Battle of Pulo Aura

Battle of Pulo Aura
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Commodore Dance's celebrated action against a French squadron in the Straits of Malacca on 15th February 1804, Robert Dodd
Date 15 February 1804 Location Off Pulo Aura, South China Sea Result British victory
Belligerents
East India Company	France Batavian Commonwealth
Commanders and leaders
Nathaniel Dance	Charles-Alexandre Linois
Strength
29 merchant ships 1 brig	1 ship of the line 2 frigates 1 corvette 1 brig
Casualties and losses
1 wounded 1 killed	None

The Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large British East India Company (EIC) convoy intimidated, drove off and chased away a powerful French Navy squadron. Although the French squadron was much stronger than the British convoy, Commodore Nathaniel Dance's aggressive tactics persuaded Counter-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois to retire after only a brief exchange of fire. Dance then chased the French squadron until his convoy was out of danger, whereupon he resumed his passage toward British India.

The battle occurred during an extended commerce raiding operation by Linois' squadron, led by the ship of the line Marengo. In 1803, before war broke out, Linois sailed to the Indian Ocean to install garrisons in French and Batavian colonies and target British merchantmen. A prime target was the "China Fleet," a convoy of East Indiamen carrying millions of pounds' worth of trade goods. Although escorted by smaller merchant ships, the only available escort warship was the EIC armed brig Ganges. Dutch informants told Linois of the fleet’s destination and date of departure from Canton while he was at Batavia, and he set sail on 28 December 1803, eventually locating the convoy in early February.

Although no warships protected the convoy, Dance knew that lookouts could mistake a large East Indiaman for a ship of the line. He had his Indiamen form a line of battle and raise flags suggesting his fleet included part of the Royal Navy squadron operating in the Indian Ocean. Although Linois's ships were clearly superior, the bold British response unsettled him, and he quickly broke off combat. Dance maintained the ruse, aggressively pursuing Linois for two hours until the convoy was safe. The successful deception ensured the valuable cargo reached Britain without loss.

King George III knighted Dance for his courage and various mercantile and patriotic organisations awarded him large sums of money, while both Napoleon and Linois's own officers personally castigated him for his failure to press the attack against a weaker and extremely valuable enemy. Although he remained in command of the squadron for another two years and had some minor success against undefended merchant ships, he suffered a string of defeats and inconclusive engagements against weaker British naval forces. Ironically, Linois was captured at the action of 13 March 1806 by a numerically superior British battle squadron which he had mistaken for a merchant convoy.