View source for Action of 23 April 1794

{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Action of 23 April 1794
| partof      = the [[War of the First Coalition]]
| image       = H.M. frigate Arethusa inflicting the final blows on the French frigate Pomone, 23 April 1794, off the Channel Islands CSK 2016.jpg
| caption     = ''H.M. frigate Arethusa inflicting the final blows on the French frigate Pomone, 23 April 1794, off the Channel Islands'' <br /> John Askew, 1805
| date        = 23 April 1794
| place       = Off [[Guernsey]], [[English Channel]]
| result      = British victory
| combatant1  = [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
| combatant2  = [[French First Republic|France]]
| commander1  = [[John Borlase Warren|Sir John Borlase Warren]] <br /> [[Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet|Richard Strachan]]
| commander2  = [[Georges Desgarceaux]]{{KIA}}<ref>Rouvier</ref>
| strength1   = 5 frigates
| strength2   = 3 frigates <br /> 1 corvette
| casualties1 = 10 killed <br /> 25 wounded<ref name="NavMil">{{cite journal |title=The late Sir Richard Strachan |journal=The Naval and Military Magazine |year=1828 |volume=3 |page=256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYcEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR199 |accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref>
| casualties2 = 140 killed or wounded <br /> 2 frigates captured <br /> 1 corvette captured<ref name="pellew">{{cite web |url= http://www.pellew.com/Exmouth/Exmouth%20003/Chapter%2005%20-%20V.htm |title=The Life of Edward Pellew, Viscount Exmouth |first=C. Northcote |last=Parkinson |authorlink=C. Northcote Parkinson |work=pellew.com |year=2008 |accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="NavMil"/>
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox First Coalition}} {{Campaignbox French Revolutionary Wars Naval Battles}}
}}

The '''action of 23 April 1794''' took place between a British squadron of five frigates under the command of [[John Borlase Warren|Sir John Borlase Warren]] and three frigates and a corvette under the command of [[Chef d'escadre]] [[Georges Desgarceaux]] during the [[War of the First Coalition]]. Three of the French ships were captured.

==The battle==
[[File:Capture of La Pomone L' Engageante & La Babet April 23rd 1794.jpg|thumb|''Capture of La Pomone L' Engageante & La Babet April 23rd 1794'' ([[Thomas Whitcombe]], 1816)]]

On 21 April the frigate {{HMS|Minerva|1780|2}} sighted four distant ships in the [[English Channel]]. The next morning ''Minerva'' met Warren's squadron, and passed this information on.<ref name="pellew"/> Warren promptly set off in pursuit, and at dawn the next day, around 4 a.m., sighted three frigates and a corvette about seven or eight [[league (unit)|league]]s (24.5–28 nautical miles) south-west of Guernsey. The French formed a [[line of battle]], and Warren signalled his squadron to engage, with his own flagship {{HMS|Flora|1780|2}} in the lead, supported by {{HMS|Arethusa|1781|2}}. Taking advantage of the [[weather gage]] the British were able to force the French into a close action which lasted for nearly three hours, before the {{Ship|French frigate|Pomone|1785|2}} and {{HMS|Babet|1794|2}} surrendered at around 11 a.m.<ref name="Gazette">{{London Gazette|issue=13646|date=28 April 1794|pages=377–379}}</ref>

The {{Ship|French frigate|Engageante|1766|2}} and {{Ship|French frigate|Résolue|1778|2}} attempted to escape, and Warren ordered {{HMS|Concorde|1783|2}}, {{HMS|Melampus|1785|2}} and {{HMS|Nymphe|1780|2}} to pursue, as ''Flora'' was in no condition to do so. After an hour ''Concorde'' caught up with ''Engageante'' and attempted to disable her, intending to then attack the ''Résolue'', leaving ''Engageante'' to ''Melampus'' and ''Nymphe'', which were following.<ref name="Gazette"/>

However, while ''Concorde'' was engaged with ''Engageante'', the ''Résolue'' dropped back and laid herself across ''Concorde''{{'s}} bows, badly damaging her sails and rigging to the point where she was disabled. Having made hasty repairs ''Concorde'' came up again to re-engage the ''Engageante'', which eventually surrendered at about 1.45 p.m. ''Résolue'' fired a few shots and then made off, pursued by ''Melampus'' and ''Nymphe'', who chased her into [[Morlaix]], before returning to assist ''Concorde'' which was towing the crippled ''Engageante'' to port.<ref name="Gazette"/>

==Ships==

===Britain===
* {{HMS|Flora|1780|2}}, (36) [[John Borlase Warren|Sir John Borlase Warren]], flagship
* {{HMS|Arethusa|1781|2}}, (38) [[Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth|Sir Edward Pellew]]
* {{HMS|Melampus|1785|2}}, (36) Thomas Wells
* {{HMS|Concorde|1783|2}}, (32) [[Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet|Sir Richard Strachan]]
* {{HMS|Nymphe|1780|2}}, (36) [[George Murray (Royal Navy officer)|George Murray]]

===France===
* {{Ship|French frigate|Engageante|1766|2}}, (36) [[Georges Desgarceaux]], flagship  - captured by ''Concorde''
* {{Ship|French frigate|Pomone|1785|2}}, (36) [[Étienne Pévrieu]] - captured by ''Arethusa''
* {{Ship|French frigate|Résolue|1778|2}}, (34) [[Antoine Marie François Montalan]] - escaped
* {{HMS|Babet|1794|2}}, (20) [[Pierre-Joseph-Paul Belhomme]] - captured by ''Arethusa''

==See also==
{{Commons category-inline}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book|title=Histoire des marins français sous la République, de 1789 à 1803|first=Charles|last=Rouvier|publisher=Arthus Bertrand|year=1868|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9S8BAAAAQAAJ|language=French}}

{{coord missing|Channel Islands}}

[[Category:1794 in France]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1794]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving France]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Great Britain]]