Battle of Pirano

Battle context

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.