Battle of Genoa
- When
- 1795
- Where
- Ligurian Sea route toward Genoa, passing Île Sainte-Marguerite; Gulf of Genoa; 21 nautical miles southwest of Genoa
- Episodes
- 3
On 13–14 March 1795 an Anglo-Neapolitan fleet under Vice-Admiral William Hotham fought Counter-admiral Pierre Martin's French fleet in the Gulf of Genoa, winning a minor victory and capturing two French ships of the line during the Mediterranean campaign of 1793–1796.
Episodes
- French Sortie from Toulon
In early March 1795 Martin sailed from Toulon toward Genoa, capturing a British ship of the line en route.
- First Day: The General Chase
On 13 March 1795 Hotham authorised a general chase as Martin declined battle, and the fleets exchanged fire while the French withdrew westward.
- Capture of Ça Ira and Censeur
On 14 March, southwest of Genoa, British ships overtook the straggling Ça Ira and Censeur and captured both French ships of the line.
Background and detail
Background. The French Revolutionary Wars widened in February 1793 when the National Convention declared war on Great Britain, prompting the Royal Navy to blockade the French Mediterranean Fleet at Toulon. After Lord Hood seized Toulon in August 1793 and its evacuation left most of the French fleet burned, the surviving ships remained in harbour through 1794 while the British captured Corsica.
Opposing Fleets. By early 1795 Counter-admiral Pierre Martin had restored the French Mediterranean Fleet, mustering 15 ships of the line and six frigates for operations in the Ligurian Sea. Hotham, who had succeeded the recalled Hood in October 1794, based his fleet at San Fiorenzo Bay in Corsica and commanded 13 ships of the line.
Aftermath. Martin sent his damaged ships to Toulon and anchored the remainder at the Îles d'Hyères; four months later the fleets met again at the Battle of the Hyères Islands, another minor British victory. The captured Ça Ira and Censeur were commissioned into the Royal Navy but were later lost, one recaptured off Cape St. Vincent in October 1795 and the other destroyed by fire off San Fiorenzo in April 1796.
People involved
- William Hotham · Vice-Admiral of the Red commanding the Anglo-Neapolitan fleet
- Pierre Martin · Counter-admiral commanding the French fleet
Sources
- Battle of Genoa (1795) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
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.