British squadrons.
Admiral Warren's squadron.
The London Man of War capturing the Marengo Admiral Linois, 13 March 1806, Contemporary engraving by "W. C I"
The squadron under Admiral Warren prepared at Spithead in December 1805 included one second rate, one 80-gun ship of the line and five 74-gun ships of line, but no frigates or smaller vessels to operate as scouts. Prevented from sailing during December by high winds, Warren remained off St Helens on the Isle of Wight until the middle of January, when the winds lifted and he set a course for Madeira. There he was to search for information of the French squadrons and, if no information was forthcoming, to sail for Barbados and augment the squadrons in the Caribbean. For the next two months, Warren remained in the central eastern Atlantic Ocean, aware that Willaumez was cruising to the south and that Leissègues had been destroyed off San Domingo. During February his force was joined by the independently sailing frigate HMS Amazon.
On 13 March 1806, Warren's squadron sighted and pursued two sails to the northeast, which were eventually recognised as the squadron under Admiral Linois, returning to France from an extended cruise in the Indian Ocean. In the ensuing Action of 13 March 1806, London and Amazon were able to defeat and capture the French ships Marengo and Belle Poule, the resulting damage and prizes prompting Warren to return to Britain. During the return journey his squadron was struck by a spring storm and several ships suffered damage and were separated, eventually rejoining Warren's main force and returning to Spithead. In Britain, Warren's ships underwent repairs and London and Repulse were detached, replaced by HMS Fame under Captain Richard Bennet. In late June Warren's squadron sailed again, under orders to intercept Willaumez off the Bahamas. Arriving in the Caribbean on 12 July, Warren narrowly missed intercepting Willaumez's squadron, which had sailed to the north in search of Vétéran.
Admiral Warren's first squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS London 98 Captain Sir Harry Burrard Neale Engaged at the Action of 13 March 1806 HMS Foudroyant 80 Rear-Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren
Captain John Chambers WhiteHMS Ramillies 74 Captain Francis Pickmore Badly damaged in the storm of 23 April 1806 HMS Hero 74 Captain Alan Gardner HMS Namur 74 Captain Lawrence Halsted HMS Repulse 74 Captain Arthur Kaye Legge HMS Courageux 74 Captain James Bissett HMS Amazon 38 Captain William Parker Joined the squadron during February. Engaged at the Action of 13 March 1806.
Admiral Warren's second squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS Foudroyant 80 Rear-Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren
Captain John Chambers WhiteHMS Ramillies 74 Captain Francis Pickmore HMS Hero 74 Captain Alan Gardner HMS Namur 74 Captain Lawrence Halsted HMS Fame 74 Captain Richard Bennet HMS Courageux 74 Captain James Bissett HMS Amazon 38 Captain William Parker
Admiral Strachan's squadron.
Admiral Strachan's squadron was ordered to prepare for sea during December at Plymouth, but like Warren's force, Strachan was trapped by strong winds in Cawsand Bay and could not sail until mid-January. Strachan's orders were to sail for Saint Helena and search for signs of the French squadrons. If their whereabouts could not be discovered, Strachan was to join the squadron under Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham detailed to invade the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.
During February and March Strachan searched in vain, eventually receiving the news that Willaumez had anchored in neutral Salvador in Brazil during April. Steering northwest in the hope of intercepting the French squadron, Strachan was hampered by the presence of HMS St George, which proved too slow for a flying squadron. Returning to Plymouth, Strachan detached St George and Centaur, which had been made the flagship of the Rochefort blockade squadron and was given HMS Belleisle, HMS Audacious and HMS Montagu as replacements, as well as two frigates.
Departing Plymouth on 19 May, Strachan sailed for the Caribbean, passing Madeira and the Canary Islands before anchoring at Carlisle Bay, Barbados on 8 August. Five days later Strachan sail northwards in pursuit of Willaumez and on 18 August was caught in the same hurricane that dispersed Willaumez's squadron slightly to the north. During August and September, Strachan's scattered ships gathered off the rendezvous point at Chesapeake Bay in the hope of intercepting any French vessels seeking shelter in American ports. On 14 September, Belleisle, Bellona and Melampus sighted the limping French ship Impétueux off Cape Henry and drove her ashore, burning the wreck in violation of American neutrality.
Admiral Strachan's first squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS St George 98 Captain Thomas Bertie Detached in May at Plymouth HMS Caesar 80 Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan
Captain Charles RichardsonHMS Centaur 74 Captain Sir Samuel Hood Detached in May at Plymouth HMS Terrible 74 Captain Lord Henry Paulet HMS Triumph 74 Captain Henry Inman HMS Bellona 74 Captain John Erskine Douglas
Admiral Strachan's second squadron. Ship Guns Commander Not.es HMS Caesar 80 Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan
Captain Charles RichardsonHMS Belleisle 74 Captain William Hargood Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September HMS Terrible 74 Captain Lord Henry Paulet HMS Triumph 74 Captain Sir Thomas Hardy HMS Bellona 74 Captain John Erskine Douglas Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September HMS Audacious 74 Captain Thomas Gosselyn HMS Montagu 74 Captain Robert Otway HMS Melampus 36 Captain Stephen Poyntz Participated in the destruction of Impétueux on 14 September HMS Decade 36 Captain John Stuart
Admiral Duckworth's squadron.
The third principal British squadron deployed during the campaign was never intended to take part in it. Admiral Duckworth had been ordered to lead the blockade of Cadiz in November 1805, following the destruction of the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October. Finding the blockade of the survivors at Cadiz dull, Duckworth sailed south in search of Allemand's expedition, leaving just two frigates to watch the Spanish port. Allemand escaped Duckworth, but on 23 December he was informed of the depredations by Willaumez's squadron and sailed to intercept him. On 25 December he discovered Willaumez but was unable to catch him eventually abandoning the chase and retiring to St. Kitts in the West Indies to take on fresh supplies. There he was joined by several ships of the Leeward Islands squadron under Admiral Cochrane and also learned of the arrival of Leissègues at Santo Domingo. Sailing to intercept the French squadron, Duckworth successfully encountered them on 6 February 1806 and in the ensuing Battle of San Domingo, captured or destroyed all five of the ships of the line, carrying his prizes to Jamaica. Duckworth then returned to Britain, leaving Cochrane with a number of vessels to patrol the Eastern Caribbean in anticipation of the arrival of Willaumez.
Admiral Duckworth's squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS Canopus 80 Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis
Captain Francis AustenEngaged at the Battle of San Domingo HMS Superb 74 Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth
Captain Richard Goodwin KeatsEngaged at the Battle of San Domingo HMS Spencer 74 Captain Robert Stopford Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo HMS Donegal 74 Captain Pulteney Malcolm Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo HMS Powerful 74 Captain Robert Plampin Detached to the Indian Ocean on 2 February 1806 HMS Agamemnon 64 Captain Sir Edward Berry Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo HMS Acasta 40 Captain Richard Dalling Dunn HMS Amethyst 36 Captain James William Spranger Detached to Britain on 26 December 1805 Admiral Cochrane's reinforcements HMS Northumberland 74 Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane
Captain John MorrisonJoined at Basseterre on 21 January 1806. Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo. HMS Atlas 74 Captain Samuel Pym Joined at Basseterre on 21 January 1806. Engaged at the Battle of San Domingo. HMS Magicienne 32 Captain Adam Mackenzie Joined off Santo Domingo on 5 February 1806 HMS Kingfisher 16 Commander Nathaniel Day Cochrane Joined at Basseterre on 1 February 1806 HMS Epervier 14 Lieutenant James Higginson Joined off Saint Thomas on 3 February 1806
Admiral Cochrane's squadron.
Following the Battle of San Domingo, Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, newly knighted, gathered a small squadron in anticipation of the arrival of the second French force under Willaumez. Based at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, Cochrane's forces patrolled the Leeward Islands for the French force during the spring, eventually locating Willaumez's ships at Fort-de-France on Martinique on 14 June 1806. An attempt to blockade the port ended in failure as several ships were damaged in high winds, but when Willaumez sailed on 1 July, Cochrane had planned ahead, and brought his squadron to Tortola, blocking the passage through which Willaumez would have to sail to attack the valuable Jamaica convoy, then gathering off Saint Thomas. With his squadron, Cochrane successfully drove off Willaumez on 4 July without a fight, and the French admiral retired to the Bahama Banks to await the convoy's passage northwards. Cochrane spent the next month preparing the convoy for its voyage, which it began during August while Willaumez was out of position to the north.
Admiral Cochrane's squadron. Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS Northumberland 74 Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane
Captain Joseph SpearHMS Elephant 74 Captain George Dundas HMS Canada 74 Captain John Harvey HMS Agamemnon 64 Captain Jonas Rose HMS Ethalion 36 Captain Charles Stuart HMS Seine 36 Captain David Atkins HMS Galatea 32 Captain Murray Maxwell HMS Circe 32 Captain Hugh Pigott
Rochefort blockade squadrons.
Although other British forces were deployed during the year, most were engaged on other operations incidental to the main Atlantic campaign, such as the expeditionary force to the Cape of Good Hope under Commodore Home Riggs Popham. In addition, a number of blockade squadrons were deployed to the major ports of the French Atlantic coast. These forces contained the French warships still at anchor in the ports and restricted the return of French warships from service at sea during the campaign. These forces included a Channel squadron under Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis, whose ships intercepted and captured a frigate of Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite's squadron on 27 September, and blockade forces off Cadiz under the distant command of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood and Brest under Admiral William Cornwallis. Cornwallis in particular was particularly effective: under his watch, only one French ship of the line successfully entered or departed Brest harbour during the year.
There was one blockade force that played a particular role in the campaign, the force deployed to the waters off Rochefort, initially under the command of Commodore Richard Goodwin Keats. Under Keats, the French squadron under Louis La-Marre-la-Meillerie was intercepted on 17 July, HMS Mars capturing a frigate and chasing the others into port. In August, Keats was replaced by Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, who was to achieve one of the more notable victories of the year at the Action of 25 September 1806, when a French convoy of seven ships sailing to the West Indies was intercepted and defeated. Although Hood's force captured four large modern frigates, the French fought hard and Hood himself was seriously wounded by musket fire, losing an arm.
Commodore Keats' squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS Superb 74 Commodore Richard Goodwin Keats HMS Mars 74 Captain Robert Dudley Oliver Captured frigate Rhin on 17 July HMS Africa 64 Captain Henry Digby Keats' squadron also included two other ships of the line.
Commodore Hood's squadron.
Ship Guns Commander Notes HMS Monarch 74 Captain Richard Lee Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806 HMS Centaur 74 Commodore Sir Samuel Hood Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806 HMS Mars 74 Captain William Lukin Engaged at the Action of 25 September 1806 HMS Windsor Castle 98 Captain Charles Boyles HMS Achille 74 Captain Richard King HMS Revenge 74 Captain Sir John Gore HMS Atalante 16 Commander John Ore Masefield
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