Battle of Fuzhou

Battle of Fuzhou
Combat naval de Fou-Tchéou
馬江海戰
Part of the Sino-French War

The Battle of Fuzhou, 23 August 1884, from The Graphic
Date23-26 August 1884
Location
Mawei Harbour, Fuzhou, China
Result French victory
Belligerents
Qing dynasty China  France
Commanders and leaders
Qing dynasty Zhang Peilun French Third Republic Amédée Courbet
Units involved
Fujian Fleet Far East Squadron
Strength
22 ships
(11 Western-style ships, the rest Chinese Junks)
13 ships
Casualties and losses
796 killed
150 wounded
51 missing
9 ships sunk
10+ ships damaged
10 killed
48 wounded
2 ships damaged
French casualties include all casualties from 23 to 31 August 1884 (i.e. both at Fuzhou and during the descent of the Min River)
The total number of Chinese casualties stands at 2,000 or 3,000 for the entire battle (i.e. including the descent of the Min River)[1]

The Battle of Fuzhou, or Battle of Foochow, also known as the Battle of the Pagoda Anchorage (French: Combat naval de Fou-Tchéou, Chinese: , 馬江之役 or 馬尾海戰, literally Battle of Mawei), was the opening engagement of the 16-month Sino-French War (December 1883 – April 1885). The battle was fought on 23 August 1884 off the Pagoda Anchorage in Mawei (馬尾) harbour, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the southeast of the city of Fuzhou (Foochow). During the battle Admiral Amédée Courbet's Far East Squadron virtually destroyed the Fujian Fleet, one of China's four regional fleets.

  1. ^ Clodfelter 2008, p. 257.