Action of 18 October 1782

Overview

The action of 18 October 1782 was a minor naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, in which the French 74-gun ship of the line Scipion, accompanied by the 40-gun frigate Sibylle, was chased by two Royal Navy ships of the line, the 98-gun HMS London and the 74-gun Torbay. Outmanoeuvring her larger opponents, Scipion obtained a favourable position that allowed her to rake London, causing severe damage and allowing her to continue running from the superior British force. Scipion went to anchor in Samaná Bay but while doing so hit a rock and sank, while Sibylle succeeded in escaping the area.

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

Significance

The action of 18 October 1782 illustrates the limits of tactical success in minor naval engagements. Although the French 74-gun Scipion outmaneuvered two Royal Navy ships of the line and raked the 98-gun HMS London to cause severe damage, the engagement ended in the loss of Scipion herself, which struck a rock and sank while anchoring in Samaná Bay. French casualties reached 550. The accompanying frigate Sibylle escaped, but the net result for France was the destruction of a ship of the line despite a tactically favorable exchange. Within the broader Anglo-French War of 1778–1783, such small engagements in American waters had marginal strategic weight, but the loss of Scipion represented a concrete reduction in French naval strength at a stage of the war when fleet assets remained operationally significant.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)