Action of 7 June 1780

Part of the American Revolutionary War

Date	7 June 1780
Location	15 miles off Long Island
Result	Inconclusive

Belligerents

France

Great Britain

Commanders and leaders

Louis-René Levassor de Latouche (WIA)

James Hawker

Strength

Hermione

HMS Iris

Casualties and losses

10 killed, 37 wounded

7 killed, 9 wounded

The Action of 7 June 1780 took place during the American War of Independence between the frigates Hermione and HMS Iris. The ships exchanged fire for one hour and a half before parting. The battle resumed epistolarily when Hawker published his account of the battle in a newspaper, which Latouche contested heatedly.

The Franco-American alliance marked the French intervention in the American War of Independence, yielding a considerable contribution to the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War. France and Britain fought to control shipping lanes and supply their side on the American continent, while conducting support operations and landings.

One of the French frigates involved was Latouche's 32-gun Hermione, that had ferried General La Fayette France to Boston. After a brief period installing artillery for the defence of Rhodes Island, Latouche returned off Long Island to intercept shipping to New York City.

On 7 June, Hermione was 15 miles South-East of Long Island, cruising under a fair South-Western wind, when she spotted four sails windward. As Hermione was a good sailor, Latouche came nearer to the wind and closed in to investigate. He soon made the strange ships to be a frigate, a corvette, a schooner and a snow. The frigate reduced her sails and ran in the wind to intercept Hermione, which took a port tack for the same purpose.

Slightly before they arrived on each other's beam, both frigates reduced their lower sails and hoisted their flag, firing a full broadside. The British frigate was the 32-gun HMS Iris, under Captain James Hawker. After overhauling Iris, Hermione turned to run into the wind, on a starboard tack, and easily sailed into the beam of Iris. The exchange of fire then resumed, and Latouche was wounded when his arm was shot through by a musket ball; he nevertheless continued to command his ship.

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Wikipedia