Battle of Pirano

Overview

The Battle of Pirano on 22 February 1812 was a minor naval action of the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars fought between a British and a French ship of the line in the vicinity of the towns of Pirano and Grado in Adriatic Sea. The French Rivoli, named for Napoleon's victory 15 years earlier, had been recently completed at Venice. The French naval authorities intended her to bolster French forces in the Adriatic, following a succession of defeats in the preceding year.

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

Significance

The Battle of Pirano was a minor naval action within the broader Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, fought between British and French forces near the towns of Pirano and Grado in the Adriatic Sea. The French ship Rivoli, named for Napoleon's earlier victory and recently completed at Venice, had been dispatched to reinforce French naval strength in the Adriatic following a succession of defeats in the preceding year. Her loss or significant damage in this engagement, reflected in the 400 French casualties recorded, represented a further setback to French efforts to maintain a viable naval presence in the region and underscored the difficulty of reversing British dominance in Adriatic waters during this period of the Napoleonic Wars.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)