French frigate Piémontaise
![]() HMS St Fiorenzo and Piémontaise.
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History | |
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Name | Piémontaise |
Namesake | Piedmont |
Builder | Saint Malo |
Laid down | 22 March 1803 |
Launched | 15 December 1804 |
Commissioned | 23 September 1805 at Saint Servan |
Captured | 8 March 1808 |
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Name | Piedmontaise[1] |
Acquired | 8 March 1808 |
Fate | Broken up in 1813 |
General characteristics [3][4] | |
Class and type | Consolante-class frigate |
Displacement | 1400 tons (French) |
Tons burthen | 1091 83⁄94 (bm) |
Length | 157 ft 5 in (47.98 m) (overall); 128 ft 10 in (39.27 m) (keel) |
Beam | 39 ft 11 in (12.17 m) |
Draught | 6.17 m (20.2 ft) [2] |
Depth of hold | 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) |
Propulsion | Sail |
Armament |
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Armour | Timber |
The Piémontaise was a 40-gun Consolante-class frigate of the French Navy. She served as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean until her capture in March 1808. She then served with the British Royal Navy in the East Indies until she was broken up in Britain in 1813.
French service
Piémontaise was built by Enterprise Étheart at Saint Malo to a design by François Pastel.
On 18 December 1805 she sailed from Brest for Île de France. There she served as a commerce raider under captain Jacques Epron. On 21 June 1806, she captured the East Indiaman Warren Hastings. On 6 September, she captured the 14-gun East India Company brig Grappler, the three-masted country ship Atomany, and the East Indiaman Fame.
Between September and October 1807, Piémontaise captured Caroline, Eggleton or Eggleson, master, Sarah, Henderson, master, Maria, James, master, Udny, Walteas or Wallis, master, Danneberg or Danesburgh or Castel Dansborg, Winter, master, Highland Chief, Mahapice or Makepiece, master, Eliza, Sparkes, master, and Calcutta.[5][6] Calcutta was a "native ship". Captain James, of Maria, died aboard Piémontaise on 29 September.[6]
In early March 1808, Piémontaise captured three more merchantmen off Southern India.
Capture
On 6 March 1808, she encountered HMS St Fiorenzo.[7] The two ships battled for three days until Piémontaise, out of ammunition and having suffered heavy casualties, had to strike her colours on 8 March. The evening before she struck, Lieutenant de vaisseau Charles Moreau, who had been severely wounded, threw himself into the sea. Captain Hardinge, of St Fiorenzo, was killed in the fighting on the last day. Over the three days the British suffered 13 dead and 25 wounded. The French suffered some 48 dead and 112 wounded.[8][9]
Lieutenant William Dawson took command and brought both vessels back to Colombo, even though Piémontaise's three masts fell over her side early in the morning of 9 March. Piémontaise had on board British army officers and captains and officers from prizes that she had taken. These men helped organize the lascars to jury-rig masts and bring Piémontaise into port. St Fiorenzo had too few men, too many casualties, and too many prisoners to guard to provide much assistance. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "San Fiorenzo 8 March 1808" to any surviving claimants from the action.
British service
The British brought Piémontaise into service as HMS Piedmontaise, commissioning her under Captain Charles Foote. From May to August 1810, she took part in an expedition to the Banda Islands, along with Caroline and Barracouta.[10] The expedition also included Mandarin.
Foote died in September and Commander Henry D. Dawson replaced him, only to die shortly thereafter. Piedmontaise's next captain was T. Epworth, who was replaced in turn by Captain Henry Edgell.[4]
Fate
Piémontaise was taken out of commission at Woolwich on 12 August 1812. She was broken up in January 1813.[4]
Citations and references
Citations
- ^ Naval Database
- ^ Frégate La Piémontaise
- ^ Winfield and Roberts (2015), p.145.
- ^ a b c Winfield (2008), p.179.
- ^ Lloyd's List №4243.
- ^ a b Asiatic Annual Register, Vol. 10, p.123.
- ^ NAVAL HISTORY of GREAT BRITAIN - Vol V
- ^ "No. 16171". The London Gazette. 13 August 1808. p. 1108.
- ^ "No. 16210". The London Gazette. 17 December 1808. p. 1711.
- ^ "No. 16905". The London Gazette. 4 June 1814. p. 1159.
References
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005) Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la Flotte de Guerre Française de Colbert à nos Jours. (Group Retozel-Maury Millau), pp. 352–3.
- Winfield, Rif (2008), British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, Seaforth, ISBN 1-86176-246-1
- Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. (Seaforth Publishing). ISBN 9781848322042