1797 Caribbean Naval Campaigns: Britain’s Blockades and Privateer Warfare

The episode explores the Royal Navy's operations across the Atlantic in 1797, focusing on Rear‑Admiral John Harvey’s blockade of San Guimarques Bay and his forced scorched‑earth tactics against Spanish ships. It follows how frigate squadrons such as HMS Terpsichore and Arethusa disrupted Spanish and French privateering off West Africa, while joint naval–land assaults on Trinidad illustrate Britain’s strategy of combining commerce raiding, blockades, and psychological warfare to secure trade routes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices