HMS Mandarin (1810)
Encyclopedia
HMS Mandarin was a Dutch gun-brig of 178 tons burthen (bm
) and 12 guns that the British had captured at Amboyna
in February 1810. She served as part of a four-vessel flotilla that captured Banda Neira. She was wrecked in November 1810.
captured on February 3 after a chase of four hours. She had been out for four weeks but had captured nothing. Cornwallis suffered only one man wounded in the action.
Another vessel, captured on 15 February, was the Dutch brig Mandurese, Captain Guasteranus. She had 12 guns and was one of three vessels sunk in the inner harbor of Amboyna. However, the British raised her after the island surrendered. From her description, HMS Mandarin appears to have been the Mandurese, with confusion arising out of the similarity of her name with that of the vessel that Cornwallis captured.
, along with Piemontaise
(or Piedmontaise), Caroline, and Barracouta.
Lieutenant Charles Jeffries (or Jefferis) replaced Buchanan at some point, probably well after August.
(or Chiffonne), which happened to be passing, rescued them.
Builder's Old Measurement
Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...
) and 12 guns that the British had captured at Amboyna
Amboyna
Amboyna can refer to:* Ambon, Maluku, a city in Indonesia* Ambon Island, sometimes named Amboyna, part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia* Amboyna burl of Pterocarpus trees* Amboyna , a moth genus* Amboyna , a play by John Dryden...
in February 1810. She served as part of a four-vessel flotilla that captured Banda Neira. She was wrecked in November 1810.
Capture
The British captured a number of vessels during the attack on Amboyna. One was the ship Mandarine, of 16 guns and 66 men, Captain Besman, that CornwallisHMS Cornwallis (1801)
HMS Cornwallis was a Royal Navy 54-gun fourth rate. Jemsatjee Bomanjee built the Marquis Cornwallis of teak for the East India Company. The Company sold her to the Royal Navy in 1801 shortly after she returned from an expedition against the Mahe Islands...
captured on February 3 after a chase of four hours. She had been out for four weeks but had captured nothing. Cornwallis suffered only one man wounded in the action.
Another vessel, captured on 15 February, was the Dutch brig Mandurese, Captain Guasteranus. She had 12 guns and was one of three vessels sunk in the inner harbor of Amboyna. However, the British raised her after the island surrendered. From her description, HMS Mandarin appears to have been the Mandurese, with confusion arising out of the similarity of her name with that of the vessel that Cornwallis captured.
Service
The British commissioned Mandarin under Lieutenant Archibald Buchanan. From May to August, she took part in an expedition to the Banda IslandsBanda Islands
The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise...
, along with Piemontaise
French frigate Piémontaise (1804)
The Piémontaise was a 40-gun Consolante-class frigate of the French Navy. She served as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean until her capture in March 1808...
(or Piedmontaise), Caroline, and Barracouta.
Lieutenant Charles Jeffries (or Jefferis) replaced Buchanan at some point, probably well after August.
Fate
Mandarin was wrecked on Red Island, near Singapore, on 9 November. Jeffries was carrying dispatches from Amboyna to Madras when his vessel struck an unknown reef in the Straits of Singapore. Jeffries saved the dispatches and he and his crew lived on the island until ChiffoneFrench frigate Chiffone (1800)
The Chiffonne was a 38-gun Heureuse class frigate of the French Navy. She was built at Nantes and launched in 1799. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1801. In 1809 she participated in a campaign against pirates in the Persian Gulf...
(or Chiffonne), which happened to be passing, rescued them.