Capture of HMS Epervier facts for kids

The capture of HMS Epervier was a naval battle during the War of 1812. It happened off the coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral on April 28, 1814. The battle was between the American ship USS Peacock, led by Master Commandant Lewis Warrington, and the British ship Epervier, commanded by Richard Wales. The Americans won the battle and captured the British ship. However, the British merchant ships that Epervier was protecting managed to get away.

Quick facts for kids USS Peacock vs HMS Epervier
Part of the War of 1812
USS Peacock and HMS Epervier battle.
Date 28 April 1814 Location near Cape Canaveral, Florida Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Lewis Warrington	Richard Wales
Strength
1 sloop-of-war 166 Marines and Sailors	1 brig-sloop 128 Marines and Sailors
Casualties and losses
2	23

Getting Ready for Battle

The USS Peacock was a new and strong American warship. It was named after an earlier victory against a British ship called HMS Peacock. The American Peacock left New York on March 12, 1814. It managed to get past the British ships blocking the port.

The Peacock then delivered supplies to St. Marys, Georgia. Its next job was to meet up with another American ship, the USS President. But the President could not leave New York. While waiting, Commander Warrington sailed the Peacock around the Bahamas. He hoped to find British merchant ships coming from Jamaica.

The Ships Meet

On the morning of April 28, the Peacock spotted several ships. These ships were part of a small group that had left Havana a few days earlier. The British ship Epervier was protecting them. When the merchant ships saw the Peacock, they quickly sailed away to escape. The Epervier got ready to fight.

The British Epervier had fewer and lighter guns than the American Peacock. The Epervier had sixteen 32-pounder carronades and two 18-pounder carronades. The Peacock had twenty 32-pounder carronades and two 12-pounder guns. This meant the Peacock could fire much more weight in cannonballs at once.

The Fight Begins

As the two ships sailed towards each other, the wind changed direction. This meant neither ship had an advantage from the wind. Around 10:20 in the morning, both ships fired their cannons at the same time. They aimed high to damage each other's sails and ropes. Both ships were hit in their upper parts. After this, the Epervier turned downwind and sailed alongside the Peacock, continuing the fight.

A One-Sided Battle

The Peacock aimed its cannons at the Epervier's hull, which is the main body of the ship. This caused a lot of damage. The British ship's firing quickly became weaker. It probably did not hit the Peacock much after the first few shots.

After about 40 minutes, the Epervier was badly damaged. It had 45 holes in its hull and about 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water in its lower part. Commander Wales of the Epervier wanted his crew to get ready to board and capture the Peacock. But his crew refused to fight on. At 11:05, the Epervier lowered its flag, which meant it was giving up. The Epervier had eight men killed and 15 wounded.

After the Battle

The Americans quickly fixed the damage to the Peacock's ropes and sails. This took about an hour. The first officer of the Peacock took control of the captured Epervier. He worked to stop it from sinking. The American crew had the British ship ready to sail by nightfall. They found $118,000 in money on board the Epervier. This money belonged to private people, not the government.

The next day, the Americans saw two British frigates (larger warships). The Peacock cleverly sailed away, leading the British ships away from the damaged Epervier. Both the Peacock and the captured Epervier safely reached Savannah, Georgia, a few days later. The Americans repaired the Epervier and added it to the United States Navy. It was renamed USS Epervier. Commander Warrington then sailed the Peacock again. He went on a successful trip in British waters, capturing 14 merchant ships.

Why the Americans Won So Easily

The Peacocks victory over the Epervier was very one-sided. This was surprising because the two ships were not that different in size. It was later found that some of the Eperviers cannons broke when they were fired. Commander Wales had not practiced enough with his guns. This meant he did not know about the problems until it was too late. Also, Wales had reported that his crew was unhappy and not working well together. This was unusual for the British Navy during the War of 1812. The crew did not fight as hard as they should have. A later investigation showed that the Epervier had a very poor crew. Many of them were sick people from the hospital.

Awards for the Victory

On October 21, 1814, the United States Congress decided to honor the crew of the Peacock. Because they had captured the Epervier, each officer on the Peacock received a silver medal. Each midshipman (a junior officer) received a sword.