Aden Expedition

Aden Expedition
Part of Conquest of Aden
Capture of Aden on a 1939 stamp marking the centenary
Date January 1839 Location Sira Island, Aden, Yemen Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Lahej
Commanders and leaders
Henry Smith	unknown
Strength
Land: ~700 infantry[1] Sea: 1 frigate 1 corvette 1 brig 1 schooner	~700 infantry 33 artillery pieces 1 fort
Casualties and losses
17 killed or wounded 1 corvette damaged	~150 killed or wounded 139 captured 33 artillery pieces captured 1 fort captured

Cannon made in 1531 for the Ottoman invasion of India, these were captured at Sira by the Royal Navy in 1839 and are now displayed in the Tower of London.

The Aden Expedition was a naval operation that the British Royal Navy carried out in January 1839. Following Britain's treaty concerning the colonization of territory in the present day Yemen, the Sultanate of Lahej resisted, which led to a series of skirmishes between the two sides. In response to the incidents, a small force of British warships and soldiers were sent to Arabia. The expedition succeeded in defeating the Arab defenders, who held a fortress on Sira Island, and occupied the nearby port of Aden.^[2][3]

Order of Battle

Royal Navy:

• HMS Volage, frigate, 28 guns, flagship
• HCS Coote, Sloop-of-war, 18 guns
• HMS Cruizer brig, 18 guns
• HCS Mahi, schooner, 5 guns

See also

• Punitive expedition
• Nukapu Expedition
• Johanna Expedition

Citations and references

Citations

References

• 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. 

Coordinates: 12°46′47″N 45°2′57″E / 12.77972°N 45.04917°E / 12.77972; 45.04917