L'Hermite's expedition
Encyclopedia
L'Hermite's expedition was a French naval operation launched in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars
. The operation was intended as both a commerce raiding
operation against the British trading posts of West Africa and as a diversion to the Trafalgar campaign
. Sailing from Lorient
in October 1805 with one ship of the line
, two frigates and a corvette
, Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite
was under orders to intercept and destroy British traders and slave ships off the West African coast and await reinforcements under Jérôme Bonaparte
which were to be used in the invasion and capture of one of the British trading forts for use as a permanent French naval base from which further raiding operations could be conducted. It was also hoped by the French naval command that L'Hermite might draw some of the large British fleet maintained off Cadiz
away from the blockade to allow the French and Spanish allied fleet trapped in the harbour to escape.
Although L'Hermite achieved minor successes against individual British shipping, his force was too small to have a serious impact on British trade in the region and the promised reinforcements failed to materialise in the aftermath of the destruction of the Cadiz fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar
on 21 October 1805, ten days before L'Hermite sailed although before news of the battle had reached Lorient. In early January 1806, L'Hermite managed to capture a small British naval brig but was still unable to make any significant impact on British trade operations. In the spring of 1806 L'Hermite withdrew across the Atlantic, taking on supplies and effecting repairs in neutral Brazil
. During the return journey to France in August 1806, the squadron was caught in a major hurricane and one frigate was severely damaged, limping to a port in the United States
for repairs. The rest of the squadron continued on to France, L'Hermite reaching Brest
in his flagship Régulus
. The other frigate was intercepted by a British blockade squadron on 27 September 1806 and captured in the Bay of Biscay
.
were two years old and the first major campaign at sea, the Trafalgar campaign
, was nearing its climax. A French fleet had departed Toulon
in March 1805 under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
, gathered Spanish ships from the Spanish Mediterranean ports and then crossed the Atlantic, under orders to disrupt British trade in the region and seize British colonies. Closely pursuing the Allied fleet was an equivalent British Royal Navy
force under Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, which reached the Caribbean
on 11 June and found that Villeneuve had already begun the return journey to Europe. On 22 July 1805 the Allied fleet had fought the Battle of Cape Finisterre
against a British force under Sir Robert Calder
and been forced to divert south, seeking shelter in the Spanish fleet anchorage of Cadiz
. Appearing off Cadiz a few days after Villeneuve's arrival, Nelson began a blockade of the Allied fleet, awaiting their emergence and preparing for battle.
Although the French Atlantic Fleet, principally based at the major seaport of Brest
, had played no significant part in the campaign, it was decided that in order to relieve some of the pressure on the fleet in Cadiz, minor squadrons would be sent to prey on British trade in the Atlantic, hopefully drawing off some of Nelson's ships in pursuit. One such squadron was a force under Contre-Admiral Zacharie Allemand
, consisting of five ships of the line, two frigate
s and two corvette
s, which sailed from Brest for operations in the North Atlantic on 12 July. A second squadron was placed under Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite
, with the ship of the line Régulus
, frigates Président
and Cybèle
and corvette Surveillant
. L'Hermite was ordered to sail to West Africa, raiding merchant vessels and slave ship
s that operated among the numerous British trading posts along the coastline. At an undetermined point in the cruise, L'Hermite would be joined by a larger squadron under Captain Jérôme Bonaparte
, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's brother. The reinforced squadron would include over 1,000 French soldiers who would be used in an attack on one of the British West African trading posts. If the post could be successfully captured, it could be turned into a naval base for use by French commerce raiders and would force the British to deploy a full squadron from the Channel Fleet
in response, at a time when every ship of the line was needed for the Trafalgar campaign.
on 31 October, avoiding contact with the British blockading squadron and heading for the West African coast. Although the news had not yet reached Brittany
, Villeneuve's fleet had already been destroyed at the Battle of Trafalgar
ten days earlier and L'Hermite's role as a diversion to the main campaign was no longer required. Cruising in the Gulf of Guinea
during November and December, L'Hermite succeeded in capturing and burning a number of small merchant vessels and slave ships. The intended reinforcements never appeared however — in the aftermath of Trafalgar Napoleon diverted resources to the Atlantic campaign of 1806
, a major raiding operation to the Caribbean
and South Atlantic launched in December 1805. Among the vessels detailed for this operation was Jérôme Bonaparte's ship Vétéran
, which cruised as part of the squadron under Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez.
Without reinforcements, L'Hermite could not make any significant impact on British trade off West Africa or make any attempt to capture a British trading fort. On 6 January, he achieved a minor success when he seized the 18-gun British sloop
HMS Favourite
under Commander John Davie. The prize was fitted out as part of the squadron and Surveillant was sent back to France with despatches. In the spring of 1806, with supplies running low, L'Hermite left the African coast and crossed the Atlantic, seeking fresh supplies in Brazil
, a colony of neutral Portugal
. After several months refitting and taking on stores, L'Hermite crossed the Caribbean Sea in July 1806, unknowingly passing though the same area that Willaumez was operating in but meeting only a handful of small merchant ships before passing into the Atlantic in early August. Favourite was left behind in the West Indies, and on 27 January 1807 was recaptured by the British frigate HMS Jason
off Surinam. On 20 August, L'Hermite was caught in a hurricane at 22°26′N 55°00′W, the same storm that had dispersed and badly damaged Willaumez's squadron two days earlier. The damage was severe, with Cybèle suffering the most with the loss of her topmasts, rendering her slower than the rest of the squadron. Concerned by the frigate's weakness, L'Hermite ordered her to separate and sail for a harbour in the neutral United States
, arriving at Hampton Roads
on 1 September. Cybèle was later repaired and returned to France in 1807, joining the squadron based at Rochefort
.
at 47°17′N 06°52′W, Captain Labrosse sighted six ships of the line. This overwhelming force was a squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis
, which had been sent to the Bay of Biscay to await the return of Willaumez from the Caribbean. Immediately giving chase, Louis found that his ships of the line were not fast enough to catch the French frigate, which began to outdistance the main body of the squadron. However one of the small 18-gun sloops attached to the squadron, HMS Despatch under Captain Edward Hawkins was able to keep pace with the frigate, coming within firing range at 18:45.
Although Hawkins only had two small guns that would bear on the frigate he kept up a steady rate of fire during the next hour, avoiding fire from the frigate's bow guns during the chase. By 19:45 it was obvious that Despatch' s fire was successfully delaying the frigate and Labrosse turned towards the approaching squadron, moving as if to attack the nearest British frigate HMS Blanche
under Sir Thomas Lavie. Seeing the French ship change direction, Louis ordered his flagship HMS Canopus
to fire a gun at extreme range. This alerted Labrosse to the rapidly approaching squadron and he decided to surrender rather than be destroyed by the combined firepower of the British ships. No man had been hurt in the exchange of fire but Despatch had suffered severe damage to her rigging and one shot through her hull. The French ship had suffered minor damage in the engagement and was subsequently taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Presidente, renamed in 1815 to HMS Piemontaise. The frigate was much admired in the Royal Navy and a number of later frigates were built to a similar design.
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...
. The operation was intended as both a commerce raiding
Commerce raiding
Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt the logistics of an enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging the combatants themselves or enforcing a blockade against them.Commerce raiding was heavily criticised by...
operation against the British trading posts of West Africa and as a diversion to the Trafalgar campaign
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
. Sailing from Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
in October 1805 with one ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, two frigates and a corvette
Corvette
A 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...
, Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte was a French sea captain and rear admiral, notable for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and various other campaigns.- Early career :L'Hermitte was born to the family of a...
was under orders to intercept and destroy British traders and slave ships off the West African coast and await reinforcements under Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
which were to be used in the invasion and capture of one of the British trading forts for use as a permanent French naval base from which further raiding operations could be conducted. It was also hoped by the French naval command that L'Hermite might draw some of the large British fleet maintained off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
away from the blockade to allow the French and Spanish allied fleet trapped in the harbour to escape.
Although L'Hermite achieved minor successes against individual British shipping, his force was too small to have a serious impact on British trade in the region and the promised reinforcements failed to materialise in the aftermath of the destruction of the Cadiz fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
on 21 October 1805, ten days before L'Hermite sailed although before news of the battle had reached Lorient. In early January 1806, L'Hermite managed to capture a small British naval brig but was still unable to make any significant impact on British trade operations. In the spring of 1806 L'Hermite withdrew across the Atlantic, taking on supplies and effecting repairs in neutral Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. During the return journey to France in August 1806, the squadron was caught in a major hurricane and one frigate was severely damaged, limping to a port in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for repairs. The rest of the squadron continued on to France, L'Hermite reaching Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
in his flagship Régulus
French ship Régulus (1805)
The Régulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns....
. The other frigate was intercepted by a British blockade squadron on 27 September 1806 and captured in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
.
Background
By the summer of 1806, the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic 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...
were two years old and the first major campaign at sea, the Trafalgar campaign
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
, was nearing its climax. A French fleet had departed Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
in March 1805 under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....
, gathered Spanish ships from the Spanish Mediterranean ports and then crossed the Atlantic, under orders to disrupt British trade in the region and seize British colonies. Closely pursuing the Allied fleet was an equivalent British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The 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...
force under Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, which reached the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
on 11 June and found that Villeneuve had already begun the return journey to Europe. On 22 July 1805 the Allied fleet had fought the Battle of Cape Finisterre
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)
In the Battle of Cape Finisterre off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the Combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies...
against a British force under Sir Robert Calder
Robert Calder
Admiral Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet, KCB was a British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
and been forced to divert south, seeking shelter in the Spanish fleet anchorage of Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. Appearing off Cadiz a few days after Villeneuve's arrival, Nelson began a blockade of the Allied fleet, awaiting their emergence and preparing for battle.
Although the French Atlantic Fleet, principally based at the major seaport of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, had played no significant part in the campaign, it was decided that in order to relieve some of the pressure on the fleet in Cadiz, minor squadrons would be sent to prey on British trade in the Atlantic, hopefully drawing off some of Nelson's ships in pursuit. One such squadron was a force under Contre-Admiral Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Jacques Théodore Allemand, was a French admiral.- Early career :Allemand was born to a captain of the East Indian Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his sailing career at 12 as an apprentice on Superbe, an East Indiaman...
, consisting of five ships of the line, two frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s and two corvette
Corvette
A 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...
s, which sailed from Brest for operations in the North Atlantic on 12 July. A second squadron was placed under Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite
Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte was a French sea captain and rear admiral, notable for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and various other campaigns.- Early career :L'Hermitte was born to the family of a...
, with the ship of the line Régulus
French ship Régulus (1805)
The Régulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns....
, frigates Président
French frigate Président
The Président was a 40-gun frigate of the Gloire Class in the French Navy, built to a 1802 design by Pierre-Alexandre Forfait. She served with the French Navy from her completion in 1804 until late 1806 when the Royal Navy captured her...
and Cybèle
French frigate Cybèle (1790)
The Cybèle was an Nymphe class 40-gun frigate of the French Navy.On 22 October 1794, soon after the outbreak of the war with England, and along with the 32-gun Prudente and the brig Coureur, she fought HMS Centurion and , who blockaded Ile de France. The French ships managed to drive away the...
and corvette Surveillant
French corvette Surveillant (1801)
The Surveillant was a 16-gun brig of the French Navy, built in 1799, launched the next year, and put in service in 1801.She took part in L'Hermite's expedition before returning to France carrying despatches.She was demolished in 1811....
. L'Hermite was ordered to sail to West Africa, raiding merchant vessels and slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
s that operated among the numerous British trading posts along the coastline. At an undetermined point in the cruise, L'Hermite would be joined by a larger squadron under Captain Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's brother. The reinforced squadron would include over 1,000 French soldiers who would be used in an attack on one of the British West African trading posts. If the post could be successfully captured, it could be turned into a naval base for use by French commerce raiders and would force the British to deploy a full squadron from the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
in response, at a time when every ship of the line was needed for the Trafalgar campaign.
Expedition
L'Hermite's squadron sailed from LorientLorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
on 31 October, avoiding contact with the British blockading squadron and heading for the West African coast. Although the news had not yet reached Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, Villeneuve's fleet had already been destroyed at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
ten days earlier and L'Hermite's role as a diversion to the main campaign was no longer required. Cruising in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
during November and December, L'Hermite succeeded in capturing and burning a number of small merchant vessels and slave ships. The intended reinforcements never appeared however — in the aftermath of Trafalgar Napoleon diverted resources to the Atlantic campaign of 1806
Atlantic campaign of 1806
The Atlantic campaign of 1806 was a complicated series of manoeuveres and counter-manoeuveres conducted by squadrons of the French Navy and the British Royal Navy across the Atlantic Ocean during the spring and summer of 1806, as part of the Napoleonic Wars...
, a major raiding operation to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and South Atlantic launched in December 1805. Among the vessels detailed for this operation was Jérôme Bonaparte's ship Vétéran
French ship Vétéran (1803)
The Vétéran was a development from the Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, one of two ships of a sub-class of which the other vessel was the Cassard...
, which cruised as part of the squadron under Vice-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez.
Without reinforcements, L'Hermite could not make any significant impact on British trade off West Africa or make any attempt to capture a British trading fort. On 6 January, he achieved a minor success when he seized the 18-gun British sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMS Favourite
HMS Favourite (1794)
HMS Favourite was a 16-gun Cormorant-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe. The French captured her in 1806 and renamed her Favorite. However, the British recaptured her in 1807 and renamed her HMS Goree...
under Commander John Davie. The prize was fitted out as part of the squadron and Surveillant was sent back to France with despatches. In the spring of 1806, with supplies running low, L'Hermite left the African coast and crossed the Atlantic, seeking fresh supplies in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, a colony of neutral Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. After several months refitting and taking on stores, L'Hermite crossed the Caribbean Sea in July 1806, unknowingly passing though the same area that Willaumez was operating in but meeting only a handful of small merchant ships before passing into the Atlantic in early August. Favourite was left behind in the West Indies, and on 27 January 1807 was recaptured by the British frigate HMS Jason
HMS Jason (1804)
HMS Jason was a 32-gun fifth rate Thames-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804 at Woolwich, named for Jason of Greek Mythology.-Service:...
off Surinam. On 20 August, L'Hermite was caught in a hurricane at 22°26′N 55°00′W, the same storm that had dispersed and badly damaged Willaumez's squadron two days earlier. The damage was severe, with Cybèle suffering the most with the loss of her topmasts, rendering her slower than the rest of the squadron. Concerned by the frigate's weakness, L'Hermite ordered her to separate and sail for a harbour in the neutral United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, arriving at Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 1 September. Cybèle was later repaired and returned to France in 1807, joining the squadron based at Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
.
Capture of Président
L'Hermite's three other ships all survived the hurricane relatively intact and were able to continue their journey to Europe unimpeded, the British squadrons in the area also dispersed by the summer storms. In late September the squadron broke up, Régulus sailing for Brest and arriving on 5 October, the only French ship of the line to enter or leave the port all year. Président was less successful: at 03:30 on 27 September, while sailing in the Bay of BiscayBay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
at 47°17′N 06°52′W, Captain Labrosse sighted six ships of the line. This overwhelming force was a squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis
Thomas Louis
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, 1st Baronet was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars and saw numerous actions, notably as one of Horatio Nelson's "Band of Brothers" in the Mediterranean in 1798 who commanded ships at the Battle of the Nile...
, which had been sent to the Bay of Biscay to await the return of Willaumez from the Caribbean. Immediately giving chase, Louis found that his ships of the line were not fast enough to catch the French frigate, which began to outdistance the main body of the squadron. However one of the small 18-gun sloops attached to the squadron, HMS Despatch under Captain Edward Hawkins was able to keep pace with the frigate, coming within firing range at 18:45.
Although Hawkins only had two small guns that would bear on the frigate he kept up a steady rate of fire during the next hour, avoiding fire from the frigate's bow guns during the chase. By 19:45 it was obvious that Despatch
HMS Amfitrite (1804)
HMS Amfitrite was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the Spanish Navy before she was captured during the Napoleonic Wars and commissioned into the Royal Navy. The Admiralty renamed her HMS Blanche after she had spent just over a year as Amfitrite...
under Sir Thomas Lavie. Seeing the French ship change direction, Louis ordered his flagship HMS Canopus
HMS Canopus
Two ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Canopus :* The first Canopus was an 80-gun third rate French ship of the line launched in 1797, captured at the Battle of the Nile, and commissioned into the Royal Navy. She was scrapped in 1887...
to fire a gun at extreme range. This alerted Labrosse to the rapidly approaching squadron and he decided to surrender rather than be destroyed by the combined firepower of the British ships. No man had been hurt in the exchange of fire but Despatch had suffered severe damage to her rigging and one shot through her hull. The French ship had suffered minor damage in the engagement and was subsequently taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Presidente, renamed in 1815 to HMS Piemontaise. The frigate was much admired in the Royal Navy and a number of later frigates were built to a similar design.
Order of battle
| Commodore L'Hermite's squadron | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ship | Guns | Commander | Notes | |||||||
| Régulus French ship Régulus (1805) The Régulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns.... |
74 | Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermitte was a French sea captain and rear admiral, notable for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and various other campaigns.- Early career :L'Hermitte was born to the family of a... |
Returned to Brest Brest, France Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon... on 5 October. |
|||||||
| Président French frigate Président The Président was a 40-gun frigate of the Gloire Class in the French Navy, built to a 1802 design by Pierre-Alexandre Forfait. She served with the French Navy from her completion in 1804 until late 1806 when the Royal Navy captured her... |
40 | Captain Labrosse | Captured by a British squadron in the Bay of Biscay Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish... on 27 September 1806. |
|||||||
| Cybèle French frigate Cybèle (1790) The Cybèle was an Nymphe class 40-gun frigate of the French Navy.On 22 October 1794, soon after the outbreak of the war with England, and along with the 32-gun Prudente and the brig Coureur, she fought HMS Centurion and , who blockaded Ile de France. The French ships managed to drive away the... |
40 | Damaged in a hurricane on 20 August, forced to shelter in Hampton Roads Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States... . Returned to Rochefort Rochefort, Charente-Maritime Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:... in 1807. |
||||||||
| Surveillant French corvette Surveillant (1801) The Surveillant was a 16-gun brig of the French Navy, built in 1799, launched the next year, and put in service in 1801.She took part in L'Hermite's expedition before returning to France carrying despatches.She was demolished in 1811.... |
corvette Corvette A 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... |
Returned to France in January 1806. | ||||||||
| Favourite HMS Favourite (1794) HMS Favourite was a 16-gun Cormorant-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe. The French captured her in 1806 and renamed her Favorite. However, the British recaptured her in 1807 and renamed her HMS Goree... |
18 | Captured off West Africa on 6 January and attached to squadron. Remained in the Caribbean and was captured by HMS Jason HMS Jason (1804) HMS Jason was a 32-gun fifth rate Thames-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804 at Woolwich, named for Jason of Greek Mythology.-Service:... on 27 January 1807. |
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| Source: James, p. 264 | ||||||||||