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SURVEILLANTE
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Taken by a squadron under Com. John LORING at Cape Francois in the West Indies on 30 November 1803.
Broken up in 1814. |
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- 1805 Capt. John BLIGH, 07/1804, Jamaica.
A Spanish corvette of 12 guns from Old Spain, bound to the Havana with naval stores, was detained by SURVEILLANTE and arrived at Port Royal on 12 February.
On 3 May Capt. BLIGH captured and destroyed the Spanish privateer schooner REFUSGO (3), off Havana.
With a crew of 53 men she had been out for 15 days without making any captures. - In March 1806 Lieut. Eaton Stannard TRAVERS, with a single boat's crew from SURVEILLANTE, boarded and carried in broad daylight the large Spanish schooner SERPANTON, of 6 guns and 35 men, lying with springs on her cables at the mouth of the San Juan River.
Lieut. TRAVERS was placed in command of the prize and when Capt. BLIGH and the greater part of SURVEILLANTE's crew captured the island of San Andreas, he was left as governor of the island with a party of marines, the enemy garrison having been taken to Jamaica.
A number of Spanish vessels were taken and their crews confined on board SERPANTON where they prevailed on four or five of the prize crew to assist them in escaping with the vessel.
A loyal sailor swam ashore to warn the lieutenant who.
with Mr DUNN, master's mate, and a few blacks collected on his way to the beach, managed to get alongside without being discovered.
A musket was snapped at his breast as he gained the deck but the man was immediately cut down.
One or two others shared his fate, and when Lieut. TRAVERS was able to release the loyal men who had been confined below, he was able to regain control of the vessel.
Two of the mutineers were tried by court martial at Jamaica and executed there.
The man who had tried to shoot Lieut. TRAVERS had previously deserted from a wooding party but had been recaptured when he and another boarded a schooner they assumed was Spanish but was actually a prize flying Spanish colours to deceive them. - In the summer of 1806 SURVEILLANTE returned to England in company with FORTUNEE, HERCULE, an armed schooner and a large fleet of merchantmen.
Off the Havana a number of Spanish vessels were discovered under the escort of a 74-gun ship and two gunboats.
Capt. BLIGH dispatched FORTUNEE and, assisted by the schooner and a boat commanded by Lieut. TRAVERS, and they captured the gunboats and more than 40 sail laden with sugar.
In order not to delay the convoy Capt. BLIGH ordered them to be destroyed although the Spaniards offered to bring out a sum sufficient to ransom them within 12 hours.
A few days later Capt. BLIGH learned that six French ships of the line were cruising to intercept the homeward bound trade.
They were sighted but, by good management he managed to avoid them.
SURVEILLANTE paid off at Deptford on 30 September 1806 - 1807 under repair at Deptford.
Capt. George Ralph COLLIER, Portsmouth.
Took part in the expedition to Copenhagen and returned to England with Lord GAMBIER's despatches.
He was knighted on his arrival with the good news.
From this time she was stationed off Rochefort where he captured the national corvette MILAN of 18 guns and 115 men. - While returning to her station on the French Biscay coast after being driven offshore by a gale, SURVEILLANTE captured a French privateer cutter COMTESSE LAURE on 3 December 1809. She had fourteen 12 and 8 pounder guns mounted.
Under the command of Jean Jaques Beltiers she was five days out of La Rochelle without making any captures. - When SURVEILLANTE stood out from Quiberon Bay to reconnoitre the Loire on the morning of 5 September 1810, Capt. COLLIER saw part of an enemy convoy take advantage and run from the Morbillan to the southward.
He immediately gave chase and some of them were driven back, one brig seeking protection under the rocks between the batteries of St. Guildas and St. Jaques.
French soldiers in caves on the cliffs supported by field pieces gave extra protection. - Despite this, Lieut. James ARBUTHNOT and Mr John ILLINGWORTH, master's mate, in the gig, supported by Mr S. BELL, master's mate, and Messrs MARSH, STANHOPE, CROWDER, WATT and ASHLOW, midshipmen, succeeded in carrying her.
The crew of the gig cut her cables and hawsers and brought her out without loss.
Lieut. STOKES in the CONSTANT brig pushed in between the rocks to keep the enemy occupied. - Two days later two of SURVEILLANT's boats under Mr John ILLINGWORTH destroyed a new battery and guard-house protecting the entrance to the Crach River.
He was assisted by Messrs John KINGDOM and Hector ROSE, midshipmen, Corporal JOHNSON RM
and Peter WAR, gunner's mate. - The guard were first decoyed from their battery and then driven from the beach.
The battery was occupied and the single 24-pounder gun spiked before a quantity of gunpowder, taken for the purpose, completely destroyed the works which had taken some months to build. - On 1 May 1811 SURVEILLANTE captured the French privateer CREOLE of 14 guns and 115 men on her first cruise from Bordeaux.
- Two hundred Spanish guerillas were embarked off Anchove on 18 October and their chief, Pastor, impressed a number of fishing boats to take the same number of guerillas the frigate already had on board.
IRIS joined to leeward and the whole party, accompanied by the marines of the two ships under Lieut. Cupples, pushed off for the River Mundaca and landed about 2 miles from Bermeo.
the French guard in the town of Mundaca evacuated it immediately. - The frigates closed on Bermeo while the landing party advanced to turn the enemy's right leaving the French commander, Dedier, no option but to take the rugged road over the mountains to Bilboa.
- The next day Mr KINGDOM, master's mate, destroyed the guard-house and signal station on the heights of Machichaco.
Everything in and around the town which could be ascertained to be public property belonging to the French was either brought off or destroyed.
This included a battery of four 18-pounders in which the guns were broken, the powder given to Pastor and the shot thrown into the sea.
Two other small batteries, covering the high road and the mole-head were similarly destroyed. - When the party had been re-embarked without loss the Spaniards were landed under the protection of the IRIS to cover the road from Bilboa and on the 20th. they had the satisfaction of putting to flight a French division of 50 men sent to succour the garrison.
A few of the enemy were killed and one taken prisoner.
IRIS continued to assist the guerillas in the province of Biscay and Guipuscoa.
(see IRIS) - In June 1812 SURVEILLANTE formed part of Sir Home POPHAM's squadron for the reduction of Lequito.
On the 20th. VENERABLE landed a gun which was dragged to the summit of a hill where it could fire on a hill fort occupied by the French.
Sir George COLLIER took command of the battery.
In the evening Lieut. O'REILLY, 1st. of SURVEILLANTE, made a landing with seamen and marines on the Island of St. Nicholas.
Three carronades from the frigate, MEDUSA and RHIN were also landed.
(Lieut. Dowell O'REILLY was promoted to Commander on 23 Sept. - 1813 and as captain of the LYRA brig was in charge of the vessels trying to enter the Adour in February 1814.
He made post in August 1815 and died on 22 May 1816, aged only 29 years.)
On the 21st. a 24-pounder was brought ashore and the French commander offered to surrender his 290 men of the 119th. regiment. - The squadron, in co-operation with the guerillas, continued to attack French strong points along the coast.
On the 23rd. provisions left by the enemy in a fortified convent at Bermeo were seized and distributed to the poor and a battery of five 18-pounders was blown up.
On the 24th. the castle at Galea and batteries at Algorta, Belgona, Campillo las Quersas and Xebiles were destroyed. - On 6 July Sir Home POPHAM arrived off Castro where a 24-pounder and a company of marines had been landed by Sir George COLLIER to assist Col. Longa in an attack on the place.
When 2,500 French troops arrived Longa retired and the marines were re-embarked but the following day the enemy were driven from the town by the fire of the squadron and took position in the hills.
On the 8th. the marines re-landed and the castle was attacked.
The French commander surrendered with 150 men and the remainder of the enemy force marched off towards Larido.
The castle was then garrisoned by marines and Spanish artillery men from IRIS. - On the 10th. the squadron proceeded to Puerta Galetta to assist Longa in an attack which was abandoned when the French proved to be too strong.
- Later Sir George served on shore with a detachment of seamen and marines landed to co-operate with the guerillas in an attack on the castle of St. Ano and received a wound while pursuing the French garrison from there towards Santander about 2 miles distant.
- On 27 April 1813 SURVEILLANTE and LYRA captured the American letter of marque schooner TOM of 6 guns and 36 men. She was from Charlestown bound for Nantes and, from her superior sailing, had already escaped from 18 British cruisers.
Another American schooner ORDERS IN COUNCIL carrying two 18 and four 9-pounders was taken on 1 June. - Sir George was appointed Commodore of the squadron on the north-east coast of Spain and, on 25 June 1813, he was able to report the the French had evacuated the whole coast between Guetaria to Santona.
The blockading cruisers had cut off supplies to the French garrison in Castro and the commandant was obliged to retire to Santona.
SPARROW heaving into sight prevented him destroying his guns but the town was left in ruins with only a few old women alive to tell of the barbarities committed by the franco-Italian troops.
Fourteen of those responsible were taken in Bilboa and put to death. - On 30 June Spanish brigade under Longa took the port of Passages and on 1 July the French evacuated Guetaria after leaving a booby trap designed to kill all the inhabitants at a blow.
Two hundred barrels of gunpowder and a lighted match had been left in the magazine dug in the rock connecting with the mole and two casks of wine placed outside.
The Spanish commandant had fortunately ordered the inhabitants from the mole into the town and only 20 were killed when the explosion took place. - Breaching batteries were opened against the walls of San Sebastian on 20 July.
SURVEILLANTE lost two seaman killed up to the evening of 21st. and Lieut. R. G. DUNLOP and five seamen were wounded. - At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 27th. the boats of the squadron under Lieut. James ARBUTHNOT of SURVEILLANTE made a successful attack on the island of Santa Clara at the mouth of the harbour of San Sebastian.
The seamen, marines and a party of soldiers under Capt. Cameron of the 9th. regiment had to land under a flight of steps commanded by a small entrenchment and exposed to grape fire from the west walls of San Sebastian.
They lost two killed (from the ISABELLA, transport) and 17 wounded as they fought their way up against the small garrison of an officer and 24 men.
SURVEILLANTE's casualties were six seamen and three marines wounded, one of the marines later died of his wounds. - The town of San Sebastian fell on 31 August but the fort still held out.
On 1 September two divisions of ship's boats from SURVEILLANTE, REVOLUTIONAIRE, PRESIDENT, SPARROW, LYRA, DISPATCH, CHALLENGER, HOLLY, JUNIPER and Gunboats No.14 & 16 carried out a demonstration at the back of the rock and they succeeded in diverting a large proportion of the garrison from the breach which was attacked by the army during the morning.
In the evening the rock still held out but fell a few days later. - 1814 Capt Robert ELLIOT, 11/1813, Coast of Spain.
SURVE
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