List of single-ship actions

A single-ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; it is called so because there is a single ship on each side. The following is a list of notable single-ship actions.

Battle between the English frigate Shannon and the American frigate Chesapeake, painted in 1836 by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and depicting the capture of USS Chesapeake.

Single-ship actions

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Anglo-Spanish War

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Third Anglo-Dutch War

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Golden Age of Piracy

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War of the Austrian Succession

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  • 1743, June 20 – HMS Centurion captures the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Covadonga
  • 1746, 21 January – HMS Granado captures the French privateer Marianne

Seven Years War

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  • 1761, 1 January – HMS Trent captures the French merchant frigate Bien Aimé.

American Revolutionary War

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French Revolutionary Wars

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  • 1793, May 13 – HMS Iris and Citoyenne Française conduct an inconclusive but sanguinary engagement
  • 1793, June 18 – HMS Nymphe captures the Cléopâtre (details)
  • 1793, September 3 – French frigate Citoyen captures and ransoms the Guineaman Courier.
  • 1793, December 1 – The British packet ship Antelope captures the French privateer Atlante.
  • 1794, May 29 – HMS Carysfort recaptures HMS Castor (details)
  • 1794, July 28 – French privateer Guillotine captures merchant vessel Sandown
  • 1794, September 5 – Merchantmen Esther repulses Républicaine
  • 1794, September 25 – Merchantman Bolton repulses a French privateer
  • 1794, September – Enslaving ship Duke of Buccleugh repels attack by French privateer Pervie
  • 1795 – The enslaving ship Æolus repels an attack by a French privateer
  • 1795, January 4 – HMS Blanche captures Pique
  • 1795, March 13 – HMS Lively captures the French frigate Tourterelle
  • 1795, October 30 – The enslaving ship Lord Stanley repels an attack by a French 12-gun schooner privateer
  • 1796, January – A French privateer captures the enslaving ship Ranger
  • 1796, September – The enslaving ship Bud repels an attack by a French privateer
  • 1796, November 20 – Merchantman Wilding engages a French privateer that blows up during the engagement
  • 1796, May 25 – HMS Suffisante captures the privateer Revanche
  • 1796, June 6 – HMS Unicorn captures French frigate Tribune
  • 1796, October 8 & 9 – Merchant ship Backhouse repels attack by French privateer
  • 1796, November 28 – The enslaving ship Tarleton repels two different French privateers on the same day, each engagement representing a single-ship action
  • 1797, 29 January – French privateer Jeune Emilie captures the British merchant vessel Battalion
  • 1797, March 13 – HMS Viper captures Nuestra Señora de la Piedad.
  • 1797, June 1 – The French privateer Oiseau captures the British slave ship Britannia
  • 1797, August 15 – HMS Alexander captures French privateer Coq
  • 1797, August 29 – A French privateer captures the merchantman Ranger
  • 1797, October – HMS Alexander captures French privateer Epicharis
  • 1797, October – Merchant ship Backhouse repels attack by French privateer
  • 1797, December 19 – Slave ship Eliza blows up while engaging a French privateer
  • 1797, December 22 – HMS Phoebe captures the French frigate Néréide
  • 1797, December 27 – HMS Caroline captures the Spanish ship St Raphael
  • 1798, January – 11 HMS Racoon captures the French privateer Policrate
  • 1798, April 2 – HMS Mars captures the French ship Hercule
  • 1798, April 17 – HMS Recovery captures the French privateer Revanche
  • 1798, July 4 – French brig Lodi in an inconclusive engagement with the English privateer brig Acquila (probably Eagle)
  • 1798, June 21 – His Majesty's packet ship Princess Royal repels the French privateer Avanture.(details)
  • 1798, August 7 – HMS Espoir captures the Genoese pirate Liguria
  • 1798, September 18 – A French privateer captures the West Indiaman Agreeable
  • 1798, September 27 – The French privateer President Parker captures the Guineaman Bud
  • 1798, October 20 – HMS Racoon captures the French privateer Vigilante
  • 1798, December 12 – HMS Perdrix captures the French privateer L'Armée d' Italie
  • 1798, February 24 – French frigate Forte captures the East Indiaman Osterley, but then allows her to proceed.
  • 1798, March 1 – HMS Sybille captures French frigate Forte.
  • 1799, February 25 – French privateer Democrat captures merchantman Cicero
  • 1799, March 18 – HM hired brig Telegraph captures French privateer Hirondelle
  • 1799, April 13 – HMS Amaranthe captures the French letter of marque Vengeur.
  • 1799, November 23 – Hired cutter Courier captures French privateer Guerrier
  • 1799, November 26 – Merchant ship Barton repels attack by a French privateer
  • 1799, December 2 – HMS Racoon captures French privateer Intrepide
  • 1799, December 2 – the British merchantman Achilles captures the French privateer corvette Entreprenante
  • 1799, December 26 – HMS Viper captures the French privateer Furet
  • 1800, March 5 – HMS Phoebe captures the privateer Heureux
  • 1800, March 31 – French privateer Minerve captures the United States letter of marque Minerva
  • 1800, August 20 – HMS Seine captures the French ship Vengeance
  • 1800, October 7 – French privateer Confiance captures British East Indiaman Kent
  • 1800, October 8 – HMS Gipsy captures the French privateer Quidproquo
  • 1800, October – American merchant ship Rebecca repels French privateer Malartic
  • 1800, November 11 – East Indiaman Phoenix captures French privateer Malartic.
  • 1800, November 13 – HMS Milbrook defeats and drives off the French privateer Bellone
  • 1800, November 13 – HMS Albatross captures the privateer brig Adèle
  • 1800, November 22 - HCS Intrepid repels a French privateer off Muscat
  • 1801, January 17 – The French privateer Mon Oncle Thomas captures the Guineaman Leander
  • 1801, February 19 – HMS Phoebe captures the French frigate Africaine (details)
  • 1801, March 5 – French privateer Gironde captures the merchantman Bolton
  • 1801, March 23 – HMS Albatross captures the French privateer Gloire
  • 1801, April – British merchantman Union Island repels a Spanish privateer
  • 1801, May – French privateer captures the British merchantman Union Island
  • 1801, May 6 – HMS Speedy captures Spanish xebec frigate El Gamo (Details)*
  • 1801, June 14 – Liverpool privateer General Keppel repels French privateer Mouche
  • 1801, August 18 – HMS Guachapin captures Spanish letter of marque Theresa
  • 1801, September 25 – HMS Pickle has an inconclusive engagement with a privateer flying the Spanish colors off Hispaniola.
  • 1801, November 20 – A Spanish frigate of 44 guns captures the Liverpool privateer General Keppel

Quasi-War

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First Barbary War

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Napoleonic Wars

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War of 1812

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HMS Leopard (right) fires upon USS Chesapeake during the Chesapeake–Leopard affair.

Argentine War of Independence

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  • 1825, January 25 – Buenos Aires privateer Tupac Amaru (ex-US Regent) captures the Spanish merchantman Triton

Suppression of the slave trade

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  • 1826, March 20 – Nettuno, a Brazilian slave ship and prize to HMS Esk, repels the pirate brig Caroline
  • 1828, April 2 – HMS Black Joke captures Providentia
  • 1828, May 1 – HMS Black Joke captures Presidenté
  • 1829, February 1 – HMS Black Joke captures Almirante
  • 1829, June 5 – HMS Pickle captures Voladora
  • 1829, June 26 – HMS Monkey captures Midas
  • 1830, September 7 – HMS Primrose captures Veloz Passagera (details)
  • 1832, June 3 – HMS Speedwell captures the slaver Aquila off Cuba

Texas Revolution

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War of the Confederation

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  • 1837, February 5 – Chilean brig Aquiles, which kept the port of Callao blocked, attacked the Confederate schooner Yanacocha and forced her to return to her anchorage.
  • 1838, January 18 – Chilean corvette Libertad captured the Confederate corvette Confederación on the coast of Callao.

First Schleswig War

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Crimean War

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  • 1853, November 17 – Russian steam frigate Vladimir captures Turkish/Egyptian steam frigate Pervaz Bahri in the Black Sea

American Civil War

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Chincha Islands War

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Franco-Prussian War

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Single-ship action between the German gunboat Meteor and the French aviso Bouvet at the Battle of Havana.

Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878

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  • 1877, July 23 – Ottoman central battery ironclad Feth-i Bülend duels inconclusively with Russian auxiliary cruiser Vesta in the Black Sea.

War of the Pacific

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Spanish–American War

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  • 1898, April 25 – Spanish gunboat Ligera repulses an attack by American torpedo boat USS Foote (details)

Venezuelan Civil War

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  • 1902, February 7 – Rebel auxiliary cruiser Libertador sinks Venezuelan gunboat General Crespo.[4]

Mexican Revolution

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World War I

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Russian Civil War

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  • 1920, May 3 – Soviet floating battery Krasnaya Zarya engages French sloop Le Scarpe off Ochakov, damaging her and forcing her surrender.

World War II

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Ecuadorian–Peruvian War

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  • 1941, July 25 – Ecuadorian gunboat Abdón Calderón duels inconclusively with Peruvian destroyer Almirante Villar off Jambeli

Korean War

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Vietnam War

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Sri Lankan Civil War

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  • 2003, March 10 – SLNS Sayura sinks LTTE logistic vessel MV Koimer off Mullaitivu

Anti-piracy off Somalia

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Anti-piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

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  • 28 August 2012 – Pirated tanker Energy Centurian fights off a Togolese navy patrol vessel and escapes.[10]
  • 19 February 2016 – Nigerian frigate NNS Okpabana captures the pirated tanker Elvis-3 in the Gulf of Guinea in a contested boarding action.[11]

Second Libyan Civil War

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  • 6 April 2017 – A Libyan Coast Guard vessel captures a migrant smuggling vessel after an action off Zawiya.[12]

Anti-piracy off Venezuela

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Shomette, Donald G.; Haslach, Robert D. (1988). Raid on America: The Dutch Naval campaign of 1672-1674. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 277–281. ISBN 978-0788422454.
  2. ^ "No. 16194". The London Gazette. 22 October 1808. pp. 1437–1438.
  3. ^ Sapunar Peric, Pedro. "El Mini Combate Naval de Tocopilla" (PDF) (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Academia de Historia Naval y Marítima de Chile. Retrieved 5 July 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "ESCUADRA VENEZOLANA EN TIEMPOS DE CASTRO (1902-1903)".
  5. ^ Corbett, Sir Julian S. (1920). To The Battle of the Falklands, December 1914. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. 1. Longmans, Green and Co. p. 282.
  6. ^ "Winona, 1946" (PDF). Cutters, Craft & U.S. Coast Guard Manned Army & Navy Vessels. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  7. ^ "Pirates captured after firing on German naval ship | CBC News".
  8. ^ Oakes, Dan (2011-03-26). "Navy takes its first shot at pirates". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  9. ^ "India's I-Day Gallantry Award Winners & Why (Part 2) - Livefist". 14 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Pirates hijack Greek-operated tanker off Togo coast | CNN". CNN. 28 August 2012.
  11. ^ Steffen, Dirk (7 March 2016). "West African Navies Coming of Age?". Center for International Maritime Security.
  12. ^ "4 suspected people smugglers killed off Libya | News24". Archived from the original on 2017-04-06.
  13. ^ "Cruise ship collision sinks Venezuela navy vessel". BBC News. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-13.