Action of 28 June 1803

Action of 28 June 1803
Part of the Blockade of Saint-Domingue
Detail from the Fight of the Poursuivante against the British ship Hercules, 28 June 1803: Poursuivante delivers her decisive raking broadside. Louis-Philippe Crépin, 1819, Musée national de la Marine
Date 28 June 1803 Location Off Môle-Saint-Nicolas, Haiti Result Successful defence of Poursuivante Capture of Mignonne
Belligerents
France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Captain Jean-Baptiste Willaumez Commander Jean-Pierre Bargeau	Captain Henry William Bayntun Captain Charles Brisbane Acting captain John B. Hills[1]
Strength
1 frigate 1 corvette	3 74-gun ships of the line
Casualties and losses
1 corvette captured 10 men killed & 15 wounded	A few killed and wounded 1 ship damaged

The action of 28 June 1803 marked the opening shots^[2] of the Blockade of Saint-Domingue after the collapse of the Treaty of Amiens and the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition in May 1803.

A French heavy frigate and a corvette, both partially armed en flûte and unaware of the recently begun war,^[3] met three British 74-gun ships of the line. The corvette was overhauled and captured, but the frigate, sailing close to shore, managed to out-manoeuver her opponent and deliver a devastating raking broadside that put her out of action.

The feat of a frigate managing to escape a ship of the line yielded high praise for Willaumez, who had commanded the frigate. A large painting by Louis-Philippe Crépin was commissioned in 1819 to commemorate the event.