Action of 8 March 1795
| Action of 8 March 1795 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Republic
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 Great Britain
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lieutenant Lejoille (WIA) | Captain Adam Littlejohn † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Frigate Alceste | 74-gun HMS Berwick (partly disabled) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8 wounded | 4 wounded 1 killed Berwick captured |
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The Action of 8 March 1795 was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought mostly between the British 74-gun HMS Berwick and the French frigate Alceste, with later the assistance of the frigate Vestale and the 74-gun Duquesne.
The 74-gun HMS Berwick, equipped with the rigging of a frigate after an accident had destroyed her own, and mounting only 64 guns, met a French fleet bound for Corsica. Two French 74-guns and three frigates sailed to intercept Berwick, but the frigate Alceste arrived first on the scene, and most of the action occurred between the partly disabled British 74-gun and the French frigate.
Berwick suffered a further handicap when her captain was killed at the beginning of the battle. The arrival of a second frigate on the scene forced Berwick to surrender.
On 2 March 1795, the French squadron based in Toulon, under Rear-Admiral Martin, sailed for Corsica. It comprised fifteen ships of the line (one 120-gun, two 80-gun and the rest 74-guns), seven frigates and five smaller warships. Political oversight was assured by Représentant en mission Letourneur.
The mission of the French fleet is unclear: the various theories suggest a landing in Corsica, mentioned in Letourneur's correspondence and suggested by numerous troopships in Toulon; however, the troopships and ships of the line armed en flûte, loaded with troops and equipment, did not leave Toulon harbour. In Histoire de la revolution française, Adolphe Thiers proposes that the objective was a demonstration of force on Rome following the lynching of Ambassador Bassville. The report of the Committee of Public Safety to the National Convention states that the fleet was at sea to secure shipping lines in the Mediterranean.
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Wikipedia