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ARMIDE
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(38) |
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Taken by Com. Sam. HOOD's squadron, CENTAUR, MONARCH, MARS and REVENGE, off Rochefort on 25 September 1806.
Broken up in 1815. |
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- In 1807-1808 she was in ordinary at Plymouth.
- 1809 Capt. Lucius HARDYMAN.
In January 1810 ARMIDE and CHRISTIAN VII were stationed off the Basque Roads and on the morning of the 10th. they sighted a small convoy on passage from Ile d'Aix to Rochelle. The boats of the two ships, under the command of Lieut. GUION of CHRISTIAN VII, within grape and musket range of a shore battery, captured a chasse-maree of about 30 tons and burnt, since the ebbing tide made it impossible to bring them off, a brig, a schooner and a chasse-maree which were fully laden with wine, brandy, soap, rein, pitch, candles, etc.
On the evening of the 20th. a convoy of about 30 vessels was seen coming from the Maumusson Pass, between the Ile d'Oleron and the mainland, and making a run for La Rochelle. The boats again gave chase and attacked the convoy. Five chasse-maree ran aground close under the batteries and, under a heavy fire of grape and musketry, one was taken and four burnt. They carried similar cargo to the previous convoy. One of ARMIDE's seamen was wounded and two of the enemy were killed. - Another convoy of ten vessels sailed from the Charante in thick weather on the night of 12 February and three chasse-maree went aground on the reef off the Point de Chatelaillon between La Rochelle and Ile d'Aix. Three boats each from ARMIDE and CHRISTIAN VII and two from SEINE put off to destroy them. The stranded vessels were protected by nine French gunboats each carrying a 12-pounder carronade and six swivels and rowing between twenty and thirty oars. Lieut. GUION of CHRISTIAN VII, who was in charge, pretended to retreat to lure the enemy out of range of his shore defences. They obliged but fled when the British boats turned on them. Lieut. ROBERTS of ARMIDE pursued two of the gunboats on to the beach and kept up a steady fire on them within pistol shot. Another gunboat was taken by Lieut. GUION. The three chasse-maree were burnt.
- The boats of ARMIDE, assisted by those of CADMUS, MONKEY and DARING, under the direction of Lieut. Samuel ROBERTS, first of ARMIDE, carried out an attack on a French convoy off the Ile de Ré on 4 May 1810. Under heavy fire from the shore and the armed escorts seventeen of the enemy were taken, of which thirteen were burnt, the others were lost on shore. Unfortunately the wind veered until it was blowing onshore; this, combined with the flood tide made it impossible to bring any of the prizes out. Lieut. P. S. TOWNLEY was killed on board one of the armed vessels which he had taken while repelling an attack by two enemy pinnaces. Two seamen, John TRUEMEN and John DEMPSTER, were also killed and three others severely wounded.
- In September 1810 the boats of CALEDONIA, VALIANT and ARMIDE successfully blocked the the coasting trade between La Rochelle and the Ile d'Aix.
On the 27th. they captured two and burnt the third of three laden brigs under a battery on the Point du Che. One detachment of seamen was commanded by Lieut. Arthur HAMILTON of ARMIDE. The battery was taken and destroyed by marines who landed on the beach under the Point. (see CALEDONIA) - 1811 Capt. Richard Dalling DUNN, Biscay.
- 1812 Capt. TEMPLE.
On the evening of 16 January 1813 ARMIDE went on shore near two heavy batteries on Point St. Jaques, Quiberon Bay. When they were hailed by the French the pilot answered that she was the PRESIDENT frigate from America and that they required no assistance. ARMIDE was much distressed when the falling tide left her high and dry but they managed to re-float her as the tide rose and the French discovered the ruse de guerre too late.
Capt. TEMPLE, Mr NICHOLAS, master and Andre BERNIER, pilot, were tried by court martial. Capt. TEMPLE was reprimanded, the master disrated from his ship and the pilot mulcted of his pay and sentenced to two months in the Marshalsea prison. - 1813 Capt. Edward Thomas TROUBRIDGE, 02/1813, North America.
In August 1814 she captured the American privateer HERALD of 17 guns and 100 men and the French letter of marque INVINCIBLE of 16 guns and 60 men. - To prepare for the attack on New Orleans Vice Ad. Sir Alexander COCHRANE hoisted his flag in ARMIDE and sent her with SEAHORSE and SOPHIE from off Pensacola to an anchorage within the Isle of Vaisseau at the beginning of December 1814. On her way down ARMIDE was fired on by two enemy gun vessels, large sloops with very light draught, from within the chain of small islands that run parallel to the coast from Mobile towards Lac Borgne. They then joined three others cruising in the lake.
This enemy flotilla was captured by 45 boats from the squadron containing about 980 men led by Capt. LOCKYER of SOPHIE which left the frigate on the 12 December. After a tedious row of 36 hours they found five large gun-vessels anchored in line abreast near St. Joseph's Is. on the morning of the 14th.
After breakfast the boats pulled towards the enemy against a strong current and exposed to a heavy fire of round and grape. The American flotilla was quickly captured but the losses were high, 17 killed and 77 wounded. One seaman from ARMIDE was killed.
The removal of the gunvessels made it possible for troops to be transported 60 miles to the Bayon Catalan (or des Pecheurs) at the head of Lac Borgne. The assault boats containing 1,600 men followed by the main force of 2400 set off on the 22nd and, after frequent grounding, effected a landing at daybreak the following day and took up a position across the main road to New Orleans.
Capt. TROUBRIDGE was senior officer of the naval brigade ashore while ARMIDE remained at anchor off the Ile au Chat. - The great loss suffered by the army in the principal attack on the American lines induced Major Gen. Lambert to withdraw the army and Vice Ad. COCKRANE left headquarters on the 14 January 1815 and returned to ARMIDE on the 16th.
- In February she was at Bermuda ready for passage home, where she was broken up in November.
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