French frigate Surveillante (1802) facts for kids
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Surveillante
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Quick facts for kids History |
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  France |
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| Name | Surveillante |
| Builder | Les Frères Crucy (Basse-Indre) |
| Laid down | July 1801 |
| Launched | 29 May 1802 |
| Acquired | December 1802 |
| Captured | 30 November 1803 |
| Fate | Surrendered to the Royal Navy |
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | Surveillante |
| Acquired | 30 November 1803 |
| Decommissioned | 1814 |
| Fate | Broken up 14 August 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Virginie-class frigate |
| Length | 47.4 m (156 ft) (126-11.25 ft-ins) |
| Beam | 11.9 m (39 ft) |
| Draught | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 28 18-pounder upper deck cannon, 12 32-pounder quarterdeck carronades, 2 9-pounder bow chasers & 2 32-pounder forecastle carronades |
| Armour | Timber |
The Surveillante was a powerful warship known as a 40-gun frigate in the French Navy. She was built to be fast and strong. In 1803, she was taken by the British and then served in the Royal Navy as a 38-gun ship.
HMS Surveillante had a very busy and successful career. She sailed from the cold Baltic Sea to the coasts of France, Spain, and Portugal. She was part of important events like the Battle of Copenhagen (1807) and the Peninsula War. She was also very good at capturing enemy ships, which were called "prizes."
Contents
Captured by the British
In November 1803, Surveillante was in Saint Domingue (now Haiti). There was a big uprising against the French at the time. British ships were blocking the port, trapping Surveillante.
The French commander, Captain Henry Barre, decided to surrender Surveillante to the British. This was to protect his crew and passengers from the fighting on land. The people leading the uprising were threatening to attack the ship.
Admiral Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet, the British naval commander, accepted the surrender. Another French frigate, Clorinde, was also captured. Both ships then joined the Royal Navy as HMS Surveillante and HMS Clorinde. Surveillante was a new ship, so she quickly began her service with the British.
Capturing Other Ships
HMS Surveillante was very successful at capturing enemy merchant ships. These captured ships, called "prizes," often carried valuable goods.
- On 9 January 1805, Surveillante, with HMS Tartar, captured the Spanish ship El Batidor.
- On 9 July, Surveillante, with Fortunee and Echo , captured several merchant ships carrying sugar.
- On 7 December, Surveillante, with Morne Fortunee, captured the merchant ship Cleopatra.
- On 5 July 1806, Surveillante, with Fortunée, Echo, Superieure and Hercule, captured the Spanish ship La Josepha, which was carrying quicksilver.
Captain Collier's Command
Captain George Collier took command of Surveillante on 22 April 1807. He led the ship through many important missions.
1807: Battle of Copenhagen
Surveillante took part in the Second Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807. During this time, many Danish merchant ships were captured by the British fleet. Surveillante shared in the rewards from these captures.
Some of the ships captured were Hans and Jacob, Die Twee Gebfoders, Sally, Speculation, Fama, Aurora, Paulina, Ceres, Odifiord, and Benedicta. After the battle, Admiral James Gambier sent Surveillante back to England. Captain Collier personally delivered the news of the Danish surrender to the Admiralty Office in London.
Later in 1807, Russia declared war on Great Britain. The British government then stopped all Russian ships in British ports. Surveillante was one of 70 British ships that helped hold two Russian ships, Speshnoy and Wilhelmina, at Portsmouth.
1809: Transporting Wellington
In March 1809, Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) was put in charge of a mission in Portugal. Surveillante was chosen to take him to Lisbon. Bad weather delayed their departure for nearly two weeks.
During the voyage, a storm hit the ship. Wellesley's aide-de-camp asked him to put on his boots and come on deck. Wellesley famously replied that he could swim better without his boots and would stay where he was.
Later in 1809, Surveillante captured two French ships:
- On 30 October, she captured the French corvette Le Milan.
- On 3 December, she captured the French privateer cutter La Comtesse Laure. Captain Collier noted that this privateer was "admirably calculated for the annoyance of the British Trade."
1810: Actions in France
On 23 June 1810, Surveillante captured two French ships, Le Margaretta and L'Eclair. She was with the British gun-brigs Constant and Piercer.
On 5 September 1810, Surveillante and HMS Constant were exploring the Loire River. They saw a group of French ships heading south. The British ships chased them, forcing one brig to hide between two shore batteries. Captain Collier used boats to attack the brig. They managed to capture it without any injuries, even while under fire from French troops on shore.
1811-1812: More Captures
- On 30 April 1811, Surveillante captured the French privateer La Creole.
- On 20 July 1811, Surveillante was assigned to protect a group of ships traveling to Corunna.
- On 28 January 1812, Surveillante, with HMS Sybille and HMS Spitfire, captured the American ship Zone.
- On 25 May 1812, HMS Surveillante captured the American schooner Young Connecticut.
1812: Fighting in Spain
In July 1812, Surveillante was part of a British fleet off the north coast of Spain. They were helping Spanish fighters against the French. The fleet attacked the town of Santander and the Castle of Ano. The Royal Marines took the castle, but the French sent more soldiers to Santander. The British and Spanish forces had to retreat, and Captain Sir George Collier was wounded.
More captures in 1812:
- On 7 October, Surveillante captured the American schooner Baltimore.
- On 20 December, Surveillante recaptured the American brig Ocean, which was carrying flour from New York to Lisbon.
1813: Final Actions
Surveillante continued to capture ships in 1813:
- On 4 February, she was present when HMS Medusa and HMS Iris captured the American schooner Rolla.
- On 23 March, Surveillante captured the fishing schooner Polly.
- On 15 April, she was present when HMS Iris captured the American schooner Price.
- On 27 April, Surveillante captured the American ship Tom after a long chase. This ship was known for being very fast and had escaped many British ships before.
- On 5 May, she recaptured the American ship Mount Hope, which was carrying rice. She was with HMS Andromeda and HMS Iris.
- On 1 June, Surveillante captured the American schooner Orders in Council, a privateer, after a five-hour chase.
In late July 1813, Surveillante helped land troops near St. Sebastian's. They set up cannons while under heavy fire from the French. Some of her crew were killed. Surveillante also fought against the French on Santa Clara island. Captain Collier reported a successful attack on 27–28 August.
In September, Surveillante was present when San Sebastian fell. Her cannons, moved onto Santa Clara island, helped silence the French guns. The French commander surrendered, and over 1,700 French soldiers became prisoners of war.
Fate
HMS Surveillante was taken apart on 14 August 1814, ending her long and active career.
