A minor British frigate victory in the Mediterranean that resulted in the capture of the French frigate Minerve and demonstrated tactical close-quarters naval combat in 1795.
Key Facts
- Date
- 24 June 1795
- Duration of combat
- Approximately 15 minutes of hand-to-hand fighting
- British ships
- HMS Dido and HMS Lowestoffe
- French ships
- Minerve and Artémise
- Outcome
- Minerve captured; Artémise withdrew
- Captured ship's fate
- Minerve served in Royal Navy until recaptured 2 July 1803
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During 1795, the Royal Navy and French Navy contested control of the Mediterranean. Both Admiral William Hotham at Port Mahon and Contre-amiral Pierre Martin at Toulon sent out small frigate squadrons to scout enemy fleet movements, setting the stage for an unplanned encounter near the midpoint between the two bases.
On 24 June 1795, the British frigates HMS Dido and HMS Lowestoffe met the larger French frigates Minerve and Artémise in the Western Mediterranean. After Minerve attempted to ram Dido and became entangled by her bowsprit, fifteen minutes of hand-to-hand fighting ensued. The bowsprit shattered, allowing Lowestoffe to rake Minerve and render her unmanageable, while Artémise withdrew without effective action.
Isolated and immobile, Minerve was battered into surrender by Lowestoffe and subsequently commissioned into the Royal Navy under the same name. She served the British until recaptured by the French on 2 July 1803. The engagement did not resolve the broader contest for Mediterranean supremacy between the two fleets.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain George Henry Towry (HMS Dido).
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Charbonnier (Artémise).