Persian Gulf campaign of 1809

Persian Gulf campaign of 1809
Part of Piracy in the Persian Gulf
The fort of Luft under attack by the British, 27 December 1809
Date September — December 1809 Location Strait of Hormuz and Ras Al Khaimah Result British victory Over half of the largest vessels destroyed at Ras Al Khaimah
Belligerents
United Kingdom East India Company	Ras Al Khaimah Al-Qawasim
Commanders and leaders
Lionel Smith John Wainwright	Hassan bin Rahma Hassan bin Ali
Strength
Unknown	2,000
Casualties and losses
Ras Al Khaimah: 5 killed 34 wounded Further operations: 70 killed and wounded Heavy casualties	Ras Al Khaimah: Unknown 50 vessels burned Further operations: 50 killed 31 vessels burned
Ras Al Khaimah bombarded by the British

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The Persian Gulf campaign of 1809 was an operation by the British East India Company backed by the Royal Navy to force the Al Qasimi to cease their raids on British ships in the Persian Gulf, particularly on the Persian and Arab coasts of the Strait of Hormuz. The operation's success was limited as the Royal Navy forces, already heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars, were unable to permanently suppress the strong fleets of the Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah. The expedition did achieve its short-term goals by destroying three Al Qasimi bases and over 80 vessels, including the largest Al Qasimi ship in the region, the converted merchant ship Minerva. Although operations continued into 1810, the British were unable to destroy every Al Qasimi vessel. By 1811, attacks had resumed, although at a lower intensity than previously.

The operation against the Al Qasimi was a joint campaign by the Royal Navy and the fleet of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC), with soldiers drawn from the garrison of Bombay. The expeditionary force, led by Captain John Wainwright in the Navy frigate HMS Chiffonne, was despatched to the region, following an escalation in attacks on British shipping in the Persian Gulf after the French established diplomatic missions in Muscat and Tehran in 1807. These attacks not only threatened British trade links in the region, but also placed British relations with Oman and Persia in jeopardy at a time when French aspirations against British India were a cause for concern to the British government.

Because the available charts of the Persian Gulf were inaccurate or incomplete at the time, Al Qasimi ships could hide from Wainwright's squadron in the uncharted inlets, a problem Wainwright reported upon his return that resulted in improved British cartography of the area.