March 7, 1778 at the West Indies (USS Randolph vs. HMS Yarmouth) – On the afternoon of 7 March, Randolph’s lookouts spotted sail on the horizon which proved to be the British, 64-gun ship of the line, Yarmouth. That evening, as Randolph engaged the British warship, the American frigate seemed to be on the verge of victory when some unknown cause, perhaps a chance spark in the chaos of battle, ignited her magazine and Biddle’s plucky ship disintegrated in one blinding flash. Flaming debris from Randolph showered down on Yarmouth preventing her from pursuing the South Carolina ships which slipped away in the darkness.
Conclusion: British Victory.
Casualties: American: 306 k (only 4 survived); British: 5k, 11w
April 27-28, 1778 at Whitehaven, England – On April 27-28, John Paul Jones leads a detachment from the U.S.S. Ranger, setting 3 ships on fire while also spiking the guns of two forts protecting the port. Later in the day, Sailing across the bay to St. Mary’s Isle, Scotland, the American captain planned to seize the Earl of Selkirk and hold him as a hostage to obtain better treatment for American prisoners of war. However, since the Earl was absent, the plan failed.
Conclusion: American Victory
April 28, 1778 at Belfast, Ireland (USS Ranger vs. HMS Drake) – On April 28, Several cruisers were searching for Ranger, and Captain Jones sailed across the North Channel to Carrickfergus, Ireland, to induce HMS Drake of 20 guns, to come out and fight. Drake came out slowly against the wind and tide, and, after an hour’s battle, the battered Drake struck her colors, with two Americans and 40 British killed in the combat.
Conclusion: American Victory
June 19, 1778 at Charlestown, South Carolina – On June 19, the Connecticut brig Defence, commanded by Capt. Samuel Smedley, and the South Carolina sloop Volant, commanded by Capt. Oliver Daniel, sailed out from Charlestown Harbor to find the privateers in the area. By nightfall, they discovered a group of 3 St. Augustine privateers. Two of the privateer ships were captured, the Governor Tonyn’s Revenge and the Ranger. The third privateer, the Active, managed to escape.
Conclusion: American Victory
July 27, 1778 at Ushant Island, England – The first Battle of Ushant was a naval battle, fought between the French and British navies 100 miles west of the isle of Ile dOuessant, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel off the north-westernmost point of France.
The British had 30 ships of the line commanded by Admiral the Honourable Augustus Keppel in HMS Victory. The French had 29 ships commanded by Admiral Louis Guillouet, comte d’Orvilliers.
Keppel put to sea from Spithead on July 9, 1778, with a force of 30 ships of the line and sighted a French fleet of 29 sail west of Ushant on July 23. Comte d’Orvilliers, who had orders to avoid battle, was cut off from Brest but retained the weather gauge. Two of his ships to windward escaped into port leaving him with 27.
The two fleets manoeuvered during shifting winds and a heavy rain squall until a battle became inevitable with the British more or less in column and the French in some confusion. However, the French managed to pass along the British line to windward with their most advanced ships. At around noon, HMS Victory opened fire on Bretagne, 110, followed by Ville de Paris, 90. The British van escaped with little loss but Sir Hugh Palliser’s rear division suffered considerably. Keppel made the signal to wear and follow the French, but Palliser did not conform and the action was not resumed.
A violent quarrel exacerbated by political differences broke out among the British commands, which led to two courts-martial and to the resignation of Keppel, and did great injury to the discipline of the navy. Keppel was court-martialled but cleared of dereliction of duty charges, and Palliser criticised by an enquiry before the affair turned into a squabble of party politics.
European waters Campaign, 1778–1782
August 6, 1778 at Bull Island Bay, South Carolina (Revenge vs. Charlotte) – On August 6, the British privateer Revenge chased the schooner Charlotte into Bull Island Bay near Charlestown. The Charlotte ran aground and was quickly captured.
Conclusion: British Victory
September 25, 1778 at Currituck Inlet, North Carolina (USS Raliegh Captured) – On September 25, Raleigh sailed for Portsmouth, Va., with a brig and a sloop under convoy. Six hours later two strange sails were sighted. After identification of the ships as British the merchant vessels were ordered back to port. Raleigh drew off the enemy. Through that day and the next the enemy ships HMS Unicorn and HMS Experiment, pursued Raleigh. In late afternoon on the 27th, the leading British ship closed with her. A 7-hour running battle followed, much of the time in close action. About midnight, the enemy hauled off and Barry prepared to conceal his ship among the islands of Penobscot Bay.
The enemy, however, again pressed the battle. As Raleigh opened fire, Barry ordered a course toward the land. Raleigh soon grounded on Wooden Ball Island. The British hauled off but continued the fight for a while, then anchored. Barry ordered the crew ashore to continue the fight and to burn Raleigh.
A large party, including Barry, made it to shore. One boat was ordered back to Raleigh to take off the remainder of the crew, and destroy her, however the British again fired on the ship, striking the Continental colors. The battle was over. All three ships had been damaged, Unicorn particularly so. Of the Americans ashore, a few were captured on the island, but the remainder, including Barry, made it back to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving on October 7.
Conclusion: British Victory
November 28, 1778 at South Carolina coast, South Carolina (USS General Moultrie vs. privateer) – On November 28, the USS General Moultrie, commanded by Capt. Downham Newtown, engaged a Jamacian privateer, commanded by Capt. ?? Smith, off the South Carolina coast. Although Smith was hit 7 times during the battle, he refused to surrender. The battle ended when the General Moultrie’s crew boarded the privateer and defeated the Loyalist crew.
Conclusion: American Victory
December 16, 1778 at Port Royal, South Carolina – On December 16, the sloop Sally, commanded by Capt. Benjamin Stone, spotted a large transport ship at the mouth of the Port Royal Harbor. He sailed to within 25 yards of the transport to investigate. When the Sally pulled alongside the transport, its hidden crew emerged and opened fire on the Sally with muskets. Stone ordered the Sally to withdraw from the area.
Conclusion: British Victory.
Reported Casualties: Americans: 6k, 12w
December 28, 1778 at St. Lucia, Bahamas – The Battle of St. Lucia was a naval battle fought off the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on December 15, 1778, between 7 ships of the line of the British Royal Navy and 12 ships of the line of the French Navy.
On the 4th of November d’Estaing sailed for the West Indies, on the very day that Commodore William Hotham was despatched from New York to reinforce the British fleet in those waters. On the 7th of September the French governor of Martinique, the Marquis de Bouille, had surprised the British island of Dominica. Admiral Samuel Barrington, the British admiral in the Leeward Islands, had retaliated by seizing St. Lucia on the 13th and 14th of December after the arrival of Hotham from North America. D’Estaing, who followed Hotham closely, was beaten off in two feeble attacks on Barrington at the Cul-de-Sac of St. Lucia on the 15th of December.
Conclusion: British Victory
West Indies Campaign
