Action of 25 September 1806

Action of 25 September 1806
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
The engagement with the French squadron off Rochefort, HMS Monarch Capt. Richard Lee, engaging Minerve, Armide and Glore
Date 25 September 1806 Location Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	France
Commanders and leaders
Samuel Hood	Jean Soleil
Strength
6 ships of the line 1 brig	5 frigates 2 corvettes
Casualties and losses
36 killed and wounded	Unknown killed and wounded 4 frigates captured

The action of 25 September 1806 was a naval battle fought during the Napoleonic Wars off the French Biscay port of Rochefort. A French squadron comprising five frigates and two corvettes, sailing to the French West Indies with supplies and reinforcements, was intercepted by a British squadron of six ships of the line that was keeping a close blockade of the port as part of the Atlantic campaign of 1806. The British ships, under the command of Commodore Sir Samuel Hood, spotted the French convoy early in the morning of 25 September, just a few hours after the French had left port, and immediately gave chase. Although the French ships tried to escape, they were heavily laden with troops and stores, and the strong winds favoured the larger ships of the line, which caught the French convoy after a five-hour pursuit, although they had become separated from one another during the chase.

At 05:00 the leading British ship, HMS Monarch, was within range and opened fire on the French squadron, which divided. One frigate went north and was intercepted by HMS Mars, while another, accompanied by the two corvettes, turned south and managed to outrun HMS Windsor Castle. The main body of the French force remained together and met the attack of Monarch and the British flagship HMS Centaur with their broadsides. Although outnumbered and outclassed by the British squadron the French ships fought hard, inflicting damage on the leading British ships and severely wounding Commodore Hood. Eventually the strength of the British squadron told, and despite a fierce resistance the French ships surrendered one by one, the British capturing four of the seven vessels in the squadron.