Action of 18 August 1798

Overview

The action of 18 August 1798 was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought between the British fourth rate ship HMS Leander and the French ship of the line Généreux. Both ships had been engaged at the Battle of the Nile three weeks earlier, in which a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson had destroyed a French fleet at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. Généreux was one of only four French ships to survive the battle, while Leander had been detached from the British fleet by Nelson on 6 August. On board, Captain Edward Berry sailed as a passenger, charged with carrying despatches to the squadron under Earl St Vincent off Cádiz. On 18 August, while passing the western shore of Crete, Leander was intercepted and attacked by Généreux, which had separated from the rest of the French survivors the day before.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The action of 18 August 1798 was a direct consequence of the Battle of the Nile, fought three weeks earlier, in which a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed a French fleet at Aboukir Bay. Généreux was among only four French ships to escape that engagement, while Leander had been detached by Nelson on 6 August to carry dispatches to the squadron under Earl St Vincent off Cádiz. The interception of Leander off the western shore of Crete disrupted the timely communication of news from the Nile to British naval command in the western Mediterranean, delaying the relay of intelligence from one of the most decisive fleet actions of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Commanders (2)