Aden Expedition

The Aden Expedition was a naval operation that the British Royal Navy carried out in January 1839. Following Britain's decision to invade 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]

Aden Expedition
Part of the conquest of Aden
Contemporary painting showing British warships engaging Sira fortress batteries
Date 19 January 1839 Location Aden, Yemen 12°48′N 45°02′E Result British victory Territorial changes British colonisation of Aden
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Lahej
Commanders and leaders
Henry Smith	Muhsin ibn al-Fadl
Strength
Land: 700 infantry[1] Sea: 1 frigate 1 corvette 1 brig 1 schooner	700 infantry 33 artillery pieces 1 fort
Casualties and losses
None 1 corvette damaged	150 killed or wounded 139 captured 33 artillery pieces captured 1 fort captured
Aden Expedition Location within Yemen

Cannon made in 1531 for the Ottoman expedition of India and captured at Sira by the Royal Navy in 1839, now in the Tower of London.

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)