View source for Action of 14 December 1798

{{Short description|Naval skirmish between the British and the French}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Action of 14 December 1798
| partof            = the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]
| image             = Ambuscade vs Bayonnaise-Ozanne-1.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = [[Pierre Ozanne]]'s depiction
| date              = 14 December 1798
| place             = off [[Gironde]], [[Bay of Biscay]]
| result            = French victory
| combatant1        = {{flagdeco|First French Republic}} [[First French Republic|France]]
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
| commander1        = {{flagdeco|First French Republic}} Jean Richer
| commander2        = {{flagdeco|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}} Henry Jenkins
| strength1         = 1 corvette
| strength2         = 1 frigate
| casualties1       = 25 killed <br> 30 wounded<ref name=RouvierP417>{{cite book |title=Histoire des marins français sous la République, de 1789 à 1803 |first1=Charles |last1=Rouvier |first2=Arthus |last2=Bertrand |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9S8BAAAAQAAJ |language=French |page=417}}</ref>
| casualties2       = 15 killed <br> 39 wounded<ref name=RouvierP417/><br>1 frigate captured
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox First Coalition}}
{{Campaignbox French Revolutionary Wars Naval Battles}}
}}

The '''action of 14 December 1798''' was a naval skirmish between the 32-gun British [[frigate]] {{HMS|Ambuscade|1773|6}} and the French 24-gun [[corvette]] {{ship|French corvette|Bayonnaise|1793|2}}. ''Bayonnaise'' was vastly outgunned and outmanoeuvred, but was able to board and capture ''Ambuscade''.

== Background ==
On 14 December, as she sailed about {{convert|30|nmi|lk=in}} off [[Ré]], ''Bayonnaise'' met the 32-gun frigate ''Ambuscade'', cruising off [[Oléron]] under Captain Henry Jenkins.

''Ambuscade'' was waiting to meet with {{HMS|Stag|1794|6}} and blockade the [[Gironde estuary]]. ''Bayonnaise'' was a 24-gun [[corvette]] with a strong crew augmented by a 40-soldier detachment from the ''[[Régiment d'Alsace]]'', under Army captain Nicolas Aimé.

At dawn, ''Ambuscade'' detected ''Bayonnaise'' and assumed she was ''Stag''; ''Bayonnaise'' also detected ''Ambuscade'', and, correctly assuming that she was a superior British warship, turned around to flee. From this manoeuver, ''Ambuscade'' understood that the sail was French and gave chase. Around noon, ''Ambuscade'' had closed in to cannon range, and the fight began.

== Battle ==
After one hour, the British had gained the upper hand, damaging the hull and rigging of the corvette. As ''Ambuscade'' came off the stern of ''Bayonnaise'' in an attempt to [[raking fire|rake]] her, one of the British frigate's starboard 12-pounders burst. The explosion destroyed ''Ambuscade''{{'}}s boats, left 13 of her sailors dead and wounded, and confused the crew. ''Bayonnaise'' attempted to take advantage of the confusion to escape south, but ''Ambuscade'' gave chase again and caught up with the corvette around 3 PM.

As the frigate sailed on the port side of the corvette on a parallel course, overtaking her, ''Bayonnaise'' backed sail and turned hard to port, ramming ''Ambuscade''. The [[bowsprit]] of ''Bayonnaise'' cut down ''Ambuscade''{{'}}s [[mizzen]], wounding part of the crew standing on the [[poop deck]], and entangling the two ships.

Both ships fired a last [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] and closed their [[gunport]]s. ''Bayonnaise'' lost numerous men, and her captain, Richer, had an arm shot off. Nevertheless, French [[grapeshot]] and [[musket]]ry fire cleared the decks of ''Ambuscade''. Most of the British officers were wounded and taken below deck, leaving only ailing lieutenant Joseph Briggs in command. Having grappled the corvette to the frigate, the French used ''Bayonnaise''{{'}}s bowsprit to bridge the gap between the ships and climb onto the taller ''Ambuscade''.

The French boarded and seized a light gun loaded with grapeshot, which they used to clear the forecastle of its defenders. The quarterdeck of ''Ambuscade'' suffered the explosion of a powder box, which destroyed the wheel and the stern boat. After a bloody, 30-minute melee, purser William Beaumont Murray, the last British officer still standing, surrendered ''Ambuscade''. During the battle, ''Ambuscade'' had had 15 killed and 39 wounded, including Jenkins and his two lieutenants, and ''Bayonnaise'' 25 killed and 30 wounded, including Richer and his lieutenant.

==Aftermath==
[[File:Bayonnaise vs Embuscade mg 9452.jpg|thumb|[[Louis-Philippe Crépin]]'s depiction]]

''Bayonnaise'' had lost almost all of her rigging, was leaking and had her rudder damaged. ''Ambuscade'' had lost her mizzen mast and sustained damage from explosions on board, but was otherwise intact and sea worthy. ''Ambuscade''  towed ''Bayonnaise'' to [[Pertuis d'Antioche]] and Rochefort. They arrived the next day.{{efn|It has been reported that ''Bayonnaise'' broke her tow line and arrived only days later under improvised rigging.}} ''Ambuscade'' was taken into French service as ''Embuscade''.

''Lieutenant de vaisseau'' Richer was promoted to ''capitaine de vaisseau'' (jumping three ranks), and the ensigns of ''Bayonnaise'', Corbie, Frouin, Guigner, Kinzelbach and Potier de la Houssaye, were promoted to ''Lieutenant de vaisseau''. Major Henri Louis Lerch was made [[Legion of Honour|Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur]] for his action during the boarding.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/leonore_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_1=NOM&VALUE_1=LERCH | title=Lerch, Henri Louis - LH/1602/56 | publisher=[[Base Léonore]] | language=fr | access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=awkp91GrL_cC&pg=PA84 | title=Les Fastes de la gloire, ou les braves recommandés à la postérité; monument élevé aux défenseurs de la patrie. par une Société d'hommes de lettres et de militaires (sous la direction de M. Tissot) | language=fr | first=Pierre François | last=Tissot | year=1818 | pages=84–85 | access-date=9 May 2019 }}</ref> Captain Jenkins was later court-martialled, accused of letting his ship, crewed by young sailors, be boarded by a stronger party, while he had a strong advantage at gunnery and manoeuvre. He was acquitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_History/Vol_II/P_248.html |title=Naval History of Great Britain |volume=II}}</ref>

The battle was used as a propaganda effort by the French government. Several paintings of the event were subsequently commissioned, notably a large painting by young [[Louis-Philippe Crépin]] which is now one of the main exhibits of the [[Musée national de la Marine]] in Paris.

{{Gallery
 |title=Representations of the battle in art and propaganda
 |align=center
 |Ambuscade vs Bayonnaise-Roux.jpg|[[Antoine Roux]]' depiction of the boarding
 |Ambuscade_vs_Bayonnaise-Hue.png|[[Jean François Hue]]'s depiction of the boarding
 |Ambuscade vs Bayonnaise-Crépin-2.jpg|Detail of Crépin's depiction
 |Ambuscade vs Bayonnaise-Ozanne-2.jpg|[[Pierre Ozanne]]'s depiction of ''Ambuscade'' towing ''Bayonnaise'' back to harbour, with exaggerated proportions between the ships
 |La Marine-Pacini-144.png|[[Antoine Morel-Fatio]]'s depiction, apparently inspired by Crépin's
 |La Marine-Pacini-99.png |[[Antoine Morel-Fatio]]'s depiction of ''Bayonnaise'' taking her prize in tow.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Action of 12 August 1782]], a similarly unbalanced action between the 28-gun [[sixth-rate]] {{HMS|Coventry|1757|6}}, with a crew reinforced by soldiers, and the French 32-gun frigate {{ship|French frigate|Bellone|1778|2}}. ''Coventry'' managed to avoid capture and make good her escape.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070324010613/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_History/Vol_II/P_244.html ''Naval history of Great Britain''], by [[William James (naval historian)|William James]]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121140218/http://www.musee-marine.fr/site/fr/884 Combat de la Bayonnaise contre l'Ambuscade, 1798], Musée national de la Marine
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.histoire-genealogie.com/spip.php?article1351 14 décembre 1798 : prise de la frégate anglaise HMS ''Ambuscade'' par la corvette française la ''Bayonnaise''], by Philippe de Ladebat
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://abordage.site.voila.fr/ 14 décembre 1798 Prise de la frégate anglaise HMS Ambuscade par la corvette française La Bayonnaise]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} paintings of the event
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110609000748/http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/prints/viewRepro.cfm?reproID=PU5616 Combat de la fregate francaise la ''Bayonnaise'' centre la fregate anglaise l' ''Embuscade'' 14 decemb. 1798], National Maritime Museum
* ''Histoire des marins français sous la République, de 1789 à 1803'', Charles Rouvier, Arthus Bertrand [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9S8BAAAAQAAJ], pp.&nbsp;416–419

{{coord missing|France}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Action Of 14 December 1798}}

[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving France]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Great Britain]]
[[Category:Military history of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1798]]
[[Category:1798 in France]]