French brig Observateur

Last updated

Observateur
History
Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svg France
NameObservateur
OrderedOctober 1799 as "No.4"
BuilderJean Fouache and Entreprise Thibaudier, Le Havre [1]
Laid down7 July 1799
Launched20 July 1800 [1]
Captured6 June 1806
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Observateur
Acquiredby capture
Honours and
awards		 Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" [2]
General characteristics [1] [3]
Class and type Vigilant-class brig
Displacement343–379 tons (French)
Tons burthen303 (bm)
Length
  • 90 ft 6 in (27.6 m) (overall)
  • 72 ft 8 in (22.1 m) (keel)
Beam28 ft 0 in (8.5 m)
Depth of hold7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)
Sail plan Brig
Complement
  • French service:105
  • British service:95
Armament
  • French service:
  • Originally: 16 × 4-pounder guns
  • 1803: 16 × 6-pounder guns
  • 1805: 14 × 4-pounder guns, 4 × 12-pounder British carronades
  • British service: 14 × 24-pounder carronades + 2 × 6-pounder chase guns

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.

Contents

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. [4] 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. [5]

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. [6] Then between 1 March and 4 April, Observateur sailed from Cadiz to Cayenne. [6] She was in company with her sister-ship Argus, under the command of Lieutenant de vaisseau Yves-François Taillard, the senior commander. [7] On 3 March they encountered a British corvette in the Atlantic. [8] Argus was eager to escape and abandoned Observateur. [9]

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. [10] On 6 March, as Observateur approached the port a British lugger approached and a new engagement ensued. [8] 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. [11]

Capture

On 9 June 1806 the frigate Tartar, in company with Bacchus, 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. [12] 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. [13]

British service

The Royal Navy immediately took her into service as HMS Observateur. [14] 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). [lower-alpha 1] Beresford gave Crofton a complete crew of officers and men and instructed him to sail to Bermuda to search for Argus. [12]

Venelia, Eldridge, master, arrived at Bermuda on 19 July 1806. She had been sailing from New York to Martinique when Observateur detained her. [16] 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. [17] Lastly, in December, Observateur detained and sent into Bermuda Eliza, Gardner, master, which had been sailing from Cap Francois to Saint Bartholomew. [18]

In February 1807 Commander William Love replaced Crofton. [14] However, on 17 December Observateur was under the command of Commander Charles Claridge when she captured Mars. [19]

In January 1808 Lieutenant John Lawrence took command; he received his promotion to commander in March. Later that year Commander Richard Smith replaced Lawrence. [14]

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. [20] 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. [20]

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. [21]

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. [20]

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. [20] 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. [21]

Wetherall sailed to Marie Galante where he advised Admiral Alexander Cochrane that the French had captured and burnt Junon. On 18 December Pultusk 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 Pompee, together with a number of other vessels. There Cochrane found that Captain Samuel James Ballard in Sceptre had a squadron in place and was preparing to attack Seine and Loire, anchored in Anse à la Barque ("Barque Cove"). [22] 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. [lower-alpha 2] 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. [24]

Observateur was temporarily under the command of Commander Henry Jane (acting). [14] Jane was appointed to the sloop Indian on the Halifax station on 10 May 1810, [25] and Wetheral remained in command until November. [26] By end-October Observateur was at Sheerness. [14]

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. [27] 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. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Crofton's appointment was dated 24 June 1806. [15]
  2. ↑ A first-class share of the prize money for Guadaloupe was worth £113 3s 1¼d; a sixth-class share, that of an ordinary seaman, was worth £1 9s 1¼d. [23]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Winfield & Roberts (2015), p. 209.
  2. ↑ "No. 20393". The London Gazette . 26 January 1849. p. 243.
  3. ↑ Winfield (2008), pp. 316–317.
  4. ↑ Fonds Marine (1780–1804), p. 270.
  5. ↑ Fonds Marine (1780–1804), p. 287.
  6. 1 2 Fonds Marine (1805–1826), p. 331.
  7. ↑ Ladimir (1856), pp. 186–189.
  8. 1 2 Fonds Marine (1805–1826), p. 349.
  9. ↑ Barrey (1907), p. 54.
  10. ↑ Troude (1867), pp. 454–455.
  11. ↑ Ladimir (1856), pp. 186–9.
  12. 1 2 "No. 15941". The London Gazette . 29 July 1806. pp. 951–952.
  13. ↑ Troude (1867), pp. 482.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Winfield (2008), pp. 316–7.
  15. ↑ O'Byrne (1849a), p. 244.
  16. ↑ Lloyd's List (LL) 29 August 1806, n° 4077.
  17. ↑ LL 9 September 1806, n°4080.
  18. ↑ LL 30 December 1806, n°4113.
  19. ↑ "No. 16380". The London Gazette . 19 June 1810. p. 908.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Jenkins (2013), pp. 34–37.
  21. 1 2 Jenkins (2013), pp. 35–36.
  22. ↑ "No. 16339". The London Gazette . 3 February 1810. pp. 176–177.
  23. ↑ "No. 16938". The London Gazette . 24 September 1814. pp. 1923–1924.
  24. ↑ LL, n°4462..
  25. ↑ Marshall (1831), p. 223.
  26. ↑ O'Byrne (1849b), p. 1276.
  27. ↑ "No. 16539". The London Gazette . 9 November 1811. p. 2169.

Related Research Articles

French frigate <i>Sémillante</i> (1791) French Navy ship

The Sémillante was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy and the lead ship of her class. She was involved in a number of multi-vessel actions against the Royal Navy, particularly in the Indian Ocean. She captured a number of East Indiamen before she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and turned her into a merchant vessel. The British captured her and broke her up in 1809.

Coquille was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class, and launched in 1794. The Royal Navy captured her in October 1798 and took her into service as HMS Coquille, but an accidental fire destroyed her in December 1798.

French frigate <i>Néréide</i> (1779)

Néréide was a Sibylle-class, 32-gun, copper-hulled frigate of the French Navy. On 22 December 1797 HMS Phoebe captured her and she was taken into British service as HMS Nereide. The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Isle de France, in 1810. After the Battle of Grand Port she was in such a poor condition that she was laid up and sold for breaking up in 1816.

The Junon was a Gloire class 40-gun frigate of the French Navy. Launched in 1806, she saw service during the Napoleonic Wars, escorting merchant convoys to France's besieged Caribbean colonies. In February 1809 she was captured at sea after a fierce engagement with four Royal Navy vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roquebert's expedition to the Caribbean</span> 1809 failed French supply run to Guadeloupe

Roquebert's expedition to the Caribbean was an unsuccessful operation by a French naval squadron to transport supplies to Guadeloupe in December 1809 at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. Over the previous year, British Royal Navy squadrons had isolated and defeated the French Caribbean colonies one by one, until by the autumn Guadeloupe was the only colony remaining in French hands. Cut off from the rest of the world by British blockade squadrons that intercepted all ships coming to or from the island, Guadeloupe was in a desperate situation, facing economic collapse, food shortages and social upheaval, as well as the impending threat of British invasion. In an effort to reinforce and resupply the colony, the French government sent four vessels to the West Indies in November 1809 under Commodore François Roquebert. Two of the ships were 20-gun flûtes carrying supplies and troops. The two others were 40-gun frigates, ordered to protect the storeships on their journey from the British forces operating off both the French and Guadeloupe coasts.

French corvette <i>Sylphe</i> (1804) Abeille-class brig-corvette of the French Navy

Sylphe was an Abeille-class 16-gun brig-corvette of the French Navy. The class was built to a design by François Pestel. The British captured her in 1807 and took her into the Royal Navy as HMS Seagull, but apparently never used her in any capacity. She was sold in 1814.

HMS <i>Espoir</i> (1797) Brig of the Royal Navy

L'Espoir was a French brig-sloop that served for 9½ years in the French Navy before HMS Thalia captured her in September 1797. In her subsequent short career in British service as HMS Espoir she captured three prizes, with the capture in 1798 of the more heavily armed Genoese pirate Liguria earning her crew a clasp to the Naval General Service Medal. Espoir was laid up in 1799 and sold in 1804.

The French brig Alerte was launched in April 1787. The Royal Navy captured her at Toulon in August 1793, and renamed her HMS Vigilante. The British set her on fire when they evacuated Toulon in December of that year. After the French rebuilt her as Alerte, she served at the Battle of Aboukir Bay. The British recaptured her in June 1799 and took her into service as HMS Minorca. Minorca was sold in 1802.

Entreprenant was the third of a sequence of vessels under the same name and with the same captain in the period 1807–1810. She served in the East Indies until the British captured her in 1810 and then had her broken up as unfit for further service.

HMS <i>Clyde</i> (1796) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Clyde was a Royal Navy Artois-class frigate built at Chatham Dockyard of fir, and launched in 1796. In 1797, she was one of only two ships whose captains were able to maintain some control over their vessels during the Nore mutiny. In 1805, HMS Clyde was dismantled and rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard; she was relaunched on 23 February 1806. She was ultimately sold in August 1814.

Amand Leduc was a French sailor and Navy officer of the First French Empire.

French frigate <i>Junon</i> (1786)

Junon was a 40-gun Minerve-class frigate of the French Navy.

Goéland was the name ship of a two-vessel class of "brick-avisos", built to a design by Raymond-Antoine Haran and launched in 1787. She served the French Navy for several years carrying dispatches until in 1793 HMS Penelope and HMS Proserpine captured her off Jérémie. The Royal Navy took her into service briefly as Goelan and sold her in 1794. As the merchant brig Brothers she appears to have sailed as a whaling ship in the British southern whale fishery until 1808 or so, and then traded between London and the Brazils. She is no longer listed after 1815.

French corvette <i>Diligente</i> (1794)

Diligente was a French Navy Naïade-class corvette, launched in 1794 as a brig. HMS Crescent captured her in the Antilles in 1800. The British took her into service as a 14-gun transport and sold her in 1814.

Brave, launched at Le Havre in 1793, was the name vessel of a two-vessel class of brig-rigged canonnières, i.e., gun-brigs. The French Navy renamed her Arrogante in May 1795. The Royal Navy captured her on 23 or 24 April 1798. The British Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Arrogante, but renamed her HMS Insolent some four months later. She was sold in June 1818.

HMS <i>Barbuda</i> (1780) Sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Barbuda was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1780 after having briefly served as an American privateer. Barbuda was one of the two sloops that captured Demerara and Essequibo in 1781, but the French Navy captured her there in 1782 and took her into service as Barboude. The French Navy sold her to private owners in 1786, and she served briefly as a privateer in early 1793 before the French Navy purchased her again and named her Légère. She served them until mid-1796 when the Royal Navy captured her and took her into service as HMS Legere. She was wrecked off the coast of Colombia, without loss of life, in February 1801.

The Loire-class flûte was a French Navy class of two 20-gun flûtes that Louis, Antoine, and Marhurin Crucy, Basse Indre, built to a design by François-Louis Etesse, and under a contract dated 5 November 1802.

Serpent was a French navy brig of the Palinure class, launched in 1807 at Paimbeouf (Nantes) as Rivolli, but renamed. HMS Acasta captured her in 1808 in the Caribbean and the British Royal Navy took her into service there as HMS Pert but renamed her Asp. The navy disposed of her in 1814. She then made five voyages as a whaler, and wrecked in December 1828 on her sixth voyage.

The French ship Généreux was originally the Portuguese merchantman Ouvidor Pereira. Captured by Entreprenant in 1809, the French navy took her into service as Généreux. In 1814 she was renamed Loire. She was decommissioned at Brest in July 1838 and struck from the lists in August before being broken up.

The French brig Génie was a Sylphe-class brig launched at Dunkirk in 1808. She was retired from service in 1833.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.