Aden Expedition

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 Conquest of Aden
Contemporary painting showing British warships engaging Sira fortress batteries
Date January 1839 Location Sira Island, Aden, Yemen Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Lahej
Commanders and leaders
Henry Smith	unknown
Strength
Land: 700 infantry[1] Sea: 1 frigate 1 corvette 1 brig 1 schooner	700 infantry 33 artillery pieces 1 fort
Casualties and losses
17 killed or wounded 1 corvette damaged	150 killed or wounded 139 captured 33 artillery pieces captured 1 fort captured

Cannon made in 1531 for the Ottoman invasion of India, these were captured at Sira by the Royal Navy in 1839 and are now displayed in the Tower of London.

Order of battle

Royal Navy:

• HMS Volage, frigate (28 guns)
• HCS Coote, sloop (18 guns)
• HMS Cruizer brig (18 guns)
• HCS Mahi, schooner (5 guns)

References

1. http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Seizure_of_Aden_1839
2. Clowes, pg. 277-279
3. Playfair, pg. 162-163

Bibliography

• 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.

See also

• Punitive expedition
• Nukapu Expedition
• Johanna Expedition