French frigate Andromaque (1811)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Andromaque.

Clorinde, sister-ship of French frigate Andromaque (1811)
History
France
Name	Andromaque
Namesake	Andromache
Ordered	10 November 1808
Builder	Nantes
Laid down	1808
Launched	1811
Commissioned	1 August 1811
Fate	Ran aground, burned, and scuttled 22 May 1812
General characteristics
Class and type	Ariane-class frigate
Length	45.5 m (149 ft 3 in)
Beam	12.36 m (40 ft 7 in)
Draught	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship, 1,950 m2 (21,000 sq ft)
Complement	325
Armament	46 guns: Battery: 28 × 18-pounder long guns Quarterdeck and forecastle: 4 × 8-pounder long guns 12 × 18-pounder carronades

Ariane aground (second from left), Andromaque ablaze and sinking (second right), and HMS Northumberland (right) on 22 May 1812.

Andromaque was a 40-gun Ariane-class frigate of the French Navy.

Career

Ariane was commissioned on 1 August 1811 under Captain Nicolas Morice.

Between 21 February 1812 and 17 May, a three-vessel French squadron consisting of the frigates Ariane and Andromaque, and the brig Mameluck engaged in commerce raiding in the Atlantic. They captured numerous British and American vessels and burnt them all, except for Patent, M'Master, master, and Woodrup, Sims, master. They made a cartel of Patent, putting their British prisoners aboard her; she arrived at Plymouth on 24 May. The American prisoners the French put on Woodrop, which they sent to America. ^[1]

Returning to Lorient, the squadron encountered the British 74-gun ship-of-the-line HMS Northumberland, Captain Henry Hotham. In the ensuing Action of 22 May 1812, the two frigates ran aground trying to escape their much stronger opponent, and were set afire to prevent their capture. ^[2]

See also

• List of French sail frigates

Citations

1. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4668. 12 May 1912. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735025 . Retrieved 7 October 2020.
2. Chantier archéologique sous-marin

References

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 41. ISBN   978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC   165892922.