113:
359:. In the face of overwhelming odds, the French fled and in the evening had successfully outrun their pursuers. The French squadron, free to continue on its mission. reached its patrolling area and started preying on merchant shipping. In the course of four next months, it took 36 prizes (9 British, 3 Portuguese, 1 Spanish, 1 Swedish and 11 American), and made 217 prisoners. The British, however, were now informed of the presence of a French frigate squadron, and warned the blockade of Brest, under Rear-admiral Sir Harry Neale, to watch for its return. Neale sent
145:
134:
98:
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36:
523:
is a testimony of the hopelessness of the attempt to sail a frigate through the pass. Feretier and Morice were court-martialled, as was customary for the loss of a ship. Captain Le
Gouardun blamed them for not having diverted to Brest, Cherbourg or Saint Malo, or even returned to Lorient after a
502:
had cut her topmasts and thrown her artillery overboard in fruitless attempts to refloat, and had been abandoned by her crew because a number of the shots below the waterline made her impossible to sail into combat. However, she had not suffered as much as the frigates, and the next day, a party
470:; with his fire pump shattered, Morice ordered the mast cut down, but all the men assigned to the task were killed or wounded by British shots, and fire soon engulfed the forecastle. With the water intake well above the sea, it was impossible to flood the powder room. Feretier sent an ensign to
306:: small frigate squadrons (usually just a pair of frigates) would attempt to slip through the blockade and roam the seas, patrolling to capture lightly armed merchantmen. On 9 January 1812, a French frigate squadron left Nantes to attack British and American shipping in the Atlantic, off the
558:, were promoted to Commander for their roles in the battle. In 1986, Jean-Claude Abadie discovered the traces of one of the wrecked frigates at the site of Grasu, off Lorient-Ploemeur. The DRASSM (Département des Recherches Archéologiques Subaquatiques et Sous-marines,
540:. Both captains were declared guilty of incompetence, stripped of rank and forbidden from commanding a ship for three years. However, as the Navy suffered from a lack of personnel, they were quickly appointed as first officers on other ships.
562:) confirmed the site. Another wreck was found nearby, although it turned out to be that of a merchantman, of the same era but unrelated to the event. A bronze cannon was found by an amateur diver shortly thereafter. In 1996, an underwater
395:. Feretier decided to sail through by force. However, Morice signaled that one of his crew, Ensign Legrand, was familiar with the area and thought himself capable of leading the frigates through a shallow pass where they could evade
566:
was undertaken to salvage remains of the wreck, with 54 divers searching the area between 1 and 10 metres deep. Another excavation in June 2000 located the second frigate. The fruits of the search were put on display at the
592:
Troude reports that
Feretier's intention was to temporally renounce returning to Lorient and tack to outrun the British ship of the line. The reports of Feretier and Morice state that his intention was to confront
543:
James mentions that a "fine French two-decker, with sails bent and topgallant yards across, in the harbour of
Lorient, lay a mortified spectator of this gallant achievement"; the ship in question was the 80-gun
969:
454:. With the receding tide, the frigates started to list so much that they threw their starboard artillery overboard, emptied their water reserves and removed all unnecessary cargo. Soon afterwards,
515:
The frigates, loaded with the most valuable items captured on their prizes, were particularly low in the water, which contributed to their grounding; moreover, the pass that
Legrand, a native of
379:
to Brest; he thus expected the
British blockading ships to be sailing in pursuit of the French fleet or cruising off Brest, and attempted to seize the opportunity to slip through to Lorient.
419:, supported by coastal defence batteries, responded with her whole broadside. A full artillery exchange broke out, obscuring the view of the ships with smoke and killing Ensign Legrand on
964:
474:, who returned to bring the news that the fire was beyond control; he then ordered the 86 sick and the prisoners taken to the boats that had come from Lorient.
462:, anchored north of the frigates, and started a two-hour bombardment, to which the frigates were unable to respond, save for a handful of carronades on
490:
abandoned; Feretier had her set afire to prevent her capture. By 8:20, the crew had come ashore and the officers embarked on boats for
Lorient;
302:
French harbours, preventing French squadrons from leaving and conducting naval operations of significance. The French Navy was thus forced into
612:
had escaped a
British fleet with a similar tactic, slipping through a narrow passage into Concarneau, deemed too shallow for ships of the line.
524:
feint to lose the
British ship; he furthermore remarked that the frigate squadron could fight the 74-gun only in a melee, and not by forming a
439:
immediately retreated, and took the opportunity to repair the damage caused to her rigging by the cannonade, particularly her fore topmast.
375:. Meanwhile, the French squadron was on its course back to France. Through prisoners and logs of captured ships, Feretier had learned of
103:
486:
was riddled with shot to starboard and filled with water, and that the pilots deemed her impossible to refloat. The préfet then ordered
519:, recalled, could only be used by boats, and would never have accommodated a frigate. James remarks that the grounding of the smaller
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and leaving her to sustain the brunt of the fight, and that this line was also a navigation error, as it sent
550:, that could not intervene due to the unfavourable winds. On the British side, Lieutenant Weeks, captain of
545:
559:
286:
were found guilty of negligence in the loss of their ships, and forbidden from commanding for three years.
219:
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until her rigging caught fire, setting the entire ship ablaze. Unable to refloat herself and trapped by
959:
446:
the only ship able to manoeuver, Feretier ordered the brig to sail to
Lorient and request assistance.
341:
In the early afternoon of 15 January, the French cruise met a
British squadron comprising the 50-gun
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and succeeded in refloating her. She reached Lorient on 24, only survivor of the squadron.
8:
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391:. Around 11:30, a large sail appeared in the north, which was soon recognised to be the
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479:
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After a gunnery exchange that left all ships damaged, the frigates attempted to lose
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478:, upon seeing they had been successful in their aims, departed from the action. The
303:
235:
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27:
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reacted by turning on her right, but soon also ran aground. Sensing the danger,
338:, under Captain Galabert. Feretier was the commanding officer of the squadron.
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528:; he suggested that Feretier could have lacked bravery in following Morice's
35:
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free to manoeuver at will. Around 15:00, the frigates came within range of
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138:
466:. After the first few shots, at 5:55, a fire broke out in the fore top of
41:
Destruction of the French Frigates Arianne & Andromaque 22nd May 1812
888:, "ARIANE & ANDROMAQUE" Frégates françaises de 40 canons,1807 - 1812
387:
In the morning of 22 May, the French squadron arrived off the Roches de
295:
427:
familiar with these waters, took over the pilotage, but around 17:45,
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went to the site of the battle. Feretier reported that the hull of
388:
367:, to attempt to intercept the frigates and bring them into action.
299:
65:
399:. Feretier decided to take his chance with this idea, and ordered
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Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving the United Kingdom
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attempted to execute the order, but also ran aground, close to
307:
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while trying the slip to Lorient through the British blockade.
372:
256:, her repairs completed, returned to the scene and bombarded
215:
218:
when a small French squadron comprising the French frigates
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detached on 19 May and took position off the point of Isle
252:
by sailing through a shallow pass, but they ran aground.
920:
The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1, 1793–1796
431:
ran aground on the northern part of Basse Grasie reef.
965:
Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving France
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enjoyed an absolute supremacy on all seas, and even
881:
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625:, p.51) reports a third explosion after those of
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910:. Vol. 4. Challamel ainé. pp. 160–162.
876:
94:
554:, and Lieutenant John Banks, first officer of
271:s crew scuttled her by fire and evacuated on
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423:. Officer Legros, the only other officer on
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238:campaign in the Atlantic, met the 74-gun
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633:, which he erroneously attributes to
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458:, returned, along with the 12-gun
334:respectively, and the 16-gun brig
14:
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922:. London: Conway Maritime Press.
694:Chantier archéologique sous-marin
314:. The squadron comprised the two
575:Notes, citations, and references
498:exploded in the night, at 2:30.
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363:, under Captain the Honourable
907:Batailles navales de la France
377:Allemand's escape from Lorient
1:
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728:Report of Captain Le Gouardun
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510:
415:fired a few shots, to which
328:Jean-Baptiste-Henri FĂ©retier
280:Jean-Baptiste-Henri FĂ©retier
7:
202:Unknown killed and wounded
10:
991:
872:Report of Captain Galabert
797:Report of Captain Feretier
494:exploded soon afterwards.
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33:
25:
20:
819:Report of Captain Morice
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902:Troude, Onésime-Joachim
536:onto the same rocks as
637:meeting the same fate.
597:and force the passage.
126:Commanders and leaders
212:action of 22 May 1812
199:33 killed and wounded
194:Casualties and losses
21:Action of 22 May 1812
204:2 frigates destroyed
560:Ministry of Culture
182:1 ship of the line
960:Conflicts in 1812
403:to lead, leaving
326:, under Captains
234:returning from a
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886:Epaves du Ponant
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355:, which mounted
318:40-gun frigates
304:commerce raiding
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236:commerce raiding
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43:, Unknown artist
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975:May 1812 events
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480:préfet maritime
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348:and the 40-gun
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28:Napoleonic Wars
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955:1812 in France
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569:Cité de la Mer
556:Northumberland
526:line of battle
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456:Northumberland
437:Northumberland
413:Northumberland
409:Northumberland
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369:Northumberland
361:Northumberland
332:Nicolas Morice
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503:returned to
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365:Henry Hotham
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139:Henry Hotham
89:Belligerents
40:
26:Part of the
15:
357:24-pounders
187:2 frigates
55:22 May 1812
949:Categories
895:References
627:Andromaque
564:excavation
538:Andromaque
530:Andromaque
492:Andromaque
472:Andromaque
468:Andromaque
464:Andromaque
429:Andromaque
425:Andromaque
421:Andromaque
417:Andromaque
401:Andromaque
324:Andromaque
316:18-pounder
296:Royal Navy
290:Background
258:Andromaque
227:Andromaque
149:John Weeks
938:165702223
918:(2002) .
645:Citations
511:Aftermath
350:HMS
343:HMS
300:blockaded
278:Captains
240:HMS
904:(1867).
784:, p. 161
782:op. cit.
780:Troude,
761:op. cit.
745:op. cit.
711:, p. 160
709:op. cit.
707:Troude,
663:op. cit.
635:Mameluck
623:op. cit.
521:Mameluck
517:Ploemeur
505:Mameluck
500:Mameluck
448:Mameluck
444:Mameluck
405:Mameluck
389:Penmarch
352:Endymion
336:Mameluck
273:Mameluck
232:Mameluck
177:Strength
66:Penmarch
60:Location
854:op. cit
852:James,
831:op.cit.
829:James,
759:James,
743:James,
665:, p. 50
661:James,
621:James (
609:Vétéran
552:Growler
547:Diadème
460:Growler
345:Leopard
312:Bermuda
936:
926:
631:Ariane
534:Ariane
496:Ariane
488:Ariane
484:Ariane
452:Ariane
433:Ariane
383:Action
320:Ariane
308:Azores
266:Ariane
221:Ariane
189:1 brig
184:1 brig
119:France
116:
101:
77:Result
858:p. 51
835:p. 49
580:Notes
442:With
373:Groix
269:'
216:Groix
934:OCLC
924:ISBN
765:p.51
749:p.48
629:and
330:and
322:and
310:and
282:and
224:and
210:The
64:Off
52:Date
951::
932:.
878:^
864:^
856:,
841:^
833:,
803:^
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771:^
763:,
747:,
734:^
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652:^
571:.
275:.
264:,
68:,
940:.
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