Lamellerie's expedition facts for kids

The Lamellerie expedition was a French naval mission that started in February 1806. It involved four French Navy frigates and one smaller ship called a brig. These ships had survived the big Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.

Their goal was to sneak past the British ships blocking the port of Cadiz on February 23, 1806. They hoped to escape because the main British blockade fleet had left earlier. Even though some British ships tried to stop them, Captain Louis-Charles-Auguste Delamarre de Lamellerie managed to get away with his four frigates. He left behind the slower brig, which the British captured.

For the next six months, Lamellerie's ships sailed around the Atlantic Ocean. They visited places like Senegal, Cayenne, and the West Indies. However, they didn't cause much trouble for British trade ships.

On July 27, as the squadron was getting close to Rochefort, a British warship called HMS Mars spotted them. This ship was part of the Royal Navy and was watching the port. Its captain, Robert Dudley Oliver, signaled to other British ships. He then chased the French squadron all night and into the next morning.

By morning, the French frigate Rhin had fallen far behind the others. Lamellerie first turned back to help Rhin. But then he changed his mind and sailed away towards Rochefort. Captain Oliver then captured the Rhin, which was much weaker than Mars.

Why did the expedition happen?

On October 21, 1805, the French and Spanish navies faced a huge defeat. Their fleet was almost destroyed at the Battle of Trafalgar by the Royal Navy, led by Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson.

Five French frigates survived this battle without much damage. They stayed in Cadiz harbor for the rest of the year. A large British fleet, led by Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, kept them trapped there.

In December 1805, Duckworth left Cadiz. He was looking for another French fleet that was attacking British trade ships. Duckworth didn't return to Cadiz. Instead, he sailed to the Caribbean and won the Battle of San Domingo in February 1806. While he was away, other British ships took over the blockade at Cadiz.

The French Navy really wanted their ships back from Cadiz. They had lost many ships at Trafalgar. So, they prepared four frigates and a brig for a mission. Captain Louis-Charles-Auguste Delamarre de Lamellerie, who commanded the frigate Hortense, was put in charge.

His orders were to break out of Cadiz. Then, he was to spend six months attacking British merchant ships. This would also distract the British from other French naval actions. After six months, Lamellerie was supposed to return to Rochefort.

How did they escape Cadiz?

The British knew Lamellerie was getting ready to leave. The British commander, Lord Collingwood, planned a trick. He moved most of his big blockade ships away. He left only the 36-gun frigate HMS Hydra and the 18-gun sloop HMS Moselle.

Collingwood hoped this would make it look like the main British force had left. He wanted Lamellerie to attack these two lone ships. Then, the hidden British fleet would surprise and capture the French squadron.

However, on February 23, a strong wind blew from the west. This wind pushed the main British fleet, Hydra, and Moselle too far east. French lookouts on shore saw this. Lamellerie used this chance to leave port on February 26, while the British ships were out of position.

Late on February 26, lookouts on Hydra spotted Lamellerie's ships. Captain George Mundy of Hydra, helped by Captain John Surman Carden on Moselle, sailed alongside the French. They hoped to cut off their escape.

At 11:00 PM, Carden was sent to find Collingwood. He needed to tell Collingwood where the French ships were going. Mundy kept following the French squadron alone. Even though Hydra was by itself and greatly outnumbered, Lamellerie didn't try to attack the British ship.

He didn't even react when the brig Furet fell behind. Furet was slower than the frigates and came within range of Hydra. Mundy opened fire at 4:30 AM. Lieutenant Dumay on Furet knew he was outmatched and had no help. He immediately surrendered.

Collingwood's squadron was nowhere in sight. The French frigates were quickly getting away. So, Mundy stopped the chase. He secured his captured ship and turned back east. The French ships continued into the Atlantic.

It's not clear why Lamellerie ran from a weaker force and let one of his ships be captured. Historians have called his actions "astonishing." Some suggest his orders told him not to fight until his ships were safely away from the coast.

What happened in the Atlantic?

After escaping Cadiz, Lamellerie's four remaining ships sailed south. They reached the French trading post of Senegal in March. Then, they crossed the Atlantic to Cayenne, arriving on March 27.

They took on fresh supplies there. The squadron left Cayenne on April 7. They had some success attacking British merchant ships in the Caribbean Sea. This included 15 days sailing near Barbados.

Lamellerie then went to the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico. He resupplied his ships again for the trip back to France. The frigates sailed on May 18. They left the Caribbean just as a large French fleet arrived.

The capture of Rhin

The journey back to France was mostly quiet. Lamellerie crossed the Atlantic in May, June, and July. He didn't meet any Royal Navy ships.

However, at 6:00 PM on July 27, in the Bay of Biscay, lookouts on the British ship HMS Mars spotted the frigates. Mars was a big, powerful ship. It had fought at Trafalgar and was scouting for a British fleet. This fleet was blocking the French port of Rochefort.

Captain Robert Dudley Oliver immediately chased the French ships. He signaled to the nearest British ship, HMS Africa. He told them where the French ships were going. Africa passed this message on to the main British fleet. Meanwhile, Mars set all its sails to chase Lamellerie.

The four French frigates sailed as fast as they could. But the more powerful Mars slowly started to separate them in the dark. Mars was also alone. Captain Oliver easily outran the rest of his own fleet. But he couldn't catch the leading French ships.

When dawn broke on July 28, it was clear that Hortense and the other lead ships were pulling away from Mars. But the last French ship, the frigate Rhin, was struggling to keep up.

Oliver realized he was gaining on Rhin. He kept pushing his ship forward. Lamellerie saw the danger to his last frigate. He turned his squadron around and sailed towards the lone British ship. Mars was much bigger than any single frigate. But together, the French frigates had more guns and could have fought well.

Oliver was determined to fight the French. He kept sailing towards Lamellerie. At 3:00 PM, the French captain suddenly turned around again. He fled eastward with his three faster ships. He left Rhin for Oliver to capture.

By the time Lamellerie turned away, the chase had covered over 278 kilometers (150 nautical miles). Rhin could no longer escape the British ship. A heavy rainstorm made the frigate roll. Oliver kept chasing. At 6:00 PM, he was close enough to fire a single shot at Rhin. This was a warning that a full broadside (all guns firing at once) would follow.

Captain Michel Chesneau of Rhin knew his ship couldn't survive an attack from Mars. He lowered his flag and surrendered without a fight. The rest of Lamellerie's ships were still in sight. But night was coming, the weather was getting stormy, and there were many prisoners of war to move from the captured ship. So, Oliver decided not to chase any further.

Lamellerie steered his remaining ships along the coast. They split up during the night. The next day, Hortense and Hermione entered Bordeaux. Only Thémis reached its planned destination of Rochefort. Oliver secured his captured ship. He was so far from his station that he didn't rejoin his fleet until July 31.

What happened next?

Rhin and its prisoners were taken to Britain. The frigate was quickly made ready for the Royal Navy. It kept its old name, HMS Rhin. Oliver was praised for his hard work. He and his crew shared in the prize money from the captured frigate.

In France, Lamellerie was not punished for not fighting the Royal Navy. Even though his squadron had more guns than the British ships he faced. In his official report, he wrongly claimed his frigates were too damaged to fight. He later became a nobleman after the French monarchy returned. He stayed in the French Navy for many years.

British historians have strongly criticized his actions. William James accused him of lying in his reports. In 1827, he wrote: "What, then, but a misrepresentation of the facts could have saved this French commodore from being cashiered?" Richard Woodman wrote in 1998 that such "apparent pusillanimity" (cowardice) made the British believe they were always superior. This could lead to dangerous overconfidence.

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