of Captain Casabianca's young son, who died in the wreck; this particular detail inspired Felicia Hemans's poem Casabianca:

The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead

Shortly after the battle, Nelson was presented with a coffin carved from a piece of the main mast of Orient, which had been taken back to England for this purpose; he was put inside this coffin after his death at the Battle of Trafalgar.

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The Destruction of L'Orient at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798, painting by George Arnald, on display at the National Maritime Museum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Orient_(1791)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Orient_(1791)
 
20 July 1765 - launch of 74 gun ship HMS Monarch

HMS Monarch was a 74-gun third rate Ramillies-class ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 July 1765 at Deptford Dockyard.

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HMS Monarch in the lead, forcing the Passage of the Sound, 30 March 1801, prior to the Battle of Copenhagen

Monarch had a very active career, fighting in her first battle in 1778 at the First Battle of Ushant and her second under Admiral Rodney at Cape St. Vincent in 1780. She fought in the van of Graves' fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 under Captain Francis Reynolds. In early 1782 was actively engaged at the Capture of Sint Eustatius, Action of 4 February 1781, the Battle of Saint Kitts, the Battle of the Saintes and, the Battle of the Mona Passage. In 1795 she was deployed as part of the small fleet under Admiral George Elphinstone that captured the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Muizenberg. In 1797 Monarch was Vice Admiral Richard Onslow's flagship at the Battle of Camperdown, under Captain Edward O'Bryen, and in 1801 she was part of Admiral Nelson's fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen, where her captain, James Robert Mosse was killed and she suffered over 200 casualties including 55 dead, the highest number of casualties of any ship engaged in the battle.

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In 1808, she helped escort the Portuguese royal family in its flight from Portugal to Brazil.

Monarch was broken up in 1813.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Monarch_(1765)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramillies-class_ship_of_the_line
 
20 July 1801 HMS Iphigenia (1780) (32) burnt by accident at Alexandria

HMS Ipigenia, an Amazon-class frigate launched in 1780, was armed en flute and was serving as a transport. She had been to Cyprus to fetch water and timber but shortly after her return to Alexandria she was discovered to be on fire. The amount of wood on her made it impossible to put the fire out. There were no casualties. Because Iphigenia served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal, which the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.

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Scale 1:32. Built at this slightly larger and unusual scale, the model is a fine example of the Georgian style of modelling, with a fully planked hull and partially planked decks. The hull is constructed 'bread-and-butter’ fashion, of wooden planks glued together horizontally and then shaped externally to fit templates taken from the building plans. The wooden core is then gouged out internally to produce a shell of about an inch thick, over which the planking, deck beams and decoration are applied. The model has been made to a high standard of workmanship and includes some fittings not always shown, such as the compass binnacle just forward of the wheel, shot racks between the guns, the hammock-netting stanchions and swivel guns on the ship's side.
Read more at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/66276.html#8y2kJKBLytsja8F2.99


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon-class_frigate_(1773)
 
20 July 1807 – Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon for the Pyréolophore,
the world's first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.


The Pyréolophore (French: [pi.ʁe.ɔ.lɔ.fɔʁ], pea-ray-oh-loh-for) was one of the world's first internal combustion engines. It was invented in the early 19th century in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, by the Niépce brothers: Nicéphore (who went on to invent photography) and Claude. In 1807 the brothers ran a prototype internal combustion engine, and on 20 July 1807 a patent was granted by Napoleon Bonaparte after it had successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône.

The Pyréolophore ran on what were believed to be "controlled dust explosions" of various experimental fuels. The fuels included mixtures of Lycopodium powder (the spores of Lycopodium, or clubmoss), finely crushed coal dust, and resin.


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1806 diagram of the Pyréolophore, of 1806 drawn by the Niépce brothers

Operating independently, in 1807 the Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz built the de Rivaz engine, a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine. These practical engineering projects may have followed the 1680 theoretical design of an internal combustion engine by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens. The separate, virtually contemporaneous implementations of this design in different modes of transport means that the de Rivaz engine may be correctly described as the first use of an internal combustion engine in an automobile (1808), whilst the Pyréolophore was the first use of an internal combustion engine in a boat (1807).

Preliminary research

Nicéphore Niépce

The Niépce brothers were living in Nice when they began their project to create an engine based on the newly defined principle of hot air expanding during an explosion. The challenge was to find a way to harness the energy released in a series of explosions.

In 1806 the Niépce brothers had presented a paper on their research to the French National Commission of the Academy of Science (French: Institute National de Science). The Commission's verdict was:

The fuel ordinarily used by MM. Niépce is made of lycopodium spores, the combustion of which is the most intense and the easiest; however this material being costly, they replaced it with pulverized coal and mixed it if necessary with a small portion of resin, which works very well, as was proved by many experiments. In Mm. Niépces' machine no portion of heat is dispersed in advance; the moving force is an instantaneous result, and all the fuel effect is used to produce the dilatation that causes the moving force.​
— Lazare Carnot and C. L. Berthollet, Report for the National Commission of the Academy of Science, 15 December 1806​
Proof of concept
In 1807 the brothers constructed and ran a prototype internal combustion engine, and received a patent for ten years from the Bureau of Arts and Trades (French: Bureau des Arts et Métiers) in Paris. The patent was signed by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and dated 20 July 1807, the same year that Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz constructed and ran a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine. It is not clear how much these practical engineering projects owe to the theoretical designs of 1680 by the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens.

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The Pyréolophore ran on controlled dust explosions of various experimental fuels, including various mixtures of finely crushed coal dust, Lycopodium powder, and resin. De Rivaz, meanwhile, was using a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.

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River Saône at Chalon, site of the first trials of the Pyréolophore in 1807

To prove the utility of the Pyréolophore to the patent commission, the brothers installed it on a boat, which it powered upstream on the river Saône. The total weight was 2,000 lb (910 kg), fuel consumption was reported as "one hundred and twenty-five grains per minute" (about 8 grams or 0.28 ounces per minute), and the performance was 12–13 explosions per minute. The boat was propelled forward as the Pyréolophore sucked in the river water at the front and then pumped it out towards the rear. Thus, the Commissioners concluded that "the machine proposed under the name Pyreolophore by Mm. Niépce is ingenious, that it may become very interesting by its physical and economical results, and deserves the approbation of the Commission."



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyréolophore
 
20 July 1810 - HMS Euryalus a 36 gun frigate of the Apollo-class, Cptn. George Heneage Dundas, engaged a French 74 off Toulon.

On 20 July a French squadron consisting of six sail-of-the line and four frigates exited Toulon. Their objective was to provide cover to a frigate and her convoy that wished to escape from Bandol where it had taken shelter. The light and variable winds made it impossible for Dundas to block the French squadron and the frigate and her convoy from joining up. Furthermore, while Dundas was trying to regroup his squadron, Euryalus and Shearwater were forced to sail across the front of the French force. The wind failed for Dundas, but not the French, making it highly likely that the French would be able to capture Euryalus and Shearwater.

Dundas was able to position Warspite with Conqueror and Ajax astern where they could exchange broadsides with the French ships as they came up one at a time. Then the French tacked and the British line matched them, enabling Euryalus and Shearwater to escape, though not before Shearwater was on the receiving end of three completely ineffectual broadsides from one of the French ships of the line and a frigate. Despite its greater strength, the French force returned to Toulon rather than take on the British squadron.

The Ship

HMS Euryalus was a Royal Navy 36-gun Apollo-class frigate, which saw service in the Battle of Trafalgar and the War of 1812. During her career she was commanded by three prominent naval personalities of the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic period, Henry Blackwood, George Dundas and Charles Napier. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars she continued on active service for a number of years, before spending more than two decades as a prison hulk. She ended her career in Gibraltar where, in 1860, she was sold for breaking up.

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Euryalus was built by Henry Adams's firm at Buckler's Hard, and launched in 1803. Her first action occurred on 2 and 3 October 1804 when, captained by Henry Blackwood, she participated in an attack on French vessels off Boulogne pier. During Blackwood's absence, Captain J. Hardy temporarily commanded her.

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Her role in the Battle of Trafalgar (as flagship)
In 1805 she led a squadron of four other frigates in watching Cádiz to report the movements of the combined French and Spanish fleets anchored there. The combined fleet sailed from Cádiz on 20 October, shadowed through the night by Euryalus and the others that reported its position to the Royal Navy fleet on the horizon.

With battle imminent the following morning, Captain Blackwood suggested that Admiral Horatio Nelson transfer from Victory to the faster Euryalus, the better to observe and control the engagement. Nelson declined the offer. Euryalus - too small to play a major role - stood off until the late afternoon when she took the badly damaged Royal Sovereign in tow and turned her to engage the French ship Formidable.

Following the death of Admiral Nelson, Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood transferred his flag from Royal Sovereign to Euryalus. She became for the next ten days the British fleet's flagship.

After the battle Euryalus took on survivors from the French ship-of-the-line Achille, as well as the captured French Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve. Blackwood also received the surrender of the Spanish ship Santa Ana, after two raking broadsides to the stern by Royal Sovereign and Belleisle had caused her to strike her colours.

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A depiction of the events of 22 October 1805, the day following the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, off Cape Trafalgar, Province of Cádiz, Spain. Admiral Lord Nelson's ship H.M.S. Victory is heading towards the shore while H.M.S. Royal Sovereign is being towed by H.M.S. Euryalus.

Euryalus again took Royal Sovereign in tow but the two ships collided during a sudden squall, badly damaging the frigate's masts and rigging. Once repairs were completed, Euryalus went into Cádiz Harbour to allow Blackwood to negotiate an exchange of prisoners and the repatriation of French and Spanish wounded. On 31 October, Euryalus set sail for England with Admiral Villeneuve as a prisoner. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) with clasp "Trafalgar" to all surviving claimants from the battle.

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Scale 1:48. Model made by A.W. Curtis. Buckler's Hard Maritime Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire, United Kingdom.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Euryalus_(1803)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Dundas_(Royal_Navy_officer)
https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=4156
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo-class_frigate
 
20 July 1866 - The Battle of Lissa

(sometimes called Battle of Vis) took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the Dalmatian island of Lissa ("Vis" in Croatian) and was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empireforce over a numerically superior Italian force. It was the first major sea battle between ironclads and one of the last to involve deliberate ramming.

The Italian navy fired roughly 1450 shots during the engagement, but failed to sink any Austrian ship while losing two ironclads. One of the main reasons for this poor performance was internal rivalry between the Italian fleet commanders: for example, Italian Vice Admiral Albini, with his ships, did not engage the enemy during the battle. The engagement was made up of several small battles: the main battle was between seven Austrian and four Italian ironclads and showed the ability of Austrian commander Tegetthoff to divide his more numerous opponents and then destroy the isolated ironclads.

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Lissa naval battle, July 20th,1866; the Austrian navy against the Italian fleet. The RN Re d'Italia is sinking after being rammed by Tegetthoff's flagship, the SMS Ferdinand Max.

Historical situation
The battle occurred as part of the Third War of Italian Independence, in which Italy allied with Prussia in the course of its conflict against Austria. The major Italian objective was to capture Venice and at least part of its surrounds from Austria.

The fleets were composed of a mix of unarmoured sailing ships with steam engines, and armoured ironclads also combining sails and steam engines. The Italian fleet of 12 ironclads and 17 unarmoured ships outnumbered the Austrian fleet of 7 and 11 respectively. The Austrians were also severely outmatched in rifled guns (276 to 121) and total weight of metal (53,236 tons to 23,538 tons). A single turret ship took part in the action — the Italian Affondatore.

Piedmontese Count Carlo di Persano commanded the Italian fleet, while the Austrian fleet was commanded by Konteradmiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff.

Plans for the battle
The Italian fleet under Persano was divided into 3 divisions: Persano commanded the main battle force with 9 ironclads; his deputy, Albini, commanded a "support" division (engaged mainly in landings); and Admiral Vacca commanded a third "reserve" division with minor wooden ships.

The attacking Austrian fleet was also split into 3 divisions. The 1st Division consisted of the armoured ships, while the 2nd consisted of the powerful but obsolete unarmoured wooden ship of the line Kaiser and 5 frigates. The 3rd Division consisted of the smaller screw gunboats and armed merchantmen. The armed merchant cruiser Stadion was ahead of the fleet acting as a scout. The three Austrian divisions were formed up into three consecutive arrowhead or "V" formations; the armoured 1st division under Tegetthoff was in the van, the weaker gunboats and paddle steamers of the 3rd division to the rear, while the powerful but unarmoured vessels of Kommodor Petz's 2nd division were in the centre. The Austrian plan, due to their weaker firepower, was to close quickly into a melée, and to use close range fire and ramming to sink a small portion of the Italian fleet, thereby breaking the Italian will to fight.

The Italians, despite their numerical superiority, were not prepared for battle. They were busy preparing for landings on the island of Vis (Lissa) when the news that the Austrian fleet was at sea and seeking battle reached them. Persano cancelled the landings, ordered the fleet into line abreast but having second thoughts, cancelled that order (creating confusion among the Italian commanders) and ordered the fleet into 3 divisions in a line ahead formation, the same formation as at battles in the age of sail. The 1st division in the vanguard consisted of Principe di Carignano, Castelfidardo and Ancona under Admiral Vacca, Captain 1st Class Faà di Bruno's 2nd division in the centre consisted of Re d'Italia, Palestro and San Martino, and the 3rd division to the rear had the Re di Portogallo, Regina Maria Pia and, at the extreme rear, Varese under Captain Augusto Riboty. In total, the Italians had 11 ironclads in the battle line. The other (wooden) ships were dispersed into the battleline. The exception was Affondatore, which was on the far side of the 2nd squadron and out of the battleline. Persano may have intended this to be an uncommitted reserve.

Before the battle Persano caused more confusion by deciding to transfer his flag to the Affondatore and the 2nd and 3rd Divisions slowed to allow Re d'Italia to lower her boats. However the signal to slow down never reached the 1st Division and they continued to steam on, allowing a gap to open in the Italian battle line. To compound the error Persano never signaled the change of flag, and throughout the action the Italians continued to look to the old flagship Re d'Italia for orders rather than Affondatore.

Engagement

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Initial situation of the battle.
In the Austrian fleet there was enthusiasm but also fear, because the Italian fleet was bigger: 12 ironclads and 19 wooden ships with 641 guns, while the Austrians had only 7 ironclads and 20 wooden ships with 532 guns....When the engagement began, the Italian division Vacca was on a long circuit of the north of Lissa, and so was at first away from the battle. And it is curious that the Albini ships with their 398 guns, though ordered by Persano to do so, did not fire a single shot all through the battle.[4]
Having ignored warnings from his pickets of suspicious ships in sight, Persano had effectively allowed the Austrians to ambush his force while it was still forming. Tegetthoff, seeing a gap opening between the 1st and 2nd Divisions, forced his fleet into it and concentrated on raking the Italians and ramming. This meant that he allowed his T to be crossed. While the Austrians were approaching, Vacca's 1st Italian Division threw a heavy weight of fire at them. The Austrians could only reply with their chase guns. Because Persano was in the process of transferring his flag, no general order was given. The 2nd and 3rd Divisions did not join in and the Austrians crossed the killing area, suffering some serious damage but no ships were lost. Drache on the extreme right (starboard) wing of the Austrian 1st Division was hit 17 times by heavy shells, losing her mainmast and temporarily losing propulsion. Her captain, Heinrich von Moll,[5] was decapitated by a heavy shell, but his subordinate, Karl Weyprecht, brought the ship back into the fight.

By 10:43 am the Austrians had brought the Italian van to close action. Habsburg, Salamander and Kaiser Max on the Austrian left wing had engaged the Italian 1st Division, while the right wing of Don Juan d'Austria, Drache and Prinz Eugen engaged the Italian 2nd Division. Persano, now on the most powerful warship in either fleet, Affondatore, stayed clear of the engagement.

With the confusion in the Italian van, Kommodor von Petz took the opportunity to take his 2nd Division to the Italian rear and fall on their 3rd Division. The unarmoured wooden ships of the Austrian 2nd Division were facing modern ironclads armed with heavy guns, yet despite suffering heavy fire they held together. The screw frigate Novara was hit 47 times, and her captain, Erik af Klint, was killed. Erzherzog Friedrich was hit by a heavy shell below the waterline but still remained afloat, while Schwarzenburg was disabled by heavy Italian fire and set adrift

Ramming attacks
Seeing things going badly, Persano decided to ram the unarmoured screw battleship Kaiser rather than one of the armoured ships engaged with the Italian 2nd Division much nearer him. However, Kaiser managed to dodge Affondatore. Taking heart from his admiral, the captain of Re di Portogallo laid heavy fire on Kaiser with his rifled guns. At the last moment, von Petz turned into the ram, conducting a counter ram. The impact tore off Kaiser's stem and bowsprit, leaving her figurehead embedded in Re di Portogallo. The Italian used the opportunity to rake Kaiser with fire, putting her mainmast and funnel into the sea. The smoke was so great that as they backed off for another ram they lost sight of each other and ended the duel.

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Tegetthoff (centre) at the Battle of Lissa, painting by Anton Romako.

At roughly the same time, Tegetthoff threw his flagship Erzherzog Ferdinand Max (commanded by Maximilian Daublebsky von Sterneck) at first at the former Italian flagship, Re d'Italia, and then at Palestro. In both cases he scored only glancing blows, but these caused serious damage, especially to Palestro, which was dismasted and set afire. Palestro's captain, Cappellini, pulled his ship out of the line. His crew refused to abandon their captain and Palestro finally blew up and sank at 2.30pm, with only 19 survivors out of a complement of 230.

Meanwhile, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max was circling Faà di Bruno's Re d'Italia, pouring on fire before surging forward and achieving a good impact with her ram, aided by the Italian having reversed in a poorly thought-out attempt to avoid crossing the Austrian's bows at the crucial moment. This put an 18 ft (5.5 m) hole below Re d'Italia's waterline, and she struck her colours and sank two minutes later. According to legend, her captain shot himself after giving the order to strike the colours.

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An illustration of Re d'Italia rolling over after having been rammed by Erzherzog Ferdinand Max

As Erzherzog Ferdinand Max limped away, damaged after conducting three ramming attacks, Ancona closed on her attempting to ram. The Italian gunners got a full broadside off at point blank range, but while they had remembered the gunpowder, in the excitement they had forgotten to load the shot. After his encounter with Re di Portogallo earlier in the battle and having fought his way clear of Maria Pia, Kommodor von Petz's Kaiser found itself at close range with Affondatore. Despite being a perfect target for a ram, Kaiser survived when Persano ordered Affondatore to turn away.

Tegetthoff's victory was saluted by his mariners – mainly Croats and Venetians, from Venetia, Istria and Dalmatia – with the traditional Venetian cry of victory: "Viva San Marco!" ("Hurrah with Saint Mark!").

By 15:00, Tegetthoff had led his fleet into the harbour of Lissa, where the damaged Kaiser had already arrived, undisturbed by the Italian ships; despite Persano's orders to engage the Austrian vessels, both Albini and Vacca ignored the orders, as the latter candidly testified at Persano's trial. With his ships low on fuel and ammunition, and his crews spent, Persano led his fleet back towards his home port of Ancona.

In Italy, the outrage over the loss of two ironclads was huge and Persano after the battle was judged by the Senate, condemned for incompetence and stripped of his rank, while Admiral Albini was merely relieved of command, and Admiral Vacca had to retire soon after for age limits. Naval historian Giorgio Giorgerini stated Albini and Vacca deserved a more severe sentence than Persano

Aftermath

Kaiser's encounter with Affondatore was the last major action of the battle. With two armoured ships sunk, the Italians withdrew, although there would be some exchange of long range fire for several hours.

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SMS Kaiser at Lissa in the aftermath of the battle, undergoing repairs

Persano announced a victory, causing much initial celebration until the real outcome of the battle was publicized. He was forced to appear in front of the Italian Senate, which alone had the power to prosecute its members (such as Persano), and was dismissed, on charges of incompetence and cowardice.

Tegetthoff returned home a hero, was promoted Vizeadmiral, and is considered one of the greatest naval commanders in Austrian history.

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Italian fleet in Ancona after the Battle of Lissa)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lissa_(1866)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Erzherzog_Ferdinand_Max_(1865)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Re_d'Italia
 
20 July 1866 - Battle of Lissa - Order of battle

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Die Seeschlacht bei Lissa. Monumentalgemälde von Alexander Kircher (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Wien)

Vessels are ranked by fighting power (most powerful first)

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Austrian Empire
1st Division — Armoured ships
  • Erzherzog Ferdinand Max (fleet flag, 2nd class armoured frigate, launched 1865, 5130t, 16-48pdr SB, 4-8pdr SB, 2-3pdr SB. 123 mm iron belt over the battery, 12.5kts)
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Austro-Hungarian ironclad SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max after her 1880 modernization.
  • Habsburg (launched 1865, as Erzherzog Ferdinand Max)
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Austro-Hungarian ironclad SMS Habsburg after her 1877 modernization.
  • Kaiser Max (3rd class armoured frigate, launched 1862, 3588t, 16-48pdr SB, 1-12pdr SB, 1-6pdr SB, 15-24pdr ML rifles. 110 mm iron belt, 11.4kts)
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SMS Kaiser MaxThe Austrian ironclad around 1866.
1280px-Panzerfregatte_Don_Juan_d'Austria_(IZ_43-1864_S_36_n_NGroßer).jpg
Die österreichische Panzerfregatte "Don Juan d'Austria", 1864.
SMS_Prinz_Eugen.jpg
Austrian ironclad SMS Prinz Eugen before 1867.
  • Drache (armoured corvette, launched 1861, 2750t, 10-48pdr SB, 18-24pdr MLR, 1-8pdr SB, 1-4pdr SB landing gun, 115 mm iron belt, 11kts)
SMS_Drache_NH_87016.jpg
Austrian ironclad Drache. Photographed after refit of 1868 at Pola.
1280px-SMS_Salamander_NH_87453.jpg
Austrian ironclad Salamander. Shown before her modernization of 1867-68.

2nd Division — Wooden steam warships
  • Kaiser (squadron flag, 2-decker screw ship of the line, launched 1858,[14] 5811t, 2-24pdr ML rifles, 16-40pdr SB, 74-30pdr SB, wooden and unarmoured, 11.5kts)
Kaiser_(ship,_1859)_-_NH_87010.jpg
The SMS Kaiser in its original configuration. In the background what appears to be a Habsburg class ironclad. Image cropped by uploader.

1280px-SMS_Kaiser_(1860).jpg
and SMS Kaiser after the battle
  • Novara (screw frigate, launched 1850, 2615t, 4-60pdr shell, 28-30pdr SB, 2-24pdr BL rifles, 1-12pdr landing gun, 1-6pdr landing gun, 12kts)
SMS_Novara_1864_Martinique.jpg
Novara in 1864 at Martinique
  • Schwarzenberg (screw frigate, launched 1853, 2614t, 6-60pdr Paixhans shell guns, 26-30pdr Type 2 ML, 14-30pdr Type 4 ML, 4-24pdr BL rifles, 11kts)
  • Radetzky (screw frigate, launched 1854, 2234t, 6-60pdr Paixhans shell guns, 40-24pdr SB, 4-24pdr BL rifles, 9kts)
  • Donau (launched 1856, 2165t, otherwise as Radetzky)
  • Adria (launched 1856, 2165t, otherwise as Radetzky)
  • Erzherzog Friedrich (screw corvette, launched 1857, 1697t, 4-60pdr Paixhans shell guns, 16-30pdr SB, 2-24pdr BL rifles, 9kts)
3rd Division — Minor craft
  • Narenta (screw gunboat, 2-48pdr SB, 2-24pdr BL rifles)
  • Kerka (as Narenta)
  • Hum (2nd class gunboat, 2-48pdr SB, 2-24pdr BL rifles, 11?kts)
  • Vellebich (as Hum)
  • Dalmat (as Hum)
  • Seehund (2nd class gunboat, 2-48pdr SB, 2-24pdr BL rifles, 11kts)
  • Wal (as Seehund)
  • Streiter (as Seehund)
  • Reka (as Seehund)
  • Andreas Hofer (screw tender, 3-30pdr SB)
  • Kaiserin Elizabeth (sidewheeler steamer (radaviso), launched 1854, 4-12pdr SB)
  • Greif (sidewheel steamer, 2-12pdr SB)
  • Stadion (unarmed merchant steamer. Employed as a scout and was in the Van)
Kingdom of Italy

Armoured ships
  • Affondatore (fleet flag, ironclad turret ram, launched 1865, 4006t, 2-9in 300pdr Armstrong SB (2x1), 5in iron on belt and turrets, 12kts)
Affondatore_(1865).jpg
Italian Ironclad Affondatore, launched 1865, serving 1866 to 1907
  • Re d'Italia (squadron flag, 2nd class armoured frigate {broadside ironclad}, launched 1863, 5610t, 6-72pdr SB shell, 32–164 mm breechloading rifles, 4.5in iron belt, 10.5kts)
Re_d'Italia.jpg
Re d'Italia or her sister Re di Portogallo
Re_d'Italia.jpg
  • Regina Maria Pia (2nd class armoured frigate {broadside ironclad}, launched 1863, 4201t, 4-72pdr SB shell, 22–164 mm breechloading rifles, 4.3in iron belt, 12kts)
Regina_maria_pia_(1863).jpg
The Italian ironclad Regina Maria Pia, launched in 1863
Italian_ironclad_San_Martino.jpg
The Italian ironclad San Martino
Castelfidardo_frigate_1864_01.jpg
Italy, Regia Marina. The Italian frigate Castelfidardo (1864) taken at Naples in the autumn of 1866 before leaving for La Spezia.
  • Ancona (launched 1864, as Regina Maria Pia)
Ancona1870.jpg
La pirofregata corazzata Ancona a Napoli
  • Principe di Carignano (3rd class armoured frigate {broadside ironclad}, launched 1865, 3446t, 10-72pdr 8in SB shell, 12–164 mm breechloading rifles, 4.75in iron belt, 10kts)
Principe_di_carignano_(1863).jpg
Italian broadside ironclad Principe di Carignano, at anchor in Naples in 1867
  • Formidabile (broadside ironclad, launched 1861, 2682t, 4-72pdr SB shell, 16–164 mm (5.5 in) breechloading rifles, 4.3in iron belt, 10kts (19 km/h))
Formidabile_(1861).jpg
Italian broadside ironclad Formidabile, launched 1861
Italian_ironclad_Terribile.jpg
The Italian ironclad Terribile in Naples in 1869
  • Palestro (armoured corvette {coast defence ironclad}, launched 1865, 2165t, 4–200 mm muzzleloading rifles, 1–165 mm muzzleloading rifle, 4.5in iron belt, 8kts)
  • Varese (launched 1865, as Palestro)
Wooden steam warships
  • Gaeta (ex-Neapolitan screw frigate, launched 1861, 3917t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 12-108pdr shell, 34-72pdr shell)
  • Maria Adelaide (ex-Sardinian screw frigate, launched 1859, 3429t, 10–160 mm ML rifles, 22-108pdr shell, 19 small guns) (Squadron Flag)
  • Duca di Genova (ex-Sardinian screw frigate, launched 1860, 3459t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 10-108pdr shell, 32-72pdr shell)
  • Garibaldi (ex-Neapolitan screw frigate Borbone, launched 1860, 3390t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 12-108pdr shell, 34-72pdr shell)
  • Principe Umberto (ex-Sardinian screw frigate, launched 1861, 3446t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 10-108pdr shell, 32-72pdr shell, 4 small guns)
  • Carlo Alberto (ex-Sardinian screw frigate, launched 1853, 3231t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 10-108pdr shell, 32-72pdr shell guns, 7 small guns)
  • Vittorio Emanuele (ex-Sardinian screw frigate, launched 1856, 3201t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 10-108 and 32-72pdr shell guns, 7 small guns)
  • San Giovanni (ex-Sardinian screw corvette, launched 1861, 1752t, 8–160 mm ML rifles, 14-72 pounder shell, 12 small guns)
  • Governolo (ex-Sardinian sidewheel paddle corvette, launched 1849, 2243t, 10-108pdr shell, 2 small guns)
  • Guiscardo (ex-Neapolitan sidewheel paddle corvette, launched 1843, 1343t, 2–160 mm ML rifles, 4-72pdr shell)
Minor ships
  • Giglio (ex-Tuscan sloop, launched 1846, 246t, 2 SB of unknown type)
  • Cristoforo Colombo (gunboat, 4-30pdr SB)
  • Gottemolo (as Cristoforo Colombo)
  • Unknown (as Cristoforo Colombo)
  • Esploratore (sidewheel dispatch vessel, launched 1863, 981t, 2-30pdr SB, 17 knots)
  • Messaggere (launched 1863, as Esploratore)
  • Indipendenza (unarmed merchantman)
  • Piemonte (unarmed merchantman)
  • Flavio Gioia (unarmed merchantman)
  • Stella d'Italia (unarmed merchantman)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Erzherzog_Ferdinand_Max_(1865)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Habsburg_(1865)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Kaiser_Max_(1862)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Don_Juan_d'Austria_(1862)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Prinz_Eugen_(1862)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Drache
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Salamander
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Kaiser_(1858)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Novara_(1850)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Affondatore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Re_d'Italia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Re_di_Portogallo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Regina_Maria_Pia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_San_Martino
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Castelfidardo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Ancona
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Principe_di_Carignano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Formidabile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Terribile
 
Other events on 20 July


1728 – Bombardment of Tripoli - by Grandpré's French Navy squadron from 20 - 26 July, 1728.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardierung_von_Tripolis_(1728)

1811 - HMS Thames, launched in 1805, 5.th Rate 32 gun frigate, Cptn. Napier, and sloop HMS Cephalus, Cptn. Clifford, off Porto del Infreschi, along with the ships' boats, cut out a number of gun boats and merchant-vessels and sent the marines ashore to destroy military installations..

https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=7117

1846 - In the effort to negotiate a treaty with Japan, Commodore James Biddle arrives with the ship of the line, USS Columbus, and the sloop of war, USS Vincennes, at Edo (Yedo), Japan. These are the first U.S. warships to visit Japan.

Vincennes_(color).jpg
19th-century painting (based on a sketch by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, USN), depicting USS Vincennes in Disappointment Bay, Antarctica, circa January–February 1840.

Accordingly, Vincennes and Columbus sailed for Japan on 7 July 1846 and anchored off Uraga on 19 July. The Japanese surrounded the vessels and allowed no one to land. Otherwise the visitors were treated with courtesy. However, Commodore Biddle's attempts to force the opening of feudal Japan to multinational trade were politely rebuffed, and the vessels weighed anchor on 29 July. Columbus returned to the United States by way of Cape Horn, but Vincennes remained on the China Station for another year before returning to New York on 1 April 1847. Here, she was decommissioned on the 9th, dry-docked, and laid up.

ColombusAndVincennesInJapan1848JohnEastley.jpg
The Vincennes and Columbus in Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Columbus_(1819)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Vincennes_(1826)


1861 - During the Civil War, the wooden screw gunboat, USS Albatross, commanded by Cmdr. G.A. Prentiss, recaptures the civilian schooner, Enchantress, off Hatteras Inlet. She is previously captured by the Confederate privateer, CSS Jefferson Davis, on July 6.
Also on this date, the wooden screw steamship, USS Mount Vernon, commanded by Oliver S. Glisson, seizes the sloop, Wild Pigeon, on the Rappahannock River.

USS_Albatross_revised.jpg
Sketch of Albatross by William M. C. Philbrick, depicting her off Mobile, Alabama, on 25 September 1863.


USSAlbatross-Enchantress.jpg
"Recapture of the Schooner Enchantress by the Gun-boat Albatross" (Line engraving published in Harpers Weekly, 1861)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Albatross_(1858)


1960 – The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-27_Polaris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_George_Washington_(SSBN-598)


1997 – The fully restored USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) celebrates its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.

USS_Constitution_Sail200d.jpg
Constitution sails unassisted for the first time in 116 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution
 
21 July 1545 - The French invasion of the Isle of Wight occurred during the Italian Wars in July 1545. The invasion was repulsed.


France had a long history of attacking the Isle of Wight, and the 1545 campaign proved to be the last time to date that the French have attempted to take it. Although the French forces, led by Claude d'Annebault, greatly outnumbered those of the English, the battles fought (including the battles of the Solent and Bonchurch) ended without a clear winner. However, as the French were repelled, it could be considered an English victory. Although the operation was inconclusive, the English suffered heavily, including the loss of the carrack Mary Rose in the Battle of the Solent. Details of the conflict have not been very well recorded, and some accounts claim that the French were defeated at each battle rather easily.

The_French_fleet_attacks_Bembridge.jpg
A French fleet attacks Bembridge in 1545.

French strategy was to effect a landing at Whitecliff Bay and cross Bembridge Down to attack Sandown, and another landing at Bonchurch with a view to marching to link up at Sandown. The northern force was intercepted whilst crossing the Down, but fought its way to Sandown Castle, which was then under construction offshore. Both forces were repulsed after stiff fighting.

The Chronicle of Charles Wriothesley (died 1562) reports:
"The 21 day of July the French galleys and navie came before Portesmouth haven, and landed certeine of theyre armye in the Yle of Wyght, and there burned and camped there about to the nomber of 2,000 men, and came every tyde with theyr gallies and shott their ordinaunce at the Kinges ships in the haven; but the winde was so calme that the Kinges shippes could bear noe sayle, which was a great discomfort for them." Three days later a muster of 1500 men was sent from the City of London to repel them, but by the King's command turned back at Farnham, the French having left the Isle of Wight "and divers of them slaine and drowned."

Contemporary accounts suggest that the French (or their mercenaries) sacked the area in order to provoke the English fleet into battle against a far larger fleet. Martin Du Bellay wrote:
"...To keep the enemy's forces separated, a simultaneous descent was made in three different places. On one side Seigneur Pierre Strosse was bidden to land below a little fort where the enemy had mounted some guns with which they assailed our galleys in flank, and within which a number of Island infantry had retired. These, seeing the boldness of our men, abandoned the fort and fled southwards to the shelter of a copse. Our men pursued and killed some of them and burned the surrounding habitations..."

A later mention by Sir John Oglander evidently paraphrases du Bellay:
"They landed at three several places at one time, purposely to divide our forces. Pierre Strosse landed at St Helens where there was a little fort, and beat our men, being divided from the fort, into the woods. Le Seigneur de Tais, General of the Foot, landed at Bonchurch, where there was a hot skirmish between them and us, and on either party many slain."

Attack_on_the_Isle_of_Wight.jpg
An 1873 illustration of the French landing

The French seem to have landed at undefended points and then attacked defences from inland. At Whitecliff Bay and at Bonchurch they moved swiftly to seize the high ground. However the attacks were expected and in both cases local forces reached the high grounds to oppose them. The settlement at Nettlestone and its manor were burnt.

At Bonchurch the French landed easily at Monk's Bay, but were then faced with the difficulty of breaking out from what is known descriptively as the "Undercliff". Their solution was to ascend the extremely steep slopes of St Boniface and Bonchurch Downs, which are over 700 feet (210 m) high. The defenders thus had them at a considerable advantage, having taken up positions on the top of the hill.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_the_Isle_of_Wight
http://isle-of-wight-memorials.org.uk/others/seaviewfrench.htm
 
21 July 1898 - The Battle of Nipe Bay

1898 was an engagement of the Spanish–American War. The battle was fought in Nipe Bay, Cuba, by four United States Navy warships against the Spanish sloop-of-war Jorge Juan and three gunboats which were supported by forts guarding the harbor.

USS_Annapolis_(PG-10).jpg
Wrau-uss-annapolis-1896.jpg
USS Annapolis

Battle
Nipe Bay had been designated as a rendezvous point for American naval forces delegated to attack Puerto Rico. Upon finding the harbor still occupied by Spanish forces, the American squadron, consisted of the gunboats USS Annapolis and USS Topeka, the armed tug USS Leyden and the armed yachtUSS Wasp. The squadron maneuvered through a minefield to engage the Spanish forces. Jorge Juan opened fire upon Wasp and Leyden but was quickly sunk by the two with the help from Annapolis. While the other three ships were engaging Jorge Juan, Topeka silenced the harbor forts and fired on other Spanish works in the harbor.

USS_Topeka_(pg-35).jpg
USS Topeka (PG-35) Off the New York Navy Yard, 1898.

Aftermath
Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, the Spanish sailed the small gunboat Baracoa upriver and scuttled it to prevent its capture by the superior American force. Just as the fighting came to an end, the American crew boarded Jorge Juan's sinking hulk, stripping several items from it as trophies. One such trophy was the Jorge Juan's battle-flag, which was taken by one of the sailors from the Annapolis and now lies in the United States Navy Trophy Flag Collection. The Americans suffered few, if any, casualties and a few days after the battle the small squadron received orders to depart. It was later decided that the bay was not necessary for operations against Puerto Rico, but the battle did cause significant damage to the Spanish Navy and denied the Spanish the use of the port for the remainder of the war.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nipe_Bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Annapolis_(PG-10)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Topeka_(PG-35)
 
21 July 1781 - The Action of 21 July 1781

was a naval skirmish off the harbor of Spanish River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (present-day Sydney, Nova Scotia), during the American Revolution. Two French Navy frigates, led by Admiral Latouche Tréville and La Pérouse, engaged a convoy of 18 British ships and their escorts from the Royal Navy. The two French frigates captured two of the British escorts while the remainder of the British convoy escaped.

Combat_naval_de_Louisbourg_1781.jpg
Naval battle off Cape Breton (Combat Naval A La Hauteur De Louisbourg) by Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy

Background
A possible motive for the French attack was to make advances to reclaim Louisburg, a strategic fortress which the British had seized during the French and Indian War.

Action
The convoy, which consisted of eighteen ships, including nine coal-transporting and four supply ships, was bound for Spanish River on Cape Breton Island to pick up coal for delivery to Halifax.The escorting ships were the frigate Charlestown (28); the sloops Allegiance (24) and Vulture (20); an armed transport Vernon (14); and another small armed ship Jack (14).

Combatlouisbourg400_004210900_1924_14072007.jpg
An image of the French frigate Hermione in combat by Auguste Louis de Rossel de Cercy.

Two French frigates Astrée (38), commanded by La Pérouse, and Hermione (34), commanded by Latouche Tréville, attacked the convoy. The French severely damaged Charlestown, which lost its mainmast and a number of its officers, including Captain Francis Evans. The French also significantly damaged Jack, which also lost its captain, and subsequently struck her colors. The engagement ended at nightfall. Captain Rupert George of Vulture led the damaged escorts into a safe harbor. Six French and seventeen British sailors were killed.

While the British escort was severely damaged, the convoy was still able to pick up a load of coal at Spanish River and deliver it to Halifax. The French captured the British ship Thorn off Halifax Harbor, along with three merchantmen, which they brought back to Boston. On October 6, the Jack was taken to Halifax and later released under the British command of R. P. Tonge (son of W. Tonge), who, after a brief skirmish with 2 American Privateers in Canso, took Americana prisoners to Quebec. The following year, the British recaptured Jack in the Naval battle off Halifax.

Aftermath
The French commanders would go on to achieve further acclaim and recognition for their performance.[citation needed] Latouche Tréville became an admiral and was named a hero of the Napoleonic war. La Pérouse later became a famous explorer.

American Privateers attacked British mining on Cape Breton throughout the war.

Commemorations
The encounter was painted by Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy, and is on display at the Musée Nationale de la Marine in Rochefort.

1280px-Premiere_sortie_de_l'Hermione_dsc3310E.jpg
2014 September 17th, Hermione replica, built in Rochefort, comes off the Charente river, and reach open sea for the first time. Thousands of spectators attend this first departure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_21_July_1781
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Hermione_(1779)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Boston_(1777)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_off_Halifax_(1782)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Hermione_(2014)
 
21 July 1850 - The first screw-driven gunboat Von der Tann engaged with ships Heckla and Valkyren


During the First War of Schleswig, 1848-1850 between Denmark and the two duchies, the Schleswig-Holstein navy comprised three paddlewheelers with sail rigging, a schooner and 12 gunboats; their task was to protect the coast against Danish raids.

Schleswig-Holsteinisches_Kanonenboot_VON_DER_TANN_1849._Gemälde_von_Lüder_Arenhold_1891.jpg
Von der Tann 1849. Painting by Lüder Arenhold, 1891

Initially called Gunboat No. 1, Von der Tann was the most modern of these ships. Her steam engine, built by August Howaldt at Schweffel und Howaldt's works in Kiel, gave her 36 horsepower (27 kW) and a top speed (under steam) of six knots. She carried the rigging of a three-mast schooner, with a very tall funnel behind the main mast. Her armament comprised two 64-pounder guns mounted on swivels fore and aft plus four three-pounder howitzers.

During the night of 20/21 July 1850, Von der Tann had captured a Danish freighter in the bay of Lübeck, but was not permitted to enter the neutral port of Travemünde which belonged to the Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck. When Von der Tann attempted to enter the port of Neustadt in Holstein, she was engaged by Danish naval forces, the ships Heckla and Valkyren. During the ensuing battle, Von der Tann accidentally ran aground just outside Neustadt harbor. The ship was abandoned and set on fire by her crew, but was later repaired and put back into service. In 1853, after the end of the First War of Schleswig, Von der Tann was taken over by the Danish navy and renamed Støren. She was decommissioned and scrapped in 1862.

Von_der_Tann_i_brand_25_juli_1850.jpg
Vilhelm Melbye: Von der Tann aground at Neustadt. (The Hekla seen in the background)

The ship
Von der Tann was a steam-powered 120 ton gunboat built in 1849 at Conradi shipyards in Kiel for the small joint navy of the two duchies of Schleswigand Holstein. She was the first propeller-driven gunboat in the world.

Legacy
A model and some pieces of wreckage are on display at the Ostholstein-Museum in Neustadt.

1280px-Von_der_Tann.jpg
Model of Von der Tann

A later ship of the same name was the Imperial German battlecruiser SMS Von der Tann. Both were named after the Bavarian general Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen who, as a young officer, had organized and commanded the militia of Schleswig.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_der_Tann_(gunboat)
http://museum.kreis-oh.de/oh-museum/neustadt/tann.htm
 
21 July 1907 - SS Columbia was lost after a collision with the lumber schooner San Pedro killing 88 passengers


SS Columbia (1880–1907) was a cargo and passenger steamship that was owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company and later the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. Columbia was constructed in 1880 by the John Roach & Sons shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company.

Columbia was the first ship to carry a dynamo powering electric lights instead of oil lamps and the first commercial use of electric light bulbs outside of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park, New Jersey laboratory. Due to this, a detailed article and composite illustration of Columbia was featured in the May 1880 issue of Scientific American magazine.

1280px-SS_Columbia_Undated_Photograph.png
Photograph of SS Columbia under way.


Sinking
On 20 July 1907, Columbia departed San Francisco, California, with 251 passengers and crew for Portland, Oregon under the leadership of Captain Peter Doran. When it became evening, Columbiabecame shrouded in fog about 12 miles (19 km) off Shelter Cove, but Captain Doran refused to slow the ship's speed. Even though the whistle of the steam schooner San Pedro could be heard nearby, neither Doran nor First Officer Hendricksen of San Pedro reduced the speed of either vessel. During this time, the rolling motion of the waves had caused many passengers to retire to their cabins due to seasickness. Fifteen minutes later, San Pedro was seen coming straight for Columbia. Doran finally ordered his ship to be put in full reverse, but it was too late. At 12:22 A.M. on 21 July 1907, San Pedro hit the starboard side of Columbia. Doran shouted at the other ship, "What are you doing man?" and continued his ordered reverse thrust, but the impact damaged the bow of the wooden hulled San Pedro[40]and holed Columbia which started to list to starboard and sink by the bow. Passenger William L. Smith of Vancouver, Washington described the impact as being "soft", while music teacher Otilla Liedelt of San Francisco reported the impact as being severe.


Columbia sinking, following the collision with the steam schooner San Pedro.

Captain Doran ordered the passengers to go to the lifeboats and the lifeboats be lowered. Smith, concerned for the safety of his fellow passengers, began going from cabin to cabin and knocking on each door. Many passengers did not respond due to seasickness, while others hurriedly prepared themselves to abandon ship. Smith reported observing a small family holding hands in their cabin, rather than attempting to save themselves. As the ship was sinking, Liedelt noted that Captain Doran had tied the whistle cord down on the bridge, and waved his hands in a final salute. After the bridge went underwater, the whistle died as well. Columbiaat this point had developed a very noticeable list to starboard, allowing Lifeboat Number Four to be launched without being lowered. Eight and a half minutes after the collision, the Columbia began her final plunge. The stern of the ship rose out of the water and the ship slipped below the waves bow first in a matter of seconds. Once the ship was completely underwater, a large explosion occurred, sending many people dragged under by the Columbia back to the surface. While many survivors believed the explosion to have been caused by one of Columbia's boilers, Chief Engineer Jackson believed otherwise. He later stated, "I am quite positive that the boilers did not explode. I would have known if one did, as I stood directly above them when the ship pitched head foremost into the sea." Another theory is that a massive release of trapped air from the sinking Columbia caused the explosion.


A recovered life raft and victim from the Columbia on board the steamer Roanoke


San Pedro half sunk and listing to starboard following the disaster.

88 passengers and crew including all the children on board lost their lives during the sinking of Columbia. Due to the speed of the sinking, many lifeboats were unable to be launched. After the sinking, the lifeboats of Columbia and San Pedro launched a rescue effort assisted by the steamers Roanoke and George W. Elder, the latter one of Columbia's old running mates. Although badly damaged and partially sunk with a noticeable list, the 390,000 ft (118,872 m) of redwood being carried in the San Pedro's hull kept the steam schooner afloat. Close to 80 survivors were brought on board the San Pedro. Many were forced to hold on to one another so as not to be carried away by the lapping waves which lapped across the San Pedro'ssemi-submerged deck. Along with transporting the survivors of the Columbia, the George W. Elder also towed the damaged San Pedro to shore.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Columbia_(1880)
 
21 July 1959 - Launch of NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered merchant ship


NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million, including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core, funded by United States government agencies, Savannah was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy. Launched on July 21, 1959, and named after SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic ocean, she was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built.[2] (Soviet ice-breaker Lenin launched on December 5, 1957, was the first nuclear-powered civil ship.)

NSsavannah-1962.jpg
NS (Nuclear Ship) Savannah, the first commercial nuclear power cargo vessel, enroute to the World's Fair in Seattle.

Savannah was deactivated in 1971 and after several moves has been moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland, since 2008.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah
 
Other events on 21 July

1801 - Boats of HMS Beaulieu
(40), Cptn. Stephen Poyntz, HMS Doris (36), Cptn. John Halliday, and HMS Uranie (38), Cptn. W. H. Gage, cut out French corvette Chevrette (20) from Camerat Bay.

1801 - HMS Sir Thomas Paisley (16), Lt. Wooldridge, engaged a Spanish xebec (22) off the island of Carbera

1801 - HMS Jason (36), Cptn. Hon. John Murray, wrecked near St. Malo.

1812 - HMS Sealark (10), Lt. Thomas Warrand, captured Ville de Caen (16), Cptn. Cocket, off Start Point
HMS Sealark (or Sea Lark) was the American schooner Fly, launched in 1801 or 1811, that HMS Scylla captured in 1811. The Royal Navy took her into service as a 10-gun schooner. She participated in one notable single-ship action in 1812 that in 1847 the Admiralty recognized with a clasp to the Naval General Service Medal. She was sold in 1820.
Sealark's most tumultuous moment came on 21 July 1812. That morning, alerted by a shore signal of the presence of an enemy vessel, Warrand set out and within an hour discovered a large lugger flying English colours but chasing and firing at two West Indiamen sailing up the Channel. Sealark caught up with the lugger and eventually an intense engagement ensued that lasted for an hour and a half before a boarding party from Sealark captured the enemy vessel. She was the Ville de Caen, of sixteen guns and 75 men. She belonged to Saint Malo but was just a day out of the Isle de Bas and had taken nothing; she was the same vessel that had fended off the lugger Sandwich at some earlier date.
j0871.jpg

The engagement was sanguinary. Sealark had seven men killed, and 21 wounded, including Warrand. Ville de Caen had 15 men killed, including her captain, M. Cocket, and 16 wounded. Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded Warrand an honour sword worth 50 guineas. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Sealark 21 July 1812" to the four still surviving claimants from the action.


1902 – The german steamer SS Primus sinks after collision with tug boat Hansa near Hamburg. Killing 101 of the 206 passengers.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_(Schiff)

1905 - USS Bennington (Gunboat #4) is wrecked by a boiler explosion at San Diego, Calif. One officer and 65 enlisted men die in the explosion, along with numerous crew injuries.

1918 U-Boat Attack on Orleans, Massachusetts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Boat_Attack_on_Orleans,_Massachusetts

1944 - The Second Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam, a U.S. territory in the Mariana Islands captured by the Japanese from the U.S. in the 1941 First Battle of Guam during the Pacific campaign of World War II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guam_(1944)

2012 – Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erden_Eruç
 
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22 July 1797 - The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

was an amphibious assault by the Royal Navy on the Spanish port city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Launched by Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson on 22 July 1797, the assault was defeated, and on 25 July the remains of the landing party withdrew under a truce, having lost several hundred men. Nelson himself had been wounded in the arm, which was subsequently partially amputated: a stigma that he carried to his grave as a constant reminder of his failure.

Ataque_británico_en_Santa_Cruz_de_Tenerife.jpg
The British attack on Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Oil on canvas, 1848.

On 14 July Nelson sailed for the Canaries aboard his flagship HMS Theseus, (Captain Miller), leading a squadron composed of HMS Culloden (Captain Troubridge), HMS Zealous (Captain Hood), all 74-gun ships; and the frigates HMS Seahorse (38 guns), commanded by Captain Fremantle, HMS Emerald(36 guns) led by Captain Waller, and HMS Terpsichore (32 guns) under Captain Bowen; as well as the hired armed cutter Fox under Lieutenant John Gibson, and a mortar boat, the Ray, under Lieutenant Crompton. HMS Leander (50 guns), under Captain Thompson, joined the flotilla once the attack had started. The expedition counted 400 guns and nearly 4,000 men. They arrived in the vicinity of Santa Cruz on 17 July.

At Santa Cruz, Lieutenant General Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero y Santayana, who had already twice defeated the British, hastened to prepare a defence following the British raid in April. Forts were rebuilt, field works expanded, and the batteries enlarged by doubling their emplacements to 91, with earth sacks piled around. From the city's soldiers, partisans, local hunters, militia, artillery, and sailors from the French gun-brig Mutine, which the British had captured in May while most of her crew was ashore, General Gutiérrez scraped together a force of 1,700 men.

Culloden_Man_of_War.jpg
Culloden man of war; drawing with graphite; pen & ink & wash, grey. As the annotation to original explains, the details of the stern balcony suggest the Culloden of 1783 is portrayed.

British plans
Nelson's plan called for a night-time landing under Troubridge: The frigates would approach the shore in stealth and disembark troops with a view to falling on the Spanish batteries north east of the harbour. Ray was then to open mortar fire on the city. Nelson's ships of the line would enter the harbour at break of dawn and seize the Spanish merchant ships and their cargo. Nelson sent a note to the Spanish authorities demanding the surrender of all Spanish cargo, and threatening the destruction of the city.

On 20 July, Troubridge went aboard Theseus to finalize the plans. The attack would take place in two phases. The first phase involved 1000 seamen and marines landing at Valle Seco beach, some two miles west of Santa Cruz harbour, from where the troops would surround and capture Fort Paso Alto. If the city had not surrendered at this point, then the landing party would march on the port and launch the final attack. Each ship of the line provided 200 men and each frigate 100, supported by 80 artillerymen.

SEAHORSE_1748_RMG_J6103.jpg
SEAHORSE 1748, sheer & profile, NMM, Progress Book, volume 2, folio 397 states that 'Seahorse' was surveyed afloat at Deptford Dockyard in January 1770 and was found to need between Small and Middling Repairs. She was docked at Deptford Dockyard on 29 April 1770 and the copper removed. Seahorse was undocked on 2 March 1771 having undergone Middling Repairs.

The battle
The plan began the next evening. In the clearness of the summer Canary night, citizens realised that blurry figures were sailing towards the pier: the British boats, carrying the troops, were on their way. They were in two groups: one of 23 boats and launches heading for the Bufadero cliff; the other, 16, coming right into the city. Authorities were updated as adverse currents held the British back. No marine bombardment was likely as ships could not get any closer and even though frigates could, the frigates' naval guns could not be elevated sufficiently for their shot to reach the city. The British had just one mortar which, however, could inflict little damage. They had no howitzers, and carronades too were of no use in this situation. Spanish cannons began firing heavily on the boats, wrecking some of them. The currents were too strong and the British decided to go back to the ships.

In a second attempt, boats towed frigates close to the Bufadero, where they anchored. Despite the Paso Alto castle firing on them, the contrary currents, and the lack of animals to carry the artillery, 1,000 British soldiers landed on Valle Seco beach with some equipment. In the middle of the night, some of the boats did not reach the beach and ended up strewn around, as no British officers knew its location.

During 23 July a heavy cannonade and musketry duel took place. Gutiérrez managed to recruit more effectives and station them in the castle, as well as moving the forces from the Sta. Cruz fortress, now unnecessary, on to Paso Alto. The British, who lost two men, were under pressure and had a difficult time. Nelson, from the Theseus, called the troops back. Once they were on board, the three frigates slipped before the Candelaria beach and the Barranco Hondo, firing into the cliffs, intending to frighten and silence the defenders. With the British thwarted in Valle Seco, Gutiérrez guessed Nelson's next move and brought most of the artillerymen to the port batteries, leaving just 30 militia men in Paso Alto. The British could not see the Spanish troops' movements from one place to another, so they deemed the Spanish force larger than it actually was.

Sir_Horatio_Nelson_when_wounded_at_Teneriffe.jpg
Sir Horatio Nelson when wounded at Teneriffeby Richard Westall. Oil on canvas.

Enraged by the failure of the first stage of his plan, Nelson called his captains on board Theseus and explained how he himself would lead the next move ahead of a boat group followed by five more boats led by captains Troubrige, Miller, Hood, Waller and Thompson straight to the San Cristóbal castle, in Sta. Cruz harbour, where Gutiérrez had by now assembled his best troops.

In order to reduce the noise, cloth-padded oars propelled the boats at 10:30 p.m. on 24 July from around the Zealous into the harbour. The Spanish frigate San José, anchored 500 metres away from the pier, fired an alarm shot when sailors on board heard the disembarking troops getting closer. Troubled waters were against the British, who amounted to 700 in the boats, supported by 180 in the cutter Fox and 80 in a Canary sloop taken earlier. In addition to San Cristóbal castle, General Gutiérrez split his force over four strategic points: Pila square, Santos stream, Carnicerías beach and Santo Domingo monastery.

At around 23:00 a rain of cannonballs and musket bullets from the batteries of Paso Alto, San Miguel, San Antonio and San Pedro fell on the approaching British whose own ammunition was damp with seawater. Several shots reached the cutter's hull. Some of the boats reached the beaches and marines managed to spike a couple of cannons, yet others drifted away. Spanish mortars and cannons focused on the successful sailors and swept them away. Many British casualties were left scattered on the beach. An immense line of fire, ranged from Paso Alto to San Telmo castle, targeted the small vessels. Before midnight the cutter Fox was hit by crossfire from the heights and sunk, with Gibson and 17 of his men being drowned.

British forces led by Bowen rushed the battery covering the harbour, captured it and spiked its guns. They began to pursue the fleeing Spanish into the town, but were swept by a hail of grapeshot. Bowen, his first lieutenant (George Thorp), and several of his men were killed, while Nelson, who was just landing from his boat, was hit in the right arm. Those soldiers who succeeded in reaching the beach were riddled with bullets from house terraces and windows. The citizens were so closely involved in repelling the attack to the point that, after the victory, some were given honours and medals.

Nelson was bleeding copiously and his stepson, Lieutenant Nisbet, cut a piece of his own neck handkerchief and tied it tightly around Nelson's arm to stop the bleeding. The admiral refused to use the frigate Seahorse that was stationed close by, to be taken back to his flagship, as it would imply that Captain Fremantle would have to hoist a flag of distress and thereby demoralise the crews. Instead, the sailors of his boat rowed hard back to the Theseus. The surgeon had been warned of the contingency and got his instruments ready. Nelson was cited as saying, as he pointed to his right arm "Doctor, I want to get rid of this useless piece of flesh here". Nelson's operation was quick and aseptic, and most of the arm was amputated. The limb was thrown overboard (as was common practice in the day), despite the admiral's wish to keep it.

Castillo_o_Torre_de_San_Andrés.jpg
The Castle of San Andrés played an important role in the battle.

The batteries increased the cannonade when they noticed that almost half of the thousand British soldiers had managed to land on the Carnicerías beach and were attempting to slip into the city. Captains Troubridge and Hood, leading 350 men, accomplished the taking of La Consolación convent. However, the rest of the troops were defeated when they tried to assault the San Cristóbal fortress from behind. Troubridge was aware of his desperate situation with no support from ships or more reinforcements coming to his aid, but sent a message to Gutierrez demanding the surrender of the San Jose or he would burn the town. Gutiérrez, a veteran soldier, refused. In the meantime, the Spanish general ordered the fire on the besieged British to be increased while he brought more artillerymen to the batteries closer to La Consolación.

The rest of the British forces achieved disembarkation in Las Carnicerías and proceeded through the Santos cliff. Despite the heavy fire from the Spanish fortresses, these men succeeded in joining Troubridge after being bottled up in Sto. Domingo square.

Gutiérrez had the Canarias battalion blockade the pier so that Troubridge could not make any escape back, nor could any support come in. Two columns headed for the harbour, one behind the Sto. Domingo square in order to hinder the British advance inside the city and the other along the coast. In the morning, a convalescent Nelson attempted to reinforce Troubridge by sending 15 boats into the pier. At around 1:00 am, Spanish gunfire swept the small squadron. Three of them were sunk with more than 30 drowned, the rest rowed back shocked.

Captain Troubridge sent another message to Gutiérrez through Captain Hood, requesting honourable terms for a withdrawal. Gutierrez agreed to this, and by 7.00 am a truce was signed that allowed the remaining British forces to return to their ships with full military honours. For his part Hood undertook not to burn the town, or make any further attacks on Tenerife or the Canary Islands.

Conclusion
The Spanish suffered only 30 dead and 40 injured, while the British lost 250 dead and 128 wounded. The journey back to England was difficult, as Nelson had lost many men.

Gutiérrez lent Nelson two schooners to help the shot-torn British on their way back. The Spanish general also allowed the British to leave with their arms and war honours. These acts of chivalry led to a courteous exchange of letters between Nelson and Gutiérrez. Nevertheless, Nelson would later remark that Tenerife had been the most horrible hell he had ever endured—and not only for the loss of his arm. Nelson's letter offering a cheese as a token of his gratitude is actually on display at the new Spanish Army Museum in Toledo.

Nelson agreed to report news of the attack back to the Peninsula; the frigate Emeral approached Cádiz in late July carrying reports of Gutiérrez's victory. Jervis had expected the Union Jack to be flying over Santa Cruz and was furious when he learned about the fiasco: The Admiral apparently saw no difference between well-defended Spanish port cities such as Cádiz or Santa Cruz and the Spanish ships his squadron had beaten in February. Haughtiness and a lack of proper material and human resources for an invasion had drawn the British fleet to a painful defeat. The British never again tried to capture Santa Cruz.

Current celebration
Every year in July, takes place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the Recreation Gesta July 25, in which soldiers, wearing faithful reproductions of uniforms and weapons of the time, recall the victory of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on British troops



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson,_1st_Viscount_Nelson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Theseus_(1786)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Culloden_(1783)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Zealous_(1785)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Seahorse_(1748)
 
22 July 1713 - The Action of 22 July 1713

was a naval battle between Sweden and the Tsardom of Russia which took place on 22 July 1713 near the shallows of Kalbådagrund. It was an indecisive engagement, part of the Great Northern War.

Battle_of_Hogland_1713.png

Small Swedish squadron led by Commander Carl Raab consisting of three ships of the line encountered on 10 July 1713 much larger Russian squadron near Hogland who gave chase to the Swedes withdrawing towards west.

Hogland_Suursaari.png

Battle
Early on the 11 July faster Russian ships had gained the Swedish squadron and reached firing distance. Intense fight took place near Kalbådagrund and Yttre Hällkallan shallows. During the fight Raab's flagship Ösel run aground but could swiftly detach itself and rejoin the fight. Three Russian ships following also run aground, one of them so badly that it could not be pulled free and had to be torched. Swedish ships had suffered only superficial damage and withdraw to Helsinki while Russian squadron lost 50 gun ship of the line Viborg.

8640095_fullsize.jpg

Ships involved
Sweden

  • Verden 54 guns
  • Osel 50 guns
  • Estland 48 guns
Russia
  • Poltava 54 guns
  • Pernov 50 guns
  • Randolf 50 guns
  • Riga 50 guns
  • Sv. Antonii 50 guns
  • Vyborg 50 guns
  • Esperans 44 guns
  • Sv. Pavel 32 guns
  • Sv. Petr 32 guns
  • Samson 32 guns
  • Shtandart 28 guns
  • 2 brigs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hogland_(1713)
 
22 July 1805 - The Battle of Cape Finisterre

In the Battle of Cape Finisterre (22 July 1805) off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies. Failing to prevent the joining of French Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve's fleet to the squadron of Ferrol and to strike the shattering blow that would have freed Great Britain from the danger of an invasion, Calder was later court-martialled and severely reprimanded for his failure and for avoiding the renewal of the engagement on 23 and 24 July. At the same time, in the aftermath Villeneuve elected not to continue on to Brest, where his fleet could have joined with other French ships to clear the English Channel for an invasion of Great Britain.

Battle_of_Cape_Finisterre.jpg
'Admiral Sir Robert Calder's action off Cape Finisterre, 23 July 1805'. Vice-Admiral Calder’s squadron intercepted the Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve off north-western Spain, as it returned from its diversionary voyage to the West Indies just before Trafalgar. At a time when Britain had become used to Nelsonic victories, Calder’s failure to engage it decisively led to his formal censure and he was never given another command. This shows the day after the action, 24 July. British frigates have Calder’s two prizes, the Firme and the San Raphael, under tow on the right and the damaged Windsor Castle, too, on the left. Calder’s fleet is in formation in the centre and the departing enemy in the distance

Background
The fragile Peace of Amiens of 1802 had come to an end when Napoleon formally annexed the Italian state of Piedmont and on 18 May 1803 Britain was once again at war with France.

Napoleon planned to end the British blockade by invading and conquering Britain. By 1805 his Armée d'Angleterre was 150,000 strong and encamped at Boulogne. If this army could cross the English Channel, victory over the poorly trained and equipped militias was very likely. The plan was that the French navy would escape from the British blockades of Toulon and Brest and threaten to attack the West Indies, thus drawing off the British defence of the Western Approaches. The combined fleets would rendezvous at Martinique and then double back to Europe, land troops in Ireland to raise a rebellion, defeat the weakened British patrols in the Channel, and help transport the Armée d'Angleterre across the Straits of Dover.

Villeneuve sailed from Toulon on 29 March 1805 with eleven ships of the line, six frigates and two brigs. He evaded Admiral Nelson's blockading fleet and passed the Strait of Gibraltar on 8 April. At Cádiz he drove off the British blockading squadron and was joined by six Spanish ships of the line. The combined fleet sailed for the West Indies, reaching Martinique on 12 May.

Nelson was kept in the Mediterranean by westerly winds and did not pass the Strait until 7 May 1805. The British fleet of ten ships reached Antigua on 4 June.

Villeneuve waited at Martinique for Admiral Ganteaume's Brest fleet to join him, but it remained blockaded in port and did not appear. Pleas from French army officers for Villeneuve to attack British colonies went unheeded — except for the recapture of the island fort of Diamond Rock — until 4 June when he set out from Martinique. On 7 June he learned from a captured British merchantman that Nelson had arrived at Antigua, and on 11 June Villeneuve left for Europe, having failed to achieve any of his objectives in the Caribbean.

Abbott,_Robert_Calder.jpg
Abbott, Robert Calder

While in the Antilles, the Franco-Spanish fleet ran into a British convoy worth 5 million francs escorted by the frigate Barbadoes, 28 guns, and sloop Netley. Villeneuve hoisted general chase and two French frigates with the Spanish ship Argonauta, 80 guns, captured all the ships but one escort.

On 30 June the combined squadron captured and burned an English 14-gun privateer. On 3 July the fleet recaptured Spanish galleon Matilda, which carried an estimated 15 million franc treasure, from English privateer Mars, from Liverpool, which was towing Matilda to an English harbour. The privateer was burned and the merchant was taken in tow by the French frigate Sirène.

The fleet sailed back to Europe, and on 9 July the French ship Indomptable lost its main spar in a gale that damaged some other vessels slightly. The Atlantic crossings had been very difficult according to Spanish Admiral Gravina who had crossed the Atlantic eleven times. So with some ships in bad condition, tired crews and scarce victuals, the combined fleet sighted land near Cape Finisterre on 22 July.

Battle
British fleet

Franco-Spanish fleet

News of the returning French fleet reached Vice Admiral Robert Calder on 19 July. He was ordered to lift his blockade of the ports of Rochefort and Ferrol and sail for Cape Finisterre to intercept Villeneuve. The fleets sighted each other at about 11:00 on 22 July.

Calder's_Action.jpg
Calder's Action, July 22nd 1805 by Thomas Whitcombe

After several hours of manoeuvring to the south-west, the action began at about 17:15 as the British fleet, with Hero (Captain Alan Gardner) in the vanguard, bore down on the Franco-Spanish line of battle. In poor visibility, the battle became a confused melee. Malta formed the rear-most ship in the British line in the approach to the battle, but as the fleets became confused in the failing light and thick patchy fog, the commander of Malta Sir Edward Buller found that he was surrounded by five Spanish ships. After a fierce engagement in which Malta suffered five killed and forty wounded the British ship battled it out, sending out devastating broadsides from both port and starboard. At about 20:00 Buller forced the Spanish 80-gun San Rafael to strike, and afterwards sent the Malta's boats to take possession of the Spanish 74-gun Firme. Calder signalled to break-off the action at 20:25, aiming to continue the battle the next day. In the failing light and general confusion some ships continued to fire for another hour.

HMS_Ajax_(1798).jpg
Watercolour of HMS Ajax, in the collections of the National Maritime Museum; no artist or date given

Daybreak on 23 July found the fleets 27 kilometres (17 mi) apart. Calder was unwilling to attack a second time against superior odds, he had to protect the damaged Windsor Castle and Malta with her large captured Spanish prizes and he had to consider the possibility that the previously blockaded fleets at Rochefort and Ferrol might put to sea and effect a junction with Villeneuve's combined fleet. Accordingly, he declined to attack and headed northeast with his prizes.

1024px-HMS_Fame-Antoine_Roux-p53.jpg
HMS Dragon (? labelled HMS Fame) off Endoume, Marseille.

Villeneuve's report claims that at first he intended to attack, but in the very light breezes it took all day to come up to the British and he decided not to risk combat late in the day. On 24 July a change in the wind put the Franco-Spanish fleet to the windward of the British — the ideal position for an attack — but instead of attacking, Villeneuve turned away to the south. When he arrived at A Coruña on 1 August he received orders from Napoleon to proceed immediately to Brest and Boulogne, but perhaps believing a false report of a superior British fleet in the Bay of Biscay, he returned to Cádiz, reaching that port on 21 August.

Le_Bucentaure_Anonymous.jpg
Bucentaure

Aftermath
The battle was inconclusive and both admirals, Villeneuve and Calder, claimed victory. The British human losses were 39 officers and men killed and 159 wounded; the Franco-Spanish losses 476 officers and men killed and wounded, with a further 800 ill. Calder was relieved of his command, court-martialled, and sentenced to be severely reprimanded for his failure to renew the battle on 23 and 24 July. He never served at sea again. Villeneuve failed to push on Brest, retired to refit at Vigo, then slipped into Coruña, and on 15 August decided to make for Cadiz. The direction of Villeneuve on Cadiz ruined all hopes of Napoleon to make an invasion and landing on England, thus Napoleon, frustrated by Villeneuve's lack of élan, was forced to abandon his plan of invading Britain. Instead, the Armée d'Angleterre, renamed the Grande Armée, left Boulogne on 27 August to counter the threat from Austria and Russia. A few weeks after the battle he wrote: "Gravina is all genius and decision in combat. If Villeneuve had had those qualities, the battle of Finisterre would have been a complete victory."

Villeneuve and the combined fleets remained at Cádiz until they came out to their destruction at the battle of Trafalgar on 21 October.

“"If Admiral Villeneuve, instead of entering Ferrol, had contented himself with rallying at the Spanish squadron, and had sailed for Brest to join Admiral Gantheaume, my army would have landed; it would have been all over with England."



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cape_Finisterre_(1805)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Calder
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_ship_Argonauta_(1798)
 
22 July 1929 - SS Bremen captured Blue Riband

Bremen was to have made her maiden transatlantic crossing in the company of her sister Europa, but Europa suffered a serious fire during fitting-out, so Bremen crossed solo, departing Bremerhaven for New York City under the command of Commodore Leopold Ziegenbein on 16 July 1929. She arrived four days, 17 hours, and 42 minutes later, capturing the westbound Blue Riband from Mauretania with an average speed of 27.83 knots (51.54 km/h).

Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-11081,_Schnelldamper__Bremen_.jpg

This voyage also marked the first time mail was carried by a ship-launched plane for delivery before the ship's arrival. A Heinkel HE 12 floatplane, flown by 27-year-old Lufthansa pilot Baron Jobst von Studnitz, was launched at sea twenty miles east of Fire Island with 11,000 pieces of mail in six mailbags weighing 220 pounds (100 kg) which it delivered to New York many hours before the ship docked at the North German-Lloyd pier at the foot of 58th Street in Brooklyn. On the return passage to Germany Bremen took the eastbound Blue Riband with a time of 4 days 14 hours and 30 minutes and an average speed of 27.91 knots (51.69 km/h), the first time a liner had broken two records on her first two passages. The mailplane was launched on the eastbound voyage in the English Channel near Cherbourg carrying 18,000 letters to Bremerhaven where it delivered the mail many hours ahead of the ship's arrival. Bremen lost the westbound Blue Riband to her sister Europa in 1930, and the eastbound Blue Riband to SS Normandie in 1935.

SS_Bremen_1929_profile_NYC.png
The profile of Bremen as originally built - the funnels were raised by five meters in 1930.


History
Also known as TS Bremen – for Turbine Ship – Bremen and her sister were designed to have a cruising speed of 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h), allowing a crossing time of five days. This speed enabled Norddeutscher Lloyd to run regular weekly crossings with two ships, a feat that normally required three. It was claimed that Bremen briefly reached speeds of 32 knots (59 km/h) during her sea trials.

Construction and design
Bremen was built by the new German shipbuilding company Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau. She was built from 7,000 tons of high-strength steel of 52 kg/mm² (500 N/mm²), allowing a weight saving of some 800 tons on the structure. She was also the first commercial ship to be designed with the Taylor bulbous bow, though bulbous bows of different types had appeared on earlier merchant vessels, such as SS Malolo of 1926. She was launched at Bremen during the afternoon of Thursday, 16 August 1928 by President Paul von Hindenburg, only one day after the launch of her sister ship Europa at Hamburg. SS Bremen and her sister ship Europa were considered for their time as the most modern liners in the world. The high speeds and the comfort and luxury level on board made high demands of technical personnel. Each ship required an engineering crew of some 170 men.

Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-06403,_Bremen,_Stapellauf_des_Dampfers__Bremen_.jpg
Bremen while under construction.

As on her sister ship Europa, Bremen had a catapult on the upper deck between the two funnels with a small seaplane, which facilitated faster mail service. The airplane was launched from the ship several hours before arrival, landing at the seaplane base in Blexen.

The boiler and the machine equipment were designed by Professor Dr. Gustav Bauer. Bremen had four airtight boiler rooms. The combustion air for the oil burners of the boilers was blown into the boiler rooms by eight steam turbine blowers. The resulting positive pressure meant that the boiler rooms were only accessible through airlocks. The steam was generated in 20 oil-fired water tube boilers, eleven double-enders and nine single-enders in four banks fired by a total of 227 oil burners. The operating pressure was 23 atm = 24 bar with a steam temperature at the superheater discharge of 370 °C (698 °F). The maximum steam generating capacity was 500 tons/h. For harbour operation three boilers with their own blower were available, so that during work periods the main boiler airlocks could remain open. The total heating surface amounted to 17,050 m2 (183,500 sq ft), the superheater surface 3,875 m2 (41,710 sq ft) and the air preheater surface 8,786 m2 (94,570 sq ft). The feed water was preheated to 130 °C (266 °F) and the fuel oil consumption was 33 tons/h or 380 g/HP/h or 800 tons/day, fed from oil bunkers with a capacity of 7,552 tons.

SS Bremen had four geared steam turbines that could generate approximately 135,000 shaft horsepower (101,000 kW). Each of them had a high pressure, a medium pressure, low pressure and a reverse turbine. In reverse, 65% of the forward power was available. At cruise speed the turbines made 1800 rpm while the propellers made 180 rpm for a power output of 84,000 shp (63,000 kW). The four propellers were bronze and had a diameter of 5,000 mm (197 in), pitch of 5,200 mm (205 in) and weighed 17 tons each. The 230 V electric power on the ship came from four diesel generators with a total output of 520 kW. On board, there were total of 420 electric motors, approximately 21,000 lamps, electric cookers and 20 elevators.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Bremen_(1928)
https://www.radiobremen.de/bremenzwei/sendungen/feature/feature1216-popup.html
 
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