French brig Observateur (1800)

The French brig ''Observateur'', which was launched in 1800 for the French Navy, was a ''Vigilant''-class 16-gun brig, one of six built to a design by Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait. The Royal Navy captured her in 1806 and took her into service as HMS ''Observateur''. She participated in two actions, one for the French Navy and one for the Royal Navy, and one campaign before she was laid up in 1810. The Navy did not succeed in selling her until 1814.

French service

The French Navy commissioned ''Observateur'' in 1802 and by 4 October 1802 she was under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Bonamy, having sailed from Havre to Newfoundland protecting French fisherman, and then returning to Brest. Then between 8 April 1803 and 13 September, still under the command of Bonamy, by now a ''capitaine de frégate'', ''Observateur'' returned from Saint-Domingue to Brest, cruised to the region around Santa Maria Island, and then returned to Corogne, finishing at Ferrol.

On 28 January 1806 ''Observateur'' was under the command of ''Lieutenant de vaisseau'' Jean Croizė and part of the Ferrol squadron. She sailed with the combined fleet from Ferrol to Cadiz. Then between 1 March and 4 April, ''Observateur'' sailed from Cadiz to Cayenne. She was in company with her sister-ship ''Argus'', under the command of ''Lieutenant de vaisseau'' Yves-François Taillard, the senior commander. On 3 March they encountered a British corvette in the Atlantic. ''Argus'' was eager to escape and abandoned ''Observateur''.

''Observateur'' sailed less well and a single-ship action ensued, during which she suffered several casualties, both dead and wounded. Neither side was able to prevail, and though ''Observateur'' lost her bowsprit while attempting to board the British vessel, the British vessel did not pursue her advantage that evening. Next morning combat resumed, but at a distance and the British vessel withdrew, freeing ''Observateur'' to make for Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Although ''Observateur'' was unable to determine the name of her adversary, despite retaining a British flag that had somehow fallen aboard during the boarding attempt, Croizé was able to determine that she was a three-master armed with 26 guns. On 6 March, as ''Observateur'' approached the port a British lugger approached and a new engagement ensued. Fortunately, the governor of Teneriffe sent out another brig and two schooners to chase the lugger off and escort ''Observateur'' to safety. ''Observateur'' spent 40 days there refitting before she sailed again for Cayenne where she met up again with ''Argus''.

Capture

On 9 June 1806 the frigate , in company with , captured ''Observateur'' after a chase and a slight exchange of gunfire. ''Observateur'', of 16 guns, though pierced for 20, had a crew of 104. She had left Cayenne on 15 March provisioned for a cruise of four months and in company with the French brig ''Argus'', but had not taken anything. Several days prior to the engagement Croizé had taken ill; he had, therefore, relinquished command to his second-in-command, ''enseigne de vaisseau'' Robert-Henri Debernes. One problem confronting ''Observateur'' was that although she carried four British 12-pounder carronades in addition to her twelve 4-pounder guns, the only shot she had for the 12-pounders were actually for 8-pounders.

British service

The Royal Navy immediately took her into service as HMS ''Observateur''. Admiral John Poer Beresford, chief of the Halifax station, wrote that the officers of the yard there spoke so highly of ''Observateur'' that he commissioned her there under Lieutenant the Honourable George Alfred Crofton (acting). Beresford gave Crofton a complete crew of officers and men and instructed him to sail to Bermuda to search for ''Argus''.

''Venelia'', Eldridge, master, arrived at Bermuda on 19 July 1806. She had been sailing from New York to Martinique when ''Observateur'' detained her. A week later the American vessel ''Huntress'', Dodge, master, arrived at Bermuda also. She had been sailing from New York to New Orleans when ''Observateur'' detained her. Lastly, in December, ''Observateur'' detained and sent into Bermuda ''Eliza'', Gardner, master, which had been sailing from Cap Francois to Saint Bartholomew.

In February 1807 Commander William Love replaced Crofton. However, on 17 December ''Observateur'' was under the command of Commander Charles Claridge when she captured ''Mars''.

In January 1808 Lieutenant John Lawrence took command; he received his promotion to Commander in March. Later that year Commander Richard Smith replaced Lawrence.

Lieutenant Frederick Wetherall (or Weatherall) took temporary command in December 1809. On 13 December ''Observateur'' was off Antigua and in company with ''Junon'' when they sighted four unknown ships heading west towards Guadeloupe. Both British vessels turned to intercept, with ''Observateur'' in the lead. Wetherall identified the four as frigates rather than merchantmen and signaled this information to ''Junon'', ''Observateur'' then cleared for action.
When the two British ships were within long range, ''Observateur'' fired a warning shot and both she and ''Junon'' moved to close with the lead frigate preparatory to engaging them. However as the British ships approached, the lead frigate ran up a Spanish flag, shortly followed by the British Red Ensign. Believing the unknown ships to be Spanish allies, Wetherall and Shortland reduced sail and ''Junon'' moved to come alongside the lead frigate to permit Captain Shortland to exchange greetings with her captain.

When ''Junon'' was close, the lead frigate suddenly hauled down her Spanish and British flags and raised the French ensign. The following three frigates followed suit, and all four opened fire on ''Junon'' at short range. ''Junon''s crew were taken by surprise; a ragged retaliatory broadside struck two of the French ships but caused little damage. ''Junon'' herself received broadsides to her port, starboard and stern and quickly became indefensible; her crew surrendered after French soldiers boarded her. A total of 15 British sailors were killed and 44 wounded, including Shortland.

''Observateur'' fired upon the French when the engagement began but ''Junon''s capture was too swift for her to directly assist ''Junon''. Instead, Wetherall made sail and escaped to the west.

The French frigates were ''Clorinde'', ''Renommée'', ''Loire'' and ''Seine'', en route to Guadeloupe with supplies and reinforcements for the colony. Overall command rested with Captain Dominque Roquebert aboard ''Clorinde''. Roquebert's logs indicate he had not initially intended to engage the British, and had raised the Spanish flag in the hope that they would leave his ships alone. However, when ''Junon'' and ''Observateur'' drew near, Roquebert decide to continue with the ruse of the false flag to lure the British into range of all four French vessels at the same time. The French suffered 80 casualties, including 34 killed. All casualties were from among the crews of ''Clorinde'' and ''Renommée'' which had come alongside ''Junon'' during the battle. ''Seine'' and ''Loire'' had engaged the British ship from the rear and had not come under fire from either ''Junon'' or ''Observateur''.

Wetherall sailed to Marie Galante where he advised Admiral Alexander Cochrane that the French had captured and burnt ''Junon''. On 18 December arrived and informed Cochrane that two of the frigates he was seeking were anchored some three leagues NW of Basse-Terre. Cochrane immediately set out in , together with a number of other vessels. There Cochrane found that Captain Samuel James Ballard in had a squadron in place and was preparing to attack ''Seine'' and ''Loire'', anchored in Anse à la Barque ("Barque Cove"). The British attack was successful in that the French abandoned ''Seine'' and ''Loire'' and set fire to them.

''Observateur'' participated in the capture of Guadeloupe in January and February 1810. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" to all surviving participants of the campaign.

''George'', Lovell, master, was sailing from Boston to Havana when ''Observateur'' detained her. ''George'' arrived in Bermuda on 26 March 1810.

''Observateur'' was temporarily under the command of Commander Henry Jane (acting). Jane was appointed to the sloop on the Halifax station on 10 May 1810, and Wetheral remained in command until November. By end-October ''Observateur'' was at Sheerness.

Fate

''Observateur'' arrived at Deptford on 4 November 1810, where she was laid up. The Principal Officers and Commissioners of
His Majesty's Navy offered the "Observateur Brig, 310 Tons" for sale on 27 November 1811. She did not sell on that date, nor on several later occasions in 1814. The Navy finally sold her for £640 on 1 September 1814.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Observateur (1800)
1800 ships
Brigs of the French Navy
Captured ships
Brigs of the Royal Navy