11 June 1795
British fleet arrives in False Bay
On 11 June 1795, a British naval force anchored in False Bay and began the campaign to secure the Cape from the Dutch-controlled administration of the VOC.
View in timelineOn 11 June 1795, a British naval force under Admiral George Elphinstone anchored in False Bay. Britain sought to prevent the Cape, a key provisioning station on the route to Asia, from falling under the control of revolutionary France's Dutch ally. The arrival began a campaign involving naval landings, local militia, Company troops and negotiations with the Cape administration.
Significance
The landing began the campaign that ended VOC rule at the Cape and initiated the first British occupation.
Why it matters
The arrival opened the military operation that transferred the Cape from VOC rule to British occupation and made the peninsula a direct theatre of the European war against revolutionary France and its Dutch allies.