{{Battlebox|
battle_name=リッサ海戦
|campaign=
|image=
|caption=
|conflict=ナポレオン戦争
|date=1811年3月13日
|place=リッサ島近海（アドリア海）
|result=イギリスの勝利
|combatant1=24px イギリス
|combatant2=20px フランス<br/>20px イタリア王国
|commander1=ウィリアム・ホスト艦長
|commander2=ベルナルド・デュボルデュー代将（フランス）
|strength1=フリゲート 4
|strength2=フリゲート 6 （フランス 3、イタリア 3）
|casualties1=1隻大破
|casualties2=1隻座礁焼却、2隻捕獲
|}}

'''リッサ海戦 (1811年)'''（リッサかいせん、英：''' Battle of Lissa'''、仏：'''Bataille de Lissa'''、伊：'''Battaglia di Lissa'''）は、1811年3月13日、イタリア王国混成の、いずれもフリゲート戦隊同士で行われた海戦。フランスのデュボルデュー代将（''Capitaine de vaisseau''）指揮のフランス・イタリア混成フリゲート戦隊が、侵略と占領を目的とする軍隊と物資を搭載してリッサ島に接近したのに対し、ウィリアム・ホスト艦長指揮のイギリスのフリゲート戦隊がそれを阻止し、撃退した。<ref>英語版ページは同海域で1811年11月29日に起きたイギリス・フランス両艦隊による海戦と混同している。</ref>

この海戦は、フリゲートの戦隊が戦列艦のように機動して戦った数少ない例である。

==戦闘==
フランス艦隊は無秩序に攻撃し、乗り込む機会をうかがったが、大きな損失を被って戦意を喪った。指揮官のドゥボルデューも戦死した。

15時30分、イタリアのコルベット「ベッローナ」と「コローナ」は降服した。フランス軍艦「ファヴォリット」は座礁して焼き払われた。生き残った3隻のフリゲートは、イギリス戦隊の攻撃圏外に避退した。イギリス艦隊はリッサで修理<ref>イギリス艦隊ではアムフィオンが大破した。</ref>を施してマルタに戻った。捕獲艦「コローナ」と「ベッローナ」はそれぞれイギリス軍艦「ディーダラス」と「ドーバー」になった。

{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=Battle of Lissa
|partof=the Napoleonic Wars
|image=300px|
|caption=''Battle of Lissa, 13 March 1811''<br/>Engraved by George Webster, 1812
|date=13 March 1811
|place=Lissa.
|result= Decisive British victory
|combatant1=22px United Kingdom
|combatant2=22px French Empire<br/>22px Kingdom of Italy
|commander1=William Hoste
|commander2=Bernard Dubourdieu
|strength1=3 frigates,<br>1 22-gun ship
|strength2=6 frigates,<br>1 brig,<br>5 smaller craft
|casualties1=45 killed,<br>145 wounded<ref name="WJ352"/>
|casualties2=700 killed, wounded and captured,<br>3 ships lost<ref name="WJ352"/>
}}The '''Battle of Lissa''' was a naval action fought between a British Adriatic campaign of the Lissa, from which the British squadron had been disrupting French shipping in the Adriatic. The French needed to control the Adriatic to supply a growing army in the Illyrian Provinces, and consequently despatched an invasion force in March 1811 consisting of six frigates, numerous smaller craft and a battalion of Italian soldiers. 

The French invasion force under Bernard Dubourdieu was met by Captain William Hoste and his four ships based on the island. In the subsequent battle Hoste sank the French flagship, captured two others and scattered the remainder of the Franco-Venetian squadron. The battle has been hailed as an important British victory, due to both the disparity between the forces and the signal raised by Hoste, a former subordinate of Horatio Nelson. Hoste had raised the message "Remember Nelson" as the French bore down and had then manoeuvred to drive Dubourdieu's flagship ashore and scatter his squadron in what has been described as "one of the most brilliant naval achievements of the war".<ref name="ODNBHoste">[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13844 Hoste, Sir William], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', J. K. Laughton, Retrieved 22 May 2008 </ref>

==Background==

The Napoleon and his European opponents, was nine years old when the Russia had granted France control over the Kingdom of Italy which was nominally independent but in reality came under his personal rule.<ref name="JH111"/> Thus, the Treaty of Schönbrunn formalised Napoleon's control of almost the entire coastline of the Adriatic and, if unopposed, would allow him to transport troops and supplies to the Balkans. The French army forming in the Illyrian Provinces was possibly intended for an invasion of the Ottoman Empire in conjunction with the Russians;<ref name="JH111">Henderson, p. 111</ref> the two countries had signed an agreement to support one another against the Ottomans at Tilsit.<ref name="DC441">Chandler p. 441</ref>

To disrupt the preparations of this army, the British Mediterranean since the Lissa in 1807 and used it as a base for raiding the coastal shipping of Italy and Illyria. These operations captured dozens of ships and caused panic and disruption to French strategy in the region.<ref name="RG154">Gardiner, p. 154</ref> To counter this, the French government started a major shipbuilding program in the Italian seaports, particularly Venice, and despatched frigates of their own to protect their shipping. Commodore Bernard Dubourdieu's Franco-Venetian forces were unable to bring the smaller British force under William Hoste to a concerted action, where Dubourdieu's superior numbers might prove decisive. Instead, the British and French frigate squadrons engaged in a campaign of raids and counter-raids during 1810.<ref name="JH112">Henderson, p. 112</ref> 

In October 1810, Dubourdieu landed 700 Italian soldiers on Lissa while Hoste searched in vain for the French squadron in the Southern Adriatic.<ref name="RW253">Woodman, p. 253</ref> The island had been left in the command of two Port St. George.<ref name="WJ256">James, p. 256</ref> The French and Italians burnt several vessels in the harbour and captured others, but remained on the island for no more than seven hours, retreating before Hoste returned.<ref name="RG172">Gardiner, p. 172</ref> The remainder of the year was quiet, the British squadron gaining superiority after being reinforced by the HMS ''Montagu''.

Early in 1811 the raiding campaigns began again, and British attacks along the Italian coast prompted Dubourdieu to mount a second invasion of Lissa. Taking advantage of the temporary absence of ''Montagu'', Dubourdieu assembled six frigates and numerous smaller craft and embarked over 500 Italian soldiers under Colonel Alexander Gifflenga.<ref>Sources differ on the spelling of Gifflenga's first name, using Alexander and Alexandre interchangeably.</ref> The squadron amassed by Dubourdieu not only outnumbered the British in terms of men and ships, it was also twice as heavy in weight of shot.<ref name="WJ360">James, p. 360</ref> Dubourdieu planned to overwhelm Hoste's frigate squadron and then invade and capture the island, which would eradicate the British threat in the Adriatic for months to come.<ref name="JH113"/>

==Battle==
thumb|The opening stages of the battle
Dubordieu's squadron was spotted approaching the island of Lissa at 03:00 on HMS ''Active'', which had led the British squadron from Port St George on a cruise off Ancona.<ref name="RLA358">Adkins, p. 358</ref> Turning west, the British squadron awaited the French approach in line ahead, sailing along the north coast of the island within half a mile of the shoreline. By 06:00, Dubourdieu was approaching the British line from the north-east in two divisions, leading in ''Favorite'' at the head of the windward or western division. Dubourdieu hoped to pass ahead of ''Active'' at the head of the British line and cross it further east with ''Danaé'', which led the leeward division. Dubourdieu intended to break the British line in two places and destroy the British squadron in the crossfire.<ref name="RG173">Gardiner, p. 173</ref>

Over the next three hours the squadrons continued to close, light winds restricting them to a little over three knots.<ref name="WJ352"/> A protege of Nelson, Hoste recalled the inspirational effect of Nelson's signal before the HMS ''Amphion''. Dubourdieu possessed not only a significant advantage in ships but also in men, the Italian soldiers aboard giving him the opportunity to overwhelm the British crews if he could board their frigates successfully.<ref name="JH113"/> The first shots of the battle were fired at 09:00, as the British used their wider field of fire to attack the leading French ships, ''Favorite'' and ''Danaé'', unopposed for several minutes. The French squadron held their fire, Dubourdieu gathering his troops and sailors into ''Favorite'''s bow in order to maximise the effect of his initial attack once his flagship came into contact with ''Amphion''.<ref name="WJ352"/>

Hoste was aware of Dubourdieu's intentions and the French advantage in numbers, and consequently ordered a large  triple-shotted until the cannon contained over 750&nbsp;HMS ''Cerberus'', the rearmost British ship, and both sides were firing regular broadsides at one another.<ref name="WJ352">James p. 352</ref>

===Hoste's manoeuvre===
Following the death of Dubordieu, Captain Péridier on ''Flore'' ordered the French and Venetian ships to attack the British line directly. The battered ''Favorite'' led with an attempt to round ''Amphion'' and rake her before catching her in crossfire, as had been Dubourdieu's original intention.<ref name="WJ353">James p. 353</ref> The remainder of the Franco-Venetian squadron followed this lead and attempted to bring their superior numbers to bear on the British squadron. Hoste was prepared for this eventuality and immediately ordered his ships to wear, turning south and then east to reverse direction. This movement threw the Franco-Venetian squadron into confusion and as a result the squadron's formation became disorganised.<ref name="JH115"/> ''Favorite'', which had lost almost its entire complement of officers, was unable to respond quickly enough to the manoeuvre and drove onto the rocky coastline in confusion, becoming a total wreck.<ref name="BI194">Ireland p. 194</ref>

Thrown into further confusion by the loss of ''Favorite'', the French and Venetian formation began to break up and the British squadron was able to pull ahead of their opponents; the leading French ships ''Flore'' and ''Bellona'' succeeded in only reaching the rearmost British ship, ''Amphion''.<ref name="RG173"/> ''Amphion'' found herself caught between the two frigates and this slowed the British line enough that the French eastern division, led by ''Danaé'', was able to strike at HMS ''Volage'', now the leading British ship after overtaking ''Cerberus'' during the turn.<ref name="JH116"/> ''Volage'' was much smaller than her opponent but was armed with 32-pounder carronades, short range guns that caused such damage to ''Danaé'' that the French ship was forced to haul off and reengage from a longer range. The strain of combat at this greater distance ruptured ''Volage's'' short-ranged carronades and left the ship much weakened, with only a single gun with which to engage the enemy.<ref name="WJ354">James p. 354</ref>