French frigate Étoile (1813)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Capture of Étoile by HMS Hebrus
History
France
NameÉtoile
Namesake"Star"
Ordered21 October 1809
BuilderNantes shipyard
Laid down3 April 1810
Launched28 July 1813
Commissioned1 September 1813
Captured27 March 1814
United Kingdom
NameTopaze
NamesakeHMS Topaze (1793)
Acquired27 March 1814 by capture
FateBroken up 1851
General characteristics [1]
Class and typePallas-class fifth-rate frigate
Displacement1080 tons
Tons burthen10602394 (bm)
Length
  • 151 ft 5+38 in (46.161 m) (overall);
  • 128 ft 8+18 in (39.221 m) (keel)
Beam39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
Draught5.9 m (19 ft)
Depth of hold12 ft 5+14 in (3.791 m)
Propulsion1,950 m2 (21,000 sq ft) of sails
ComplementFrench service: 326 British service: 315
Armament
  • French service: 28 × 18-pounder long guns + carronades
  • British service
  • Upper deck: 28 × 18-pounder guns
  • QD: 14 × 32-pounder carronades
  • Fc: 2 × 9-pounder guns + 2 × 32-pounder carronades

Étoile was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, launched in 1813. The British captured her in 1814 and the Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Topaze. She did not go to sea again until 1818, and was paid off in 1822. She served as a receiving ship until 1850 and was broken up in 1851.

French service

Initially, Étoile was in the Nantes Division, first under capitaine de vaisseau Le Bozec (27 July to 20 September), and then under capitaine de frégate Henri Pierre Philibert (7 October to 24 November).[2]

She sailed for the

commerce raiding.[3] On 18 January 1814 HMS Severn
was escorting a convoy from England to Bermuda when she encountered Sultane and Étoile. Severn drew them away from the convoy, saving it. After a long chase, the French frigates gave up and sailed away.

On 24 January, Sultane and Étoile engaged the frigates HMS Astraea and HMS Creole. The two British frigates had sailed for the Cape Verde Islands; they reached Maio early on 23 January 1814.[4]

Off the

Cape Verde Islands they encountered two frigates and two merchant ships, one a brigantine and the other a schooner, all at anchor. The French frigates did not respond to the Portuguese and Spanish flags that the British set and instead set sail as the British frigates approached; the British frigates then pursued them. Astraea had problems with her sails so Creole pulled ahead. She exchanged some shots and eventually four broadsides with the rearmost French frigate, which would turn out to be Sultane. Astraea then sailed between Creole and her opponent, coming alongside the French frigate. Two broadsides from Astraea then temporarily silenced the French frigate as fires aboard Creole took her out of the action for a while. She re-engaged Sultane, but then disengaged and sailed towards Santiago.[4]

Astraea went ahead in pursuit of the first French frigate, which turned out to be Étoile. Astraea exchanged a broadside and then crossed Étoile's

Porto Praya on Santiago to effect repairs.[4]

The British captured both Sultane and Étoile on 27 March as the two French frigates were returning from the Cape Verde Islands, in the Battle of Jobourg. Hannibal captured Sultane, without a fight.[5]

struck, after having lost 40 men killed and 71 wounded. Hebrus had 13 men killed and 25 wounded.[6]

In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Hebrus Wh. L'Etoile" to the 40 still surviving claimants from the action.[7] Also in 1847, the Admiralty issued gold medals to a select set of captains for certain particularly notable battles and engagements. Captain Edmund Palmer, of Hebrus, was one of the recipients.[8]

British service

The Royal Navy registered and renamed Étoile HMS Topaze on 15 June. She underwent repairs that lasted from end-March 1814 to end-February 1815, and the Navy then had her laid up.[1]

Between March 1818 and 1 July she underwent repairs and fitting for sea duty. In April Captain John Richard Lumley commissioned her. He then sailed her to the East Indies.[1]

On 19 October 1819, Topaze arrived at Mauritius from Ceylon with a number of crew ill from an unknown disease resembling cholera. The local authorities permitted the crew to land and the landing of the ill, bypassing quarantine. By 18 November the disease had spread to the local population. The locals deserted Port Louis and demanded that Topaze sail for the Seychelles to wait out the storm season there. Lumley initially refused, but by January assented. Topaze returned to Mauritius in April, and was put into quarantine, though the epidemic had passed, and there was repaired and thoroughly disinfected.[9]

Topaze finally saw action in December 1820 at

Senna. They were unsuccessful so the Governor-General of India authorized the sending of a squadron to Mocha. The EIC sent their Resident at Bushire, a Captain Bruce, as their Agent to negotiate, and to inform the local authorities at Mocha that a squadron was to follow. Rear-Admiral Sir Richard King, the commander-in-chief on the Royal Navy's East Indies Station, sent Lumley in Topaze, as overall commander.[10][a] The EIC also sent vessels from its Bombay Marine, as well as a company of artillery. The EIC sent its cruisers Benares (Commander Faithful) and Antelope (Lieutenant Robson), its bomb vessel Thames (Lieutenant Elwon), and the storeship Ernaad (Lieutenant Jones).[12]

After a two-week voyage from Bombay, Topaze and the squadron arrived on 3 December, and bombarded Fort Taire, the North Fort the next day.[12] A landing party attempted to storm the fort but its defenders had not left and they repelled the British. Topaze had four men killed and 16 wounded, two of whom died later. The Company had four men killed and eight wounded. Negotiations recommenced during a sequence of truces, again unsuccessfully.

On 26 December Topaze again bombarded the North Fort, this time driving out the defenders. A landing party was able to spike the guns and throw out their carriages. Between 26 and 30 December Topaze and the other vessels approached Fort Abdoufoof, the South Fort, and opened fire on the 30th.[12] Here too they succeeded in driving out the defenders, and subsequently spiking the guns and destroying their carriages. Casualties were much lighter this time, with Topaze losing one marine killed and five wounded, and the Company having five men wounded. By 7 January 1821 the government of Mocha had acceded to the British terms.[13][14][15]

Lumley died on 23 July 1821 as Topaze arrived at Prince of Wales' Island; his widow and infant daughter were on board at the time. He was buried at Penang.[16]

Lumley's replacement was Commander J.L. Curry. Captain

Bocca Tigris also had to leave. Matters were settled in early 1822. Richardson then sailed Topaze back to India.[17]

In May 1822 Commander Price Blackwood (acting) replaced Richardson. Topaze was paid off in October.[1]

Between January and February 1823 Topaze underwent fitting as a

receiving ship for Portsmouth. She then served in that role until 1850.[1]

Fate

In March 1850 Topaze became a target for HMS Excellent. Topaze was finally broken up in December 1851.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ Yonge gives the name of the C-in-C as Admiral Graham Moore, but this appears incorrect.[11]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Winfield (2008), p. 182.
  2. ^ Fonds, Vol. 2, p.475.
  3. ^ Fonds, Vol. 2, p.494.
  4. ^ a b c d James (1837), Vol. 6, pp. 261–64.
  5. ^ "No. 16875". The London Gazette. 29 March 1814. p. 678.
  6. ^ "No. 16876". The London Gazette. 2 April 1814. pp. 698–700.
  7. ^ "No. 20939". The London Gazette. 26 January 1849. p. 245.
  8. ^ "No. 20741". The London Gazette. 4 June 1847. pp. 2051–2052.
  9. ^ Macmillan (2000), p.43.
  10. ^ Clowes (1897–1903), Vol. 6, pp. 233–34.
  11. ^ Yonge (1866), Vol. 3, pp. 166–67.
  12. ^ a b c Low (1877), p. 299–307.
  13. ^ "No. 17701". The London Gazette. 28 April 1821. pp. 938–939.
  14. ^ "No. 17754". The London Gazette. 13 October 1821. pp. 2029–2031.
  15. ^ "No. 17762". The London Gazette. 7 November 1821. pp. 2198–2199.
  16. ^ The Asiatic journal and monthly register for British and foreign India, China and Australasia. (1822) Vol. 13, No. 75, pp. 297–98.
  17. ^ Marshall (1825), Vol. 2, Part 2, p.910.

References