Nicholas Pocock, (1740–1821)
Destruction of the French squadron of Admiral Leissègues at Santo-Domingo - 6 February 1806, c. 1808
Oil on canvas
National Maritime Museum
The Battle of San Domingo was a naval
battle of the Napoleonic Wars fought on 6 February 1806 between squadrons of
French and British ships of the line off in the Caribbean. The French squadron,
under Vice-Admiral Corentin Urbain Leissègues in the 120-gun Impérial, had
sailed from Brest in December 1805, one of two squadrons intending to raid
British trade routes as part of the Atlantic campaign of 1806.
After
winter storms near the Azores damaged and scattered his squadron, Leissègues
regrouped and repaired his ships at the city of Santo Domingo, where a British
squadron under Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth discovered them on 6
February 1806.
By the
time French lookouts at Santo Domingo had spotted Duckworth approaching from
the southeast, it was too late for Leissègues to escape. Sailing with the wind
westwards along the coast, Leissègues formed a line of battle to meet the
approaching British squadron, which had split into two divisions. Duckworth's
lead ships remained in a tight formation and successfully engaged the head of
the French line, targeting the flagship Impérial. Severely damaged and
surrounded, Leissègues drove Impérial ashore to avoid capture. The remaining
French ship of the line, Diomède, followed him. Although most of the crew of
these ships scrambled ashore, British boarding parties captured both vessels
and set them on fire. The only French ships to escape the battle were three
smaller warships, which Duckworth's squadron had ignored; they eventually
returned to France.
The battle of San Domingo was the last fleet engagement of the war
between French and British capital ships in open water. The Royal Navy's
dominance off every French port made the risks involved in putting to sea
insurmountable. The only subsequent breakout attempt, by the Brest fleet in
1809, ended with the defeat of the French fleet close to its own anchorage at
the Battle of the Basque Roads. More The
Battle of San Domingo
Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March
1821) was a British artist
known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail.
Pocock was born in Bristol in 1740, the son of a seaman. He followed his
father's profession and was master of a merchant ship by the age of 26. During
his time at sea, he became a skilled artist by making ink and wash sketches of
ships and coastal scenes for his log books.
In 1778,
Pocock's employer, Richard Champion, became financially insolvent due to the
effects of the American Revolutionary War on transatlantic trade. As a result,
Pocock gave up the sea and devoted himself to painting. The first of his works
were exhibited by the Royal Academy in 1782. Later that year, Pocock was
commissioned to produce a series of paintings illustrating George Rodney's
victory at the Battle of the Saintes. In 1789, he moved to London, where his
reputation and contacts continued to grow. He was a favourite of Samuel Hood
and was appointed Marine Painter to King George.
In addition to his large-scale oil paintings
depicting naval battles, Pocock also produced many watercolours of coastal and
ship scenes. More on
Nicholas Pocock
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