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{{Short description|Military campaign
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Java campaign of 1806–1807
| partof = the [[Napoleonic Wars]]
| image = Capture of the Maria Riggersbergen, Octr. 18th. 1806.jpg
| caption = ''Capture of the Maria Riggersbergen, Octr. 18th 1806'' <br /> [[Thomas Whitcombe]], 1817▼
| date = June 1806 – December 1807▼
▲|caption=''Capture of the Maria Riggersbergen, Octr. 18th 1806''<br />[[Thomas Whitcombe]], 1817
| place = [[Java]], [[Dutch East Indies]]▼
▲|date=June 1806 – December 1807
| result = British victory▼
▲|place=[[Java]], [[Dutch East Indies]]
| combatant1
▲|result=British victory
▲|combatant1={{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
▲|combatant2={{flagdeco|Netherlands}} [[Kingdom of Holland|Holland]]
▲|commander1={{flagdeco|United Kingdom|civil}} [[Edward Pellew]]
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Java campaign of 1806-1807}} <br /> {{Campaignbox Napoleonic Wars}} <br /> {{Dutch colonial campaigns}}▼
▲|commander2={{flagdeco|Netherlands}} [[Pieter Hartsinck]]
▲|campaignbox={{Campaignbox Java campaign of 1806-1807}}
}}
The '''Java campaign of 1806–1807''' was a
Although
The
==Background==
At the start of 1806, control of the Indian Ocean in the [[Napoleonic Wars]] was disputed. The [[First French Empire|French Empire]] and its client state the [[Kingdom of Holland]] held significant naval bases in the region, from which their warships could operate against British interests. The French islands of [[Île Bonaparte]] and [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] dominated the central Indian Ocean, their position allowing raiders to cruise British trade routes and attack isolated convoys, while the Dutch colonies at the [[Cape of Good Hope]] and the [[Dutch East Indies]] controlled the points of entry to the ocean from east and west with their own naval squadrons.<ref name="RLA183">Adkins, p. 183</ref><ref name="RG93">Gardiner, p. 93</ref> The British, whose bases in India gave them control of the Northern Indian Ocean, were able to obtain supplies and reinforcements from Europe more easily than their enemies, as the Royal Navy was already dominant in European waters, but British forces in the region were still insufficient to make a significant impact on the French and Dutch territories.<ref name="RG59">Gardiner, p. 59</ref> Control of the Indian Ocean was essential for the British war effort, because the British economy relied heavily on trade with the holdings of the [[Honourable East India Company]] in India and with other ports in the east, particularly in China.<ref name="RLA342">Adkins, p. 342</ref>▼
▲
In 1803 at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, [[Linois' expedition to the Indian Ocean|a French squadron]] under Rear-Admiral [[Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois|Charles Linois]] was already operating in the Indian Ocean against British commerce, initially based at Isle de France.<ref name= "WJ3:212">James, Vol. 3, p. 212</ref> Linois's principal target was the China Fleet, a large annual convoy of valuable [[East Indiamen]] merchant ships and smaller "country ships" that sailed from [[Guangzhou|Canton]] early in the year and crossed the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope, then passing northwards to Europe. In 1804, this convoy was worth over £8 million and included 29 ships which—due to the sudden news of the outbreak of war—were entirely unprotected by the Royal Navy during the first leg of its journey across the [[South China Sea]].<ref name="RW194">Woodman, p. 194</ref> Although Linois was not aware of the weakness of the convoy's defences, he knew of its importance and value and determined to intercept it, using [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] on the island of [[Java]] as his main base. Ultimately Linois failed to defeat the convoy, withdrawing after some initial skirmishing at the [[Battle of Pulo Aura]], but the importance of Batavia as a base against British shipping was confirmed.<ref name="WLC338">Clowes, p. 338</ref>▼
▲In 1803 at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, [[Linois' expedition to the Indian Ocean|a French squadron]] under
The British commander in the Indian Ocean, Rear-Admiral [[Peter Rainier (Royal Navy officer, born 1741)|Peter Rainier]], was preoccupied with protecting merchant shipping off India during 1804 and 1805 to be able to risk an expedition to the [[Java Sea]]. His successor, Rear-Admiral [[Edward Pellew|Sir Edward Pellew]] was distracted by the continued operations of Linois's squadron and attacks from frigates based at Isle de France to take any action against the Dutch before the beginning of the monsoon season at the end of 1805, at which point the threat posed by [[hurricanes]] prevented any major seabourne operations. However, by early 1806, the departure of Linois into the Atlantic Ocean allowed Pellew and his squadron in [[Madras]] to consider offensive operations against enemy harbours.<ref name="RG81"/> In addition to the threat from cruising French squadrons, the Dutch maintained their own force on Java, under Vice-Admiral [[Pieter Hartsinck]] at Batavia. This squadron—which consisted of four ships of the line, three frigates and a number of smaller warships—was principally tasked with anti-piracy operations, but their presence so close to the Malacca Straits was a source of concern to the British command in India.<ref name="RG81"/>▼
▲The British commander in the Indian Ocean, Rear-
==Campaign==
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Elphinstone initially cruised through the [[Molucca Islands]] in June and July with some success, and on 25 July he discovered four Dutch ships passing through the [[Selayar Strait]]. Cautious of the larger force, Elphinstone observed the Dutch ships during the night and on the morning of 26 July identified the ships as a frigate, a corvette and two merchant ships, including a large [[East Indiaman]]. In response to the British ships, Dutch Captain [[Nicolaas Sebastiaan Aalbers]] formed his convoy into a [[line of battle]], hoping to dissuade Elphinstone from pressing home his attack.<ref name= "WJ251">James, Vol. 4, p. 251</ref> The British were not deterred and ''Greyhound'' engaged the Dutch frigate ''Pallas'' directly while ''Harrier'' passed between the frigate and the merchant ship next in line, [[raking fire|raking]] them both. Within 40 minutes, ''Pallas'' had surrendered and ''Harrier'' then successfully chased down and captured the two merchant ships while the corvette fled to the [[Sulawesi]] coast, evading pursuit.<ref name= "WLC386">Clowes, p. 386.</ref>
In the wake of Elphinstone's success, a second frigate entered Dutch waters, [[HMS Caroline (1795)|HMS ''Caroline'']] under Captain [[Peter Rainier (Royal Navy officer, born 1784)|Peter Rainier]] (nephew of Admiral Rainier) cruising the Java Sea during October. There Rainer discovered that the Dutch [[ships of the line]] had sailed eastward from Batavia,<ref name="LG2">{{London Gazette|issue=16139|page=568|date=23 April 1808}}</ref> except Schrikverwekker, which had been wrecked in the [[Thousand Islands (Indonesia)|Thousand Islands]] on 18 May with the loss of two men.<ref name="G213">Grocott, p. 213</ref> He also learned that the Dutch frigate {{Ship|Dutch frigate|Phoenix||2}} was undergoing repairs at an exposed anchorage on Onrust Island close to Batavia harbour. Sailing to investigate, ''Caroline'' arrived off the port on 18 October, but encountered two Dutch brigs that raised the alarm, allowing ''Phoenix'' to escape into the main harbour.<ref name="WLC392"/> Undeterred, Rainier sailed into Batavia [[roadstead]] and there discovered a number of small warships and the frigate Maria Riggersbergen. The smaller ships drove themselves on shore rather than fight the larger British vessel, but Captain [[Claas Jager]] on ''Maria Riggersbergen'' engaged ''Caroline''. In a battle lasting 30 minutes, the Dutch ship was defeated and captured, Rainier sending the prisoners on shore and removing the frigate, which was later renamed HMS ''Java''.<ref name="WJ267">James, Vol. 4, p. 267</ref>
===Attack on Batavia===
{{further|Raid on Batavia (1806)}}
[[File:The Frigates Sir Francis Drake and Terpsichore Attacking the Dutch Frigate Phoenix and Other Shipping in Batavia Roads.jpg|thumb|The British [[Raid on Batavia (1806)|raid on Batavia]] on 27 November 1806]]
Encouraged by the success of his frigates in the Java Sea, Pellew mustered a significant force in the early autumn of 1806, including four ships of the line, two frigates and a brig with which to eliminate the remaining Dutch squadron.<ref name="LG1">{{London Gazette|issue=16044|page=893|date=4 July 1807}}</ref> Reaching the [[Sunda Strait]] on 23 November, Pellew passed by the port of [[Bantam (city)|Bantam]] and on 27 November reached Batavia, splitting his forces so that the lighter vessels sailed close to shore and the ships of the line remained in deeper water outside the channel entering the harbour. A corvette was captured, and the rest of the Dutch squadron was taken by surprise, mistaking Pellew's force for a French squadron.<ref name="WLC392">Clowes, p. 392</ref> By the time their mistake was revealed, the harbour was already blocked and so Captain
Determined to eliminate the Dutch ships, Admiral Pellew gave orders that the squadron's boats gather next to the frigate {{HMS|Terpsichore|1785|6}} commanded by his son Captain [[Fleetwood Pellew]]. Boarding parties of sailors and [[Royal Marines]] were then despatched to the stranded Dutch vessels, under the distant cover of the frigates and coming under attack by Dutch batteries from the shoreline.<ref name="LG1"/> Boarding ''Phoenix'', it was discovered that
===Griessie===
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Observing two ships at anchor in Semarang roads, Pellew sent in his ship's boats on the morning of 31 August under the command of Lieutenant Kersteman. Despite heavy fire from batteries on shore, Kersteman successfully towed the vessels out without suffering any casualties, capturing an 8-gun [[schooner]] and a merchant brig.<ref name="LG3"/> While the boats were engaged at Semarang, Pellew sighted three vessels cruising off the mouth of the harbour and hastily set fire to the prizes and reclaimed his boats, setting off in pursuit. At 15:30, with ''Psyche'' rapidly overtaking the Dutch ships, their captains deliberately drove the vessels ashore approximately {{convert|9|nmi|mi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} west of Semarang. ''Psyche'' closed with the grounded ships and exchanged fire with them at long range, the shallow coastal water preventing a close range engagement. At 16:30, just as Pellew was hoisting out his boats in preparation for a boarding action, one of the ships surrendered. Within minutes, the others followed, firing final broadsides and [[striking the flag|hauling down their colours]].<ref name="WLC239">Clowes, p. 239</ref> The surrendered ships were boarded and refloated, their identities established as the 24-gun [[corvette]] Scipio, the armed merchant ship ''Resolutie'' and the 12-gun Dutch East India Company ship ''Ceres''. Dutch casualties are unknown but the commander of the convoy—Captain Carriage—was killed in the brief engagement, while ''Psyche'' survived the action without a man killed or wounded. All of the prisoners were landed at Semarang under terms of parole, as many of Pellew's men were away from the ship in prizes and men could not be spared to watch the Dutch prisoners.<ref name="LG4">{{London Gazette|issue=16137|page=537|date=16 April 1808}}</ref>
In the summer of 1807, responsibility for the blockade of the French Indian Ocean bases passed from Pellew at Madras to Rear-Admiral [[Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet|Albemarle Bertie]] at the [[Cape
As Pellew's squadron neared Griessie, a message arrived from the Dutch
==Aftermath==
The success of the campaign against the Dutch squadron in the East Indies allowed British forces in the Indian Ocean to focus exclusively on
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Java, campaign of 1806-1807}}
[[Category:Java campaign of 1806–1807| ]]
[[Category:1806 in the Dutch East Indies]]
[[Category:1807 in the Dutch East Indies]]
[[Category:19th century in Java]]
[[Category:Naval battles involving the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving the United Kingdom]]
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[[Category:Campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:19th-century history of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Military history of the Indian Ocean]]
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