Action off James Island
| Action off James Island | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Galapagos Archipelago, Pacific Ocean | |
| Result | United States victory |
United States
United Kingdom.svg){kind=small}
John Downes6 wounded
75 captured
3 brigs captured
- Seventy-five prisoners were taken by the Americans and freed after the battle.
The action off James Island was a naval engagement of the
The British later recovered all the whalers involved.Background
Following
Action
Leaving Essex on May 12, Downes headed in a southern direction for James. While nearing the island in the afternoon on May 28, lookouts aboard Georgiana sighted a mast and sails on the horizon. In fact the sails belonged to two brigs, the 270-ton whaler Catharine,[5] accompanied by the 220-ton whaler Rose.[6] Downes ordered his men to give chase and raised the Union Jack to trick the whalers into believing that they were not under threat. When the Americans were within range they lowered a few boats filled with men and captured the two sloops without resistance. Later the British captains revealed to Downes that they did not realize they were being attacked until after the Americans were on deck.[1][2][3]
On board the two vessels were a total of sixteen guns, eight each, and fifty sailors, whom the Americans took prisoner. But just as the capture of Rose and Catherine was completed, a third vessel was spotted, it was Hector,[7] armed with eleven guns and crewed by twenty-five men. Georgiana maneuvered to pursue and after several moments of chasing, the sun had gone down before the Americans were in firing range. In the dark, Georgiana fired a warning shot at Hector, which responded with inaccurate broadsides. The Americans then engaged and began raking the British vessel, ripping off its main mast and most of the rigging. Four more broadsides followed and when it seemed as though the whaler's fire had weakened, Georgiana moved in to board. Just as the Americans drew near, the British lowered their colors and surrendered so the boarding took place without hostilities.[1][2][3]
Two British sailors had been killed and six others seriously wounded. Apparently all of the British shots passed over Georgiana or fell short. Thus the Americans reported no damage or casualties.[1][2][3]
Aftermath
Seventy-five prisoners were taken but because there were fewer than fifty Americans to guard them, Lieutenant Downes disarmed Rose and transferred the prisoners to her. They were then released on parole and ordered to
The British later recaptured all three whalers and returned them to whaling. HMS Barrosa recaptured Georgiana in the Atlantic on 28 November 1813,[10] and sent her into Bermuda.[11]
Note
Only Rose was sailing under a letter of marque, which Captain Mark Munro had received on 15 August 1811. It described Rose as of 245 tons (bm), with a crew of 24 men, and armed with eight 12 and 9-pounder guns.[12] By virtue of the letter, she was authorized to engage in offensive action. The other two British whalers, Catherine and Hector, were legally only allowed to use their armament in self-defense.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wcarr1/Lossing2/Chap.32.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e Porter (1885), p.151.
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.historynet.com/war-of-1812-commodore-david-porter-and-the-essex-in-the-south-pacific.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ Clayton (2014), p.128.
- ^ Clayton (2014), p.83.
- ^ Clayton (2014), p.209.
- ^ Clayton (2014), p.138.
- ^ Clayton (2014), p.176.
- ^ Clayton (2014), pp.132-3.
- ^ "No. 17058". The London Gazette. 5 September 1815. p. 1814.
- ^ Lloyd's List, 4835.
- ^ Letter of Marque, 1793–1815, p.85; Archived 2015-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
References
- Clayton, Jane M. (2014) Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775-1815: An alphabetical list of ships. (Berforts Group). ISBN 978-1908616524
- Porter, D. David (1875). Memoir of Commodore David Porter: of the United States Navy. J. Munsell Publishing. p. 151.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.