Espoir (ship)
Encyclopedia
During the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, British vessels captured at least 11 French warships and privateers named Espoir, which means “Hope” in French. In only one case was there mention of an exchange of fire or casualties. In general, the privateers tried to escape, and failing that they surrendered. captured the French privateer Espoir, of ten guns, on 2 March 1793. Espoir was under the command of Jean-Jacques Magendie
. By agreement Crescent shared the bounty bill with and the money was payable in Guernsey
in July 1795.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, British vessels captured at least 11 French warships and privateers named Espoir, which means “Hope” in French. In only one case was there mention of an exchange of fire or casualties. In general, the privateers tried to escape, and failing that they surrendered. captured the French privateer Espoir, of ten guns, on 2 March 1793. Espoir was under the command of Jean-Jacques Magendie
Jean-Jacques Magendie
Jean-Jacques Magendie was a French Navy officer. He famously captained the flagship Bucentaure at the Battle of Trafalgar.- Early career :...
. By agreement Crescent shared the bounty bill with and the money was payable in Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
in July 1795.
- On 31 January 1797 was sailing off Barbuda when she captured the French privateer schooner Espoir. Espoir was armed with four guns and ten swivel gunSwivel gunThe term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
s, and had a crew of 48 men. She was out of Guadeloupe and Lapwing sent her into St. Christopher'sSaint KittsSaint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts (also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island (Saint-Christophe in French) is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean...
.
- In mid-morning of 24 June 1797 His Majesty’s Excise cutterCutterA cutter may refer to several types of nautical vessels. When used in the context of sailing vessels, a cutter is a small single-masted boat, fore-and-aft rigged, with two or more headsails and often a bowsprit. The cutter features a mast set farther back than on a sloop...
Viper, under the command of Mr. Robert Adams, was south of the NazeNazeThe Naze is a headland on the east coast of England. It is on the coast of Essex just north of Blackwater and projects into the North Sea. This area is south of the double estuary of the River Stour and River Orwell at Harwich and just north of the town of Walton-on-the-Naze.The Naze is a peninsula...
Tower when she encountered and captured a French privateer. Espoir had a crew of 15 men and was under the command of Pierre Francois Codderin. Espoir was armed with two swivel guns and was well supplied with small arms. She had sailed from Dunkirk two days earlier and had not yet taken any prizes.
- On 15 September 1797, HMS King’s Fisher, under the command of Commander Charles H. Pierrepont, was off Camina when she encountered the French privateer lugger Espoir, which she captured. Espoir was armed with two carriage guns and four swivel guns and had a crew of 39 men. She was 13 days out of RochelleLa Rochelle, Haute-SaôneLa Rochelle is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
but had not made any captures.
- HMS Thalia, under Captain Lord Henry Paulet, captured the French navy brig Espoir in the Mediterranean on 18 September 1797. Espoir was armed with sixteen 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 96 men. She had sailed from CayenneCayenneCayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
and earlier had been in company with another French corvetteCorvetteA corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
, which had, however been captured by an English frigate on 20 July. The Admiralty took her into the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as . Later, Thalia shared the prize money with and .
- On 8 February 1798 , under the command Commander William Champain captured the privateer Espoire (or Espoir) off La DésiradeLa DésiradeLa Désirade is a French West Indies island located at the eastern of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles.It has a land area of 20.64 km² and a population of 1,595 in 2006 , with a population density of 77 inh. per km² in 2006...
. Espoir was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 66 men. She was 16 days out of Guadeloupe but had made no captures
- On 11 February 1801, His Majesty’s hired armedHired armed vesselsright|thumb|250px|Armed cutter, etching in the [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels...
brigBrigA brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Lady Charlotte, under the command of George Morris, was in Plymouth Sound when she sighted a vessel and gave chase. Eventually Lady Charlotte was able to capture the lugger Espoir. She was armed with two brass 4-pounder and four iron 2-pounder guns, and had a crew of 23 men. She was two days out of Cherbourg and had not taken any prizes. Because of the strength of the wind, Lady Charlotte was not able to take prisoners off nor put a prize crew on board so she escorted her prize into port.
- In mid-afternoon on 28 February 1801, the English privateer Lord Nelson, Henry Gibson, master, was between the Isle of Wight and Portland when a lugger came into sight, pursued by a larger vessel. Gibson sailed towards the lugger to cut her off. After a chase of four hours he caught up with her and as he was about to board her, she stuck her colours. The quarry was the French privateer Espoir, under the command of M. Alegis Basset. She was armed with 14 carriage guns and had a crew of 75 men. She was two days out of Saint Malo without having captured anything. Neither captive nor quarry suffered any casualties. The vessel that had been pursuing her was , which came up as Lord Nelson was taking on board the prisoners.
- When the fog cleared on 8 September 1803, Lieutenant William Gibbons of His Majesty’s hired armed cutter Joseph, discovered two or three miles away the British privateer cutter Maria, of Guernsey, chasing two brigs, one of which was the French privateer Espoir of Saint Malo. Espoir was firing her stern chasers at Maria, and also broadsides. After about an hour Gibbons was able to get within pistol-shot of Espoir, which struck after a few shots from Joseph. Espoir and Maria both had one man wounded. Espoir was armed with six 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 52 men. Gibbons sent Maria, which was the faster vessel, after the second brig, which had been a prize to Espoir. After a two-hour chase Maria succeeded in recapturing the brig. She was the Two Friends, sailing from MogadoreEssaouiraMogador redirects here, for the hamlet in Surrey see Mogador, Surrey.Essaouira is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. Since the 16th century, the city has also been known by its Portuguese name of Mogador or Mogadore...
to London.
- On 20 August 1806 captured the French privateer Espoir.
- Captain Samuel Clark and captured the French privateer lugger Espoir on 6 October 1811, off FécampFécampFécamp is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast...
. Espoir was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 50 men. She had sailed the evening before from Saint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
and had not take any prizes.