Battle of Fatshan Creek

Overview

The Battle of Fatshan Creek (佛山水道之戰) was a naval engagement fought between the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the Cantonese fleet of Qing China on 1 June 1857. Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour sought out and destroyed the Chinese fleet before advancing to the city of Canton for its capture.

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

Significance

The Battle of Fatshan Creek was a naval engagement in the early phase of the Second Opium War in which the Royal Navy, under Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, destroyed the Cantonese fleet of Qing China. The action was preparatory in character: by eliminating Chinese naval opposition on the waterway, Seymour secured the approach to Canton and enabled the subsequent advance on the city. The engagement thus removed the principal maritime obstacle to British operations in the Canton delta at a critical stage of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)