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SUFFISANTE
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Taken from the French by Ad. DUNCAN off the Texel on 31 August 1795.
Wrecked in 1803. |
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- A Dunkirk privateer, she was immediately taken into the Royal Navy under the command of Cdr. Nicholas TOMLINSON who recaptured five Oporto ships laden with wine near the Ile de Bas, the prizes of a French privateer, and took them into Plymouth.
He also took eight French merchantmen protected by a 16 gun corvette and two 14 gun cutters, captured the REVANCHE (12) brig, and the MORGAN (12) a privateer.
For these captures he was presented with a piece of silver plate by the Royal Exchange Assurance Co.
and another from the Merchants of the City of London.
He was promoted to post captain December 1796.
(See LORD HAWK.) - 1799 J. WITTMAN, 01/1797, cruising in Channel.
He sailed from Plymouth on 9 January 1800 and on the morning of the 29th. he sighted a ship, a lugger and a cutter to the northward and made a signal to HAVICK to join him in the chase.
At two o'clock HAVICK came up with the ship and found that she was the American STRAFFORD bound for London from Baltimore with a cargo of tobacco worth more than 30,000. She had been taken as a prize by the other two vessels which soon struck to SUFFISANTE.
They were the French privateer lugger COURAGEUX of four 4-pounder guns and an 18 pounder carronade with a crew of 42 men, and a cutter, the GRAND QUINOLA. She was armed with brass carronades, four 2-pound brass guns and two 2-pound iron guns and carried 40 men.
SUFFISANTE returned to Plymouth on 6 February. - On 28 February she sailed on a seven week cruise off the Isle of Bas during which she captured a French privateer cutter JOSEPHINE, John Francis Froment, of 4 guns and 20 men and sent her into Plymouth on the 16th.
During another cruise between 7 June and 8 August she captured the HARRIET, Capt. Atkins, from Boston with a valuable cargo for Rotterdam and sent her into Plymouth on 23 July. - SUFFISANTE and HAVICK fell in with a French convoy of 14 sail on 30 August.
Under escort of a frigate armed en flute with 18 guns, a corvette and a gun-brig they were taking provisions and stores to the fleet at Brest.
The two English vessels brought them to action and drove them under the batteries at Morlaix. - Capt. WITTMAN brought a Danish galliot into Plymouth on the 12 September. She had been taking a cargo of wine and brandy from Bordeaux to Emden.
- On the 17 January 1801 SUFFISANTE recaptured, just as she was about to enter Brest, the Dartmouth ship DUKE of KENT which had been taken by a French privateer when she was returning from Newfoundland with a cargo of fish and cod oil.
The MONT BLANC prize was sent in on 4 February. - At the beginning of April Capt. WITTMAN retook another French prize near the Ile Bas, the SWAN brig which had been captured on the 1st. by a French privateer.
Ill health prevented him continuing in command and he was succeeded by Capt. NESHAM who continued cruising off the French coast.
SDUFFISANTE returned to Plymouth on 1 July and on the 8th. she went into harbour to refit. She sailed again on the 19th. with live stock and vegetables for the squadron off Le Havre. - On the 17 September she sent into Plymouth a Dane detained while sailing from Stralsund and on the 21st. the GUSTAVUS VASA of Stockholm, both bound for Bordeaux.
- During the gales in the Channel in the last week of January 1802 SUFFISANTE shipped several heavy seas and was nearly swamped.
One seaman was washed overboard and Capt. NESHAM was knocked down but was unhurt.
Because the hatches had to be battened down the officers and crew were obliged to remain on the quarter and main decks for 48 hours. She returned to Plymouth from off the coast of France on the 14 February then sailed for another cruise which lasted until 6 March. - On 14 April 1802 she sailed from Plymouth to Cork with discharged Irish seamen, landed them, and returned in 3 days 14 hours. She then sailed again with more seamen for Dublin.
On the 16 May the OLD CHATHAM, which for many years had been the receiving and convalescent ship at Falmouth, arrived in Plymouth and went up the Hamoaze to be broken up. She was in such a bad state that SUFFISANTE had had to shepherd her over. - On the 3 July 1802 she was paid off in the Hamoaze and was laid up in ordinary for the duration of the Peace of Amiens. She was re-fitted in the summer of 1803 and went out into the Sound on 11 September to await for orders.
- 1803 Gilbert HEATHCOTE, Plymouth.
SUFFISANTE arrived at Portsmouth on 19 September. She brought into Plymouth on 17 November the NAVIGATION, a Dutch East Indiaman from Batavia to Amsterdam, which was worth 16,000 and was said to be the richest ship yet captured from that settlement. - SUFFISANTE was wrecked off Spike Island in Cork Harbour by
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