Battle of the Raz de Sein

Overview

The Battle of the Raz de Sein was a single-ship naval engagement of the blockade of Brest during the French Revolutionary Wars between a French and Royal Navy ships of the line on 21 April 1798. The British blockade fleet under Admiral Lord Bridport had sailed from St Helens on 12 April and on the morning of 21 April was crossing the Iroise Passage when sails were spotted to the east. Three ships were detached in pursuit, led by the 74-gun ship of the line HMS Mars under Captain Alexander Hood. As the British ships approached their quarry a third sail was sighted to the southeast close to the coastline and moving north towards Brest.

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

Significance

The Battle of the Raz de Sein was a single-ship action fought within the broader British blockade of Brest during the French Revolutionary Wars. The engagement arose when the blockade fleet under Admiral Lord Bridport, having sailed from St Helens on 12 April 1798, encountered French vessels while crossing the Iroise Passage. Three British ships were detached in pursuit, with HMS Mars under Captain Alexander Hood leading the chase. French casualties of 290 were recorded. The action illustrates the operational character of the Brest blockade: fleet movements and detached pursuits were routine instruments for containing French naval power, and individual engagements in the approaches to Brest formed part of the sustained pressure Britain maintained on France's principal Atlantic naval base throughout the Revolutionary Wars.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)