Aden Expedition

British capture of Aden

12°48′N 45°02′E / 12.800°N 45.033°E / 12.800; 45.033Result British victoryTerritorial
changes British colonisation of AdenBelligerents

United Kingdom

Sultanate of LahejCommanders and leaders

Henry Smith

Muhsin ibn al-FadlStrength Land:
700 infantry^[1]
Sea:
1 frigate
1 corvette
1 brig
1 schooner 700 infantry
33 artillery pieces
1 fortCasualties and losses None
1 corvette damaged 150 killed or wounded
139 captured
33 artillery pieces captured
1 fort captured

Aden Expedition

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Location within Yemen

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]

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

^ "Seizure of Aden 1839 - FIBIwiki".
^ Clowes, pg. 277-279
^ 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.