View source for Croisière du Grand Hiver

{{Redirect|Grand Hiver|Great Frosts|Great Frost of 1709|and|River Thames frost fairs}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Croisière du Grand Hiver
|partof=the [[Naval campaigns, operations and battles of the French Revolutionary Wars|naval operations]] during the [[War of the First Coalition]]
|image=File:Republicain gorunded on Mingant rock-Pierre Ozanne.jpg
|caption=''[[French ship Royal Louis (1780)|Républicain]]'' ran aground on Mingant rock.
|date=24 December 1794 – 3 February 1795
|place=[[Atlantic Ocean]]
|result=British victory 
|combatant1={{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
|combatant2={{flagcountry|First French Republic}}
|commander1={{flagdeco|Kingdom of Great Britain|civil}} [[Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer)|Sidney Smith]]
|commander2={{flagdeco|First French Republic}} [[Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse|Villaret de Joyeuse]] <br> {{flagdeco|First French Republic}} [[François Joseph Bouvet|François Bouvet]] <br> {{flagdeco|First French Republic}} [[Joseph-Marie Nielly|Joseph Nielly]] <br> {{flagdeco|First French Republic}} [[Pierre Jean Van Stabel|Pierre Van Stabel]]
|strength1=3 frigates
|strength2=37 ships of the line <br> 13 frigates <br> 4 corvettes <br> 6 brigs
|casualties1=None
|casualties2=7 ships of the line destroyed
|campaignbox={{Campaignbox First Coalition}}
{{Campaignbox French Revolutionary Wars Naval Battles}}
}}

The '''''Croisière du Grand Hiver''''' (French "Campaign of the Great Winter") was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the [[Glorious First of June]].

==Context==
The [[Glorious First of June]] had ended on a strategic success for the [[French Navy]], but on the tactical level, the fleet had suffered its greatest loss since the [[Battle of La Hogue]].

At the end of the year, the [[National Convention]] ordered that a squadron under contre-amiral [[Jean François Renaudin]], recently promoted for his defence of [[French ship Vengeur du Peuple|''Vengeur du Peuple'']] at the [[Glorious First of June]], ferry ammunition from Brest to [[Toulon]]. This squadron comprised six ships of the line, three frigates and one corvette. Vice-amiral [[Villaret-Joyeuse]] was to sail the fleet of Brest out to escort Renaudin in the [[Bay of Biscay]], cruise these waters for a fortnight, and then return to Brest while sending a 6-ship and 3-frigate strong squadron to [[Guadeloupe]].

The fleet was in bad shape, with ships in disrepair and lacking food. After several attempts, the fleet departed on 24 December 1794.

== Expedition ==
{{main|Order of battle of the Croisière du Grand Hiver}}
During the manoeuvers for the departure of the fleet, the 110-gun ''[[French ship Royal Louis (1780)|Républicain]]'' broke her anchor cable and, at 17:30, before she could set sails, she touched Mingant rock. Before manoeuvers could be attempted, she began to sustain damage to her hull and take in water. Despite throwing her guns overboard she proved impossible to refloat and settled on the rock as water flooded into her hull. As her boats had been damaged or torn off it was impossible to evacuate, and with the heavy sea it was not until 9:00 the next day that [[French ship Fougueux (1785)|''Fougueux'']] arrived on the scene and could send boats over to rescue the crew. Eventually, only 10 men drowned, while the rest were rescued.<ref>Troude, ''op. cit.'', p. 366</ref>

The [[French ship Redoutable (1795)|''Redoutable'']] also broke her cables, but managed to reach the open sea, followed by the frigate ''Vertu''. In the afternoon of the 29th, the 35 ships of the fleet regrouped off [[Camaret-sur-Mer]], and set sail the next day.

The heavy sea of 1 January damaged several of the ships. [[French ship Nestor (1793)|''Nestor'']] lost a mast and had to double back to Brest. The [[French ship Téméraire (1782)|''Téméraire'']] sustained hull damage and started leaking.

The next day, as the weather improved, Vanstabel turned to the North-West with the light squadron, but after a few hours, a deep fog arrived and he lost contact with the fleet. The [[French ship Neptune (1778)|''Neptune'']], which had been delayed upon departure by damage to her capstan, also lost the fleet and joined the light squadron on the 31st, along with three frigates and two corvettes. They would not rejoin the fleet until 24 January.

Three British frigates, [[HMS Diamond (1794)|HMS ''Diamond'']], [[HMS Flora (1780)|HMS ''Flora'']] and [[HMS Arethusa (1781)|HMS ''Arethusa'']] were dispatched on 2 January to investigate. [[HMS Diamond (1794)|HMS ''Diamond'']], under the command of captain [[William Sidney Smith]], raised a French flag when challenged by the fleet, which allowed her to sail on. Later, she encountered a stranded ship, whose captain hailed [[HMS Diamond (1794)|HMS ''Diamond'']], during which the French captain stated his ship was the [[French ship Nestor (1793)|''Nestor'']]. Smith speaking perfect French, managed to talk with the French officers, and acquire significant insights of the French intentions. HMS ''Diamond'' sailed into Brest harbour on the 3rd to confirm this information.

''Neptune'' had suffered considerably from the bad weather, to the point that her captain had warned Vanstabel. On Jan 25, another leak forced ''Neptune'' to tack so as not to expose the affected section of her hull to water, and to send distress signals. For five days, most of the crew pumped water out of the ship and dropped the guns, ammunition and anchors overboard, until the 28th, at 12:30, when she reached  [[Perros-Guirec]] and ran aground. 50 men were found dead in the hull, while the rest of the crew evacuated the ship.

On Jan 28, a storm broke out, and caused further damage to several ships. The leakage on ''Téméraire'' had become so worrisome that she doubled back to Brest, but lost her way en route and finally arrived in Saint-Malo.

After a few days of cruise, the [[French ship Neuf Thermidor|''Neuf Thermidor'']] had lost her [[Stem (ship)|stem]], forcing captain Dorré to cut away the bowsprit and the upper foremast, and drop his anchors and upper battery overboard. By 29 January, pumps could not compensate for leakage. In the night, the ship rolled so much that the yards of the mainmast fell, destroying three pumps; from then on, the ship lowered in the water, and when the lower battery touched the waves, [[French ship Majestueux (1781)|''Majestueux'']] and [[French ship Marat (1794)|''Marat'']] sent boats over to evacuate the crew. ''Neuf Thermidor'' was deserted by 4:00 on the 31st, and she foundered around 7:00.

[[French ship Superbe (1784)|''Superbe'']] suffered the same fate. She had started to take in water on the 26th, and Captain Colomb had warned Villaret that his ship was sinking. Efforts to pump out water could not compensate for the leakage, even after throwing the artillery overboard, and on 30th, Villaret ordered the ship abandoned. [[French ship Océan (1790)|''Montagne'']], [[French ship Jupiter (1789)|''Montagnard'']] and [[HMS Papillon (1803)|''Papillon'']] rescued the crew, but 21 men were lost.

The [[French ship Saint-Esprit (1766)|''Scipion'']], an old ship that was scheduled for decommissioning, started slowly disintegrating soon after she left the harbour. By the 25th, her pumps could not keep ahead of the leakage, and [[French ship Jupiter (1789)|''Montagnard'']], [[French ship Mont Blanc (1793)|''Trente-et-un-Mai'']] and [[HMS Antigua (1804)|''Railleuse'']] had been tasked to watch her. After an attempt to wrap her with cables failed, Captain Huguet requested and obtained permission to return to port, escorted by ''Trente-et-un-Mai''. In the afternoon, the main topmast failed, breaking the main yard, which penetrated the deck vertically and broke two of the nine pumps; its leverage further contributed to the dismantling of the ship. At 16:00, Huguet requested assistance from ''Trente-et-un-Mai'', which evacuated the crew in spite of a heavy sea. The ship was abandoned by 3:15 the next morning.

[[French ship Sceptre (1780)|''Convention'']] lost her rudder and was towed back to Lorient by [[French ship Seduisant (1783)|''Pelletier'']].

On 3 February, the fleet regrouped in Brest. It had captured 70 merchantmen, as well as the 20-gun {{HMS|Daphne|1776|6}}.<ref>[http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/D/01270.html ''Daphne''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810142740/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/D/01270.html |date=10 August 2017 }}, Naval Database</ref> It had lost three ships, and others had sustained severe damage.

The Renaudin squadron had to delay its mission to reach Toulon in order to support the rest of the fleet. Renaudin eventually departed for Toulon on 22 February with [[French ship Jemmapes (1794)|''Jemmappes'']], [[French ship Jupiter (1789)|''Montagnard'']], [[French ship Mont Blanc (1793)|''Trente-et-un-Mai'']], [[French ship Aquilon (1789)|''Aquilon'']], [[French ship Tyrannicide (1793)|''Tyrannicide'']] and [[French ship Thésée (1790)|''Révolution'']], the frigates [[French frigate Justice (1794)|''Courageuse'']], [[French frigate Embuscade (1789)|''Embuscade'']], [[French frigate Félicité (1785)|''Félicité'']] and the corvette [[HMS Surprise (1796)|''Unité'']]. They suffered from heavy seas and strong westerly winds. ''Trente-et-un-Mai'' lost her mizzen and her main topmast when she entered the Mediterranean, and had to be taken in tow by ''Tyrannicide''. They nevertheless reached Toulon safely on 2 April.

{{Gallery
|title=Routes of the squadrons
|width=300
|height=200
|align=center
|File:Grand Hivers-course fleet.svg|Route of the main squadron under Villaret-Joyeuse
|File:Grand Hivers-course light squadron.svg|Route of the light squadron under Van Stabel
}}

== Aftermath ==
Overall, the campaign is considered as a naval disaster because of the heavy losses, sustained without the intervention of the [[Royal Navy]], and especially since damaged ships could not easily be repaired with the endemic shortage of material in French arsenals. The French Navy effectively ceased to contest the British naval superiority from this point.

Another attempt at a winter cruise was made with the [[Expédition d'Irlande]], in December 1796, and met with a similar disaster.

== Sources and references ==

=== References ===
<references />

=== Bibliography ===
* ''Batailles navales de la France'', [[Onésime-Joachim Troude]], Challamel ainé, 1867, [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_TwZv6FX-RpsC vol.2], pp.&nbsp;404–409
* {{cite book
 | last = James
 | first = William
 | author-link = William James (naval historian)
 | year = 2002 |orig-year=1827
 | title = The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1
 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
 | isbn = 0-85177-909-3
}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20180102102952/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_History/Vol_I/P_233.html pp.233] and following

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091220100810/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/D/01368.html Naval Database]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080119135926/http://echo.levillage.org/303/5927.cbb La guerre sur mer pendant la révolution et l'empire. Episode XV]

{{coord missing|Atlantic Ocean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Hiver, Crossiere du}}

[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving France]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars involving Great Britain]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1794]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1795]]
[[Category:1794 in France]]
[[Category:1795 in France]]