HMS Heureux (1800)

''Heureux'' was a 22-gun French privateer brig that the British captured in 1800. She served with the Royal Navy as the 22-gun post ship HMS ''Heureux''. She captured numerous French and Spanish privateers and merchant vessels in the Caribbean Sea before she was lost at sea in 1806. Her fate remains a mystery to this day.

French privateer

The frigate , commanded by Captain Robert Barlow, captured the privateer ''Heureux'' in the English Channel off Bordeaux on 5 March 1800. ''Heureux'', of 22 long brass 12-pounders and 220 men, mistook ''Phoebe'' for an East Indiaman, and approached her. ''Heureux'' did not discover her mistake until she had arrived within point-blank musket-shot. She then wore upon ''Phoebe''s weather bow and hauled to the wind on the same tack. ''Heureux'' opened fire in an attempt to disable ''Phoebe''s masts, rigging, and sails, and thereby enable ''Heureux'' to escape.James (1837), Vol. 3, pp. 33–34. However, ''Phoebe''s broadside was too powerful and ''Heureux'' was forced to strike her colours. ''Phoebe'' had three seamen killed, or mortally wounded, and three slightly wounded. ''Heureux'' had 18 men killed and 25 wounded, most of whom lost limbs. Eleven former British sailors were found serving among ''Heureux''s crew, and were placed in irons for transportation back to England.

She had been out 42 days but had only taken one prize, a small Portuguese sloop with a cargo of wine. The sloop had been blown out to sea while on her way from Limerick to Galway. ''Heureux'' had intended to cruise the West Indies. Instead, she arrived at Plymouth as a prize on 25 March 1800.

Barlow described ''Heureux'' as "the most complete flush deck ship I have ever seen, copper fastened, highly finished and of large dimensions". Furthermore, "she will be considered as a most desirable ship for His Majesty's Service."

British service

The Admiralty bought ''Heureux'' and she completed her fitting out in November. She was armed with two 9-pounder guns at her bow and twenty 32-pounder carronades for her broadsides. Captain Loftus Bland commissioned her in August 1800 under her existing name. She sailed for the Leeward Islands in February 1801.

Three months after her arrival, on 28 May, some to windward of Barbados, ''Heureux'' chased down and captured the 16-gun French sloop ''Egypte'' from Guadeloupe. The chase lasted 16 hours while ''Egypte'' kept up a running fight for three hours during which she neither inflicted nor suffered any casualties. Bland reported that ''Egypte'' was said to be the fastest vessel out of Guadeloupe. She and her crew of 103 men had sailed 13 days earlier but had made no captures.

On 16 August, ''Heureux'' was between Martinique and St. Lucia when she saw the brig in an unequal fight against a Spanish letter of marque armed with eighteen brass 32 and 12-pounder guns. ''Heureux'' sailed up as fast as she could but even before she arrived the Spaniard had struck to ''Guachapin''. The two-hour engagement had cost ''Guachapin'' two men killed and three wounded, and the Spaniard nearly the same. The Spaniard was ''Theresa'', under the command of an officer of the Spanish Navy, and had a crew of 120 men.

One year later, on 10 August 1803, ''Heureux'' and captured the Dutch ship ''Surinam Planter'', which was sailing from Surinam to Amsterdam. Her cargo consisted of 922 hogsheads of sugar, 342 bales of cotton, and of coffee.

On 23 September 1803 ''Heureux'' represented the Royal Navy at the capture of the Batavian Republic's colony at Berbice. The British captured the schooner ''Serpent'', as well many arms, troops and the like. The Navy took ''Serpent'' into service as HMS ''Berbice''.

''Heureux'' then captured the French privateer and blockade runner ''Flibustier'' (or ''Flebustier'') from Barbados on 26 February 1804. Although pierced for 14 guns, ''Flibustier'' was armed with six French 6-pounders. She had 68 men on board, was new and had provisions for a long cruise from Guadeloupe but apparently had made no captures. On 25 June, ''Heureux'' recaptured the English ship ''Esther'', which was carrying a cargo of coals and potatoes. In September ''Heureux'' recaptured the English ship ''Salamander'', a Guineaman.

Then on 9 December ''Heureux'', now under Captain George Younghusband, captured the Spanish merchant ship ''San Sebastian'', laden with wine. Four days later ''Heureux'' captured ''Santo Christo'', which was carrying military stores and merchandise. These may have been two of the three Spanish vessels arrived at Barbados on 9 January 1805, prizes to ''Heureux'' and . One was the former ''Duke of York Packet'', which had been captured in 1803.

On 31 May 1805, off Cape Nicola Mole, ''Heureux'' captured the French felucca privateer ''Desiree''. ''Desiree'' was armed with one carriage gun and had a crew of 40 men.

On 28 December ''Heureux'' and captured the Spanish merchant brig ''Solidad'', which was taking brandy and wine from Cadiz to Vera Cruz. Early in the new year, on 15 January 1806, ''Heureux'' captured the Spanish letter of marque ''Amelia'' about off Trinidad. ''Amelia'' was armed with eight 6-pounder guns and carried a crew of 40 men. She was carrying a valuable cargo of dry goods and wine from A Coruña to Cumaná, Venezuela.

On 21 January 1806 ''Heureux'' captured ''Emilie''. Then on 15 (or 22) February, ''Heureux'' captured the French privateer ''Bellone'' after a short chase. ''Bellone'' carried fourteen 9-pounder guns and had a crew of 117 men. She had on board $8,000, which was her owner's share of a prize that she had carried into Cayenne. Four days later ''Heureux'' captured the French privateer ''Bocune'' after an eight-hour chase. ''Bocune'' carried three guns and a crew of 60 men.

''Bellone'' and ''Bocune'' may have been the vessels that ''Lloyd's List'' reported Younghusband had sent into Barbados. The report referred to one privateer of 10 guns and 110 men, and another of three guns and 70 men.''Lloyd's List'', No. 404

-accessed 5 February 2014.

On 8 March ''Heureux'' captured the privateer ''Huron'' (or ''Hurone''), off Barbados. ''Huron'' carried sixteen 18-pounder carronades and two long 9-pounder guns. As ''Heureux'' pulled alongside, ''Huron'' opened fire but return fire from ''Heureux'' soon silenced her. ''Huron'' lost her captain, second lieutenant and two other men killed, and seven men wounded; ''Heureux'' had no casualties.

''Heureux'' took her last prize on 30 March. was north of Barbados when she saw two strange sails. As she got closer she saw that they were ''Heureux'' chasing a schooner. ''Agamemnon'' maneuvered to cut off the schooner and both British ships came alongside the prize, with ''Heureux'' taking possession. The prize turned out to be the French privateer , of sixteen 6-pounder guns, all of which she had thrown overboard during the chase, and one 12-pounder gun. She also had a crew of 115 men. ''Dame Ernouf'' was 14 days out of Guadeloupe but had made no captures.

Fate

In March 1806 Captain John Morrison was assigned to replace Younghusband. (Because Edward Berry of ''Agamemnon'' wrote the letter reporting the capture of ''Dame Ernouf'', it is not clear whether Morrison replaced Younghusband before or after her capture.)

''Heureux'' was ordered to transfer her position from the West Indies to Halifax, Nova Scotia in the spring of 1806. She failed to arrive in Halifax, and despite a search, she and her crew had disappeared without trace somewhere along the U.S. seaboard. She was presumed lost in June 1806 with all hands, that is, about 155 crew.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heureux (1800)
Missing ships
Brigs of the Royal Navy
Maritime incidents in 1806
Privateer ships of France
Warships lost with all hands
Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean