Beachy Head

The Beachy Head Battle On 10th July 1690

This Naval History continues on from: "Battle Of Jutland"

Just over a hundred years after the Spanish Armada, the French fleets gathered in the Channel to face England in combat to challenge the British Channel Fleet.

This battle was arranged over a shorter period than the Armada to take advantage of England's weakness; her navy had been sadly neglected because of the cost of maintaining ships at sea. Clearly with the majority of the main English fleet in the Mediterranean the French could see the opportunty of a battle they should win.

We were in a war with France which would last for nine years. Britain was the dominant force at sea; and the French weren't far behind. With the British Empire spreading further afield by the year; her navy was stretched to the limit.

The Battle Off Beachy Head

This was a naval engagement fought on 10th July 1690, during the Nine Years' War with France. The battle would prove to be the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war. The English and Dutch lost some 11 ships in total (sources vary), whereas the French did not lose a single vessel.

Although control of the English Channel temporarily fell into French hands, Admiral Tourville failed to pursue the Allied fleet with sufficient ardor, allowing it to escape to the river Thames. Tourville was heavily criticized for not following up his victory and was relieved of his command.

English Admiral Lord Torrington – who had advised against engaging the superior French fleet but had been overruled by Queen Mary, and her ministers – was later court-martialled for his performance during the battle. Although he was acquitted, King William dismissed him from the service.

King James II, Campaigned In Ireland

King James II was campaigning in Ireland as a first step to regaining his throne following his deposition after the 'Glorious Revolution'.

In August 1689, Marshall Schomberg had been sent from England to bolster the forces loyal to King William, but his army had stalled through the cold Irish winter of 1689–90, suffering from sickness and desertion.

As early as January 1690, it was clear to William that he would have to sail personally to Ireland, with substantial reinforcements, in order to salvage the situation.

The main Allied fleet under Admiral Torrington was stationed in the English Channel; but a substantial part of the English fleet was in the Mediterranean under Vice-Admiral Henry Killigrew, which the Earl of Nottingham, William's Secretary of State and chosen naval advisor, hoped would neutralize the French Toulon squadron.

Sir Cloudesley Shovell remained in the Irish Sea, but his squadron was much too small to stop the French controlling these waters if they chose to do so. However, the French decided not to use their fleet as a subsidiary to the Irish campaign; King Louis XIV instead directed his navy against Torrington in the Channel.

French Troops To Oppose The English

Although 6,000 French troops under the command of the Comte de Lauzun were successfully ferried across to Ireland to aid James on 17th March, the French fleet under the Comte de Tourville returned to Brest on 1st May and there they remained inactive during the months of May and June, whilst the Grand Fleet was assembling.

This French inaction had provided William with the opportunity he desired. On 21st June, William embarked his forces at Chester on board 280 transports, escorted by only six men-of-war commanded by Shovell.

On 24th June, unmolested by the French fleet, William landed in Carrickfergus with 15,000 men for his Irish campaign, much to the consternation of James' chief lieutenant in Ireland the Earl of Tyrconnel, who later wrote "The want of a squadron of French men-of-war in St George's Channel has been our ruin."

French Fleets United for the Battle

After evading Killigrew off Cadiz, Château-Renault's Toulon squadron joined Tourville's fleet on 21st June. Tourville, now commanding the combined Brest and Mediterranean fleets totaling 75 ships of the line and 23 fireships, sailed on 23rd June, into the Channel; by 30th June, the French were off the Lizard.

Much of the Royal Navy had been diverted to protect Britain's maritime commerce from privateers, and the Allied fleet now only had 56 English and Dutch ships of the line, totaling 4,153 guns, to Tourville's fleet of 4,600 guns.

Torrington's fleet reached the Isle of Wight and was joined by a Dutch squadron under the command of Cornelis Evertsen. On 5th July, Torrington sighted the French fleet, calculating their strength at almost 80 ships of the line.

Unable to proceed to the westward to link up with Shovell and Killigrew (who was on his way home), Torrington announced his intention of retreating before the superior French fleet to the Straits of Dover, believing the loss of the 'fleet in being' would strategically be too great.

A Decision Had To Be Reached

In William's absence, Queen Mary and her advisors – the 'Council of Nine' – hastened to take measures for the defense of the country.

Carmarthen thought that it was advisable to fight; as did Nottingham and Admiral Russell, who were unconvinced that the French were as strong as had Torrington reported, and considered that only the admiral's pessimism, defeatism or treachery could account for his reports.

As the two fleets moved slowly up the channel (with Torrington keeping carefully out of range), Russell drafted the order to fight. Countersigned by Nottingham, the orders reached the admiral on 9th July, whilst he was off Beachy Head.

Torrington realised that not to give battle was to be guilty of direct disobedience; to give battle was, in his judgment, to incur serious risk of defeat. Torrington called a council of war with his flag-officers, who concluded that they had no option but to obey.

The following day, 10th July, off Beachy Head near Eastbourne Torrington advanced towards the French in line of battle. He placed the Dutch white squadron with 21 ships – commanded by Cornelis Evertsen –. Torrington himself was in the centre of the red squadron; the rear blue squadron, was commanded by Vice- Admiral Ralph Delaval, comprised both English and Dutch ships.

French Had Planned Their Attacking Strategy

The French Admiral divided his force into the customary three squadrons, with white and blue, white, and blue pennants respectively. Tourville, aboard the Soleil Royal, commanded the centre, white squadron.

The blue squadron in the French fleet was commanded by Château- Renault; Victor-Marie d'Estrées commanded the rear white and blue squadron. In each fleet the squadron commanders were in the centre of their respective squadrons, and the division flag officers in the centre of their divisions.

The French fleet bearing NNW towards the English coast. The French centre sagged exactly where the Comte de Tourville was stationed.

At about 08:00 the Allies, being to windward, ran down together in line abreast, elongated in order to cover the whole French fleet and prevent doubling at either end.

The Dutch squadron bore down on the leading French squadron to engage on a parallel course, but left the leading division of Château-Renault's squadron unmarked – "a notable blunder," wrote the French admiral.

This division cut across Evertsen's path and, doubling on the Dutch squadron, was able to inflict heavy losses. Vice Admiral Ashby of the red squadron tried to help the Dutch, but the Marquis de Villette succeeded in tacking ahead, placing Ashby between two fires.

The English Had Difficulties

When Torrington brought the remainder of the red squadron into action, he found difficulty in getting close enough because of the sag in the French line, and came no closer than twice gunshot range.

Admiral Tourville, finding himself with few adversaries in the centre, pushed forward his own leading ships which Torrington's dispositions had left without opponents, further strengthening the French attack. The Dutch were now opposed by the whole of Château-Renault's squadron, and the centre divisions of Tourville's squadron.

Delaval's greatly outnumbered blue squadron fought a desperate battle with d'Estrées in the rear. Evertsen in the centre, having lost his second-in-command and many other officers, was forced to withdraw.

The Dutch had maintained the unequal contest with very little assistance from the rest of the Allied fleet; which left two Dutch ships sunk, one shattered and dismasted vessel was captured, and many were badly damaged.

Outmatched, Torrington ended the battle late in the afternoon, taking advantage of the tide and the drop in wind; while his ships dropped anchor, the French – who were not sufficiently alert – were carried off by the current and out of cannon range.

The eight-hour battle was a complete victory for the French, but was far from decisive. When the tide changed at 21:00, the Allies weighed anchor. Tourville pursued, but instead of ordering a general chase, he maintained the strict line-of-battle, reducing the speed of the fleet to that of the slower ships.

Nevertheless, Torrington burnt seven more badly-damaged Dutch ships and one English ship to avoid capture before gaining the refuge of the Thames; as soon as he was in the safety of the river, he ordered all the navigation buoys removed, making any attempt to follow him too dangerous.

The French Won The Battle Of Beachy Head

With the defeat of Beachy Head Tourville had temporary command of the English Channel; it seemed that the French could at the same time prevent William from returning from Ireland across the Irish Sea and land an invading army in England.

Diarist John Evelyn wrote – "The whole nation now exceedingly alarmed by the French fleet braving our coast even to the very Thames mouth;" a fear compounded by news from the Continent of a French victory at the Battle of Fleurus on 1st July.

To oppose the threatened invasion, 6,000 regular troops, together with the hastily organized militia, were prepared by the Earl of Marlborough for the country's defense.

In the prevailing atmosphere of paranoia, no-one attributed the defeat to overwhelming odds. Nottingham accused Torrington of treachery, informing William on 13th July, "In plain terms ... Torrington deserted the Dutch so shamefully that the whole squadron would have been lost if some of our ships had not rescued them."

Nottingham was anxious to shift blame, but no one disputed his interpretation. "I cannot express to you," wrote William to the Grand Pensionary Anthonie Heinsius in the Dutch Republic, "how distressed I am at the disasters of the fleet; I am so much the more deeply affected as I have been informed that my ships did not properly support those of the Estates, and left them in the lurch.

A Glimmer Of Hope

There was, however, some good news for the Allies. The day after Beachy Head, 11th July 1690, William decisively defeated Louis' ally, King James, at the land Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. James fled to France, but appeals to Louis for an invasion of England were not heeded.

The Marquis de Seignelay, who had succeeded his father Colbert as naval minister, had not planned for an invasion and had thought no further than Beachy Head, writing to Tourville before the engagement – " ... I shall be content if you will let me know as soon as possible after the battle your thoughts on the employment of the fleet for the rest of the campaign."

The French had failed to exploit their success. To the fury of Louis and Seignelay, the sum of Tourville's victory was the symbolic and futile burning of the English coastal town of Teignmouth in July, and he was relieved of command.

The English squadrons now rallied to the main fleet. By the end of August the Allies had 90 vessels cruising the Channel – temporary French control had come to an end.

English Regained Control Of Channel

Torrington, however, had been sent to the Tower of London to await a court martial at Chatham. The substance of the charge was that he had withdrawn and kept back, and had not done his utmost to damage the enemy and to assist his own and the Dutch ships.

Torrington blamed the defeat on the lack of naval preparations and intelligence – he had not been informed that the Brest fleet had been reinforced with the Toulon squadron. He also contended that the Dutch had engaged too early, before they had reached the head of the French line.

To the outrage and astonishment of William and his ministers – and the delight of the English seamen who regarded him as a political sacrifice to the Dutch – the court acquitted him. Torrington took up his seat in the House of Lords, but William refused to see him and dismissed him from the service on 12th December.

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Now A change For The Better

Because of England's crushing defeat by France, in naval the engagements culminating in the 10th July 1690, at the Battle of Beachy Head. It put England into a situation where she had no choice but to build a powerful navy; and as there were no funds available, in 1694, a private institution, the Bank of England, was set up to supply money to the King.

£1.2m was raised in twelve days; half of this was used to rebuild the Navy. The huge industrial effort required to build the ships was what Britain needed; immediately it started to transform the economy, from iron works, making nails and fittings, to agriculture for feeding the newly quadrupled strength of the Royal Navy.

This helped the new United Kingdom – England and Scotland were united in 1707, – to become prosperous and powerful. Together with the power of the navy, this made Britain the dominant world power in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries while France remained the world dominant military power during this Napoleonic period, particularly on the continent.

The continuation of this Naval History will be: "Ghost Ships"

Beachy Head Ghost Ships

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