The Aden Expedition was a naval operation that the British Royal Navy carried out in January 1839. Following Britain's decision to acquire the Port of Aden as a coaling station for the steamers sailing the new Suez-Bombay route, the Sultan of Lahej, who owned Aden, resisted, which led to a series of skirmishes between the two sides. In response to the incidents, a small force of warships and soldiers of the East India Company were sent to Arabia. The expedition succeeded in defeating the Arab defenders, who held the fortress on Sira Island, and occupied the nearby port of Aden.[2][3]
| Aden Expedition | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the conquest of Aden | |||||||||
 Contemporary painting showing British warships engaging Sira fortress batteries | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Lahej | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Henry Smith |
Muhsin ibn al-Fadl | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Land: 700 infantry[1] Sea: 1 frigate 1 corvette 1 brig 1 schooner |
700 infantry 33 artillery pieces 1 fort | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
None 1 corvette damaged |
150 killed or wounded 139 captured 33 artillery pieces captured 1 fort captured | ||||||||
  Aden Expedition Location within Yemen | |||||||||
Order of battle
editRoyal Navy:
- HMS Volage, frigate (28 guns)
- HCS Coote, sloop (18 guns)
- HMS Cruizer, brig (18 guns)
- HCS Mahi, schooner (5 guns)
References
edit- ^ "Seizure of Aden 1839 - FIBIwiki".
- ^ Clowes, pg. 277-279
- ^ Playfair, pg. 162-163
Bibliography
edit- Clowes, William (1901). The Royal Navy: A history from the earlierst times to the present Volume VI. London, England: William Clowes & Sons.
- Playfair, Robert L. (1859). A history of Arabia Felix or Yemen, from the commencement of the Christian era to the present time: including an account of the British settlement of Aden. Education Society's Press.