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Friday, 9 December 2016

HMS Pulteney and the Spanish Xebecs 1743

There have been many blogs on this site dealing with actions
in the Age of Fighting Sail that involved only a few vessels, in many cases two
only. In most cases, skilful manoeuvring and sail management, taking full
advantage of wind and sea conditions, were key factors in positioning vessels
to deliver their broadsides from the most advantageous position. There can only
have been few cases in which the action took place in a calm and the movements
of sailing warships were determined by the ability of their crews to propel them
by sweeps or oars. Sweeps were long oars which could be extended out through gun
ports and their use seems to have fallen away in the course of the 18th
Century. In Britain’s National Maritime Museum in Greenwich there is only one
model of a vessel with sweeps deployed, as shown in the photograph below

It was during the War of Austrian Succession in January 1743
that HMS Pulteney fought a battle in the
Straits of Gibraltar in which her sweeps, and her enemies’, were to determine the
course of action. The Pulteney, “a large
brigantine” carrying 16 carriage guns (I can find no further detail) and commanded
by a Captain James Purcell, had been cruising in the Straits to deter Spanish
naval movements (as was the case in most in 18th Century wars, Spain
was allied with France against Britain). She now however found herself becalmed
off the British fortifications at Gibraltar and under observation from Spanish
forces at Algeciras, directly across the bay from them.

Two Spanish xebecs now left Algeciras to intercept Pulteney. Xebecs were a type of craft
common in the Mediterranean and were employed by the Spanish and French navies
as well as by North African corsairs. Light and highly manoeuvrable, many were
essentially galleys, with provisions as a matter of course for oar propulsion
as well as by large lanteen sails. (Sentencing to galley service was a dreaded punishment
for criminals). This contrasted with the use of sweeps, which were usually
employed as a last resort, and operated by members of the crew. The two xebecs
that came out to confront Purcell and the Pulteney
were each crewed by 120 men and each carried 12 guns, apparently 9-pounders.
Their rowers’ efforts were supplemented by the current through the Straits running
in their favour. The Pulteney by
contrast had only 42 men on board, three of whom had been wounded in an earlier
action.

A superb painting of Xebecs in action five years before the Pulteney's encounter

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The xebecs opened fire with individual guns as they
approached but when within hailing distance called on Captain Purcell by name
to strike so as to avoid unnecessary slaughter. He and the Spanish captains appear
to have known each other – this being an era of gentlemanly warfare and
courteous respect for the enemy. Purcell, as was probably expected, refused to
yield and the engagement commenced, the Pulteney
being at a disadvantage to her more manoeuvrable foes. Gunfire was exchanged
for an hour and three quarters and the Spanish xebecs made three separate
attempts to board. Given how small Purcell’s crew was it is improbable that all
16 of Pulteney’s guns could have been manned but they at last inflicted sufficient
damage to the xebecs that they broke off the action to head for home. Even now,
Pulteney attempted to chase them, with the Pulteney
now propelled by her sweeps since there was still no wind. The lighter xebecs managed however to make their
escape.

The Pulteney had suffered seriously, her
sails and rigging completely destroyed and her hull and masts damaged. The action
had occurred in full view of the Gibraltar garrison and boats went out to tow her
back to safety. Her crew had suffered
one dead and five seriously wounded but it was reported afterwards that the
clothes of every man on board had been rent by shot or fragments. A
subscription was raised by Gibraltar’s governor, officers and merchants to
present Purcell with a piece of plate while money was distributed to the crew. Purcell’s
and Pulteney’s heroic stand was the
type of incident that was to inspire so much naval fiction in later years.

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glimpse of Nicholas Dawlish's childhood.

I hope that you will enjoy the story, no less than the
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They most likely have copies of the Capitains log at the main British Empire library, or at least a later written account by a member of the Admiralty who knew the details of the battle. If not there, try the British Library at Gibraltar, which is still under British control. As with computers, the digitised Library databases today- it's all about 'How' u word ur search. You might also try Project Guttenberg. They have thousands of journals given them by present day relatives whom later immigrated to the U.S.It's a puzzle- keep looking- my motto is: NEVER SAY DIE, TRY AGAIN ANOTHER DAY.

You make an interesting point, Stephen. It is at times very hard to visualise exactly what happened from minute to minute during these actions. This is even more the case when there were actions lasting hours in which ships remained locked together.

About Me

My "Dawlish Chronicles" are set in the late 19th Century and reflect my deep interest in the politics, attitudes and technology of the period. The fifth novel in the series, “Britannia’s Amazon” is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats. It follows the four earlier Dawlish Chronicles, "Britannia's Wolf", "Britannia's Reach”, "Britannia's Shark" and "Britannia's Spartan". Click on the book covers below to learn more or to purchase.
I’ve had an adventurous career in the international energy industry and am proud of having worked in every continent except Antarctica. History is a driving passion in my life and I have travelled widely to visit sites of historical significance, many insights gained in this way being reflected in my writing. I welcome contact on Facebook and via this Blog. My website is www.dawlishchronicles.com and its “Conflict” section has a large number of articles on topics from the mid-18th Century to the early 20th Century.