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POMONE
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The French L'ASTREE taken by Vice Ad. BERTIE's squadron at the capture of Mauritius on 6 December 1810.
Broken up in 1816. |
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- 1812 Capt. Philip CARTARET from NAIAD was appointed to her at the end of the year when she was stationed in the North Sea. She was later employed as a cruiser in the Channel.
- Early on the morning of 21 October 1813 POMMONE, in the Bay of Biscay, was repairing damage following a gale in which she had lost her fore-yard, when she fell in with a ship under jury masts which proved to be a French frigate.
Capt. CARTERET was about to attack when another vessel, believed to be frigate, and a brig flying French colours, appeared out of the haze followed by three more indistinct vessels.
So as not to hazard his ship he got well to windward of them but when the wind cleared in the afternoon it was discovered that they were all merchantmen except for the disabled frigate and the second ship.
POMONE bore up to attack the second frigate but she turned out to be a large Portuguese East Indiaman, taken by the French and retaken by British cruisers.
Capt. CARTERET went off in a vain four day search for the crippled frigate before learning that she had been taken on the 23rd. by ANDROMACHE.
(She was the 46-gun TRAVE)
- An anonymous letter from "The Pomone's Ship's Company" was passed to the Admiral at Lisbon asserting that "he had run from a French frigate" so Capt. CARTERET asked for a court martial to clear his name.
This was held at Plymouth on 31 December and, since no one could be found to offer testimony against him, he summoned those he suspected plus one quarter of the ship's company who were chosen by lot.
After the witnesses were examined Capt. CARTERET was fully acquitted of all blame in not bringing the enemy to action. - On 4 March 1814 POMONE and CYDNUS captured the American privateer BUNKER'S HILL, of 14 guns and 86 men.
Previously very successful, she had been cruising for eight days out of Morlaix without making a single capture. She was previously HM
brig LINNET which had been captured by the LOIRE near Madeira on 11 September 1813.
In the summer of 1815 POMONE was paid off at Chatham and Capt. CARTERET removed to DESIREE.
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