Action of 18 October 1782
The action of 18 October 1782 was a minor naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, in which the French 74-gun ship of the line "Scipion", accompanied by the 40-gun frigate "Sibylle", was chased by two Royal Navy ships of the line, the 98-gun HMS "London" and the 82-gun "Torbay". Outmanoeuvring her larger opponents, "Scipion" obtained a favourable position that allowed her to rake "London", causing severe damage and allowing her to continue running from the superior British force. "Scipion" went to anchor in Samaná Bay but while doing so hit  a rock and sank, while "Sibylle" succeeded in escaping the area. Action. On 17 October 1782, during the American Revolutionary War, a British squadron consisting of the 98-gun ship of the line HMS "London", 82-gun ship of the line HMS "Torbay", and 14-gun sloop HMS "Badger" was sailing off the coast of San Domingo when they spotted two strange sails. The squadron chased the ships to the north-west and discovered them to be the French 74-gun ship of the line "Scipion" and her consort the 40-gun frigate "Sibylle". At 2:24 p.m. "London", Captain James  Kempthorne, had succeeded in coming within range of "Scipion", Captain Nicolas Henri de Grimouard, and the two ships of the line began a running fight mostly with the use of their chase guns and the occasional broadside from "London". "Sibylle" went to the assistance of her compatriot and attacked "London"s bow as she concentrated on "Scipion", inflicting much damage. "London" continued to close on "Scipion" until finally at 8:30 p.m. they began to trade broadsides alongside each other. The bombardment continued until 8:50 p.m. when the two ships of the line crashed together, with "Scipion"s cathead coming alongside "London"s starboard  gangway. The close proximity of the vessels allowed muskets and other small arms to come into effect, with each side firing into the groups of men operating their opponent's upper deck guns and causing much carnage. Soon however "Scipion" managed to get clear of her opponent by backing away from her, and sailed astern of her, where she raked "London". The fire of "Scipion", going from stern to bow of the British ship, destroyed much of her rigging and masts, leaving her disabled. While "Scipion" had been manoeuvring around "London", "Torbay", Captain John Gidoin, had finally managed to come  into action and began firing into "Scipion"s larboard side, but the now-disabled "London" crashed into her as she went about her work, leaving both British ships tangled together. At 10:20 p.m. "Scipion" stopped firing and "Sibylle" escaped from the action. Concluding that the French ship of the line had surrendered, "London" attempted to come up and take possession of her, but was unable to do so because of the state of her rigging. Kempthorne charged Gidoin with sailing towards "Scipion", but while this was happening the French ship caught a gust of wind and began to sail away. After  re-organising themselves the British ships began their chase once again. They did so through the night of 17–18 October, but despite exchanging some shots the French succeeded in lengthening the distance between them and their pursuers, so that by the morning of 18 October "Torbay", the lead ship, was a mile and a half behind "Scipion". By 3:30 p.m. "Torbay" had succeeded in gaining ground on "Scipion" and Gidoin began to fire into her, at which point "Scipion" sailed into Samaná Bay, in what is now the Dominican Republic, and attempted to anchor there. Having credibly escaped an enemy  force of over double her strength, she then struck a rock and sank in the bay. "Scipion" was a total loss but her crew escaped almost intact from the action. Aftermath. Louis XVI made Grimouard, who had been wounded in the action, a count for his actions in fighting off and then successfully escaping the superior British squadron, and commissioned a painting of the action from Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy. Kempthorne was put in front of a court of enquiry because of his inability to take "Scipion" in open action, but he was honourably acquitted of all charges . Sources and references. Notes Citations Bibliography