HMS ''Alceste'' was built at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
in 1804 for the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
as ''Minerve'', an . In the spring of 1806, prior to her capture, she engaged , then under
Lord Cochrane. During the duel she ran aground but Cochrane had to abort his attack when French reinforcements appeared.
The British captured her in an action on 25 September 1806, and the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
took ''Minerve'' into service as ''Alceste'' in March 1807; ''Alceste'' then continued to serve throughout the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. On
29 November 1811, ''Alceste'' led a British squadron that captured a French military convoy carrying more than 200 cannon to
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
in the Balkans. After this loss,
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
changed the direction of his planned eastward expansion in 1812 from the Balkans to Russia. The British historian James Henderson has suggested that the two events were linked, and may have changed the course of the war.
In 1814, ''Alceste'' was converted to a troopship and used to transport British soldiers to North America during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
. Following the
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
in 1815, ''Alceste'' carried
Lord Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaig ...
on his 1816 diplomatic mission to China. On the return journey, she struck a reef in the
Java Sea
The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its nort ...
; her wreck was subsequently
plundered and burned by
Malayan pirates.
Construction and armament
''Alceste'' was built to a design by
Pierre Rolland for the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
as ''Minerve'', an . Her construction began at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
in May 1804, she was
launched in September 1805 and finished that November.
[Winfield, p. 178] Measuring along her gundeck with a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a depth in the
hold
Hold may refer to:
Physical spaces
* Hold (ship), interior cargo space
* Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane
* Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
of ; she had a capacity of 1,097
tons burthen
Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship bas ...
. When first fitted out, ''Minerve'' carried twenty-eight as her main battery and fourteen
carronade
A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...
s on her quarter-deck; her forecastle had two
long guns and two carronades.
[
]
French service
''Minerve'' was initially commanded by Capitaine Jaques Collet, entering service during the early days of the War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...
between Britain and her allies, and Napoleonic France. In April 1806 she was part of a squadron—under Contre-amiral Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Jacques Théodore Allemand (1 May 1762, in Port-Louis – 2 March 1826, in Toulon) was a French admiral.
Biography
Early career
Allemand was born to a captain of the East Indian Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his saili ...
and comprising five ships-of-the-line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...
, five frigates, and four smaller vessels—anchored under the shore batteries of the Île-d'Aix
Île-d'Aix () is a commune and an island in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), off the west coast of France. It occupies the territory of the small Isle of Aix (''île d'Aix''), in the ...
awaiting the opportunity to put to sea.[Henderson, p. 101][ The British knew the location of Allemand's squadron; on 25 April Admiral ]Edward Thornbrough
Admiral Sir Edward Thornbrough, GCB (27 July 1754 – 3 April 1834) was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the British Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in the American Revolutionary War, ...
, sent the British frigate close to the Île-d'Aix to count the enemy vessels. Allemand ordered ''Minerve'' and three corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
s, , , and , to meet the British frigate,[ leading to a skirmish in which no ship incurred much damage. Three other British vessels subsequently approached—the frigate , the 16-gun ]sloop
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
, and a cutter—and Capitaine Collet ended the engagement by sailing ''Minerve'' to a position under the shelter of the island's guns.[Henderson, p. 102]
''Pallas'' returned on 12 May with and a 16-gun ship-sloop, . Allemande despatched two large frigates and three corvettes; facing unfavourable winds, the British withdrew. Two days later, ''Pallas'' and ''Kingfisher'' came back and Allemande again ordered ''Minerve'', ''Lynx'', ''Sylphe'', and ''Palinure'' to chase Cochrane off.[Woodman, p. 224] As a precaution, he also had two other large frigates, and , cleared for action and ready to go.[James (Vol. IV), p. 232] Collett ordered his ships to set all sail in the hope of catching ''Pallas'' before she could escape, but Cochrane was in no hurry to leave and even attempted to draw the French on by backing his topsails and slowing down. Once in range, ''Pallas'' opened fire, bringing down the topsail yard
The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...
of one of the smaller vessels and then retreating into nearby shoals
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
with ''Minerve'' in pursuit.[ By 13:00 ''Minerve'' had come up on the leeward side of ''Pallas'', whereupon ''Pallas'' fired into her and closed with the intention of boarding. Just at that moment, ''Minerve'' hit a sandbank and ''Pallas'' crashed into her. The force of the collision, great enough to jolt ''Pallas''s guns from their positions, did not prevent her from unleashing a devastating broadside. Both ships were damaged but ''Pallas''s shallower draught prevented her grounding. Her crew were able to disengage and get back under way, having seen the two 40-gun French frigates, ''Armide'' and ''Infatigable'', drawing near. The crew of ''Kingfisher'' sailed in to take ''Pallas'' in tow; the latter had lost her fore topmast, ]jib-boom A jibboom (also spelt jib-boom) is a spar (sailing), spar used to extend the length of a bowsprit on sailing ships. It can itself be extended further by a flying jib-boom. The heel (i.e. rear and lower) end of the flying jib-boom is attached to th ...
, spritsail
The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...
, stunsail
A studding sail, or stun'sl (pronounced stuns'l ) is an extra sail on a square rigged vessel for use in fair weather. It is set outside the square sails, using stun'sl booms which run out along the yards. They came into use some time in the middle ...
, and main topsail yards.[Woodman, p. 225] ''Minerve'' was only lightly damaged; she was re-floated and taken to Rochefort for repair. The engagement cost the lives of seven seamen aboard ''Minerve'', with a further fourteen injured. There were a further one dead and five wounded aboard ''Pallas''.[Henderson, p. 104]
Capture
By September 1806 ''Minerve'' had joined a squadron—along with the large frigates ''Armide'', , ''Infatigable'', and , and the brig-corvettes ''Lynx'' and ''Sylphe''—under Eléon-Jean-Nicolas Soleil. The squadron left Rochefort on 24 September 1806, bound for the West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
. At 01:00 on 25 September Soleil's squadron were spotted near the Chassiron lighthouse by a powerful British force under Samuel Hood, comprising five 74-gun ships (, , , , and ), the 98-gun , and the 16-gun brig . The French sought to avoid engagement, turning to the south-south-west with the British in general pursuit.[James (Vol. IV), p. 262] After three hours the fastest British ship, ''Monarch'', was within range of ''Armide''. The next nearest British ship was ''Centaur'', over eight miles further back; seeing an opportunity, four of the French frigates fled. ''Infatigable'', set off north but was pursued and later caught by ''Mars''; ''Thémis'' and the two brigs headed south and eventually escaped.[James (Vol. IV), p. 263]
The remaining French frigates closed-up for mutual protection. At 10:00, ''Monarch'' engaged ''Minerve'' and ''Armide'', as the weather prevented ''Monarch'' from opening her lower gun ports, she was badly mauled. An hour later, ''Centaur'' caught up and began firing at ''Armide'' and ''Gloire'', leaving ''Monarch'' to continue her fight with ''Minerve''. ''Armide'' struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Adolf Struck (1877–1911), German author
*Hermann Struck (1876–1944), German artist
*Karin Struck (1947–2006), German author
*Paul Struck (1776-1820), German composer
*Peter Struc ...
to ''Centaur'' at 11:45 and ''Minerve'' surrendered to ''Monarch'' shortly after.[ ''Gloire'' veered west in an attempt to throw her pursuers but ''Centaur'' and ''Mars'' chased her down and forced her to strike at 15:00.][
]
British service
The captured ''Minerve'' arrived at Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
on 26 October 1806, and after languishing there for some months, was taken into service as HMS ''Alceste''. Commissioned in March 1807 under Captain Murray Maxwell
Captain Sir Murray Maxwell, CB, FRS (10 September 1775 – 26 June 1831) was a British Royal Navy officer who served with distinction in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, particularly during the French Revolutionary and Napo ...
and refitted between April and August, she was sent to the Mediterranean in December.[ Following the French invasion of Portugal in November 1807, a British expedition to capture the island of ]Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
was proposed. Admiral Samuel Hood's squadron—comprising ships-of-the-line, ''Centaur'', , and , and the frigates ''Alceste'', ''Africaine'', , and —escorted troopships into Funchal Bay
Funchal Bay is a large bay opposite the main city of Funchal on the island of Madeira Island, Madeira, located in the North Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Morocco in north Africa. Funchal has its harbour within the bay.
Belmond Reid's Palac ...
on 24 December. The island was peacefully occupied two days later.
In the action of 4 April 1808
The action of 4 April 1808 was a naval engagement off the coast off Rota near Cadiz, Spain where Royal Naval frigates ''Mercury'', ''Alceste'' and ''Grasshopper'' intercepted a large Spanish convoy protected by twenty gunboats and a train of ...
, ''Alceste'', with and , attacked a Spanish convoy off Rota. While at anchor about three miles to the north-west of the San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
lighthouse, the British ships noticed the large convoy, escorted by 20 gun-boats and sailing close to the land so as to also benefit from the protection of a mobile artillery following on the shore. Coming under heavy fire, the three ships closed with the convoy at around 16:00. ''Grasshopper'', requiring less water than the frigates, was able to stand in close to the town and bombard the batteries there, while ''Alceste'' and ''Mercury'' concentrated their fire on the gun-boats, destroying two of the escorts and driving many of the merchants ashore. Seven were subsequently captured and sailed back out to sea by marines and sailors of the British ships.[James (Vol. V), p. 38]
In 1808, with Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
controlling much of Europe, a plan was conceived by Sir Robert Adair, ambassador to Venice, to extract Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
Pius VII
Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...
from Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. It was thought that the Pope in exile could encourage the Catholic countries of Spain and Italy to rise up against Napoleon. Admiral Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as ...
, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, dispatched ''Alceste'' and an 18-gun sloop, , to Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
where they arrived on 12 August. The British diplomat there, William Drummond, selected four priests willing to undertake the mission. They boarded ''Alceste'' and set sail on 26 August.
On 31 August boats from ''Alceste'' put the party ashore at Ostia
Ostia may refer to:
Places
*Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome
*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome
*Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome
Arts and entertainment ...
, near Rome, where they made contact with a representative of the Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
who agreed to speak to the Pope but failed to return. When it was deemed necessary to travel to Rome to re-establish contact, the priests refused to go. Maxwell sent them back to Palermo in ''Acorn'', which returned a week later with another volunteer of Drummond's. Landed on the night of 19 September, the envoy was captured and shot as a spy the following day. Consequently, the entire plan was abandoned.
On 22 May 1810, ''Alceste'' encountered some French felucca
A felucca ( ar, فلوكة, falawaka, possibly originally from Greek , ) is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in the eastern Mediterranean—including around Malta and Tunisia—in Egypt and Sudan (particularly along the Nile and in protect ...
s—lightly-armed merchant vessels with lateen rig
A lateen (from French ''latine'', meaning "Latin") or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction. The settee can be considered to be an associated type of the same o ...
s—that were forced to seek refuge under the guns of the bay of Agay. Under cover of darkness, two boats from ''Alceste'', one under Lieutenant Andrew Wilson, the other led by the ship's master, Henry Bell, attacked the shore batteries. This was only partially successful; Wilson was unable to achieve his objective, while Bell's section managed to spike the guns of the second battery but only after taking heavy fire.[Woodman, p. 251] ''Alceste'' stood out to sea for three days, and on the night of 25 May, Maxwell sent two armed boats to lay in wait in a rocky cove. The following morning ''Alceste'' set sail. The French, assuming ''Alceste'' had gone, attempted to leave, but the two British boats lying in ambush attacked. Despite fierce resistance and fire from the guns on shore, four ships of the French convoy were captured and two driven on to the rocks. The remainder made it safely back to their anchorage.[
Boats of ''Alceste'' and captured two vessels in the bay of Martino, ]Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
on 21 June 1810. Protecting the entrance to the bay was a three-gun battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
, which a landing party captured and put out of action. Several of the garrison were wounded or killed during the attack. British casualties amounted to one killed and two wounded.
In 1811, ''Alceste'' entered the Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
and on 4–5 May, she and ''Belle Poule'' participated in a raid at Parenza, (Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...
). Having chased a brig into the harbour, but unable to follow due to the rocks and shallow water, the two frigates stood outside and opened fire on her and the battery protecting her. After an hour, the brig was forced to move nearer the shore, out of range.[James (Vol. V), p. 364] At 23:00, the British landed 200 seamen and all their marines on an island nearby, and also landed two 9-pounders and two howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
s that they placed in one battery, and a field piece that they placed further away. From there, they were able to engage the French in Parenza in a five-hour mutual bombardment. The brig was eventually destroyed and the men and cannons returned to their ships. ''Belle Poule'' had one man killed and three wounded, and ''Alceste'' had two men killed during the action. All casualties occurred ashore.
At the action of 29 November 1811
The action of 29 November 1811 was a minor naval engagement fought between two frigate squadrons in the Adriatic Sea during the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. The action was one of a series of operations conducted by the British Roy ...
, ''Alceste'' led the British frigate squadron that outran and defeated a French military convoy carrying a cargo of cannon. The day before, ''Alceste'' had been stationed at the island of Lissa (now Vis), with the frigates ''Unité'' and , when word was received of a similar sized French squadron heading north.[Henderson, p. 168] The British frigates could not immediately set sail because Maxwell feared an attack from a strong French force nearby. As a defence, he placed two batteries on an island in the harbour's entrance, manned by the ships' marines, and three previously captured gun-boats manned by around 30 seamen from ''Alceste'' and ''Active''. These precautions not only weakened but delayed Maxwell's squadron, which put to sea at 19:00, twelve hours later.[James (Vol. V), p. 376]
The British eventually caught up with the French ships at 10:00 the following morning, identifying them as the two large frigates and , and the smaller . ''Persanne'', fired the first shots at 12:30, off the coast of Pelagosa (Palagruža); an hour later ''Alceste'' and ''Pomone'' exchanged shots from their bow and stern guns respectively. ''Alceste'' began to overhaul ''Pomone'' at 13:40 and fired a broadside into her while simultaneously spreading more sail in the hope of catching ''Pauline'', a little further ahead. This plan was thwarted though when a shot from ''Pomone'' brought down ''Alceste''s main topmast, slowing her suddenly.[James (Vol. V), p. 377] When ''Active'' arrived at 14:00 and also started firing into ''Pomone'', ''Pauline'' was obliged to come about to protect her now out-gunned colleague. Just after 15:00 the British sloop, ''Kingfisher'' appeared on the horizon and ''Pauline'', now in danger of capture herself, disengaged and sailed off. ''Pomone'' struck shortly after.[ ''Unité'' which had set off in pursuit of ''Persanne'', forced ''Persanne'' to surrender at 16:00 after a single exchange of broadsides.][James (Vol. V), p. 379]
The captured frigates contained more than 200 cannon, which were being transported to Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
, a city in north-east Italy on the border of the Balkan States
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...
.[ It has been suggested by the British historian James Henderson that this action was a factor in Napoleon's decision to change the direction of his planned eastward expansion in 1812 from the Balkans to Russia.][
In late 1812, ''Alceste'' was decommissioned and placed ]in ordinary
''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...
at Deptford. Between February and July 1814 she was converted at Deptford into a troopship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
; in this role, she was recommissioned in May 1814 under Commander Faniel Lawrence.[ On 18 September 1814 she departed Plymouth as part of a squadron, with as flagship, that carried the advance guard of Major General Keane's army, which was moving to attack New Orleans. Following the British decision to attack ; ''Alceste'' left ]Pensacola
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...
on 8December 1814, in tandem with the 50 other vessels under Vice-Admiral Alexander Cochrane
Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral.
He had previously captain ...
. The point chosen to land the troops was at the head of Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne (french: Lac Borgne, es, Lago Borgne) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes fro ...
which was subsequently discovered to be guarded by five American gunboats, a sloop and a schooner. On 14 December, Cochrane dispatched nearly 1,000 men in 42 barges from the various ships under his command, including ''Alceste''. After rowing for almost 36 hours, the British stopped just out of range to rest and eat breakfast before launching their attack. The Battle of Lake Borgne
The Battle of Lake Borgne was a coastal engagement between the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy in the American South theatre of the War of 1812. It occurred on December 14, 1814 on Lake Borgne. The British victory allowed them to disembark their tro ...
resulted in the capture of all the American vessels, at a cost of 94 British and 41 American dead and wounded.[Clowes, p. 150] In 1847 the Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
* Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
* Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
*Admiralty, Tr ...
issued a clasp (or bar) marked "14 Dec. Boat Service 1814" to survivors of the boat service who claimed the clasp to the Naval General Service Medal.
Diplomatic mission to China
After the Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
, the British government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
sought stronger ties with China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. William Amherst, the diplomat chosen to inform the emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
of the peace in Europe and to offer Britain's friendship, specifically requested Maxwell and ''Alceste'' to accompany him.[Henderson, p. 168] Maxwell, without a ship since was wrecked three years before, commissioned ''Alceste'' at the beginning of 1816.[Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman, p. 229] The journey out was uneventful; ''Alceste'' left Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...
for China on 9February with Amherst aboard, and after stopping at Madeira, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, the Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
, Anyer
Anyer, also known as Anjer or Angier, is a coastal town in Banten, formerly West Java, Indonesia, west of Jakarta and south of Merak. A significant coastal town late 18th-century, Anyer faces the Sunda Strait.
History
The town was a consider ...
, and Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
, sailed through the Bangka Strait
Bangka Strait is the strait that separates the island of Sumatra from Bangka Island ( id, Pulau Bangka) in the Java Sea, Indonesia. The strait is about long, with a width varying from about to .
See also
* Japanese cruiser Ashigara
* List of st ...
into the South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
. After calling to pay respects at Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
, ''Alceste'' transited the Straits of Formosa
The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide.
The Taiwan Strait is itself a s ...
and hove-to in the Bohai Sea
The Bohai Sea () is a marginal sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects to the east via the Bohai Strait. It has a mean depth of a ...
on 28 July. There she met the 10-gun brig-sloop
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
, ''Lyra'', despatched earlier to herald the arrival of Britain's ambassador.[
]
Exploration of Korea and Ryukyu Islands
Having arranged to travel back overland from Peking
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
to rendezvous with ''Alceste'' at Canton, Amherst was ferried to the mouth of the Hai River
The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"), also known as the Peiho, ("White River"), or Hai Ho, is a Chinese river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea.
The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five watercourses: the S ...
on 9August. As the mission and return journey would take several weeks, Maxwell had an opportunity to explore the area. ''Alceste'' headed north, while ''Lyra'', under the command of Lieutenant Basil Hall
Basil Hall (31 December 1788 – 11 September 1844) was a British naval officer from Scotland, a traveller, and an author. He was the second son of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, an eminent man of science.
Biography
Although his family home was ...
, was sent south. , an East Indiaman
East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...
chartered to carry gifts for the Emperor of China, was to explore the centre channel. ''Alceste'' first undertook a survey of the Gulf of Liaodong, then virtually unknown to Europeans, and after spending some time exploring the Liaodong Peninsula
The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...
, proceeded southward to Jiaozhou Bay
The Jiaozhou Bay (; german: Kiautschou Bucht, ) is a bay located in the prefecture-level city of Qingdao (Tsingtau), China.
The bay has historically been romanized as Kiaochow, Kiauchau or Kiao-Chau in English and Kiautschou in German.
Geogra ...
on the coast of Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
, where she encountered ''General Hewitt'', and was later joined by Hall in ''Lyra''.[Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman, p. 230] ''Alceste'' and ''Lyra'' left the bay on 29 August for the west coast of Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, an area that had not been surveyed since the Jesuit missionaries
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
visited in the 16th and 17th centuries. Maxwell found the Korean coast to be some 130 miles further east than expected, and in the process of exploration also discovered the archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
that forms the south-western tip of the Korean peninsula.[Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman, p. 231] ''Alceste'' was then turned towards the Loo Choo Islands, now known as the Ryukyu archipelago
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara, Amami Islands, Amami, Okinawa Islands, Okinawa, and Sakis ...
, dropping anchor in the Napakiang roads on the south-west side of Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
on 16 September 1816. After a six-week stay, ''Alceste'' returned to China via the southern end of the island of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, arriving at the mouth of the Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...
on 2November.
Return to Whampoa
''Alceste'' required some repairs after a long journey in inclement weather so Maxwell petitioned the viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...
of Canton for permission to travel up the Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
to a secure anchorage, unaware that Amherst's mission had been unsuccessful.[Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman, p. 232] The emperor's attitude towards the British envoy had been off-hand; he showed little interest in Europe or its affairs, and refused a gift from King George as he considered it insufficient.[Henderson, p. 169] Having received an insulting message in response to his request, Maxwell decided to enter the river regardless but was soon hailed by a local mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
who threatened to have the batteries guarding the entrance sink ''Alceste'' if she went any further.[ Still in need of repairs and requiring navigation to Whampoa to collect Amherst, Maxwell told the mandarin that he would proceed in any event. ''Alceste'' quickly dealt with the shore defences and 17 war-junks sent to stop her, and continued up the river to Whampoa. There she anchored and received fresh supplies while awaiting the arrival of Amherst and his suite. The incident would later be publicly described as, "''A friendly interchange of salutes''". Having completed as much of his mission as possible, Amherst boarded ''Alceste'' which left Whampoa on 21 January 1817.][
]
Fate
With the many uncharted shoals and reefs, and frequent storms, the South China Seas remain some of the most dangerous waters in the world.[Henderson, p. 170] Despite the continual use of a sounding lead, on 18 February 1817, ''Alceste'' grounded on one of the many hidden reefs in the Java Sea
The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its nort ...
. Maxwell ordered the anchor dropped to prevent the ship from slipping into deeper water, an undesirable situation if the hull had been breached, which turned out to be the case. The pumps were unable to cope with the influx of water and the ship's carpenter, Cheffy, reported that ''Alceste'' was beyond repair.[
]
Maxwell ordered his first lieutenant, Henry Parkyns Hoppner
Captain Henry Parkyns Hoppner (179522 December 1833) was an officer of the Royal Navy, Arctic explorer, draughtsman and artist. His career included two ill-fated voyages culminating in the loss of in 1816 and HMS ''Fury'' in 1825.
Early years
B ...
, to take Lord Amherst and his party in two of the boats to an island, known today as Pulo Leat, three miles away. The island's thick vegetation prevented an assessment of whether it was inhabited, and forced the boat crews to row a further three miles along the shore before finding a suitable landing spot between the mangroves. The rest of the ship's company were evacuated in the remaining boats and a large raft.[Henderson, p. 171] Because of the lack of provisions, in particular drinking water, it was decided that Hoppner would continue with Amherst and his embassy to Java, roughly 200 miles to the south. Once there, a rescue could be initiated.
Hoppner's return journey to Java could not be accomplished in less than nine days, so further supplies would be required for the 200 remaining survivors. An unarmed expedition made its way back to ''Alceste'' to see what could be salvaged, but was forced back by the arrival of Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
Dyak pirates who plundered the wreck.[Henderson, p. 172] Maxwell ordered the construction of a stockade and the improvisation of additional weapons to counter the threat of an attack.[Henderson, p. 173] The digging of a well solved the problem of water. On 22 February, an armed party set out to reclaim the ship but the pirates set fire to ''Alceste'' and made off. The fire lasted throughout the night and destroyed the wreck; the following morning Maxwell sent out a boat that managed to retrieve some barrels of flour, cases of wine, and a cask of ale.[Henderson, p. 174] The pirates returned at dawn on 26 February, entering the cove aboard two proa
Proas are various types of multi-hull outrigger sailboats of the Austronesian peoples. The terms were used for native Austronesian ships in European records during the Colonial era indiscriminately, and thus can confusingly refer to the do ...
s and two canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
s. Second lieutenant Hay led a sortie that boarded one of the proas, killing four pirates and capturing two more. The proa could not be brought to shore and was scuttled.[ More pirates arrived over the next two days. They made no attempt to land, but behaved aggressively by firing their ]swivel gun
The term swivel gun (or simply swivel) usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun wi ...
s towards the shore. By 1March there were fourteen pirate proas in the cove, with more arriving on the following night.[Henderson, p. 175]
Provisions were now running low, and with the rescue mission overdue, Maxwell began formulating a plan to capture sufficient proas to escape from the island.[Henderson, p. 177] While the plan was being proposed a sail was spotted on the horizon, heading toward the island. The appearance of this vessel, coupled with a sudden attack spearheaded by ''Alceste''s marines
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
, caused the pirates to flee. The rescue ship was , a 16-gun brig belonging to the British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
's navy, the Bombay Marine
The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India.
Fr ...
, despatched by Lord Amherst on the day of his arrival in Batavia.
''Ternate'' returned to Batavia with the castaways, where Amherst chartered the ship for the journey to England. During a stop at St Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
, Maxwell met Napoleon, who remembered the action on 29 November 1811 when ''Alceste'' had captured ''La Pomone'', and remarked, "...your government must not blame you for the loss of ''Alceste'', for you have taken one of my frigates." The requisite court martial exonerated Maxwell, his officers, and his crew of the loss of ''Alceste''. Maxwell received much praise for his actions, and £1500 from the East India Company. He was knighted in 1818.[Hepper, p. 156]
Notes
Citations
References
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* MacLeod, John (1818)
Voyage of His Majesty's ship Alceste, along the coast of Corea
'. London. John Murray (The British Library Viewer)
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External links
Ships of the Old Navy
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Maritime incidents in 1817
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