Frigate action of 29 May 1794 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frigate action of 29 May 1794
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Capture of the Castor, May 29th 1794, Thomas Whitcombe
Date 29 May 1794 Location Off Cape Finisterre, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Francis Laforey	Captain L'Huillier
Strength
1 frigate	1 frigate
Casualties and losses
1 killed 4 wounded	1 frigate captured 16 killed 9 wounded

The frigate action of 29 May 1794 was a small naval battle during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened on the same day as a much larger fleet battle, but it was a separate event. This fight involved one British warship, a frigate, and one French frigate. It was part of a bigger naval campaign in May 1794, which ended with the famous Glorious First of June battle.

What made this battle unusual was that the French ship, called Castor, had only been French for a few days. It used to be a British ship, HMS Castor. A French battle group had captured it on May 19 in the Bay of Biscay. The French quickly changed it for their own use while still at sea. While the main fleets were moving around, Castor was sent to chase a Dutch merchant ship. On May 29, it met the smaller British frigate HMS Carysfort, which was sailing alone.

Captain Francis Laforey on Carysfort immediately attacked the larger French ship. After a fight that lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, he forced the French captain to give up. They found several British prisoners of war on board Castor. The British took Castor back to Britain. Later, there was a long legal case between the Admiralty (the British Navy's leaders) and Captain Laforey. They argued about how much prize money he should get for capturing the ship. Laforey eventually won, partly because the defeated French captain spoke in his favor. This lawsuit did not hurt Laforey's career. He later fought in the Battle of Trafalgar and became an important admiral.

Why the Battle Happened

In the spring of 1794, France was facing a shortage of food. To get enough supplies, they ordered large amounts of food from their colonies in America and from the United States. These supplies were gathered into a big group of merchant ships, called a convoy, near Hampton Roads in Virginia. On April 2, this convoy sailed for Europe. It was protected by a French admiral named Pierre Vanstabel. They expected to meet another group of French ships led by Admiral Joseph-Marie Nielly along the way. The main French Atlantic Fleet, led by Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, was supposed to keep the British Channel Fleet (led by Lord Howe) busy.

On May 6, Admiral Nielly's ships left Rochefort. They sailed out of the Bay of Biscay into the Atlantic Ocean. There, they found a British convoy sailing from Newfoundland. This British convoy was not ready for a fight. It was only protected by the frigate HMS Castor, commanded by Captain Thomas Troubridge. Nielly's group had five large ships of the line and several smaller warships. He ordered an attack on the British convoy. After a short chase, ten merchant ships were captured. Castor was quickly caught by the large French ship Patriote. The British ship did not fight back because the French force was too strong.

Captain Troubridge and most of his crew were taken off Castor. They were put on Nielly's main ship, Sans Pareil, and stayed there for the rest of the campaign. About 200 French sailors from Nielly's group replaced them on Castor. The ship was quickly prepared at sea to join the French Navy. Captain L'Huillier was given command. He sailed ahead of Nielly's group to scout. On May 24, he got separated while chasing a Dutch merchant ship called Maria Gertruda. This Dutch ship had been separated from its own convoy, which Villaret's fleet had attacked on May 19.

Now separated from Nielly's ships, Captain L'Huillier turned back towards Europe with the Dutch ship he had captured. While the French fleets searched the Eastern Atlantic for the convoy, the British Navy was also very busy. They had several groups of ships and single warships sailing around, in addition to Lord Howe's main fleet. One of these ships was the small 28-gun frigate HMS Carysfort, commanded by Captain Francis Laforey. Laforey was sailing in the Eastern Atlantic looking for signs of the French convoy. On May 29, his lookouts saw two sails in the distance.

The Battle Begins

Captain Laforey immediately sailed towards the two ships. Soon, he realized they were Castor and the Dutch merchant ship. When Carysfort got closer, Captain L'Huillier on Castor let go of the Dutch ship he was towing. He got ready for battle and fired his cannons at the approaching British frigate.

The battle was fought very closely, with both ships staying near each other. They fired their cannons back and forth for an hour and fifteen minutes. Finally, Captain L'Huillier surrendered. His ship was badly damaged during the fight. Its main topgallantmast (a tall pole on the ship) was knocked down, and the mainmast and the ship's body were severely damaged.

Carysfort had only one man killed and four wounded. This was a small number because the crew was not at full strength, with only 180 men. Castor had many more casualties among its approximately 200 men. The French lost 16 men killed and nine wounded. The Dutch ship got away at first, but it was captured later. Its value was added to the prize money paid for Castor.

Historian William James thought Captain Laforey's victory was very impressive. His ship, Carysfort, had only 28 cannons that fired nine-pound balls. In contrast, Captain L'Huillier's Castor had 32 cannons that fired twelve-pound balls, plus four larger 24-pounder carronades (short-range cannons). Castor was also a bigger ship with a slightly larger crew. Even though L'Huillier and his crew had only been on Castor for ten days, the crew of Carysfort had also only just come together before this voyage. They hadn't had much more time to get used to their ship than the French crew.

After the Battle

Captain Laforey sent a group of sailors to take control of Castor. On board, they found an officer and 18 British sailors who were being held as prisoners. These men were part of Castors original crew. They were freed and helped the British sailors take the ship back to Britain. The rest of Castors original crew, including Captain Troubridge, stayed on Admiral Nielly's main ship. They saw the Glorious First of June battle, where Sans Pareil was captured by Lord Howe's fleet. The French fleet lost seven ships in that battle. However, the food convoy had sailed safely to the north during the fight and eventually reached France without being stopped by British ships.

When Castor returned to Britain, the Admiralty and the Navy Board (who managed the navy) called it "salvage" instead of a "prize." According to the laws about salvage, the amount of prize money that Laforey and his crew would get was much less. This decision was made because after the French captured Castor, they did not take it into a French harbor. They also did not have a French prize court officially declare it a French warship. These steps were usually needed for a ship to be considered a "complete prize."

Captain Laforey, on behalf of his men, challenged this decision in the High Court of Admiralty. He wanted the court to decide the true status of Castor. The judge, Sir James Marriott, heard information from many people. This included a statement from Captain L'Huillier. L'Huillier explained that Admiral Nielly had given orders to prepare any captured warships at sea so they could keep fighting in the campaign. After looking at all the information, the judge ruled that Castor was a proper prize because it was "setting forth as a ship of war" (meaning it was acting as a warship). This meant the normal prize rules should apply to Laforey's case. So, the prize money for buying the frigate was approved and paid at Plymouth on July 20, 1795.

The outcome of the legal case did not hurt Laforey's career. His younger officers were promoted after the battle, and he was given command of a larger frigate, HMS Aimable. He went on to fight in the Battle of Trafalgar and became a full admiral before he died in 1835. However, historian Tom Wareham has suggested that the legal case might be why Laforey did not receive a knighthood. Knighthoods were usually given for successful frigate actions at that time in the war. More than fifty years later, this battle was one of the actions recognized by a special medal. The Naval General Service Medal was given to all British sailors from Carysfort who were still alive in 1847 and applied for it.