French corvette Etna (1795) facts for kids
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|} The ship Etna was a French warship called a corvette, launched in 1795. The Royal Navy captured her in November 1796. She was then named HMS Aetna. The next year, she was renamed HMS Cormorant. This ship captured several merchant vessels and privateers. Sadly, she was wrecked in 1800 off the coast of Egypt.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 France |
|
| Name | Etna |
| Builder | André-François and Joseph-Augustin Normand, Honfleur |
| Laid down | June 1794 |
| Launched | April 1795 |
| Captured | November 1796 |
 Great Britain |
|
| Name | HMS Aetna |
| Acquired | November 1796 by capture |
| Renamed | HMS Cormorant in 1797 |
| Fate | Wrecked 15 May 1800 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 564 40⁄94 (bm) |
| Length | 119 ft 4 in (36.4 m) (overall); 98 ft 2+1⁄2 in (29.9 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 32 ft 10+1⁄2 in (10.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 14 ft 9+1⁄2 in (4.5 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Complement | 155 (British establishment) |
| Armament |
|
How Etna Was Captured
Etna's first commander was Lieutenant Coudre Lacoudrais. He later became a Captain.
On the night of November 13-14, 1796, Etna left Le Havre, France. In the morning, two British ships, HMS Melampus and Childers, began chasing her. Etna tried to get away.
Around 3:30 PM, Melampus got close enough to fire. Etna fought for two hours. She stopped fighting when Childers joined the battle.
The London Gazette reported the capture. It said that Melampus and HMS Minerva had forced another French corvette ashore. Then, Melampus and Childers captured Etna. Etna had eighteen 12-pounder guns and 137 men. The French crew said both corvettes were new and carrying supplies.
Captain Coudre Lacoudrais was later found innocent for losing his ship.
Etna arrived in Portsmouth, England, in November 1796. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Aetna. She was refitted until July 1797. Later, she was renamed HMS Cormorant. She was classified as a post ship.
Captain John Clarke Searle took command of Cormorant in May 1797. On November 14, she recaptured a ship named George.
Later, Captain Lord Mark Kerr became her commander. Cormorant, along with St Fiorenzo and Cynthia, recaptured an American ship called Betty. On November 24, 1797, Cormorant and Cynthia captured the French merchant sloop Necessaire.
Mediterranean Adventures
In January 1798, Cormorant was part of Sir Richard Strachan's fleet. On February 15, she captured the Prussian ship Welvaert. On May 29, Cormorant captured the brig Pruyiche Koopman.
Cormorant sailed to the Mediterranean Sea in September 1798. She helped escort many merchant ships and troop transports to Lisbon. This group included large East Indiamen ships. On September 25, they met a French fleet of nine warships. The British commander made the merchant ships form a battle line. This made the French admiral decide not to attack. All the ships reached Lisbon safely.
On October 27, Cormorant captured the French privateer Tartar. In November, she helped the British recapture Minorca on November 7. On November 10, she took control of the Spanish ship Francisco Xavier in Port Mahon. This ship was on its way to Cadiz.
On January 2, 1799, Cormorant captured the Spanish 12-gun packet ship Valiente. This happened off Malaga. Reports said that Cormorant captured a very valuable Spanish packet from Rio di Plata. A British lieutenant and eight men bravely boarded the ship. They took control even though there were 55 Spaniards on board.
Between January 28 and February 9, Cormorant patrolled the Spanish coast with Centaur. Cormorant captured one small ship, forced another ashore, and captured a settee carrying oil.
On March 16, Centaur and Cormorant chased the Spanish frigate Guadaloupe. Centaur forced Guadaloupe aground near Cape Oropesa, where it was wrecked.
Cormorant then chased and captured the Spanish naval brig Vincejo on March 19. Vincejo had eighteen 6-pounder guns and 144 men. The Royal Navy took Vincejo into service as HMS Vincejo.
In September, Captain Courtenay Boyle took over command from Kerr. At some point, Cormorant also captured the Spanish ship Vergen de la Victoria.
On December 2, Cormorant joined Racoon in chasing a French lugger. After an hour, Racoon captured the lugger, named Vrai Decide. It had 14 guns and 41 men.
On February 20, 1800, Cormorant recaptured the Elizabeth Jane of London. This ship was sailing from the Bahamas and had 25 Frenchmen on board.
That evening, Cormorant captured the Spanish privateer brig Batador. Batador had 14 guns and 87 men. The weather was bad, making it hard to put a prize crew on board. The Spanish crew tried twice to retake their ship but failed.
The Final Voyage
Cormorant was sailing to Egypt with important messages for Sir Sidney Smith. On May 15, she reached the African coast near Benghazi. She then sailed towards Alexandria, staying close to the shore. That evening, she ran hard aground in shallow water.
In the morning, the crew saw land about a mile and a half away. It was the town of Damietta, east of Alexandria. When it was clear they could not free Cormorant, the crew left the ship. They reached the shore using boats and rafts. There, the French took them prisoner.
Captain Boyle, his officers, and men were prisoners until July 27. They faced "cruel imprisonment." Boyle then sailed to Cyprus and Minorca. A later court-martial found Boyle not to blame for the loss. They said the maps available at the time were very wrong.
