Battle of Nam Quan

Battle of Nam Quan
Part of Piracy in Asia

A picture of a Chinese junk (left) and a lorcha (right).
DateMay 10, 1853
Location
Result Anglo/Chinese victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Qing dynasty Qing dynasty
Chinese Pirates
Strength
Land:
Unknown number of Chinese civilians
Sea:
1 sloop-of-war
Land:
~500 pirates
Sea:
1 lorcha
7 war-junks
Casualties and losses
British:
3 killed
1 sloop-of-war damaged
Chinese:
unknown
~500 killed or wounded
3 war-junks sunk
1 lorcha captured
4 war-junks captured


  • Several captured merchant ships were present at the battle, all but one were retaken by the British.

The Battle of Nam Quan was fought in 1853 as part of a British anti-piracy operation in China. A Royal Navy sloop-of-war encountered eight pirate ships near Nam Quan and defeated them in a decisive action with help from armed Chinese civilians on land.[1]

  1. ^ Wombwell, pg. 111