The Actions of 19^th December 1796

There were two related single ship actions, with an additional engagement on the following day.

	The British Ship
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Minerve	38	Cockburn
	The Spanish Ship
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Santa Sabina	40	Don Jacobo Stuart

	The British Ship
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Blanche	38	Preston
	The Spanish Ship
	Ship's Name	Guns	Commander	Notes
	Ceres	40

Description of the action taken from Clowes The Royal Navy Vol IV

On December 19th, Commodore Horatio Nelson in the Minerve, 38, Captain George Cockburn, with the Blanche, 32, Captain d'Arcy Preston, fell in with two Spanish frigates, Sabina, 40, Captain Don Jacob Steuart, and Ceres, 40, off Cartagena. At 10.40 the Minerve engaged the Sabina. In fifty minutes the Spanish ship's mizen-mast went overboard, and at 1.20 A.M. she struck.

The action lasted 2 hours 40 minutes.

Lieutenants John Culverhouse and Thomas Masterman Hardy, with a prize crew, were placed on board the Sabina; but at 4 A.M. of the 20th the Minerve had to cast off the tow-rope and engage a second Spanish frigate, the Matilda, 34, which she drove off with the loss of ten wounded. As a Spanish 112-gun ship and two more frigates were coming up, the Minerve was then obliged to look to her own safety. She owed her escape to the fact that Hardy and Culverhouse hoisted the British colours above the Spanish in the Sabina, and thereby drew off the enemy's attention. The Sabina was recaptured.

The Blanche meanwhile engaged the Ceres and quickly brought her colours down, but could not take possession owing to the arrival of the other Spanish ships. The Blanche lost no one; the Ceres, seven killed and fifteen wounded.

Description of the action taken from William James' Naval History of Great Britain - Vol I

On the 19th of December, at 10 p.m., Commodore Nelson, in the 38-gun frigate Minerve, Captain George Cockburn, accompanied by the 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Blanche, Captain Preston, being on his way from Gibraltar to Porto-Ferrajo, to bring away the stores left there, fell in with two Spanish frigates. While the Blanche, agreeably to the commodore's directions, wore to attack the frigate to leeward, the Minerve hauled up, and at 10 h. 40 m. a.m. brought to close action the larger frigate, or that to windward. After a brave resistance of two hours and 50 minutes, during which she lost her mizenmast, and had her fore and main masts shot through in several places, the Spanish 40-gun frigate Sabina, Captain Don Jacobo Steuart, struck her colours to the Minerve; whose masts, although none of them had been shot away, were, as well as her rigging and sails, much wounded.

Out of her complement, consisting with a few supernumeraries of 286 men and boys, the Minerve had one midshipman and six seamen killed, one lieutenant (James Noble, who had quitted the Captain 74, to serve under Commodore Nelson), the boatswain, and 32 petty-officers, seamen, and marines, or soldiers (a detachment from the 18th regiment), wounded. The Sabina had commenced the action also with 286 men and boys; of whom she lost, in killed and wounded together, according to Commodore Nelson's letter, 164, but, according to a Spanish account of the action published at Carthagena, 10 men killed and 45 wounded, two of them mortally.

The Minerve mounted her 42 French guns and the Sabina, 40 guns, 18 and 8 pounders Spanish. The loss and damages of the former show, that the Spaniards pointed the Sabina's guns with more than their accustomed precision. The British, on the other hand, must have felt some disadvantage from the French armament of the Minerve. Upon the whole, the action was very gallantly maintained on both sides; and it is scarcely necessary to state, that Commodore Nelson, in his official letter, pays the full tribute of praise to his Spanish opponent.

The first and second lieutenants of the Minerve, John Culverhouse and Thomas Masterman Hardy, with 40 petty-officers and seamen, having been placed on board the Sabina, the latter was taken in tow, when, at 4 p.m., a frigate, known by her signals to be Spanish, was seen coming up. The Minerve cast off the prize, which immediately stood to the southward; and, at 4 h. 30 m. p.m. the former came to action with the 34-gun frigate Matilda. In half an hour the Minerve compelled this her second antagonist to wear and haul off, and would, most probably, have captured her, had not three other Spanish ships, the Principe-de-Asturias of 112 guns, and the frigates Ceres of 40, and Perla of 34 guns, hove in sight. At daylight on the 20th these three ships were joined by the Matilda; and the Blanche also made her appearance far to windward. The Minerve had now her own safety to look to; and crippled as she was, it required the greatest exertions to get clear. The squadron chased all day, but at dark gave up the pursuit; leaving the Minerve with much additional damage to her rigging and sails, and with the additional loss of 10 men, including the gunner, wounded.

Lieutenant Culverhouse, now the commander of the Sabina, purposely to draw the attention of the Spaniards from what, on more than one account, would have been by far the more valuable prize of the two, hoisted English over Spanish colours; and the lieutenant and his few hands, although greatly inconvenienced in having the whole surviving Spanish crew, except the captain, in their custody, manoeuvred the prize with the utmost skill and steadiness, not surrendering the Sabina until her two remaining masts went over the side, and left her a mere wreck upon the water.

In three or four minutes after the Minerve had poured her first broadside into the Sabina, the Blanche was close alongside the frigate to leeward. Eight or nine broadsides, very feebly returned, silenced her; and, calling for quarter, the Ceres hauled down her colours, with a loss, as subsequently ascertained of seven men killed and 15 wounded. But the consummation of the victory was impracticable; the Matilda and Perla, who were almost within gun-shot when the action commenced, being at this time so near that the Blanche was obliged to wear and make sail in the direction of her consort the Minerve. As, however, the Matilda and Perla did not close immediately with the Ceres, who although damaged in her rigging and sails, had now got her foresail, fore topsail, and fore topgallantsail set, the Blanche again stood towards the latter. But the Ceres outsailed the Blanche before the wind, and, moreover, was presently joined by the Principe-de-Asturias three-docker, from near the land. Captain Preston, therefore, although his ship had sustained neither damage nor loss, was obliged to content himself with a trophiless triumph.

The Minerve, in the mean time, had proceeded upon her destination, and on the 26th anchored in the harbour of Porto-Ferrajo. Here the commodore remained, embarking the troops and stores, until the morning of the 29th of January, 1797; when the Minerve, accompanied by the Romulus, Southampton and Dido frigates, Dolphin and Dromedary store-ships, two sloops, and 12 transports, set sail upon her return. On the same evening, the Minerve and Romulus parted company from the squadron, and stood towards the French coast. On the 1st of February these two frigates reconnoitred the road of Toulon, and successively the ports of Barcelona and Carthagena, and on the 10th rejoined their companions at Gibraltar.

Commodore Horatio Nelson's dispatch to Sir John Jervis

HMS Minerve, 20th December 1796

Sir,

Last night at ten o'clock, I saw two Spanish Frigates, and directed Captain Cockburn in the Minerve to attack the Ship which carried a Poop light: the Blanche bore down to attack the other. I have not yet received from Captain Preston an account of his Action; but as I saw the Blanche this morning to windward with every sail set, I presume she has not suffered much damage.

Captain Cockburn brought his ship to close action at twenty minutes before eleven, which continued without intermission until half-past one, when La Sabina of forty guns, twenty-eight eighteen pounders on the main deck, 286 men, Captain Don Jacobo Stuart, having lost her mizzenmast (as she did after the Action), her main and fore-masts, 164 men killed and wounded, struck her colours.

You are, Sir, so thoroughly acquainted with the merits of Captain Cockburn that it is needless for me to express them; but the discipline of the Minerve does the highest credit to her Captain and Lieutenants and I wish fully to declare the sense I entertain of their judgement and gallantry. Lieutenant Culverhouse, the First Lieutenant is an old Officer of very distinguished merit. Lieutenants Thomas Masterman Hardy, Gage and Noble deserve every praise which gallantry and zeal justly entitle them to, as do every other officer and man in the Ship.

You will observe, Sir, I am sure with regret amongst the wounded Lieutenant James Noble who quitted the Captain to serve with me and whose merits and repeated wounds received in fighting the Enemies of our Country entitle him to every reward which a grateful nation can bestow.

The Minerve's opponent, being commanded by a gallant officer, was well defended which has caused her list of killed and wounded to be great as also her masts, sails and rigging.

I have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect,

Your most obedient servant,

Horatio Nelson

Notes:

See here for more single ship actions

Sources: