Raid on Griessie ends Java campaign

Background. In 1806, Rear-admiral Sir Edward Pellew determined that the Dutch squadron, consisting of three ships of the line and several smaller warships under Vice-admiral Pieter Hartsinck, posed a potential threat to British merchant shipping passing through the Strait of Malacca. As Pellew lacked the strength to invade Java outright, he instead established a blockade of the Dutch East Indies' capital of Batavia and made preparations to engage in targeted naval strikes to isolate and destroy Hartsinck's squadron.

Prior Engagements. In mid-1806, British frigates reconnoitred Javan waters and captured two Dutch frigates, encouraging Pellew to lead a major attack on Batavia that destroyed the last Dutch frigate and several smaller warships. At the action of 26 July 1806, a Dutch convoy sailing along the southern coast of Celebes was attacked and defeated by one of Pellew's reconnaissance frigates, HMS Greyhound.

Outcome. The raid on Griessie was the final action in a series of engagements fought by the British squadron based in the Indian Ocean against the Dutch navy's forces in Java. With the Dutch removed, British attention turned to the French Indian Ocean islands, which they blockaded and captured during the Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811.