1800 naval engagement that took place off the Brazilian coast during the French Revolutionary Wars
The only instance during the French Revolutionary Wars in which a British merchant vessel captured a large French warship.
Key Facts
- Date
- 4 August 1800
- French flagship captured
- Concorde, surrendered to HMS Belliqueux
- French frigate Médée captured by
- East Indiaman Exeter (merchant vessel)
- French commander
- Commodore Jean-François Landolphe
- British commander
- Captain Rowley Bulteel, HMS Belliqueux
- Pursuit duration before Médée's surrender
- Approximately 1.5 hours
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A French frigate squadron under Commodore Landolphe, having raided British commerce off West Africa, intercepted a British convoy off the Brazilian coast. The convoy consisted of heavily armed East Indiamen, two Botany Bay ships, and a whaler, escorted by the ship of the line HMS Belliqueux. The French intended to attack what they assumed would be a vulnerable merchant convoy.
When the convoy formed a line of battle, Landolphe mistook the large East Indiamen for warships and fled. Belliqueux overhauled and captured his flagship Concorde. During the night pursuit, the East Indiaman Exeter deceived the French frigate Médée using lights to simulate a ship of the line, prompting Captain Coudin to surrender, only to discover upon boarding Exeter that his captor was a merchant vessel.
Both French warships, Concorde and Médée, were captured without serious resistance. The engagement became historically notable as the sole recorded instance during the war of a British merchant vessel taking a large French warship, illustrating how armed East Indiamen could effectively bluff and defeat regular naval forces through deception and formation tactics.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Captain Rowley Bulteel (HMS Belliqueux).
Side B
1 belligerent
Commodore Jean-François Landolphe (Concorde), Captain Jean-Daniel Coudin (Médée).