Action of 13 January 1797
- When
- 1796–1798
- Where
- Brest, departure port for the Irish expedition; Seas off Ushant, Brittany; Off the Brittany coast; Sandbank near Plozévet, Brittany coast; Sandbank on a lee shore, Brittany coast; Wreck site near Plozévet
- Episodes
- 6
On 13 January 1797 the British frigates HMS Indefatigable and HMS Amazon intercepted the French 74-gun Droits de l'Homme off Brittany as she returned from the failed Expédition d'Irlande. Outmanoeuvred and battered in heavy seas, the French ship was driven onto a sandbank near Plozévet and destroyed, with roughly 900 deaths; HMS Amazon was also lost.
Episodes
- The Expédition d'Irlande sails
A French expeditionary force left Brest in December 1796 to invade Ireland, with the Droits de l'Homme among the ships engaged in repeated landing attempts.
- British frigates sight the Droits de l'Homme
HMS Indefatigable and HMS Amazon, refitted at Falmouth and patrolling off Ushant, sighted the returning French ship on the afternoon of 13 January 1797.
- Night engagement off Brittany
Unable to open her lower gun ports in heavy seas, the Droits de l'Homme was repeatedly raked by the frigates, losing her mizzenmast by 22:30 with heavy casualties.
- Wreck of the Droits de l'Homme
Battered and uncontrollable in rising winds, the French ship struck a sandbank near Plozévet at 07:00 on 14 January and was destroyed, killing roughly 900 of 1,300 aboard.
- Loss of HMS Amazon
While escaping a lee shore, HMS Amazon ran onto a sandbank and was lost, with six sailors drowned.
- Rescue efforts and aftermath
Survivors endured days of storm before rescue; Lacrosse was promoted to admiral, while Humbert led the failed 1798 invasion, surrendering at Ballinamuck.
Background and detail
Background. In December 1796 a French expeditionary force sailed from Brest to invade Ireland, the Expédition d'Irlande. During December 1796 and early January 1797 the army repeatedly attempted to land, and the 74-gun Droits de l'Homme formed part of this unsuccessful enterprise before turning back toward France.
Opposing Forces. The British squadron comprised the 44-gun razee HMS Indefatigable, cut down from a 64-gun third rate in 1795, and the 36-gun HMS Amazon, ordered to patrol off Ushant to intercept the returning French force. Captain Sir Edward Pellew of Indefatigable was already renowned for capturing the Cléopâtre in 1793 and the frigates Pomone and Virginie in 1794 and 1796.
The Engagement. Sighted on the afternoon of 13 January, the much larger Droits de l'Homme could not open her lower gun ports in the rough seas, firing only upper deck guns. The frigates closed, repeatedly raked her, and by 22:30 she had lost her mizzenmast with heavy casualties. As winds increased her crew lost control and she was swept onto a sandbar and destroyed.
Aftermath. The Droits de l'Homme struck a sandbank near Plozévet at 07:00 on 14 January by the French account; of 1,300 aboard, 103 died in the battle and just over 300 were saved, with roughly 900 deaths between the mornings of 14 and 18 January. HMS Amazon also ran onto a sandbank and was lost, drowning six sailors. Lacrosse was promoted and Humbert later led the 1798 invasion attempt, surrendering at Ballinamuck.
People involved
- Sir Edward Pellew · Captain of HMS Indefatigable
- Reynolds · Captain of HMS Amazon (identified by surname only; the supplied passages give no first name)
- Lacrosse · French commodore aboard Droits de l'Homme (command of the ship is inferred from context, not explicitly stated in the supplied passages)
- Humbert · French army officer carried aboard Droits de l'Homme (rank not stated in the supplied passages)
Sources
- Action of 13 January 1797 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.