1798 - Capture of Minorco


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1798 British and Spanish Fleets 196

Cormorant. In the mean time the two line-of-battle ships, for whom there was neither space nor depth of water in the creek, kept plying on and off the harbour of Fournella, in order to create a diversion in that quarter. As the smaller vessels rounded the northern point of Addaya creek, a battery of eight 12-pounders fired one gun at them ; but, as soon as the Argo and her two consorts presented their broadsides to view, the people stationed at the battery spiked their guns, blew up their magazine, and fled. The transports, after this, got in without damage, and by 11 a.m. landed one battalion of troops, without the slightest opposition. The men immediately took possession of a neighbouring height ; and, with the assistance of a cannonade from the three covering ships, drove off two divisions of Spanish troops that were advancing to regain possession of the battery at the point. By 6 p.m. the whole of the troops, along with eight 6-pounder field-pieces, two howitzers, and eight days' provisions, were safe on shore.

On the same evening the Leviathan and Centaur, who to facilitate the disembarkation had anchored just off the entrance of the creek, weighed, and, with the Argo, turned up to Fournella ; while the Aurora and Cormorant, with seven transports, proceeded, by way of a diversion, off Port-Mahon. On arriving off the harbour of Fournella, the commodore found that the garrison had abandoned the forts : he then, after directing the Centaur and Leviathan to cruise off Fournella and Addaya, to prevent succours from being thrown in, shifted his broad-pendant to the Argo, and, with the able assistance of Captain Bowen, landed the supplies for the army.

After driving off the enemy at Addaya, the troops proceeded on their march to Mercadal ; which they entered without resistance, the Spaniards having retired to Ciudadella, and thence to Mahon. On the 9th a detachment of 300 men, under Colonel Paget, marched to Mahon, and compelled Fort-Charles to surrender ; whereby the colonel was enabled to remove the boom across the entrance of the harbour, and afford a free passage from without to the Aurora and Cormorant. The transports that had been in company with these ships, as well as those left in Addaya creek, had in the mean time been removed to Fournella, as a more safe and commodious harbour.

Late on the evening of the 11th Commodore Duckworth, who had shifted his broad-pendant back to the Leviathan, and then lay at anchor in Fournella, received information that four ships "supposed to be of the line," were seen between the islands of Minorca and Majorca. The commodore instantly put to sea with the Leviathan, Centaur, and Argo, and the men-of-war transports, Calcutta, Coromandel, and Ulysses, (each ship with a fifth of her crew on shore), and steered towards Ciudadella, At daybreak on the 13th, Ciudadella bearing east by south distant eight or nine miles, five ships were seen from the mast

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