Battle of Pirano

21–22 February 1812, Off Pirano (Piran), northern Adriatic

British victory; Rivoli taken

Rivoli, a new 74 built at Venice, was the first French ship of the line ready in the Adriatic. Her crew had come together only days before and had never taken her to sea. On 21 February Commodore Barré used a heavy fog to slip out of Venice for Pola, with the Italian brigs Mercurio and Eridano, the brig Mamelouck and two gunboats. John Talbot's Victorious, watching the port, found the harbour empty and gave chase with the brig-sloop Weasel. Talbot caught up at 02:30 on the 22nd and sent Weasel at the escorts; Mercurio fought her for twenty minutes until she blew up, with three survivors, and the other brigs scattered. Victorious and Rivoli fought for more than four hours. Talbot was hit by a splinter and temporarily blinded, and Weasel came back to rake Rivoli. When Rivoli lost her mizzenmast and two of her own guns burst, killing or wounding 60 men, Barré surrendered, with more than 400 of his crew of 800 killed or wounded. Victorious lost 26 killed and 99 wounded. It was the last big ship action in the Adriatic.