Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay, a deep inlet on the south-west coast of Ireland. Here, on May 1st, 1689, Admiral Arthur Herbert, with twenty sail of the line, discovered the French Admiral, Chateaurenault, with twenty-four. The fleets engaged outside the bay, and although Herbert got slightly the worst of the encounter, he was, on his return to England, created Earl of Torrington, while two of his captains, Ashby and Shovell, were knighted. Here, too, in 1796, a French fleet anchored in order to support the Irish rebellion. In 1801 the seamen of a British fleet at anchor in the bay mutinied. Eleven of the ring-leaders were executed. Bantry Bay has, since about 1880, been a favourite anchorage for the fleet during its summer cruises, and has been the scene of many important operations and experiments.