Java campaign of 1806–1807: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Military campaign inof Netherlandsthe EastNapoleonic IndiesWars}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Java campaign of 1806–1807

| partof = the [[Napoleonic Wars]]

| image = Maria Riggersbergen.jpg

| image_size =300px 300

| caption = ''Capture of the Maria Riggersbergen, Octr. 18th 1806'' <br /> [[Thomas Whitcombe]], 1817

| date = June 1806 – December 1807

| place = [[Java]], [[Dutch East Indies]]

| result = British victory

| combatant1 = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]

| combatant2 = [[Kingdom of Holland|Holland]] <br /> [[Dutch East Indies]]

| commander1 = [[Edward Pellew]]

| commander2 = [[Pieter Hartsinck]]

| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Java campaign of 1806-1807}} <br /> {{Campaignbox Napoleonic Wars}} <br /> {{Dutch colonial campaigns}}

}}

The '''Java campaign of 1806–1807''' was a minor [[military campaign]] duringof the [[Napoleonic Wars]] byin Britishwhich the [[Royal Navy]] forcestargeted againstand eliminated a Dutch naval squadron ofbased on the [[Kingdomisland of Holland[[Java]],. aIn client1806, stateBritish of theRear-Admiral [[FirstEdward FrenchPellew, Empire1st Viscount Exmouth|FrenchSir EmpireEdward Pellew]], baseddetermined onthat the island[[Kingdom of [[JavaHolland]]'s warships in the [[Dutch East Indies]]. Seekingposed to eliminatea anypotential threat to valuable British merchant convoysshipping passing through the [[Malacca Straits]],. Rear-AdmiralAt [[Edwardthe Pellew|Sirtime, Edwardthe Pellew]]Dutch determinednavy's presence in early 1806 that the Dutchregion navalconsisted forcesprimarily basedof ata Java,squadron whichof included severalthree [[shipsShip of the line]]|ships andof threethe [[frigateline]]s, hadand toseveral besmaller defeatedwarships tounder ensureVice-Admiral British[[Pieter dominanceHartsinck]]. inAs the region.Pellew Lackinglacked the forcesstrength to effectinvade an invasion of the DutchJava colonyoutright, Pellewhe instead soughtestablished to isolate anda [[blockade]] of the Dutch squadronstronghold based atof [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] inand preparationmade forpreparations raidsto specificallyengage targetingin thetargeted Dutchnaval shipsstrikes withto hisisolate mainand forcedestroy Hartsinck's squadron.

Although his plans were delayed by inadequate resources and the [[Vellore Mutiny]] in [[British India|India]], Pellew sent the frigate [[HMS Greyhound (1783)|HMS ''Greyhound'']] to the [[Java Sea]] in July 1806. ''Greyhound''There, she [[Action of 26 July 1806|intercepted and defeateddestroyed a Dutch convoy]] off the coast ofnear [[Sulawesi|Celebes]] on 2526 July. andNearly three months later, theanother British frigate, [[HMS Caroline (1795)|HMS ''Caroline'']], managedcaptured to capture thea Dutch frigate Mariaand Riggersbergenbrig atin the entrance[[action toof Batavia18 harbour.October Following1806]] theseoff successes,Batavia. PellewBuilding wason ablethis tomomentum, Pellew bringbrought his main force to bear on the islandregion and inon 27 November 1806 launched a major[[Raid on Batavia (1806)|raid on Batavia]], destroying the remaininglast frigate and a number ofseveral minorsmaller warships fromof the Dutch squadron. TheAs DutchHartsinck had ordered his ships of the line had escaped prior to Pellew'sanchor attack to the harbour ofoff [[Gresik Regency|Griessie]] near [[Surabaya]], andprior althoughto theythe wereraid, oldPellew andreturned inwith a poorsecond stateforce ofin repairOctober Pellew1807. wasHis forcedforces tocarried leadout a second[[raid operationon to JavaGriessie]] in Octoberearly 1807December, capturingduring which the portDutch andscuttled eliminatingall thethree lastships Dutch naval forces inof the eastline.

The victorydestruction gaveof BritainHartsinck's dominancesquadron overled itsto Europeanthe rivalscollapse of Dutch naval power in the region and secured Britain's [[command of the sea]] across the western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, allowingensuring freesafe passage offor British trademerchant throughshipping. With the regionDutch andno allowinglonger Britisha forcesthreat to focusBritish onmercantile theinterests onein remainingthe threatEast toIndies, theirBritain's merchantattention convoysturned into the Indiantwo Ocean: theremaining French islandscolonies ofin [[Îlethe Bonaparte]]Indian andOcean, [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] (nowand [[Réunion|Isle Bonaparte]]. In the [[Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811]]), both colonies were occupied by British forces, ending the threat from European rivals to Britain's interests in the region.

==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>