French corvette Perdrix (1784) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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 France |
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| Name | Perdrix |
| Namesake | Partridge |
| Builder | Hubert Pennevert, Rochefort, to plans by Charles-Étienne Bombelle |
| Laid down | 1783 |
| Launched | 18 June 1784 |
| Captured | June 1796 |
.svg){kind=small} Great Britain |
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| Name | HMS Perdrix |
| Acquired | June 1795 by capture |
| Fate | Broken up September 1799 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Fauvette-class corvette |
| Displacement | 752 tons (French) |
| Tons burthen | 51631⁄94 (bm) |
| Length | 118 ft 5+1⁄2 in (36.1 m) (overall); 98 ft 7+3⁄8 in (30.1 m) (keel) |
| Beam | 31 ft 4+1⁄2 in (9.6 m) |
| Draught | 12 ft 0 in (3.7 m) (unladen);12 ft 6 in (3.8 m) (laden) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 0 in (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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The Perdrix was a warship called a corvette, built for the French Royal Navy. She was launched in 1784. In 1795, the British captured her near Antigua. After that, she served for a short time in the Royal Navy in the West Indies. During her British service, she managed to capture a French privateer ship. Sadly, she was taken apart (broken up) in 1798.
Contents
French Service and Capture
In April 1786, the Perdrix hit a rock when she arrived at Tobago. The crew managed to get her floating again. She was then repaired there between April and July of that year.
Between February and May 1791, Perdrix was commanded by Lieutenant Duval-Paris. He sailed her from Brest to Cadiz, then to Martinique and Cap-Français. Her job was to carry important payroll money.
In December 1792, she sailed to help the frigate Didon. This ship had run aground near Pointe-à-Pitre. From there, Perdrix returned to Fort-Royal. She then sailed back to France, going from Rochefort to Brest.
The Perdrix sailed to many different places. She cruised south of Belle Île and was at Rochefort. She also sailed along the coasts of la Vendée. Later, she went from Rochefort to Mindin. Finally, she sailed on a special mission to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. During this time, she had several different commanders.
One of her commanders, Lieutenant Barré, was in charge until November 1794. He sailed Perdrix from Paimbœuf to Nova Scotia and then to New York. She was stationed in the United States. Her job there was to protect other ships as they traveled.
On June 5, 1795, Rear-Admiral Thompson captured the Perdrix. He was on his ship, Vanguard. The Perdrix was described as a "French Ship of War of 24 Guns." She was under the command of Lieutenant Le Bouteiller when she was captured.
British Service and Adventures
The British Navy officially started using Perdrix on February 2, 1796. Her first commander in British service was Captain William Charles Fahie.
At one point, between March and May 1797, Perdrix recaptured a ship called General. This ship was a sloop that had been sailing from Barbados to Martinique. It was carrying dry goods and food. Perdrix found and recaptured her near Guadaloupe. She then sent General to Fort Royal, Martinique.
A Dispute on Board
On January 13, 1798, Captain Fahie was away. Lieutenant Charles Peterson was temporarily in charge of Perdrix. At the same time, Favourite was also in English Harbour, Antigua. Her commander was Lieutenant Lord Camelford. Both ships were being repaired.
A disagreement started between the two lieutenants. They argued about who was the senior officer and in charge of the port. This argument became very serious. Sadly, Lord Camelford shot and killed Lieutenant Peterson.
The argument began after another ship, HMS Babet, had left the harbor the day before. Its captain had been the senior officer. Lieutenant Peterson was actually more senior than Camelford on the lieutenants list. He also represented Captain Fahie.
The crews of the two ships almost started fighting each other. Luckily, Captain Henry Mitford arrived that evening. He placed Lord Camelford under arrest. Lieutenant Parsons was put in charge of Perdrix, and she was sent out to sea. A special court later decided that Lord Camelford was not guilty.
Capturing a Privateer
The Perdrix took part in an important battle on December 12, 1798. She captured a privateer ship called L'Armée d' Italie. A privateer was a private ship that was allowed to attack enemy ships during wartime. This privateer had fourteen 9-pounder guns and four 12-pounder guns.
A few days earlier, Perdrix had met an American ship. The American ship reported that a French privateer had boarded them. This happened about seven leagues east of Virgin Gorda. The wind and weather made it hard for Captain Fahie to reach the area. It took four days for Perdrix to find her target.
After chasing the privateer for 16 hours, they fought for 42 minutes. The privateer became a wreck and could not be controlled. Out of her crew of 117 men, six were killed and five were wounded. The Perdrix only had one man wounded. Her sails and ropes were also damaged.
L'Armee d' Italie had been at sea for 11 days. She had already captured two other ships. These were the brig Bittern and the schooner Concorde. Some of their crews were on board L'Armee d' Italie when Perdrix captured her. Perdrix then took the captured ship to Tortola. It was declared a prize a week later.
At some point, Perdrix also captured another ship called Remt Folkerus.
The End of Perdrix
The Perdrix arrived at Deptford, England, on July 22, 1799. She was taken apart (broken up) on September 10, 1799. This was less than two months after she arrived.
