HMS Entreprenante (1799)
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HMS ''Entreprenante'' (also ''Entreprenant''), was a 10-gun cutter that 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 ...
captured from the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
in 1798. The British commissioned her in 1799 and she served during 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 ...
, participating in the
Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She took part in several small engagements, capturing Spanish and French ships before she was sold in 1812 for breaking up.


Origins

French sources indicate that she may have been built in France in 1797. Furthermore, she may have been a privateer from Socoa, or possibly nearby
Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,Donibane Lohitzune
Auñamendi Ency ...
, and under the command of Ensign Dominique Délouart, of Bayonne.Association des Descendants de Capitaines Corsaire
- accessed 2 May 2016


Early career

''Entreprenante'' was commissioned in February 1799 under Lieutenant Charles Claridge. In April she was under the command of Lieutenant William Swiney. On 3 March 1800, ''Entreprenante'', and shared in the capture of the ''Madona del Grazie'', which they sent into Leghorn. On 29 March, ''Entreprenante'' captured a Genoese vessel from Capraia bound for Genoa with a cargo of corn. ''Entreprenante'' was among the handful of vessels that shared by agreement with ''Phaeton'' in the proceeds of the capture on 14 April by ''Phaeton'' and of the ''St. Rosalia''. Next, ''Entreprenante'' was among the vessels that shared in the proceeds of the capture off Genoa, on 28 April, of the ''Proteus''. In May ''Entreprenante'' was part of a naval squadron at the
Siege of Genoa (1800) The siege of Genoa (6 April – 4 June 1800) saw Austria besiege and capture the city of Genoa from France during the War of the Second Coalition. However, the battle was ultimately a successful diversion conducted by André Masséna's forc ...
. The squadron also included , , , and the tender ''Victoire'', all under the command of Vice-Admiral
Lord Keith Baron Keith was a title that was created three times in British history, with all three creations in favour of the same person, Admiral the Honourable Sir George Keith Elphinstone. He was the fifth son of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinsto ...
. On 21 January 1801, ''Entreprenante'' brought dispatches to
Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
. Then on 2 March she protected the left flank during the landing of troops in
Aboukir Bay The Abū Qīr Bay (sometimes transliterated Abukir Bay or Aboukir Bay) (; Arabic transliteration, transliterated: Khalīj Abū Qīr) is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria in Egypt, lying between the Rosetta mouth of the Nile a ...
. The schooner ''Malta'' and the gun-vessel assisted her. protected the left flank, together with the cutter and the gun-vessel ''Dangereuse''. In 1850, the Admiralty authorized the issue of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt" to any surviving members of her crew that came forward to claim it. ''Entreprenante'' was paid off in December 1802. From 28 November 1802 to 7 January 1804, she was in Portsmouth, refitting. She was recommissioned on 1 December 1803 under Lieutenant James Brown, for the Channel. On 12 April 1804, Lieutenant
Robert Benjamin Young Commander Robert Benjamin Young, RN (15 September 1773 – 26 November 1846) was an officer in the Royal Navy. His service in small ships led to his presence observing the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 from the deck of the tiny 10-gun cutter . Fol ...
took command. On 30 May 1805, the sloop , Commander Joseph James, and ''Entreprenante'' captured the Prussian sloop ''Omnibus''.


Trafalgar

''Entreprenante'', under Young, was present at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, where she was the smallest British warship there. ''Entreprenante'' accompanied the Lee (Blue) Division under Vice-admiral Collingwood, but she took no actual part in the fighting. Towards the end of the battle, though, together with the
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 ...
''Pickle'' and boats from ''Prince'' and ''Swiftsure'', she took part in rescuing some 200 men from the French ship ''Achille'' after ''Achille'' exploded. Young also found the ''Bahama'', whose Spanish crew had overthrown the British prize crew and were attempting to take the ship back to Cadiz. Thanks to Young's fast message to Collingwood, the British swiftly retook ''Bahama'' and brought her to Gibraltar. After the battle, ''Entreprenante'' was sent to Faro, Portugal, carrying Collingwood's dispatches announcing the British victory. The Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Trafalgar" to any surviving members of ''Entreprenante''s crew that came forward to claim it. Still under the command of Young, ''Entreprenante'' spent 1806 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 ...
, watching the French fleet during the blockade of
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, France. In April 1806 she was under the command of Lieutenant John Payer, who may have been temporary; by January 1807 she was again under Young's command. On 28 June she was unsuccessful in rescuing the schooner , which had run onto the Parquette Rock while reconnoitering the harbour at
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, ...
. On 4 December 1808 Lieutenant Peter Williams replaced Young. ''Entreprenante'' continued to remain with 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 ...
and on 27 December she recaptured the schooner ''Cora''. ''Entreprenante'' sailed for Portugal on 24 May 1809. In January 1810 she was at
Pera Pera may refer to: Places * Pera (Beyoğlu), a district in Istanbul formerly called Pera, now called Beyoğlu ** Galata, a neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, often referred to as Pera in the past * Pêra (Caparica), a Portuguese locality in the district of ...
, taking on presents from the
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intended for
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 ...
. She again sailed for the Mediterranean on 31 October 1810.


Action off Málaga

''Entreprenante'' found herself becalmed off the Spanish coast near Castle Ferro, between
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
and Cape De Gatt on the morning of 12 December 1810. Whilst she was lying there, four French
lateen A lateen (from French ''latine'', meaning "Latin") or latin-rig is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction. The settee can be considered to be an associated type of the same o ...
-rigged
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 ...
s came out to attack her. One of the French vessels had eight guns, including two long 18-pounder guns, and 75 men. The second had five guns and a crew of 45 men. The last two each had two guns and crews of 25 men. ''Entreprenante'' was short-handed, having on board only 33 men.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 25, pp.134-5. Two of the privateers passed under ''Entreprenante''s stern while the other two stood off her starboard bow and quarter. The ensuing battle lasted for four hours until the French retreated, having suffered heavy damage. During the action ''Entreprenante'' had lost her topmast and had two starboard guns disabled. She had also repulsed three attempts at boarding during which she had one man killed and ten wounded.


Capture of the ''Saint Joseph''

''Entreprenante'' remained off the Spanish coast into 1811. On 22 April she captured the American merchant ship ''Hannah'' and her cargo. ''Entreprenante'' next saw action on 25 April. Williams had taken her into Málaga Bay under a
flag of truce White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...
to deliver a letter to the Governor, General Sabastini. Whilst on this duty, the British spotted two French privateers coming into the harbour, escorting a prize. (The privateers were two of the vessels that ''Entreprenante'' had repulsed in December 1810.) Williams collected a reply from the Governor for Lieutenant-General
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at
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, and ''Entreprenante'' made her way out of the harbour. One privateer had already anchored off the mole, but the other and the prize were still under way. Williams closed on the privateer that was still sailing and brought her to battle. After a sharp engagement lasting 15 minutes, ''Entreprenante'' drove her on shore, severely hulled. She had been armed with six guns and had a crew of 50 men. By now, the water under ''Entreprenante''s
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was less than three
fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an International Standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally-accepted non-SI unit. Hi ...
s (5 m) and Williams was obliged to tack. He turned his attention to the prize, and after firing a few shots, boarded her and took possession. She was the Spanish
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 ...
''St. Joseph'' (''San Jose''), out of Cadiz and Gibraltar, and had been captured whilst sailing to
Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tar ...
. Williams took her in tow and sailed her out of the harbour. Hundreds of spectators on the mole head at Málaga watched the action. ''Entreprenante'' accomplished the entire engagement without taking any casualties.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 28, p.259. This was to be ''Entreprenante''s last action.


Fate

''Entreprenante'' arrived at Plymouth on 22 March 1812 with dispatches from the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, and Cadiz. She was paid off in April 1812. ''Entreprenante'' was broken up in June 1812, after more than a decade of distinguished service.


Notes


Citations


References

*Adair, Sir Robert (1845) ''The negotiations for the peace of the Dardanelles, in 1808-9: with dispatches and official documents''. (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans). * * * *


External links

* * Phillips, Michael - ''Ships of the Old Navy'' - HMS ''Entreprenante

{{DEFAULTSORT:Entreprenante (1799) Cutters of the Royal Navy History of the Royal Navy 1790s ships Captured ships