| Naval History of Great Britain - Vol III |
| 1800 |
Light Squadrons and Single Ships |
48 |
mentioned in French pounds," he has given the French a caliber they never possessed. With respect to "shifting guns on the main and quarter decks," it appears, that the Vengeance had every broadside port already filled. But even admitting that the Vengeance fought a gun on one broadside which she transported from the other, the Seine did the same; as appears from the following extract of a letter from Sir David Milne to Sir Robert Seppings, one of the surveyors of the navy. "In La S---e I had the quarter-galleries formed into ports, and in action that ship fought a gun there, by transporting it on (from) the other side.,"* Having, as we hope, cleared up these points, we can, with more confidence, present the following as the
|
COMPARATIVE FORCE OF THE COMBATANTS |
| |
SEINE |
VENGEANCE |
| Broadside-guns |
No. |
24 |
26 |
| lbs. |
434 |
498 |
| Crew |
No. |
281 |
326 |
| Size |
tons |
1146 |
1180 |
Considering the inferiority in effectiveness between the French and the English ship's eight carronades to have been compensated by the former's tier of swivels along the gangway, we may pronounce this to have been as pretty a frigate-match as any fought during the war. There is on the face of the statement, undoubtedly, a numerical superiority in favour of the French ship, but far too slight for a British ship to notice ; above all, not such as to justify the captor in saying, " Your lordship will perceive the Vengeance is superior in size, guns, and number of men to his majesty's ship I have the honour to command." It is sufficient to say, that this was an action which, both in the conduct and the result, did great credit to Captain Milne, his officers, and ship's company; and, let us be just in adding, it was one, also, in which M. Pichot, on finding that to run would not avail him, made a manful resistance, surrendering only when his ship was reduced to an unmanageable hulk.
As soon as the prisoners were removed and the wreck of the masts cleared, the Seine, taking her prize in tow, proceeded with her to Jamaica. On the 25th, in the morning, the mainmast of the Vengeance, having been badly wounded, fell over the side. On the 27th in the evening, the two ships, the prize with nine feet water in the hold, anchored in the harbour of Port-Royal. Shortly afterwards, as was fully his due, Lieutenant Edward Chetham, first of the Seine, was promoted to the rank of commander.
The Vengeance was purchased for the use of the British navy, and became classed with the frigate that had captured her ; but, owing to her damaged state and the heavy cost of repairs at Jamaica, the ship never again quitted port. As the exaggerated
* Sir Robert Seppings's Letter to Lord Melville upon Circular Sterns, p. 13.
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