The last fleet action in the Mediterranean before the British withdrawal in 1796, consolidating Allied blockade control of the French Mediterranean coast.
Key Facts
- Date
- 13 July 1795
- French ship captured/destroyed
- Alcide (surrendered, then blew up)
- French commander
- Pierre Martin
- British commander
- William Hotham
- Next Mediterranean fleet action
- Battle of the Nile, 1798
- Preceding engagement
- Battle of Genoa, March 1795
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Since 1793, the French Mediterranean Fleet had suffered repeated defeats and faced a determined Allied blockade. French Admiral Pierre Martin sought to test this blockade in 1795, and after an earlier setback at the Battle of Genoa in March, he again sortied with his fleet in early July after both sides had received Atlantic reinforcements.
On 13 July 1795, a British flying squadron under Captain Horatio Nelson located the French fleet near Cap Corse, prompting Admiral Hotham to pursue. Martin retreated toward the Îles d'Hyères anchorage, but his straggling rearguard was overtaken by the British vanguard. The ship Alcide was cut off and forced to surrender, then caught fire and blew up with heavy loss of life.
Hotham declined to press his advantage against the remaining French fleet, drawing criticism from officers and later historians. The British retained their Mediterranean blockade unchallenged for the rest of 1795. The battle proved to be the final fleet action in the Mediterranean before Britain was forced to withdraw from the region in late 1796.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
William Hotham, Horatio Nelson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Pierre Martin.