HMS Niemen (1809)

HMS ''Niemen'' was a Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate frigate. She began her career as the ''Niémen'', a 44-gun French Navy frigate, designed by Pierre Rolland. She was only in French service for a few months when in 1809 she encountered some British frigates. The British captured her and she continued in British service as ''Niemen''. In British service she cruised in the Atlantic and North American waters, taking numerous small American prizes, some privateers but mostly merchantmen. She was broken up in 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

Construction and capture

Chantier Courau Frères at Bordeaux built ''Niémen'' to a design by Pierre Rolland, carrying 40 guns. She was launched in 1808 but spent only months in French service. She was commissioned at Bordeaux on 22 November 1808, but not completed until January 1809. On 4 April 1809 she sailed under the command of Commandant Jean Dupotet for Fort-de-France with stores and a substantial crew of 319.

Two days later, as she was in the Bay of Biscay, she encountered three British vessels, including the 36-gun frigate , under the command of Captain Sir Michael Seymour. Also sailing in company with ''Amethyst'' were the 36-gun , (Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland), and the 38-gun , (Captain Robert Mends).

Seymour, who had previously won fame by capturing the French frigate ''Thétis'' the previous November, gave chase at 11am. After a sustained chase lasting all day, the ''Amethyst'' lost sight of the ''Emerald'', which could not match the speed of the two others, and had failed to gain on the ''Niémen''. Seymour then wore his ship around and was able to bring himself close to the ''Niémen'' at 9.30pm.

The two ships began exchanging fire at 11.30pm, with ''Amethyst'' coming alongside at 1am on the morning of 5 April to exchange sustained broadsides. By 3am the ''Niémen'' had lost her main and mizzen masts, and her fire was slackening. The ''Arethusa'' then arrived on the scene, firing a couple of broadsides at the badly damaged French ship. At this point ''Niémen'' surrendered. Other accounts report that during the night, ''Niémen'' maneuvered to capture ''Amethyst'', when came to the rescue and forced ''Niémen'' to strike her colours.

Regardless, ''Niémen'' had surrendered, having lost 47 killed and 73 wounded, compared to eight killed and 37 wounded on the ''Amethyst''. Sir Michael brought her in as a prize, and was rewarded with a baronetcy for his actions in capturing the ''Niémen'', and the earlier capture of the ''Thetis''. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issue of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Amethyst 5 April 1809" to be awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.

HMS ''Niemen''

The Admiralty purchased ''Niémen'' for the sum of £29,979 2 s 10 d in prize money; the Royal Navy took her into service and commissioned her as HMS ''Niemen''. ''Nieman'' arrived at Portsmouth on 26 April. There she underwent a Small Repair between August and November. Her captor, Sir Michael Seymour, was appointed to command her in September 1809.

At some point in late 1809 or early 1810 she captured the Portuguese brig ''Rio Douro'' and the American ship ''Orion''. On 15 May 1810 she left on a cruise in the Atlantic. On 30 November she captured ''Betsy''.

In 1811 she was on the Irish station, based at Cork. On 3 January ''Niemen'' captured ''Danube'', bound from New York to Bordeaux. On 9 January she recaptured the brig ''Unanimity''. Then on 4 March ''Niemen'' captured the Charleston packet.

Under Captain Thomas Young, and in company with , ''Niemen'' captured the American brig ''Meteor'' on 26 July.

During the year she took the American gun-vessel ''Charlestown'', and the American schooner ''Purse'', Captain Samuel Turner, sailing from New York to Bordeaux. The cause, at least in the case of ''Purse'', was breach of the blockade of France. However, the crew of ''Purse'' recaptured their vessel, after killing Midshipman Sanders, the Prize Master from ''Niemen''. On 29 May 1812 on her return trip to New York with a valuable cargo of brandy, wine, and silks, ''Purse'' encountered . After a 14-hour chase during which ''Purse''s fore-top mast was shot away, ''Armide'' captured her. ''Purse''s master and crew were brought into Plymouth in irons.

On 4 December ''Niemen'' was in company with ''Armide'' when ''Armide'' captured the brig ''Female''.

On 21 January 1812 ''Niemen'' and captured ''Arno''. Then on 29 January ''Niemen'' captured ''Abigail''. Two days later, ''Niemen'' was in company with the British privateer ''Pheasant'' when they captured the American brig ''Hannibal''. ''Betsey'' followed on 18 March, with ''Medusa'' in company with ''Niemen''. Next, ''Niemen'' captured ''Vesta'' on 18 April. Lastly, ''Niemen'' captured ''Lark'' on 28 April.

In March 1812 Captain Samuel Pym was appointed to command ''Niemen'' however he actually took command after April. On 4 January 1813 ''Niemen'' sailed with a convoy for Saint Helena. On 19 December ''Niemen'' captured the ship ''Stockholm''.

In August or so, while ''Niemen'' was off Rochefort, she sent her four of her boats in to attack a convoy lying there. During the night, before the boats arrived, the convoy moved, except for one chasse-marée, which the boats captured. However, the tide turned and a French brig came out of the Loire. She succeeded in recapturing the chasse-marée, as well as the 15-man crew of the British boat that had taken her. ''Niemen'' then sailed to North America to join a squadron under Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, which had already left.

On 19 December ''Niemen'' shared with in the capture of ''Rising States''. ''Jaseur'' shared her prize money, by agreement, with and .

''Niemen'' escorted a convoy to Bermuda in January 1814, and then spent 1814 on the Bermuda station. Here she took some numerous prizes, most of them small schooners, but a few of greater import.

*2 January: ''Lion'', of Nantucket, Clarke, master, returning from the Chilean coast with 1000 barrels of whale oil, and sent into Bermuda; ''Lion'' was returning from her tenth whaling voyage.
*8 February: the American 9-gun letter of marque packet ''Bourdeaux''.
*8 May: the merchantman ''Hound''.
*23 May: ''Niemen''s boats cut out three American letter of marque schooners at Little Egg Harbour: ''Quiz'', of 214 tons, W. Phillips, master, 28 men, pierced for 14 guns but mounting two, and ''Clara'', James Newman, master, and ''Model'', each pierced for 12. The cutting out expedition suffered two men killed and two men wounded. When captured, ''Quiz'' was sailing from St. Iago to Philadelphia with a cargo of sugar, molasses, and coffee. ''Clara'', of 117 tons and 22 men, was armed with four 6-pounder guns. ''Model'', John Austen, master, was of 250 tons and was carrying a cargo of 270 barrels of flour.
*7 June: sloop ''Flash'', James Barstow, Master. ''Niemen'' shared the capture with ''Saturn''.
*12 July: ''Niemen'' captured the American privateer ''Henry Guilder'' (or ''Henry Gilder''), Samuel Newson, Master, of 12 guns (eight 12-pounders and two long 9-pounders), and 45 or 50 men. ''Henry Guilder'' was sold at the prize court's auction in August at Halifax and became the (unsuccessful) British privateer ''Sherbrooke''.
*15 July: ''Niemen'' recaptured ''Sir Alexander Ball'', which the American privateer ''General Armstrong'' had taken as ''Sir Alexander Ball'' was sailing from Bristol to Malta with a cargo of British manufactures and colonial produce. She carried six guns and a crew of 35 men.
*7 August: the Swedish brig ''Enigheton'' or ''Enigheden'', sailing from St. Andrews to Philadelphia with a cargo of plaster of Paris and of hardware.
*30 August: the merchantman ''Enterprise'', sailing from Barnstable to Washington with salt and Glauber salts.
*2 September: the merchantman ''Los Dos Ermanos''.
*5 September: the merchantman ''James'', sailing from Washington to New York with a cargo of flour.
*21 September: the merchantman ''Swift''.
*30 September: the Baltimore letter of marque ''Daedalus'', off Chincoteague, and the merchantman ''Hibernia''. ''Daedalus'' was sailing from Port au Prince to New York with a cargo of coffee. ''Daedalus'', a schooner of 136 tons, was armed with a 9-pounder gun and a 6-pounder gun. She had a crew of 19 men.
*3 October: the merchantman ''Tickler'', sailing from Philadelphia to Saint Bartholomew with flour, bread, crackers and soap. She was under the command of John Boyd, Master. ''Niemen'' shared the capture with ''Loire''. ''Tickler'' was of 41 tons and carried a crew of six men.
*1 December: the merchantman ''Industry'', off Cape Henry.
*Unknown date: the merchantman ''Janus''.

Also between 6 August and October, ''Niemen'' captured the following American vessels: the sloop ''James Phillip'' and the sloop ''Regulator''. In the period from 9 May to 4 October, ''Niemen'' also burnt 17 schooners or sloops ranging between 15 and 60 tons.

Fate

''Nieman'' was broken up at Deptford in September 1815. Her name was perpetuated in a 28-gun sixth rate launched in 1820 as .

Postscript

In 1843 Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager made a painting of the battle, ''Combat de la frégate Niemen contre les frégates Aréthusa et Amethyst''. It is at the Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts but not on display.

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

Three Section Plans for the Frégate ''Niemen''

HMS Niemen
at ''Ships of the Old Navy''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niemen (1809)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
1809 ships
Age of Sail frigates of France
Armide-class frigates
War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built in France