The Spanish ship ''El Gamo'' was a 32-gun

xebec A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

which was captured by Lord Cochrane in the action of 6 May 1801. The engagement is notable for the large disparity between the size and firepower of ''El Gamo'' and her opponent, the British

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 ...

; the former was around four times the size, had much greater firepower and a crew six times the size of ''Speedy'', which had a reduced crew of 54 at the time. After her capture, ''El Gamo'' was sold to the ruler of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

as a

merchantman A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...

References

External links

Brief biography of Lord Thomas Cochrane, including the skirmish with El GamoHMS Speedy vs El Gamo
{{DEFAULTSORT:El Gamo 1760s ships Maritime incidents in 1801 Frigates of the Spanish Navy Ships built in Spain Xebecs