Action of 26 July 1806

Action of 26 July 1806
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Map of Celebes, with the location of the action marked.
Date 26 July 1806 Location Southern coast of Celebes Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Kingdom of Holland
Commanders and leaders
Captain Edward Elphinstone	Captain N. S. Aalbers  †
Strength
Frigate HMS Greyhound and brig-sloop HMS Harrier	Frigate Pallas, corvette William and Dutch East Indiamen Victoria and Batavier.
Casualties and losses
One killed, 11 wounded	12 killed, 39 wounded. Pallas, Victoria and Batavier captured

Coordinates: 5°40′S 120°10′E / 5.667°S 120.167°E / -5.667; 120.167

The Action of 26 July 1806 was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars fought off the southern coast of the island of Celebes in the Dutch East Indies. During the battle, a small British squadron attacked and defeated a Dutch force defending a valuable convoy, which was also captured. The British force—consisting of the frigate HMS Greyhound and brig-sloop HMS Harrier under the command of Captain Edward Elphinstone—was initially wary of the Dutch, mistaking the Dutch East Indiaman merchant ship Victoria for a ship of the line. Closer observation revealed the identity of the Dutch vessels the following day and Elphinstone led his frigate against the leading Dutch warship Pallas while Harrier engaged the merchant vessels and forced them to surrender. Only the corvette William escaped, taking no part in the engagement.

The battle was the first in a series of actions by the Royal Navy squadron based at Madras with the intention of eliminating the Dutch squadron maintained at Java. Greyhound had been sent to the Java Sea and the Molucca Islands to reconnoitre the Dutch ports in preparation for a raid on Java by a larger force under Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew later in the year. Elphinstone's success was followed by a second frigate action by Captain Peter Rainier in which the Dutch ship Maria Riggersbergen was captured. In November 1806, Admiral Pellew led the main body of his squadron against the capital of the Dutch East Indies at Batavia and a year later eliminated the last vessels of the Dutch East Indies squadron at Griessie.

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