Bruix's Expedition into the Mediterranean

[ghappy1000]

Having merged the Spanish fleets of Cartagena with the greatly expanded French Mediterranean Fleet due to the Bruix Expedition, [pod] the departure from Mallorca would have the French and Spanish fleet of 39 ships of the line and several smaller ships sail for Naples without further protests, a condition being the decisive defeat of Admiral Nelson. With the arrival of the combined fleets on 1 July 1799, the battle of Naples would be fought between the French and Spanish fleet against Nelson [http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_History/Vol_II/P_275.html], with the French and Spanish losing 12 [later 5] ships of the line. Nelson had lost another 10 ships of the line, his life, 8 [with 3 sinking] of his barely captured prizes of the battle and several smaller vessels [including a Dutch ship of the line not counted as such, being armed en flute during the battle], although the French and Spanish were victorious, when the battle ended. This would have far reaching consequences when the combined fleet reached Toulon on 10 July.

In the aftermath of the expedition, the victorious French and Spanish fleet would be blockaded in Toulon only for the blockade of Malta to be lifted. Preparations to lift the blockade of Malta and Egypt would be made. This would boost French morale despite the defeat of the Nile in 1798. Repairs would leave 15 ships of the line and several smaller ships in Toulon. Admiral Keith, having missed a chance to defeat the French and Spanish as they reached Toulon, would be angry, but even angrier over Nelson's defeat at the hands of the French and Spanish despite being outnumbered.

 

[ghappy1000]

Boosted by the naval victory of Naples, the French prepared a naval expedition to relieve Malta and Egypt, collect French ships at Malta and destroy the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean with Spanish support. The relief would occur on 10 September 1799 and it would relieve Malta for several weeks, the Egyptian part of the relief effort being temporarily cancelled due to poor performance in the Italian campaign. When the convoy reached Malta on 20 September 1799, Malta was successfully resupplied, the remnants of the British Mediterranean Fleet being destroyed without foreign support. Also, 3 undamaged by battle ships of the line and the same number of frigates were brought from Malta to Toulon to reinforce the French navy at Toulon with the Genereux.

Meanwhile, France suffered from various defeats on land, which led to Napoleon's 9 November 1799 coup. In the Netherlands, mutiny and a coastal invasion by Britain and Russia captured the remnants of the Batavian Navy after Camperdown. Also, the return of Napoleon would reinvigorate French morale and lead France to victory over Austria at Marengo in June 1800. However, Egypt and Malta had to be resupplied. The defeat at Naples didn't lead to further British cooperation with Russia and the Ottomans due to suspicions.

Nevertheless, the Russians and Ottomans would continue to dominate the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt would remain blockaded due to the lack of French resupply efforts.

 

[ghappy1000]

Throughout 1800, there were no major naval battles, but the French and Spanish could never reinforce Egypt. Due to the size of the French and Spanish combined fleet, all of Lord Keith's ships were required to keep a watch on the French and Spanish at Toulon to avoid being outnumbered too heavily, with reinforcement for Egypt only coming from Britain, although substantial. The French could rely only on a few ships in the Atlantic for defence, but the Mediterranean diversion for the Royal Navy and Russia was enough. The situation would change in February 1801, as a major resupply effort would be underway.

In February 1801, a resupply effort would be launched from the Mediterranean, under the command of Admiral Bruix. Gantueume would support the efforts by diverting the British to Haiti and Britain before proceeding to the Mediterranean from Brest. The Russian and Ottomans could be safely ignored for the time being by France, with Egypt not being the destination for the former and the latter with a poor quality navy. Russia's Baltic Fleet was also used to reinforce the Mediterranean with the Black Sea Fleet and the Ottomans while the Royal Navy received support from Portuguese and former Dutch and French ships. Bruix would depart from Toulon on 1 February 1801.

The Egypt reinforcement convoy would reach Malta on 12 February 1801 and Alexandria on 24 February 1801. This would reinforce the Armee de La Orient in Egypt. On seeing the French approach Egypt, the patrolling British frigate Hebe escaped and informed the blockade squadron under Admiral Keith, who was prepared to give battle. Battle would involve 32 British and Coalition ships of the line and 8 frigates compared to the French and Spanish combined fleet of 38 ships of the line and 12 frigates. Most damaged ships safely evacuated to Toulon as of 15 July 1799 and several stragglers plus all ships evacuated from Malta being involved in the battle. The battle on 2 April 1801, known as the battle of Hyeres [1801], would result in the returning French and Spanish navies being decisively defeated and barred from resupplying Egypt.

 

[ghappy1000]

When the French and Spanish fleets were spotted reaching Toulon off Hyeres on 2 April 1801 with its resupply convoy, the Royal Navy under Admiral Keith spotted the French Navy, which was escorting the convoy that successfully supplied Egypt. What the Royal Navy needed to defend the blockade of Toulon was reinforcements and these came over the winter of early 1801. When the opportunity came on 2 April 1801, the French and Spanish were ordered to give battle to victory.

The battle began with HMS Ville de Paris attacking the French ship Redoubtable, which was badly damaged. Although Redoubtable was totally dismasted, 5 third rate ships of the line from the French Navy came to Redoubtable's assistance and left HMS Ville de Paris nearly dismasted, only for 4 British ships of the line to totally dismast the French ships Tyrannicide, Indomptable and Constitution. All 4 of the mentioned French ships surrendered to the British with heavy losses.

Further to the vanguard, the HMS Queen would dismast the French flagship Ocean, which surrendered with Bruix dead and very heavy deck damage that all its masts fell off, although HMS Queen received equally devastating damage. Spain lost a first rate, Mexicano. Also, the vanguard would lose Soberano, San Telmo, Bahama and Pelayo among Spanish ships.

The centre of the battle would see France losing the Republicain, Mont Blanc and Fougueux, while Spain lost Reina Luisa, San Francisco de Paulo, Neptuno and Conquestador. HMS Sans Pareil was totally dismasted again, but was saved by reinforcements. No British or Coalition losses were incurred despite heavy hull damage to, 2 or more lost masts from or heavy crew losses received by Ville de Paris, Royal Sovereign, Queen, Sans Pareil, Impetueux, Marlborough, Defence, Achille and Mars along with several Portuguese ships.

On seeing the defeat of the French and Spanish fleets, the rearguard fled, but the obsolete Zele and Guerrero were captured as stragglers. This would be in addition to San Francisco de Asis.

 

[ghappy1000]

In the aftermath of defeat, the French and Spanish were in shock, but their deficiency and decline in naval combat skills was revealed. Having lost experienced officers and quality to the French Revolution and lack of maintenance, plus ships to the major defeats of 1 June 1794, Cape St. Vincent, the Irish Expeditions of 1796 and 1798, the Nile and Hyeres along with various lesser defeats, it would be logical for France to abandon Egypt and Malta to defeat. Although a landing in Egypt was defeated when an amphibious invasion of Egypt with British and Ottoman ships began on 23 August 1801, other landings succeeded with the French being pushed into Cairo and surrendering by 9 December 1801. This would be followed by France losing Egypt with the surrender of Alexandria by 28 February 1802. Meanwhile, without resupply efforts, the island of Malta surrendered by 4 April 1802 to Britain. It would be the time for First Consul Napoleon to make peace with Britain, having won on Continental Europe only to lose the Mediterranean conquests of 1798 to 1799 outside of the Continent. Peace would be in effect with the Treaty of Amiens on 15 October 1802, but with Malta in British possession, it wouldn't last long, many ships of the French Mediterranean Fleet having taken advantage of the temporal peace to sail for Brest while Spanish ships returned to Spain.

In the meantime, France attempted to requisition Spanish ships for a voyage to Egypt, but the Hyeres defeat of France and Spain [by Britain under the command of Admirals Keith and Collingwood] would prove to be problematic and the attempt was cancelled. At least the convoy of merchant ships and all French survivors of the Nile that accompanied the defeated fleet were safe from capture. However, the naval defeat would result in command changes in France and Spain. Most captured ships from the Hyeres battle which returned to Britain would be repaired.

Treaty of Amiens terms were similar in this scenario to otl equivalent, but with more British dominance.

 

[ghappy1000]

After the Treaty of Amiens was signed, peace was supposed to reign over Europe. But, Napoleon had other plans. Having taken opportunity of the peace to reinforce Haiti and to incorporate Switzerland and parts of Italy into France, it was time for war. On 18 May 1804 [one year later than otl], Britain declared war on France and blockaded Haiti, resulting in its surrender on 30 November 1804. Napoleon [having not crowned himself Emperor unlike otl on 2 December 1804, Hyeres having diminished his mood for coronation and diverted money to fund the war against Britain] prepared to invade Britain, but this would be met with a belligerent response.

To defeat Britain, Napoleon contemplated an invasion of Britain. This would be done by selling Louisiana to the United States for money and requisitioning more Spanish ships from Spain, even if the best Spanish ships of the line were lost at Hyeres. However, the French, despite their defeat at Hyeres, were still prepared to invade Britain. Britain had to be invaded by Napoleon at all costs despite potential defeat.

Nevertheless, the French had to wait until March 1806 before starting their invasion campaign. This would be done with Spanish support. The French Navy at Toulon would sail to rendezvous with Spanish ships at Cartagena and Cadiz, raid the West Indies and return to Europe to collect the Rochefort and Ferrol squadrons before meeting Gantueme at Brest and invading Britain. The campaign started with departure on 20 March from Toulon of the French Mediterranean Fleet, still decimated by 1793 to 1802, followed by the Spanish and French from Cadiz. After three months spent raiding the Caribbean, evading Horatio Nelson and capturing only meaningless islands and merchant ships, the combined fleet would be intercepted off Ferrol and forced into battle on 25 July 1806 before reaching Ferrol, losing 3 elderly Spanish ships of the line amidst confusion.

The Royal Navy, at this version of Cape Finisterre, had 20 ships of the line to the French and Spanish 20. Demoralised at losing ships again, the French and Spanish were in panic and fled. On 21 October 1806 [a year later than reality], most of the French and Spanish ships which survived Cape Finisterre would be destroyed at Trafalgar and 2 weeks later, the rear of the defeated fleets would be lost off Cape Ortegal, having been destroyed to the fullest unlike Hyeres, all British ships of the line captured by France in the Mediterranean over 1795 to 1801 being recaptured or destroyed by Trafalgar.

By 1 January 1807, the French had about 25 ships of the line in operation, reflecting the defeats of previous years. Spain had 20 ships of the line left in operation. At Trafalgar, the entire combined fleet 's Spanish ships of the rear guard were destroyed although obsolete in age. 2 months later, a squadron of the Brest fleet was destroyed in the Caribbean, costing France another 5 ships of the line, and the Atlantic Campaign that year would cost France 5 more ships of the line. This would be concluded by the Cadiz combined fleet being destroyed in battle in 1808 and the lost that year of the Portuguese and Danish fleets to the Napoleonic cause.

From this point onwards, apart from pushing back the course of this timeline's Napoleonic Wars by a year backwards and various Napoleonic War scenarios on this website that could be used to continue the timeline with necessary modifications and approximately one year's pushback in certain events, the timeline is done now.