Caroline (1804 ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Caroline |
| Builder | Solidor, Saint-Malo[1] |
| Laid down | June 1803[1] |
| Launched | January 1804[1] |
| Captured | 28 December 1808 |
| Fate | Sunk 14 January 1809[2] |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Corvette |
| Displacement | 130 tons (French) |
| Sail plan | |
| Crew |
|
| Armament | 16 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 × 36-pounder obusiers de vaisseau |
Caroline was a French privateer commissioned in Saint-Malo in 1804. She served in the Indian Ocean, based at Île de France (now Mauritius). As she was returning to Saint-Malo, a sloop of the British Royal Navy captured her off Cape Finisterre in 1809; she was accidentally sunk shortly thereafter.
French service
Built at Solidor, near Saint-Malo, Caroline was commissioned by a joint venture between Robert Surcouf and his father-in-law Louis Blaize de Maisonneuve,[3] Her captain was Nicolas Surcouf, Robert's brother.[1]
Caroline departed Saint-Malo in February 1804, bound for
On 16 April Caroline was still to the west of Africa when Surcouf captured
A prize crew of 13 men under the command of Jean-Baptiste Graffin sailed Unicorn back to France. There she was sold for 6,200
Caroline arrived at Île de France in May 1804. She cruised the Indian Ocean from July to November before returning to Île de France on 21 November. During this cruise she captured Mornington (14 August; 600 tons and 8 guns), Fame (13 October; 600 tons), and Stirling Castle (19 October; 800 tons and 8 guns). HMS Phaeton recaptured Mornington; however, Captain Fallonard of the brig Île de France recaptured Mornington yet again.[8]
At Île de France Caroline was refitted and transformed into a brig. She went on a second campaign from September 1805 to January 1806.
In September 1808, Caroline departed Île de France, bound for Saint-Malo, under Joseph Guezenec.[1]
Fate
On 28 December 1808, the British sloop HMS Eclair was returning to Britain from Corunna when she encountered and captured Caroline north of Cape Finisterre. She brought Caroline, described as a "French Letter of Marque from the Isles of France to Bordeaux (with a valuable cargo)", to Plymouth,[12] where however, on Saturday, 14 January 1809, she was run down in the Catwater and sunk.[2]
Notes
- ^ Surcouf gave the name of Unicorn's master as James Porter. There is no vessel named Unicorn in either Lloyd's Register or the Register of Shipping with a master named James Porter. However, a Unicorn, Captain James Porter, had visited Tahiti between 4 and 11 April, and was taken by a French privateer on her way home. Some accounts give the name of Unicorn's master as Newton, but Mr. Newton was her supercargo.[4] The most likely vessel in Lloyd's Register (1804) is Unicorn, of 149 tons, launched at Liverpool in 1798, H. Barber, master, R. Wigram, owner, and trade, London-Africa.[5]
- ^ Gallois lists these ships with French names, probably translating from the English original.[9]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Demerliac (2003), p. 264, №2023.
- ^ a b Lloyd's List, №4319.
- ^ Granier (1998), p. 221.
- ^ Newbury (2017), pp. 60–1.
- ^ Lloyd's Register (1804), Seq. №U19.
- ^ Lloyd's List №4469. Accessed 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b Roman (2007), p. 163.
- ^ Austen (1935), p. 94.
- ^ a b Gallois (1847), p. 302.
- ^ Lloyd's List 9 May 1806, n° 4051 - accessed 9 October 2015.
- ^ Austen (1935), pp. 194–195.
- ^ Lloyd's List 10 January 1809, n°4317 - accessed 10 October 2015.
References
- Austen, Harold Chomley Mansfield (1935). Sea Fights and Corsairs of the Indian Ocean: Being the Naval History of Mauritius from 1715 to 1810. Port Louis, Mauritius: R.W. Brooks.
- Demerliac, Alain (2003). La Marine du Consulat et du Premier Empire: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1800 à 1815 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN 2-903179-30-1.
- Gallois, Napoléon (1847). Les Corsaires français sous la République et l'Empire (in French). Vol. 2. Julien, Lanier et compagnie.
- Granier, Hubert (1998). Histoire des Marins français 1789–1815 [History of French sailors 1789–1815]. illustrations by Alain Coz. Marines éditions. OCLC 468167565.
- Hackman, Rowan (2001). Ships of the East India Company. Gravesend, Kent: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-96-7.
- Newbury, C.W. (2017). The History of the Tahitian Mission, 1799-1830, Written by John Davies, Missionary to the South Sea Islands: With Supplementary Papers of the Missionaries. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781409414827.
- Phipps, John (1840). A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India ...: Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships ... Built in India to the Present Time ... Scott.
- Roman, Alain (2007). Robert Surcouf et ses frères [Robert Surcouf and his brothers] (in French). Preface by Olivier Roellinger. Editions Cristel. OCLC 159954380.
