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SAN FIORENZO
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The French LA MINERVE sunk at San Fiorenzo in Corsica by English batteries on 19 February 1794 but later raised and commissioned.
Broken up in 1837. |
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- 1795 Capt. Sir H. Burrard NEALE, 08/1795. Mediterranean.
- 1799 Ditto, Channel - Ireland.
- She arrived off Plymouth on 4 January 1800 with a convoy of 29 sail from Oporto and landed the master of the Plymouth vessel TWO BROTHERS which had been taken by the French privateer MARS (24) while on her way to Newfoundland with a cargo of biscuit, and burnt to the water's edge. He had been put in a neutral vessel for Oporto. SAN FIORENZO continued on to Portsmouth where, on 21 January a court martial on board GLADIATOR in Portsmouth harbour found the carpenter of SAN FIORENZO guilty of drunkenness and neglect of duty. He was dismissed the ship.
- She sailed from on 4 February in company with VENUS, TOPAZE and ENDYMION with troops for Ireland.
- On 27 February SAN FIORENZO sailed from Plymouth on a cruise on a cruise from which she returned to Portsmouth. She sailed from there on 21 March and returned to Plymouth on 1 May after convoying the Lisbon fleet.
- She went into dock at Plymouth on 9 June to have her bottom examined. Capt. PATTERSON was appointed to her and she joined the Channel fleet, arriving in Portsmouth for a refit on 4 July.
- At the end of July she sailed from Portsmouth with CAMBRIAN, SYREN and two cutters to attend on his Majesty at Weymouth. They were employed on this duty all summer and returned to Portsmouth on 9 October.
- She recaptured the HEBE of Weymouth on 13 November. This vessel, bringing oil and fish from Newfoundland had parted from her convoy in a gale on the 9th. and been captured by the French privateer GRAND DECIDE (18). HEBE arrived safely in Plymouth on the 27th.
- SAN FIORENZO and LAPWING sailed from Portsmouth on 16 February 1801 with a convoy for Oporto, Lisbon and the Mediterranean.
- On 29 March 1801, while the SAN FIORENZO was lying in Plymouth Sound, a seaman fell from the main-yard and broke his thigh in such a complex manner that he died of a locked jaw within a few hours of his arrival at the Royal Naval Hospital.
- She sailed two days later in company with SANTA MARGARETTA (36) to convoy the outward bound fleet for Gibraltar and Malta.
- In the summer of 1801 she attended on his Majesty at Weymouth and returned to Portsmouth on 3 September. Four days later she sailed for a cruise of Havre.
- 1802 During February and March she cruised off Weymouth and Portland in search of smugglers and on 2 April she left Portsmouth for Torbay in company with LATONA.
- On 15 October she arrived at Portsmouth from the eastward under the command of Capt. Joseph BINGHAM.
- 1803 East Indies.
- On 14 January 1804 Capt. BINGHAM gave chase to the French chasse-maree PASSE-PARTOUT off Mount Dilly. When the land wind began to fail and he saw that his quarry had got her sweeps out he sent three boats after her. The barge and the cutter with Lieuts. DOYLE and BEACH coming up first laid the enemy on board in the face of heavy fire from two brass 6-pounders, several swivels and musketry and forced surrender in under two minutes. The French lost two men killed with five seriously wounded.
- One of the bargemen was wounded on the back of his hand by a cutlass.
- The French vessel had been fitted out for landing three officers on the Malabar coast to incite the Mahatta chieftains to war and when Capt. BINGHAM discovered this he sent off expresses which resulted in the capture of the three at Poona.
- Capt. BINGHAM removed to SCEPTRE in 1804.
- 1805 Capt. Henry LAMBERT, East Indies.
- On 8 February 1805 Capt. LAMBERT received a letter from the Chief Secretary of the government at Madras reporting a suspicious vessel off Vishakhapatnam. She was believed to be the French frigate PSYCHE which had been threatening trade in the area. At about 6 o'clock on the 13th. three sail, a frigate and two merchant ships, were sighted at anchor inshore and, when they made sail to the southward, Capt. LAMBERT gave chase. He caught up with the sternmost ship during the evening of the following day and found her to be the THETIS prize. She had been abandoned by the French so he put a midshipman in charge and shortly afterwards commenced a close action with the frigate and the EQUIVOQUE privateer which lasted for nearly three hours. SAN FIORENZO hauled off for a short time to repair her damaged rigging but when she bore up to resume the action at midnight the French commander, Capt. Bergeret, struck his colours.
- SAN FIORENZO lost 12 killed:- Mr Christopher LEFROY, midshipman, 8 seamen, 1 drummer and 2 marines, and 36 wounded:- Lieut. William DAWSON (who was dangerously wounded in the breast by a boarding pike), Mr FINDLAYSON, master, Mr MARTINGLE, midshipman, 30 seamen and 2 marines. The French lost 57 killed and 70 wounded. The EQUIVOQUE, which was found to be a prize named PIGEON, escaped in the darkness.
- 1807 Capt. George Nicholas HARDINGE, East Indies. SAN FIORENZO sailed westward into the Gulf of Mannar from Point de Galle in the south of Ceylon during the morning of Friday 4 March 1808. Two days later she passed three Indiamen and shortly afterwards a frigate bearing N. E. She gave chase and made the private signal which was ignored. Just before midnight the other ship opened fire with a broadside and an action continued for 50 minutes before the enemy broke off. The chase continued during darkness and the action was resumed at daylight. As usual the British fired low and the French high so, when the enemy made sail, SAN FIORENZO was unable to follow until she had repaired her damaged rigging. She caught up with the enemy on the morning of the 8th. and the action recommenced as they passed each other on opposite tacks within a quarter cable's length. Capt. HARDINGE was killed by grape shot during the second broadside and Lieut. DAWSON took over command. After an hour and twenty minutes the enemy struck and she proved to be the PIEDMONTAISE, commanded by Capt. Epron, which had sailed from Mauritius on 30 December. She mounted 50 guns, long 18-pounders on the main deck and carronades on the quarter deck and carried a crew of 266 Frenchmen with 200 lascars to work the sails.
- SAN FIORENZO lost seven seamen killed or mortally wounded :- MARTIN, SMALLWOOD, CURRELL, MIDDLETON, MEADE, MEADOWS and BALDWIN on the 7th. and BEER and BURN on the 8th. Five marines, Martin, Luff, Lichfield Pope and Jones also lost their lives. Lieut. Henry George MOYSEY, Thomas GADSBY, carpenter's mate, and Henry THORNE, Boatswain's mate, were among those wounded on the 8th. The total losses were 38 killed and wounded. The French lost 48 killed and 112 wounded.
- On the PIEDMONTAISE they found Mr W. F. Black, assistant surgeon of the 86th. regiment who had been captured on his passage to Madras and the captains and officers of captured country ships. The later, with their lascars erected jury masts and took the prize first into Columbo and then on to Bombay.
- 1811 (armed en flute) Capt. Edmund Sexten Perry KNOX, Lisbon - Portsmouth.
- 1812 under repair at Chatham.
- 181 Out of commission at Woolwich.
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