Qualla: Four Sails in the Selayar Strait https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806 en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:27 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Four Sails in the Selayar Strait https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806 Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: Introduction https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit John Cary, Public domain. On the evening of 25 July 1806, lookouts aboard HMS Greyhound spotted four sails threading through the Selayar Strait, that narrow passage between Selayar Island and the southern tip of Celebes where currents run deep and dangerous. Captain Edward Elphinstone counted the silhouettes against the fading light and hesitated. One of the vessels looked enormous -- a ship of the line, perhaps, far too powerful for his 32-gun frigate and the little 18-gun brig-sloop Harrier sailing alongside. He was wrong. The ship was Victoria, a Dutch East Indiaman whose bulk mimicked a warship's profile in the tropical dusk. By dawn, Elphinstone would realize his mistake. By breakfast, he would own most of the convoy.

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: A Spice Islands Chessboard https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit Thomas Buttersworth, Public domain. The engagement did not erupt from nothing. It was the first move in a careful campaign. Since 1803, when the Peace of Amiens collapsed and war resumed between Britain and Napoleonic France, the Dutch East Indies had been a thorn in the side of British maritime trade. The Kingdom ...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-a-spice-islands-chessboard.mp3 0:06 2 full Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: The Chase at Dawn https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit Thomas Buttersworth, Public domain. Elphinstone and Commander Edward Troubridge in Harrier had already been busy. In June they had destroyed the Dutch brig Christian Elizabeth at Manado and captured the ship Belgica at Tidore. When the four sails appeared in the Selayar Strait on 25 July, Elphinstone gave chase imm...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-the-chase-at-dawn.mp3 0:06 3 full Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: Raking Fire and Struck Colors https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit Thomas Buttersworth, Public domain. The tactical execution was sharp and swift. At five in the morning, Elphinstone raised French colors in a ruse de guerre, trying to close the distance before the Dutch could react. Aalbers was not fooled, but it bought minutes. At 05:30, Greyhound opened fire on Pallas at close r...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-raking-fire-and-struck-colors.mp3 0:06 4 full Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: The Merchantmen Fall https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit Thomas Buttersworth, Public domain. While Elphinstone dismantled Pallas, Troubridge in Harrier had been absorbing ineffectual fire from Victoria and Batavier, biding his time. The moment the Dutch flagship struck her colors, Troubridge turned on the merchantmen. Victoria surrendered at 06:30. Captain William De Val...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-the-merchantmen-fall.mp3 0:06 5 full Four Sails in the Selayar Strait: Victory's Shadow https://qualla.com/action-of-26-july-1806/ Photo credit Thomas Buttersworth, Public domain. Elphinstone's success opened the door for the larger campaign Pellew had planned. In October, Captain Peter Rainier in HMS Caroline captured the Dutch frigate Maria Riggersbergen. In November, Pellew attacked Batavia itself. Within a year, the last Dutch warships in the East Indi...

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]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/q/w/v/r/action-of-26-july-1806-wp/qwvr-four-sails-in-the-selayar-strait-victorys-shadow.mp3 0:06 6 full