User:Saguescabe/sandbox
| Action of 15 August 1799 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Portugal |
 Algiers | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Inácio Pinto (WIA)  |
Hadj Tabah | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1 brigantine 3 yachts | 1 xebec | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 brigantine captured 1 yacht sunk[4] (or captured)[5] 10 wounded[6] | Unknown | ||||||
The action of 15 August 1799 was a single-ship action which took place off Barcelona, Mediterranean Sea, when the 20-gun Portuguese brigantine Lebre, commanded by primeiro-tenente Inácio Pereira Pinto, which was giving convoy to three yachts, was intercepted and captured by a 36-gun Algerian xebec, commanded by rais Hadj Muhammad Tabah.
Background[edit]
On 16 February 1799[3][6] (or in March),[5] under the command of capitão de mar e guerra James Scarnichia, a naval force departed from Lisbon, consisting by one ship of the line, one frigate, one corvette and one brigantine, the Lebre.[3][6][5] This force provided convoy to 24 merchant ships of different nationalities, including Portuguese, English and neutrals.[3][6][5]
On 29 March, they anchored in Mahón, on the island of Menorca, and two weeks later, the frigate, the corvette and the brigantine sailed for Barcelona.
Due to bureaucratic formalities required by Spanish authorities, the Lebre ended up only departing on 15 August, giving convoy to three yachts, en route to Tarragona.
Action[edit]
The Lebre was equipped with 34 4-pounder (1.8 kg) guns and had a garrison of 70 men. He was attacked by an Algerian xebec with 34 12-pounder (5.4 kg) and 18-pounder (8.2 kg) guns and a crew of 350 men, under the command of rais Hadj Muhammad Tabah.
Even though the commander, primeiro-tenente Inácio Pereira Pinto, accepted the combat in an attempt to save the vessels it protected, given the difference in forces in presence, he was eventually approached, having been captured together with his garrison, not before having been wounded with three cutlass cuts, two in the head and one in the arm. In addition to commander there were nine more wounded.
Aftermath[edit]
The Nossa Senhora da Conceição, one of the yachts in the convoy, was sunk and its crew was captured.
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ Cabrita 2013, p. 29.
- ^ Salgado 2022, p. 179.
- ^ a b c d Monteiro 1996, p. 237.
- ^ Cabrita 2013, p. 31.
- ^ a b c d Salgado 2022, p. 180.
- ^ a b c d Cabrita 2013, p. 30.
Bibliography[edit]
- Monteiro, Armando da Silva Saturnino (1996). Batalhas e Combates da Marinha Portuguesa (1669-1807) (PDF) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Livraria Sá da Costa Editora.
- Cabrita, Luís Filipe Xavier (2013). Os Cativos em Argel da Marinha Real Portuguesa (1799-1812) (PDF) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
- Salgado, Augusto Alves (2022). Viagens e Operações Navais (1668-1823) (PDF) (in Portuguese). Lisbon: Academia de Marinha.