CONFIANCE privateer
Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 9:09 pm
Built in 1796 at Bordeaux as a privateer under the name Le CONFIANCE.
Tonnage 491 tons, dim.35.66 x 9.45 x 4.26m., length of keel 28.65m.
Armament: upper deck 2 – 6pdrs. guns and 22 – 18 pdrs. carronades.
Crew around 133 men.
After completing sailed to Ile de France (now Mauritius), where in 1800 Robert Surcouf took command of the ship in Ile de France where she was under repair.
Beginning in March he led a brilliant campaign which resulted in the capture of nine British ships.
07 October 1800 in the Bay of Bengal, off Sand Heads the CONFIANCE met the East Indiaman KENT a 820 ton ship under command of Capt. Robert Rivington, with 400 men and a company of naval riflemen.
Despite being outnumbered three to one, the crew of the Le CONFIANCE managed to seize the KENT.
With the capture of the KENT Robert Surcouf became a lived legend in France. But a enemy in the U.K. whose capture was valued at 5 million francs.
January 1801 Surcouf left Port Louis, Ile de France with booty worth 2 million francs and arrived safely in La Rochelle.
Surcouf was noted for the discipline of his crew and his humane treatment of his prisoners.
03 June 1805 taken by HMS LOIRE at Muros (north west Spain). Rated as an 18-gun sloop until 1807.
June 1805 commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS CONFIANCE under command of Cmdr. James Yeo for the English Channel service.
19 June 1805 till 14 March 1806 fitted out in Portsmouth.
18 August 1807 her boats took the 3-gun privateer La REITRADE at La Guardia.
16 January 1808 sailed for Portugal and thence to Rio de Janeiro.
13 February 1808 her boats took a French gunboat off the River Tagus.
In December 1808 Portuguese troops arrived at Approuague in Guiana and on 4 January 1809 it was determined by Capt. Yeo and Lieut. Colonel Marques to make a descent on the island of Cayenne.
500 troops were embarked on small vessels with 80 seamen and marines from CONFIANCE and a party of marines from the VOLADOR and INFANTE, brigs.
On the evening of the 6th. with 250 men in 10 canoes, Capt. YEO endeavored to gain possession of two batteries, Fort Diamant commanding the entrance to the river Mahuree and Fort Cane, commanding the great road to the town of Cayenne.
The Portuguese took Fort Cane and Capt. Yeo, with Lieutenants Mulcaster, Blyth and Read RM, Mr. Thomas Savery, purser, William Taylor, carpenter and George Forder and David Irwin, midshipmen, and a party from CONFIANCE, captured Fort Diamant.
The former had two brass 9-pounders and 40 men, the latter, two 24-pounders, one brass 9, with 50 men.
John Read was mortally wounded, also one seaman and two marines badly.
General Victor Hugues quitted Cayenne with 1,000 troops so Capt. Yeo decided to concentrate at Fort Cane to receive them.
Two other batteries were sighted about a mile up river, one guarding the house and plantation of General Hugues.
The LION and VIGANZA cutters were anchored abreast of them and after a smart action of about an hour, they were stormed and captured.
On the morning of the 8th. the private house of General Hugues was then proceeded against.
Although, under flag of truce, Capt. Yeo offered to respect the property if the French troops surrendered, his offer was rejected, so the place was stormed and everything leveled to the ground except for the slave quarters.
On the 10th. Lieut. Mulcaster and a Portuguese officer were sent into Cayenne with a summons, and on the 14th. the allied troops, seamen and marines took possession of the town.
Meanwhile Mr. Arscott, acting master, who had been left in charge of CONFIANCE, with only 25 Englishmen and 20 Negroes, and two young midshipmen, George Yeo and Edward Bryant, drove away a French frigate, TOPAZE, which had appeared in the offing with reinforcement for the garrison on the 13th.
Killed Charles Chritopher; Mortally wounded: Lieut. John Read RM, William Bateman, private; Dangerously wounded: Lieut. Samuel Blyth, James Thompson, quarter master's mate, Hans Matterson able, William Neale, coxswain, John le Grandeure, Hugh Carrogan, corporal, John Lear, private, David Daniels, private, Richard Davis, private; Badly wounded: Thomas James, landsman, Thomas Roberts able, Samuel Gardner, able; Slightly wounded Nicholas Glowman, able, Thomas Burne, ordinary, John Wells, ordinary, Thomas Wolley, landsman, John Sinnot, ordinary, George Leader, able, Jacob Osterlony, private, John Luscombe, private, James Simpson, sergeant
22 December 1810 sold at Woolwich. Fate unknown.
British Indian Territory 1999 £1.15 sg232, scott215.
Mauritius 1972 2r50 sg 462, scott?
Mauritius 1974 60c sg470, scott? (In the foreground Robert Surcouf on deck of the CONFIANCE, in the background the British KENT
France 2008 0.55 Euro sg?, scott?
Source: Wikipedia and downloaded from http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhill ... p?ref=0570 British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793-1817 by Rif Winfield.
Tonnage 491 tons, dim.35.66 x 9.45 x 4.26m., length of keel 28.65m.
Armament: upper deck 2 – 6pdrs. guns and 22 – 18 pdrs. carronades.
Crew around 133 men.
After completing sailed to Ile de France (now Mauritius), where in 1800 Robert Surcouf took command of the ship in Ile de France where she was under repair.
Beginning in March he led a brilliant campaign which resulted in the capture of nine British ships.
07 October 1800 in the Bay of Bengal, off Sand Heads the CONFIANCE met the East Indiaman KENT a 820 ton ship under command of Capt. Robert Rivington, with 400 men and a company of naval riflemen.
Despite being outnumbered three to one, the crew of the Le CONFIANCE managed to seize the KENT.
With the capture of the KENT Robert Surcouf became a lived legend in France. But a enemy in the U.K. whose capture was valued at 5 million francs.
January 1801 Surcouf left Port Louis, Ile de France with booty worth 2 million francs and arrived safely in La Rochelle.
Surcouf was noted for the discipline of his crew and his humane treatment of his prisoners.
03 June 1805 taken by HMS LOIRE at Muros (north west Spain). Rated as an 18-gun sloop until 1807.
June 1805 commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS CONFIANCE under command of Cmdr. James Yeo for the English Channel service.
19 June 1805 till 14 March 1806 fitted out in Portsmouth.
18 August 1807 her boats took the 3-gun privateer La REITRADE at La Guardia.
16 January 1808 sailed for Portugal and thence to Rio de Janeiro.
13 February 1808 her boats took a French gunboat off the River Tagus.
In December 1808 Portuguese troops arrived at Approuague in Guiana and on 4 January 1809 it was determined by Capt. Yeo and Lieut. Colonel Marques to make a descent on the island of Cayenne.
500 troops were embarked on small vessels with 80 seamen and marines from CONFIANCE and a party of marines from the VOLADOR and INFANTE, brigs.
On the evening of the 6th. with 250 men in 10 canoes, Capt. YEO endeavored to gain possession of two batteries, Fort Diamant commanding the entrance to the river Mahuree and Fort Cane, commanding the great road to the town of Cayenne.
The Portuguese took Fort Cane and Capt. Yeo, with Lieutenants Mulcaster, Blyth and Read RM, Mr. Thomas Savery, purser, William Taylor, carpenter and George Forder and David Irwin, midshipmen, and a party from CONFIANCE, captured Fort Diamant.
The former had two brass 9-pounders and 40 men, the latter, two 24-pounders, one brass 9, with 50 men.
John Read was mortally wounded, also one seaman and two marines badly.
General Victor Hugues quitted Cayenne with 1,000 troops so Capt. Yeo decided to concentrate at Fort Cane to receive them.
Two other batteries were sighted about a mile up river, one guarding the house and plantation of General Hugues.
The LION and VIGANZA cutters were anchored abreast of them and after a smart action of about an hour, they were stormed and captured.
On the morning of the 8th. the private house of General Hugues was then proceeded against.
Although, under flag of truce, Capt. Yeo offered to respect the property if the French troops surrendered, his offer was rejected, so the place was stormed and everything leveled to the ground except for the slave quarters.
On the 10th. Lieut. Mulcaster and a Portuguese officer were sent into Cayenne with a summons, and on the 14th. the allied troops, seamen and marines took possession of the town.
Meanwhile Mr. Arscott, acting master, who had been left in charge of CONFIANCE, with only 25 Englishmen and 20 Negroes, and two young midshipmen, George Yeo and Edward Bryant, drove away a French frigate, TOPAZE, which had appeared in the offing with reinforcement for the garrison on the 13th.
Killed Charles Chritopher; Mortally wounded: Lieut. John Read RM, William Bateman, private; Dangerously wounded: Lieut. Samuel Blyth, James Thompson, quarter master's mate, Hans Matterson able, William Neale, coxswain, John le Grandeure, Hugh Carrogan, corporal, John Lear, private, David Daniels, private, Richard Davis, private; Badly wounded: Thomas James, landsman, Thomas Roberts able, Samuel Gardner, able; Slightly wounded Nicholas Glowman, able, Thomas Burne, ordinary, John Wells, ordinary, Thomas Wolley, landsman, John Sinnot, ordinary, George Leader, able, Jacob Osterlony, private, John Luscombe, private, James Simpson, sergeant
22 December 1810 sold at Woolwich. Fate unknown.
British Indian Territory 1999 £1.15 sg232, scott215.
Mauritius 1972 2r50 sg 462, scott?
Mauritius 1974 60c sg470, scott? (In the foreground Robert Surcouf on deck of the CONFIANCE, in the background the British KENT
France 2008 0.55 Euro sg?, scott?
Source: Wikipedia and downloaded from http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhill ... p?ref=0570 British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793-1817 by Rif Winfield.