HMS Fulminante (1798)

HMS Fulminante was a cutter belonging to the French Navy that the British captured in 1798, the French recaptured in 1800, and the British re-recaptured three months later. She was wrecked early in 1801.

History
France
Name: Fulminante
Acquired: In service 1798
Captured: 29 October 1798
Great Britain
Name: HMS Fulminante
Acquired: 29 October 1798 (by capture)
Captured: 2 June 1800
France
Name: Fulminante
Acquired: 2 June 1800 (by capture)
Captured: September 1800
Great Britain
Name: HMS Fulminante
Acquired: September 1800 (by capture)
Honours and
awards:		 Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt"[1]
Captured: Wrecked 24 March 1801
General characteristics [2][3]
Type: cutter
Tonnage: 40 ​40⁄94 (bm)
Length:
  • 44 ft 0 in (13.4 m) (overall)
  • 33 ft 01⁄2 in (10.1 m) (keel)
Beam: 29 ft 6 1⁄1 in (9.0 m)
Propulsion: Sails
Sail plan: Cutter
Armament:
  • French service: 8 x 4-pounder guns
  • British service: carronades

Capture

On 13 September 1798, Fulminante, under the command of Captain Monier captured the American brig Fame and brought her into Algeciras.[4]

On 29 October 1798, between Tarifa and Tangiers, Espoir, under the command of Captain Loftus Otway Bland, captured Fulminante,[3] which had had the "impudence" (in Bland's words) to attack Espoir.[5] Admiral Jervis, Earl of St Vincent, needing an advice boat, took her into service the next day as HMS Fulminante.

On 7 November Fulminante was with Commodore John Thomas Duckworth at the capture of the island of Minorca. As a result, she shared in the prize money for the capture.[6] Lieutenant William Robinson commanded her in January 1800, and perhaps earlier. Later that year Lieutenant Edward Morris replaced Robinson.[3]

Recapture and re-recapture

The French privateer Deux Frères captured Fulminante on 2 June 1800. She had been sailing off Cadiz when she encountered the French privateer. After a 40-minute fight the French were able to board Fulminante, forcing her to strike.[7]

In September the British recaptured Fulminante.[7] By January 1801 she was under the command of Lieutenant Robert Corbet.

Loss

Fulminante accompanied Lord Keith’s invasion of Egypt. Here she supported General Sir Ralph Abercromby as he moved his troops from Abukir to Alexandria. She was stationed close to the shore to fire on French shore positions but her carronades did not have the range and so her shots fell short. On 23 March Corbet therefore brought her to within a cable’s length — 240 yards (219 m) — of the shore and anchored her there. During the night the wind rose, causing one of her cables to rub against the rocks, parting it. The second cable did not hold and within minutes Fulmiante had drifted on shore and was wrecked.[8] There was no loss of life. The location of the wreck was reportedly "La Cruelle", near Damietta,[9] which is to the east of Abu Qir. The court martial for the loss occurred on 1 April and apparently absolved Corbet. On 15 May Corbet delivered dispatches from Keith to the Admiralty.[10]

Although Fulminante was present for less than a month during the campaign, when the Admiralty in 1847 authorized the awarding of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt" to all surviving claimants from the crews of all vessels present between 8 March and 2 September, Fulminante was among the vessels listed as qualifying.

See also

Citations and references

Citations

  1. "No. 21077". The London Gazette. 15 March 1850. pp. 791–792.
  2. Winfield & Roberts (2015), p. 249.
  3. Winfield (2008), p. 356.
  4. Williams (2009), p. 141.
  5. "No. 15086". The London Gazette. 4 December 1798. p. 1166.
  6. "No. 15627". The London Gazette. 6 October 1803. p. 1367.
  7. Hepper (1994), p. 95.
  8. Hepper (1994), p. 98.
  9. Gosset (1986), p. 32.
  10. "No. 15364". The London Gazette. 15 May 1801. p. 532.

References

  • Gosset, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.
  • Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
  • Williams, Greg H. (2009). The French assault on American shipping, 1793-1813: a history and comprehensive record of merchant marine losses. McFarland. ISBN 9780786438372.
  • Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.
  • Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen S. (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.
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