BATTLE AT PIRAN. 22nd February, 1812
by Matija Kristan.
It ' s 22nd February 1812 and The Slovenian Tribunal is reporting LIVE from PIRAN where the only naval battle on Slovenian sea is taking place.
Just to let you in on the background of this battle. The French want to maintain control of and protect the Illyrian Provinces on the Eastern shore. To do so the French and Italian governments have begun a shipbuilding program in Venice and other Italian ports in an effort to rebuild their Mediterranean fleet and challenge the British when needed. But the poverty of the Italian government and the difficulty that the French Navy have in manning and equipping their ships have slowed down the building of the ships. As a result, the first ship of the line built in the Adriatic under this program has been just recently completed. Her name is Rivoli. Because of these obstacles, the British have achieved dominance over the French in the Adriatic Sea, and they don ' t want to give it up.
The battle between France and Britain actually started yesterday near the port of Venice and has now spread into Slovenian waters. Jean-Baptiste Barré, captain of the French liner ' Rivoli ' hoped that heavy sea fog would help him to evade being pursued by the British. But as we can see that is not the case at the moment. It is Rivoli ' s first voyage and her crew isn ' t at all well prepared. People are standing along the coast and watching in horror as the Rivoli is being attacked by two British warships. Apparently one of Rivoli ' s escort ships ' Mercure ' has been destroyed by a tremendous explosion, and the others have scattered to avoid being captured by the British.
Well, a little more than six hours have gone by and it seems that the battle is coming to an end. What a disaster for the French! The ships are so close to shore that everyone can see captain Barré surrendering. Well, that is not at all unusual with over 400 casualties from a crew of over 800. But the Rivoli will not be destroyed. She will travel to Britain with her adversary ship ' Victorious ', where she will be repaired and able to continue service in home waters.