Battle of Fatshan Creek

For other uses, see Fatshan (disambiguation).

The Battle of Fatshan Creek (佛山水道之戰) was a naval engagement fought between the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the Cantonese fleet of Qing China on 1 June 1857. Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour sought out and destroyed the Chinese fleet before advancing to the city of Canton (modern-day Foshan) for its capture.

Battle of Fatshan Creek
Part of the Second Opium War
Advance of British boats during the naval battle at Fatshan Creek, by Oswald Walters Brierly
Date 1 June 1857 Standort Foshan, Guangdong, China Result British victory
Belligerents
Vereinigtes Königreich	Qing China
Commanders and leaders
Sir Michael Seymour	Unknown
Strength
1,900+ marines & sailors 1 screw sloop 1 paddle steamer 7 gunboats	1 fort 25 guns 100 war-junks
Casualties and losses
13 killed (3 officers) 44 wounded (4 officers) 1 launch destroyed 1 gunboat damaged	1 fort captured 25 guns captured 2 war-junks destroyed 70-80 war-junks captured

British order of battle

Ship	Commander	Ref.
Coromandel	Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour Lieutenant Sholto Douglas
Hongkong	Commodore Henry Keppel Lieutenant James Graham Goodenough
Haughty	Commodore Charles Elliot Lieutenant Richard Vesey Hamilton
Plover	Lieutenant Keith Stewart
Opossum	Lieutenant Colin Andrew Campbell
Bustard	Lieutenant Tathwell Collinson
Forester	Lieutenant Arthur Innes
Starling	Lieutenant Arthur Villiers
Staunch	Lieutenant Leveson Wildman
Boats from Calcutta, Nankin, Raleigh, Tribune, Highflyer, Inflexible, Niger, Sybille, Hornet, Fury, Elk, Acorn, and Cruizer

Gallery

• 
  Plan of the battle
• 
  Naval action, Fatshan Creek
• 
  British rowboats

See also

• Battle of Escape Creek

External links

• Media related to Battle of Fatshan Creek at Wikimedia Commons

Sources

• Carter, Thomas; Long, W. (2010). Medals of the British Army: And How They Were Won. Lancer International Incorporated. ISBN 9781935501275.

• Clowes, William Laird (1966) [1903]. The Royal Navy, a History from the Earliest Times to the Death of Queen Victoria. Vol. 7. New York: AMS Press.

• Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313335389.

• Jameson, William (2004). The Fleet that Jack Built: Nine Men who Made a Navy. Periscope Publishing. ISBN 9781904381280.