The
action of 12 December 1782
was a naval engagement fought off the coast of
Spain
near
Ferrol
, in which the British 40-gun
fifth rate
HMS
Mediator
successfully attacked a convoy of five armed ships.
Mediator
succeeded in capturing one American privateer, the
Alexander
, and then captured the French ex-
ship of the line
La Menagere
. The convoy was part of
Pierre Beaumarchais
's supply chain to the American colonists.
Background
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]
The Frenchman Pierre Beaumarchais founded a commercial enterprise,
Roderigue Hortalez and Co.
, supported by France and Spain. The French and Spanish supplied the American rebels with weapons, munitions, clothes, and provisions that would never be paid for. Beaumarchais contracted for the transport of the supplies in convoys. Even so, the
Royal Navy
captured many of the transport vessels.
Beaumarchais assembled one convoy in December 1782. He met his captains in
Bordeaux
and then supervised the loading of his vessels. The plan was to sail for
Port-au-Prince
,
Saint Domingue
and then on to America to supply the American colonists.
[1]
The convoy consisted of five ships:
- Alexander
was a corvette that Beaumarchais purchased in 1781 in Bordeaux.
[2]
She was under the command of Commander
Stephen Gregory
, who had an American privateer commission issued in France (a "Congress" commission) and sailed under a French ensign and an American pennant. She had a mixed American and French crew of 102 men and was armed with twenty-four long 9-pounder guns. She was of about 500 tons burthen and carried a cargo of stores and provisions.
- Aimable Eugenie
, which was named after Beaumarchais' daughter, was under the command of
Nicolas Baudin
. She mounted 36 guns and had a crew of 130 men; she was the primary escort for the convoy.
[1]
Beaumarchais had bought her at Nantes in March 1782 for
£t
300,000.
[3]
- Menagere
, which was under the command of
Francois Jerome Foligne-Deschalonges
, had a burthen of 600 tons (bm) and was a two decked vessel, launched in 1775 or '76.
[4]
She was a former 64-gun ship of the line, and now armed
en flute
, with twenty-six 12-pounders on her main deck and four 6-pounders on her forecastle and quarterdeck. She had a crew of 212 men and carried 100 tons of gunpowder plus naval stores and bale goods.
- Dauphin Royal
was under the command of
Antoine Chambert
. She was a transport purchased and armed at Bordeaux for the Marine Royale.
[5]
She was of 300 tons burthen (bm), armed with twenty-eight guns and carried a crew of 120 men.
- The convoy also included an unknown American privateer brig with 14 guns and a crew of 70 men.
On 9 December 1782 the convoy sailed from the mouth of the
Gironde
for the West Indies and from there America.
[6]
On 12 December, at 7:00am, HMS
Mediator
, under the command of
James Luttrell
, was sailing off Ferrol when she sighted the convoy.
[7]
Action
[
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At 8am the convoy formed in line of battle. Notwithstanding this formidable array, Captain Luttrell continued bearing down and at 10:00am
Menagere
initiated the action. Luttrell saw that the shot came from the upper deck only and rightly concluded that the French vessel had no lower-deck guns.
Mediator
bore up in order to bring the rear ship to action.
[8]
At 10:30am
Mediator
opened fire on
Dauphin Royal
when that ship and the
Alexander
bore up out of the line.
[7]
Aimable Eugenie
,
Menagere
and the American brig then
wore
and endeavored to protect the two rear ships.
Captain James Luttrell who commanded HMS
Mediator
Mediator
fought her way through the Franco-American line. At 11am Luttrell was able to cut off
Alexander
and compelled her to
strike
. He then took possession of the
Alexander
while the rest of the French and American vessels were trying to escape before the wind.
[8]
Once Luttrell had succeeded in removing the prisoners and placing a prize-master and crew on board
Alexander
, he pursued the retreating ships.
[9]
At 3pm the
Aimable Eugenie
hauled off the wind in full sail.
Mediator
then followed
Menagere
. At 5p.m. he got within gunshot of
Menagere
and started a running fight. At 9:00pm
Mediator
, having got up with the
Menagere
, was on the point of firing a full broadside. Before she could do so
Menagere
struck. At this point the action ended.
Because the enemy fired high in an attempt to damage
Mediator
'
s rigging, she sustained no casualties.
Menagere
had four men killed and seven or eight wounded.
Alexandre
had six killed and eight or nine wounded.
[8]
Dauphin Royal
and the American brig were seen next morning severely damaged but only five miles from Ferrol. However Luttrell judged it prudent to make sail for England with his two prizes. He had 340 prisoners on board and only 100 men to guard them while being close to Spain.
[8]
[10]
Aftermath
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Mediator
sustained only seven casualties in her crew but was cut up in the riggings in masts which had been the target of the French and American ships.
[9]
Alexander
had six men killed and nine wounded;
La Menagere
had a passenger returning to
Saint-Domingue
and three seamen killed, and several men wounded.
[7]
Despite being well-treated, Captain Gregory organized a party of the prisoners in an attempt to gain possession of
Mediator
. He was subdued but then unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to the ship.
[11]
After this Luttrell had Gregory and the American prisoners placed in irons. Although the French officers played no part in the attempt, the British also guarded them more closely.
Michael Seymour
, who was later to be a rear admiral, served as a midshipman in HMS
Mediator
.
Aimable Eugenie
reached Saint-Domingue in March 1783, where she was wrecked on the coastal reef at
Porto Plata
.
[3]
Luttrell and his crew received the last of the prize money for
Alexandre
and
Menagere
in October 1788.
[12]
The action was the final clash of arms in which American forces were engaged before the
Treaty of Paris
concluded the war.
References
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]
- Citations
- ^
a
b
L’Aimable Eugenie
- ^
Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2132.
- ^
a
b
Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2133.
- ^
Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2131.
- ^
Demerliac (1996). p.192, #1910.
- ^
La Menagere Beaumarchais Contract
- ^
a
b
c
Allen, p.351.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"No. 12399"
.
The London Gazette
. 21 December 1782. pp. 1?2.
- ^
a
b
Seymour, p.536.
- ^
Allen, p.352.
- ^
Lt. Stephen Gregory
- ^
"No. 13024"
.
The London Gazette
. 9 September 1788. pp. 440?441.
- Bibliography
- Allen, Joseph (1852) Battles of the British navy (H.G. Bohn) Vol. 2.
- Demerliac, Alain (1996)
La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Francais De 1774 A 1792
. (Nice: Editions OMEGA).
ISBN
2-906381-23-3
- "No. XV. Sir Michael Seymour, of High Mount, County Cork, and friary Park, Devon, Bart. and K.C.B.; Rear-Admiral of the Blue; and Commander-in-Chief on the South American Station".
The Annual Biography and Obituary for the Year 1835
. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1835. pp. 195?201.
- "Rr-Adm. Sir M. Seymour, Bt.".
The Gentleman's Magazine. Volume II. New Series. MDCCCXXXIV. July to December Inclusive
. 1834. pp. 536?537.
External links
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