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The Action of 23 August 1806 was a minor naval battle of the Napoleonic wars, fought off the coast of Spanish Cuba near the port of Havana. The Spanish frigate ''Pomona'' was captured by the frigates HMS ''Anson'' and HMS ''Arethusa'' under the commands of Captain Charles Lydiard and Charles Brisbane respectively. As well as the frigate being captured, a shore battery was silenced and a fleet of gunboats was defeated. ==Summary== ;Background The Royal Navy dominated the West Indies region after the French defeat at San Domingo. The Spanish had been on the defensive due to the diminished French naval power and the subsequent blockade of Cádiz, which had been made possible by the battle of Trafalgar. Lydiard was appointed to command the 38-gun in 1805. ''Anson'' had originally been a 64-gun third rate, but had been razeed in 1794. He sailed ''Anson'' to the West Indies in early 1806 and in August was sailing in company with Captain Charles Brisbane's when on 23 August they came across the 38-gun Spanish frigate ''Pomona'' off Havana, guarded by a shore battery and twelve gunboats. ;Action The ''Pomona'' attempted to enter the harbour whereupon Lydiard and Brisbane bore up and engaged her. The gunboats came out to defend her, whereupon the two British frigates anchored between the shore battery and gunboats on one side, and the ''Pomona'' on the other. A hard fought action began, lasting for 35 minutes until the ''Pomona'' struck her colours.〔 Three of the gunboats were blown up, six were sunk, and the remaining three were badly damaged. Some of the Spanish were rescued in all total of 317 were captured many of them wounded.〔 The shore battery ceased fire after an explosion damaged it.〔 ;Aftermath There were no casualties aboard ''Anson'', but ''Arethusa'' lost two killed and 32 wounded, with Brisbane among the latter.〔 The captured ''Pomona'' was subsequently taken into the Navy as . Charles Brisbane would later take the Dutch island of Curaçao in January 1807, using ''Anson'' to achieve that goal. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Action of 23 August 1806」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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