''Proserpine'' was a 38-gun of 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 ...
launched in 1785 that captured on 13 June 1796. 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 ...
commissioned ''Proserpine'' into 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 ...
as the
fifth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal N ...
, HMS ''Amelia''. She spent 20 years in the Royal Navy, participating in numerous actions in the
French Revolutionary
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...
and
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 ...
, capturing a number of
prizes
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. , and serving on anti-smuggling and anti-slavery patrols. Her most notable action was her intense and bloody, but inconclusive, fight in 1813 with the French frigate ''Aréthuse''. ''Amelia'' was broken up in December 1816.
Construction
''Proserpine'' was a built 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 ...
of the
''Ancien Régime'' in
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Brest, ...
.
Jacques-Noël Sané
Jacques-Noël Sané (18 February 1740, Brest – 22 August 1831, Paris) was a French naval engineer. He was the conceptor of standardised designs for ships of the line and frigates fielded by the French Navy in the 1780s, which served during the ...
designed her as well as five
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s and she was rated for thirty-eight guns.
French naval service (1785–1796)
''Proserpine'' was stationed at
Saint Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the islan ...
from 1786 until 1788. In 1792, she was under Ensign
Van Stabel. From 1793, she served as a commerce raider under Captain
Jean-Baptiste Perrée
Jean-Baptiste Perrée (19 December 1761Levot, p.394 in 1866 write 19 April 1761 – 18 February 1800Levot, p.395) was a French Navy officer and Rear-admiral.
Career
Born to a family of sailors in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Perrée started sailing in ...
, notably capturing the 32-gun Dutch frigate ''Vigilante'' and several merchantmen of a convoy that ''Vigilante'' was escorting.
On 23 June 1795, under Captain Daugier, ''Proserpine'' took part in the
Battle of Groix
The Battle of Groix was a large naval engagement which took place near the island of Groix off the Biscay coast of Brittany on 23 June 1795 ( 5 messidor an III) during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle was fought between elements of the ...
as the flagship of Admiral
Villaret de Joyeuse
Louis-Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (29 May 1747Granier, p.87Some biographers give a date of 1750 (Levot, p.541). Granier quotes the registers of Sainte-Marie parish. – 24 July 1812Levot, p.544) was a French admiral.
Villaret was born at Auch ...
. She unsuccessfully attempted to regroup the French fleet, almost colliding with the in the process. ''Proserpine'' then fired a broadside at the approaching British fleet before she escaped.
Almost a year later, on 13 June 1796, about south of
Cape Clear,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the frigate , under the command of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Lord Amelius Beauclerk
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerk (23 May 1771 – 10 December 1846) was a Royal Navy Officer (armed forces), officer.
Early life
Beauclerk was born on 23 May 1771, the third son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans ...
, captured ''Proserpine'' following a relatively brief chase but
a bitter action.
In the engagement, ''Proserpine'', under the command of Citizen Pevrieu, lost 30 men killed and 45 wounded out of her crew of 348 men. ''Dryad'' had two men killed and seven wounded.
[ 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 ...
awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Dryad 13 June 1796" to all surviving claimants from the action.
As the Royal Navy already had a , the Admiralty renamed the captured vessel HMS ''Amelia'' after Princess Amelia, the youngest daughter of George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
. The Royal Navy classified her as a fifth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal N ...
of a nominal thirty-eight guns. The deck and sheer and profile plans made following survey at Plymouth in 1797 are now in the National Maritime Museum.
British service
Captain Charles Herbert
Charles Herbert Saperstein (December 23, 1948 – October 31, 2015), known as Charles Herbert, was an American child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen ...
commissioned ''Amelia'' in August 1797 for service in the Channel.
The Battle of Tory Island (1798)
She joined and on 18 September 1798 blockading the French Brest Squadron, preventing them sailing for Ireland to support the Irish Rebellion with troops. During the night of 11 – 12 October Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
, Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
John Borlase Warren
Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807.
Naval career
Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamsh ...
made the signal for a general chase. Commodore Warren's squadron engaged the French squadron, and captured the ''Hoche'' (74 guns) and the frigates , and . In doing so, the British also captured Wolfe Tone
Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican socie ...
, the leader of the United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...
. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the surviving claimants from the battle the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "12th October 1798".
The Channel blockade (1798–1802)
On 31 January 1799, while at anchor in the Hamoaze
The Hamoaze (; ) is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between its confluence with the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.
The name first appears as ''ryver of Hamose'' in 1588 and it originally most likely applied just to a ...
, broke free from her moorings and struck the ''Amelia''. Fortunately both ships had struck their topmast
The masts of traditional sailing ships were not single spars, but were constructed of separate sections or masts, each with its own rigging. The topmast is one of these.
The topmast is semi-permanently attached to the upper front of the lower ...
s and damage was light. ''Amelia'' was able to sail on 4 February.
On 9 April, after reconnoitring two French frigates in L'Orient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presence ...
, and ''Amelia'' sailed towards Belle Île
Belle-Île, Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Belle Isle ( br, Ar Gerveur, ; br, label=Old Breton, Guedel) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon pe ...
in very hazy weather. Here three French frigates and a large gun vessel hiding against the coast surprised them. At that instant a sudden squall
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
carried away ''Amelia''s main
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
-top-mast and fore and mizzen top-gallant masts; the fall of the former tore much of the mainsail
A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel.
* On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast.
* On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...
from the yard. Captain Neale of ''San Fiorenzo'' shortened sail and ordered ''Amelia'' to bear up with him to maintain the weather gage
The weather gage (sometimes spelled weather gauge) is the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel relative to another. It is also known as "nautical gauge" as it is related to the sea shore. The concept is from the Age of Sail and is now ...
and prepare for battle. The enemy showed no inclination for close-quarter action, and although the British ships came under fire from shore batteries
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to faci ...
, they had to bear down on the French three times to engage them. After nearly two hours the French wore ship and stood away to take refuge in the river Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
. From a captured French ship they learned later that the French frigates were , , and . ''Amelia'' lost 2 killed and 17 wounded.
On 29 August 1800, in Vigo Bay, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood assembled a cutting-out party from the vessels under his command consisting of two boats each from ''Amelia'', , , and ''Cynthia'', four boats from , as well as the boats from , and ''Impetueux'' The party went in and after a 15-minute fight captured the French privateer ''Guêpe'', of Bordeaux and towed her out. She was of 300 tons burthen and had a flush deck. Pierced for 20 guns, she carried eighteen 9-pounders, and she and her crew of 161 men were under the command of Citizen Dupan. In the attack she lost 25 men killed, including Dupan, and 40 wounded. British casualties amounted to four killed, 23 wounded and one missing. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "29 Aug. Boat Service 1800" to all surviving claimants from the action.
During a dark and stormy night on 5 February 1801 ''Amelia'' captured the French privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
brig
A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
''Juste'' of St Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
. It was so dark that the two vessels did not see each other until the brig ran into the ''Amelia'', which cost the brig her foremast and bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...
. ''Juste'', with 14 guns and 78 men under the command of Jean Pierre Charlet, had been out from Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
for 30 days without making a capture. A prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements. crew brought ''Juste'' into 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 10 February, and ''Amelia'' returned on 21 February.
On 10 May ''Amelia'' had just anchored close to the mouth of the Loire when she saw a brig sailing into the river. As soon as the privateer spotted ''Amelia'' she tacked with all sail. As evening was approaching, Captain Charles Herbert
Charles Herbert Saperstein (December 23, 1948 – October 31, 2015), known as Charles Herbert, was an American child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen ...
immediately set off in pursuit, capturing the brig after a chase of four hours. She was the privateer ''Heureux'' of Saint Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast.
The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
, with 14 guns and 78 men. She had been cruising for 41 days but had made no captures. She was uncoppered due to the shortage of that material and this possibly resulted in her being slower than she otherwise might have been. ''Amelia'' sent ''Heureux'' into Plymouth, where she arrived on 17 May.
On 23 June ''Amelia'' took bullocks out to the Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915.
History
Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...
. This was a common occurrence, with the Victualing Office using warships returning to the blockade to deliver meat on the hoof.
At the end of June, ''Amelia'' sailed to 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 ...
to reconnoitre the enemy. ''Medusa'' (50 guns), together with an unidentified 44-gun ship and an armed schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, came out to oppose her. A smart action ensued in full view of the spectators lining the cliffs. Although the ''Embuscade'' (32 guns) sailed out to assist them, the enemy retired under the protection of the shore batteries after an hour. Captain Herbert lay to, but they declined to come out again, so he sailed to join Sir Edward Pellew
Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother ...
.
Next, on 4 August, a Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
packet
Packet may refer to:
* A small container or pouch
** Packet (container), a small single use container
** Cigarette packet
** Sugar packet
* Network packet, a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-mode computer network
* Packet radio, a form ...
came into Plymouth. ''Amelia'' had captured the packet as she was on her way from Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. to Ferrol Ferrol may refer to:
Places
* Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
* Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain
** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club
* Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...
with a cargo of sugar, coffee and hides. The packet was armed with six guns and had a crew of 40 men.
On 8 August the hired armed cutter captured two French brigs. ''Amelia'' shared in the prize money.
In September ''Amelia'' captured a number of coasters and brigs in the Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
. One of them, the brig ''Cheodore'', laden with sardines, arrived in Plymouth on 27 September, together with another brig in ballast. Shortly after, a seaman from ''Amelia'' died in the Royal Naval Hospital
A Royal Naval Hospital (RNH) was a hospital operated by the British Royal Navy for the care and treatment of sick and injured naval personnel. A network of these establishments were situated across the globe to suit British interests. They were p ...
after being wounded by a loaded musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...
that went off as the armourer
Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, wi ...
was cleaning it. At the inquest, on 19 October, Mr Whitford, the coroner for Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
recorded a verdict of accidental death. Two more men were wounded but recovered and a third man, who was killed on the spot, was buried at sea.
Anti-smuggling service and the Peace of Amiens (1802–1803)
On 6 January 1802 ''Amelia'' was ordered to be victualed for 4 months, and 21 days later she sailed on a cruise against smugglers. During the night of 1 March some words passed between the boat's crew of ''Amelia'' and some Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
seamen at the Pier Head, Barbican, Plymouth
The Barbican is the name given to the western and northern sides of Sutton Harbour, the original harbour of Plymouth in Devon, England. It was one of the few parts of the city to escape most of the destruction of The Blitz during the Second ...
. A violent scuffle ensued that developed into a battle; during the conflict one of the Portuguese drew a long knife and stabbed one of ''Amelia's'' men in the groin. He bled profusely but a surgeon managed to stop the flow. The Portuguese fled but were rounded up the following morning.
In April 1802 Captain Lord Proby took command. On 6 May ''Amelia'' sailed from Plymouth for Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
and Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
with 150 discharged seamen, returning on 28 May. Orders came down from London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on 11 June that all the sloops
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 frigates in the Sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
were to be sent to sea immediately as the coast from Berry Head
Berry Head is a coastal headland that forms the southern boundary of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Lying to the east of the town of Brixham, it is a national nature reserve and a local nature reserve. Berry Head To Sharkham Point is a Site of Sp ...
to Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay ( kw, Baya an Garrek) is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head. In the north of the bay, near Marazion, is St Michael's Mount; the origin o ...
was infested with smugglers. ''Amelia'', , , and were immediately victualled for two months. By the end of August 1802, ''Amelia'' had sailed for Den Helder
Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base.
From here the Royal TESO fe ...
with Dutch troops discharged from the British service. She returned on 4 September.
1803 saw ''Amelia'' based mainly at Portsmouth. She arrived there from the Downs on 27 March and sailed on 1 April with part of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot
The 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, which was formed in Ireland in 1793 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The regiment served in the West Indies, South Africa and the Peninsular War, ...
for Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
. She was back on 8 April and sailed again for the Downs on the 15th.
In May she was part of the squadron under Rear 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, ...
in , keeping watch over Hellevoetsluis
Hellevoetsluis () is a small city and municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located in Voorne-Putten, South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water and it includes the population centres Nieuw-Helvoet, Nieuwenhoorn ...
, Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic l ...
and other Dutch ports. ''Amelia'' sent a French chasse-marée
In English, a chasse-marée is a specific, archaic type of decked commercial sailing vessel.
In French, ''un chasse-marée'' was 'a wholesale fishmonger', originally on the Channel coast of France and later, on the Atlantic coast as well. The f ...
in ballast into Plymouth on 23 May. A month later, on 25 June, ''Amelia'', , , and captured sundry Dutch fishing boats.
On 11 August ''Amelia'' sent the French privateer lugger
A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or several masts. They were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively i ...
''Alerte'', of 4 guns and 27 men, into Portsmouth. She chased two others in mid-channel
Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to:
Geography
* Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water.
Australia
* Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
before returning on 16 August. She sailed again on a cruise two days later. The extent of her success against smugglers is hard to judge. On 14 August she did catch at sea one Henry Sothcott (born 1774), who was sentenced to 5 years pressed into the Navy for smuggling; he jumped ship within seven months.
The West Indies (1804–1807)
''Amelia'' deployed to the Leeward Islands
french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent
, image_name =
, image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis.
, image_alt =
, locator_map =
, location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean
, coor ...
Station, but her Captain, Lord Proby, died on 6 August 1804 at age 25 at Surinam Surinam may refer to:
* Surinam (Dutch colony) (1667–1954), Dutch plantation colony in Guiana, South America
* Surinam (English colony) (1650–1667), English short-lived colony in South America
* Surinam, alternative spelling for Suriname
...
, from yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
. Captain William Charles Fahie
Vice-Admiral Sir William Charles Fahie KCB (1763 – 11 January 1833) was a prominent British Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Unusually, Fahie's service was almost enti ...
took command while the ship was in Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. In December she captured the Spanish brig ''Isabella'' and the ship ''Conception'', both laden with wine and brandy, and the ship ''Commerce'', laden with cotton. ''Amelia'' returned to Deptford
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...
and in 1807 refitted at Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
.
Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne
December 1807 saw Captain Frederick Paul Irby
Rear Admiral Frederick Paul Irby (18 April 1779 – 24 April 1844) was a British Royal Navy officer and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk.
Birth
Frederick Irby was born on 18 April 1779, the second son of Frederick, 2nd Baron Boston and his ...
appointed to her for service in the English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
and coast of Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. He sighted three French 44-gun frigates (''Calypso'', ''Italienne'' and ''Sybille'') near Belle Île
Belle-Île, Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Belle Isle ( br, Ar Gerveur, ; br, label=Old Breton, Guedel) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon pe ...
on 23 February 1809 and ''Amelia'' and the brig chased them all night. The following morning they had approached so close to the rearmost French ship that her companions had to haul up to her support. soon came into sight and the French made for the Sables d'Olonne
Les Sables-d'Olonne (; French meaning: "The Sands of Olonne"; Poitevin: ''Lés Sablles d'Oloune'') is a seaside town in Western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. A subprefecture of the department of Vendée, Pays de la Loire, it has the administra ...
. Rear Admiral Stopford and his squadron, who had been watching eight French sail-of-the-line standing into the Pertuis d'Antioche
The Pertuis d'Antioche (, ''Passage of Antioch'') is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France, between two islands, Île de Ré and Oléron, on the one side, and on the other side the continental coast between the cities of La Rochelle and ...
, came down to join them and stood in with , , , and ''Amelia''. They opened fire, passing as near to the enemy as the depth of water permitted, and forced the frigates to run ashore at the top of high water. ''Amelia'' had her bowsprit shot through and she was hulled in several places but had no casualties. The French lost 24 men killed and 51 wounded. The three French frigates survived, but ''Cybèle'' was declared irreparable and broken up, while ''Italienne'' and ''Calypso'' were sold to commerce.
The Battle of the Basque Roads (1809)
''Amelia'' was present with Admiral Lord Gambier at the blockade of Basque Roads
Basque Roads, sometimes referred to as ''Aix Roads'', is a roadstead (a sheltered bay) on the Biscay shore of the Charente-Maritime département of France, bounded by the Île d'Oléron to the west and the Île de Ré to the north. The port of La ...
in April 1809. There she was directed to dislodge the French who were endeavouring to strengthen their position in Aix
Aix or AIX may refer to:
Computing
* AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems
*An Alternate Index, for a Virtual Storage Access Method Key Sequenced Data Set
*Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point
Places Belgium
...
Roads. On 1 April she destroyed some batteries there. She was reconnoitering with when ''Alcmene'' was wrecked on the Three Stones on the north end of the La Blanche shoal near the mouth of the Loire on 30 April. ''Amelia'' was instrumental in rescuing the crew and a great part of ''Alcmene''s stores.
Action at Santander (1809–10)
On 15 May 1809 Lord Gambier ordered Captain Irby to investigate the situation at where an attack was about to be made by Spanish patriots on the French troops in the town. joined him on 8 June but strong winds and current prevented them getting there before 10 June. As they approached they could see firing on shore and several vessels trying to escape from the harbour. The two British ships captured three French vessels: the corvette , of sixteen brass 8-pounders and 180 men; the brig ''Réjouie'' with eight 8-pounders; and a schooner, ''Mouche No.7'', with one 4-pounder gun. They also took two luggers: ''Légère'', which was unseaworthy so her cargo was put on board ''Réjouie''; and ''Notre Dame'', a Spanish vessel the French had seized.[
The aide-de-camp to General Ballestero reported that the town was in possession of the Spanish and that the French troops had all surrendered. Because of the large number of prisoners, Captain Irby sent ''Statira'' into the harbour with the prizes while ''Amelia'' remained off the coast in hopes of being able to render more assistance to the Spaniards. The corvette ''Mouche'', which the sloop and the hired armed lugger had recently engaged, had been a threat to British trade for some time.] ''Lloyd's List'' reported that on 20 June the French corvette ''Mouche'', of 18 guns and 180 men, with "Soldier's Cloathing, and Specie", the "French brig Resource laden with masts", and a "French schooner in Ballast" had arrived at Plymouth. They had arrived from St Ander and were prizes to ''Statira'' and ''Amelia''.
Later, one of Captain Irby's contemporary reports states:
''Amelia'' and the British privateer ''Sorcière'' recaptured on 3 April 1810. After her recapture, her captors took ''Wanstead'' into Plymouth.
Capture of the privateer ''Charles'' (1810)
''Amelia'' captured the 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 ...
-built privateer ''Charles'' of Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
on 8 November 1810 about 400 miles west of Finisterre (). ''Amelia'' chased ''Charles'' for 13 hours, with the speed reaching as much as 12.5 knots. ''Charles'', of 300 tons burthen (bm), was pierced for 22 guns but mounted twelve 6-pounder guns and eight 18-pounder carronades, all English measurement. She had a crew of 170 men under the command of Pierre Alexandre Marrauld. ''Charles'' was about eight months old, but was on her maiden cruise, having sailed from Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
on 4 October bound for Île de France. ''Amelia'' arrived in Plymouth Sound on 16 November.
Destruction of ''Amazone''
On the morning of 24 March 1811 Captain James Macnamara
Rear admiral (Royal Navy), Rear-Admiral James Macnamara (1768 – 15 January 1826) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
...
in gave chase to the French frigate ''Amazone'' about 12 or 13 miles off the Barfleur
Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France.
History
During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England.
* 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour ...
lighthouse and forced her to take refuge in a rocky bay about a mile to the west of the lighthouse. ''Amelia'', , and the 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 ...
s and , joined ''Berwick'', hoping to launch an attack with boats. When the tides proved too strong for a boat attack, ''Niobe'' led in, with ''Amelia'' and ''Berwick'' following in succession, and they fired on ''Amazone'' for two hours, before sailing outn. ''Amelia'' had one man killed and one wounded in the exchange. The British squadron sailed in again on the following morning to renew the attack but her crew had set fire to ''Amazone'' and she had burned to the waterline.
Passage to Canada (1811)
Leaving Lymington on 11 April 1811, ''Amelia'' sailed for Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
with a convoy. On 18 June she left Quebec carrying General Sir James Henry Craig
General Sir James Henry Craig KB (1748 – 12 January 1812) was a British military officer and colonial administrator.
Early life and military service
Craig came from a Scottish family whose father was a judge of the civil and military cour ...
from Canada to England when he was relieved as Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
.
The West African Station (1811–1813)
On 15 October 1811 ''Amelia'' sailed for the coast of Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
where Captain Irby became senior officer of the anti-slavery squadron there. Throughout her time on the station ''Amelia'' suffered with damp powder. Although the large portion which had caked in the magazine was sent ashore to be dried, the problem was never properly solved. In June 1812 Irby learned that the natives at Winneba
Winneba is a town and the capital of Effutu Municipal District in Central Region of South Ghana. Winneba has a population of 55,331. Winneba, traditionally known as ''Simpa'', is a historic fishing port in south Ghana, lying on the south coa ...
, halfway between Accra
Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...
and Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established ...
, had murdered Mr Meredith, the governor of the fort. When the authorities at Cape Coast Castle asked for Captain Irby's assistance he sailed for Winneba with a detachment of the Africa corps under Mr Smith, Governor of Fort Tantumquery Fort Tantumquery is a military structure designed to facilitate the slave trade. The Royal African Company built it in the 1720s, at Otuam in the Mfantsiman Municipal District, Central Region (Ghana), Central Region, Ghana, in what was known at the ...
, and anchored off the port on 2 July. The natives had fled so he landed his marines and the troops, who demolished the fort.
In January 1813 Lieutenant Pascoe had to run his gunbrig on shore and burn her at the island of Tamara, Iles de Los Iles is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Albert Iles (1914–1979), English footballer
*Alex Iles, American musician
* Bob Iles (born 1955), English footballer
*Bradley Iles (born 1983), New Zealand golfer
*Brian Iles, American ...
, after being chased by three French vessels. Two days later he and part of his crew arrived in the river of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
where ''Amelia'' was about to leave for England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, with many of her crew debilitated with fever and barely fit for duty after more than 12 months on the station. Before leaving, Captain Irby sent Lieutenant Pascoe off in a small schooner to reconnoitre.
''Amelia'' and ''Aréthuse''
Pascoe reported back on 3 February that he had sighted a force consisting of three ships. Two were the French frigates (Captain Pierre Bouvet
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
), and (Commander Louis-François Ollivier). The third ship was a Portuguese prize, ''La Serra'', which they were unloading before sailing to intercept British merchant vessels, a convoy from England being expected daily. The master and the rest of the crew from ''Daring'' arrived in a cartel
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. Cartels are usually associations in the same sphere of business, and thus an alliance of rivals. Mos ...
, having given their parole, and confirmed Lieutenant Pascoe's report. Standing in towards Tamara on 6 February, Captain Irby met the government schooner ''Princess Charlote'' and learnt that the two frigates were anchored a considerable distance apart. Although he was not aware of it, ''Rubis'', the southernmost one, had struck a rock, which had disabled her. ''Aréthuse'' weighed and stood out to sea followed by ''Amelia'', Captain Irby having hopes of enticing her into action. For nearly four hours they exchanged fire, throughout which ''Aréthuse'' used the usual French practice of firing high. Having cut ''Amelia's'' sails and running and standing rigging to pieces, the French ship bore up. Twice during the action the enemy had attempted to board but the 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 ...
, under the command of Lieutenant Simpson of the Royal Marines, drove them back.
The British losses were heavy, with 46 killed, including Lieutenants John Bates, John Pope and George Wills, Lieutenant William Pascoe, the commander of ''Daring'', and Second Lieutenant R G Grainger, Royal Marines. Five more men died of their wounds later. Fifty-one were dangerously or seriously wounded, and 44 slightly wounded. Captain Irby appointed Lieutenant Reeve, invalided from and wounded several times in the action, as his first lieutenant, and master's mates Samuel Umfreville and Edward Robinson (who had been severely wounded) as second and third. Mr Williamson, the surgeon, his assistant Mr Burke and Mr Stewart of ''Daring'' cared for the wounded as the crippled ''Amelia'' made her way north towards 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 ...
and then home, arriving at 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 ...
on 22 March. The wounded were examined by the Lieutenant Governor of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich who was astonished at their debilitated condition.
''Aréthuse'' mounted twenty-six 18-pounder long guns on the main deck and fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two 8-pounder long guns on the upper deck. ''Amelia'' put more than 30 round shot in her hull on the starboard side below the quarter deck and, according to one report, the French suffered at least 31 killed and 74 wounded; French accounts report 20 killed and 88, to 98 wounded. Still, ''Aréthuse'' arrived in St Malo on 19 April. ''Rubis'' was burnt on 8 February when it was found impossible to re-float her. A flavour of the intensity of the battle may be gained from William James
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States.
James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...
writing in his ''Naval History of Great Britain, 1793 – 1827'':
In addition to her ship's company, she brought at least one passenger: Exbury
Exbury is a village in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Exbury and Lepe. It lies just in the New Forest, near the Beaulieu River and about a mile from the Solent coast. It is best known as the location of Exbury House, built by ...
parish baptism register records the baptism on 6 June 1813 of a boy, ''"Irby Amelia Frederick, aged 9 or 10, a native of Poppoe near Whidah, Africa, who was stolen as a slave, but rescued at sea by HMS Amelia"'' – it is recorded in the Baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
al Register of 1813 as being ''"in grateful testimony of the humanity and intrepidity of his gallant deliverer".''
Reserve at Portsmouth and Mediterranean service (1813–1816)
''Amelia'' paid off at Portsmouth in May 1813, underwent a small repair, and then was 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 ...
. The Honourable Granville Proby, younger brother of Lord William Proby, who had died in command in 1804, recommissioned her for a cruise in 1814. She was in Leghorn in December 1816, and was broken up at Deptford that same month, having given 30 years of continual wartime service to both the French and British navies.
Commanding officers
Notes
Citation
References
* Brook, I. and F. B. Tupper (1847) ''The Life and Correspondence of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K. B''. (Simpkin, Marshall & co, Canada).
*
* Daly, Gavin (2007) "English Smugglers, the Channel, and the Napoleonic Wars, 1800–1814". ''Journal of British Studies'' 46 (1), pp. 30–46.
*
*
* James, William (1837) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, 1793 – 1820'', Volumes II and VI, R. Bentley, London.
*
*
* Napier, William (1842) ''History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France''.(Philadelphia:Carey and Hart).
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amelia (1796)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
1785 ships
Ships of the West Africa Squadron
Captured ships