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French frigate Chiffone (1800)
Encyclopedia
The Chiffonne was a 38-gun Heureuse class frigate of the French Navy
. She was built at Nantes and launched in 1799. The British Royal Navy
captured her in 1801. In 1809 she participated in a campaign against pirates in the Persian Gulf. She was sold for breaking up in 1814.
from the port of St Nazaire with 33 deportees under sentence of exile from France. The exiles had been involved in the Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise
against Napoleon.
On 15 May, off Brazil, she captured a Portuguese schooner. Three days later she captured Brazilian frigate named the Hirondelle, armed en flute
. Hirondelle (or possibly Andorhina) was armed with twenty-four 24-pounder carronades and put up a short fight. Guiyesse had her guns thrown overboard, took her stores (cables, spare rigging and sails), and then released her officers and crew under parole.
On 16 June, Chiffone captured the East Indiaman Bellona on her way from Bengal to London. In taking Bellone, Chiffone had her mizzen mast crippled. A prize crew took Bellona to Mauritius where she arrived a month later.
On 19 August the HMS Sibylle
, Captain Charles Adam, chased her off Mahé, Seychelles
. At the time of the British attack she was at anchor and aided her defense by constructing a battery using some of her forecastle guns and heating the shot. Guieyesse attempted to avoid capture by beaching Chiffonne, but the British captured her the next day. She had lost 23 men killed and 30 wounded; Sybille lost two men killed and one wounded. She was brought into British service as HMS Chiffonne.
On 5 August 1803 Chiffone, and captured Flore. The next day Chiffonne and Ethalion captured the John, of Workington. Then on 20 June Chiffonne captured the Zeeluft.
On 10 June 1804, Chiffone and consorts engaged French gunboats. Then on 20 June Chiffonne captured another Zeeluft, or at least a vessel by that name and with a different master than that of the previous year. Chiffonne was in company with , , , and the hired armed
cutter Frances.
She sailed for the East Indies in May 1808. In November 1809, under Captain John Wainwright, she and , together with a number of East Indiamen, participated in the campaign
to eradicate piracy in the Persian Gulf
, centered on Ras al-Khaimah
. In an attack the British began with a cannonade of the town and followed with a ground attack. The destroyed about some vessels, 30 of them very large dhow
s, together with much in the way of naval stores. Chiffonnes casualties amounted to two men wounded.
In November she and Caroline destroyed the Persian towns of Linga
and Laft
on Qeshm
Island. She also destroyed 20 vessels, nine of them large dhows at Linga and eleven, nine of them large dhows, at Laft. This time the resistance on shore was more intense and Chiffone lost one man killed and 17 wounded out of total British casualties (including men from the East India Company's vessels), of two killed and 27 wounded.
In January 1810 Chiffonne and Caroline carried Shenaz
, which had rebelled against Sultan Sa'id of Oman
and which they restored to him. Syyed Sa'id presented Wainwright with a scimitar
in recognition of his exertions against the pirates.
In November 1810, Chiffonne rescued the crew of , which had wrecked on Red Island, near Singapore.
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
. She was built at Nantes and launched in 1799. The British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
captured her in 1801. In 1809 she participated in a campaign against pirates in the Persian Gulf. She was sold for breaking up in 1814.
French service
On 11 July 1801, Chiffone, under the command of Captain Pierre Guiyesse arrived at Mahé, SeychellesMahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
from the port of St Nazaire with 33 deportees under sentence of exile from France. The exiles had been involved in the Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise
Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise
The plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise, also known as the Machine infernale plot, was an assassination attempt on the life of the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, in Paris on 24 December 1800...
against Napoleon.
On 15 May, off Brazil, she captured a Portuguese schooner. Three days later she captured Brazilian frigate named the Hirondelle, armed en flute
En flûte
Arming a ship en flûte means removing some or all of the artillery. Since ships have a limited amount of cargo space, they may be armed en flûte to make room for other cargo, such as troops and ammunition...
. Hirondelle (or possibly Andorhina) was armed with twenty-four 24-pounder carronades and put up a short fight. Guiyesse had her guns thrown overboard, took her stores (cables, spare rigging and sails), and then released her officers and crew under parole.
On 16 June, Chiffone captured the East Indiaman Bellona on her way from Bengal to London. In taking Bellone, Chiffone had her mizzen mast crippled. A prize crew took Bellona to Mauritius where she arrived a month later.
On 19 August the HMS Sibylle
French frigate Sibylle (1792)
The Sibylle was an 38-gun Hébé class frigate of the French Navy. She was launched in 1791 at the dockyards in Toulon and placed in service in 1792...
, Captain Charles Adam, chased her off Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
. At the time of the British attack she was at anchor and aided her defense by constructing a battery using some of her forecastle guns and heating the shot. Guieyesse attempted to avoid capture by beaching Chiffonne, but the British captured her the next day. She had lost 23 men killed and 30 wounded; Sybille lost two men killed and one wounded. She was brought into British service as HMS Chiffonne.
British service
The British commissioned her in 1802 in the East Indies under Captain Henry Stuart. In July 1802 she carried despatches to Calcutta with the reports of the murder of the Persian ambassador Haji Khalil Khan in Bombay. She was fitted at Woolwich in 1803 and recommissioned for service in the North Sea and the coast of Spain, where she served from 1803 to 1807.On 5 August 1803 Chiffone, and captured Flore. The next day Chiffonne and Ethalion captured the John, of Workington. Then on 20 June Chiffonne captured the Zeeluft.
On 10 June 1804, Chiffone and consorts engaged French gunboats. Then on 20 June Chiffonne captured another Zeeluft, or at least a vessel by that name and with a different master than that of the previous year. Chiffonne was in company with , , , and the hired armed
Hired armed vessels
right|thumb|250px|Armed cutter, etching in the [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels...
cutter Frances.
She sailed for the East Indies in May 1808. In November 1809, under Captain John Wainwright, she and , together with a number of East Indiamen, participated in the campaign
Persian Gulf campaign of 1809
The Persian Gulf Campaign, in 1809, was an operation by a British Royal Navy to force Arab pirates to cease their raids on British ships in the Persian Gulf, particularly on the Persian and Arabian coasts of the Straits of Hormuz...
to eradicate piracy in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, centered on Ras al-Khaimah
Ras al-Khaimah
Ras al-Khaimah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates , in the east of the Persian Gulf. It is in the northern part of the UAE bordering Oman's exclave. The capital city and home of most residents is also called Ras al-Khaimah. The city has a population of 263,217 as of 2008. The city...
. In an attack the British began with a cannonade of the town and followed with a ground attack. The destroyed about some vessels, 30 of them very large dhow
Dhow
Dhow is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Some historians believe the dhow was invented by Arabs but this is disputed by some others. Dhows typically weigh 300 to 500 tons, and have a...
s, together with much in the way of naval stores. Chiffonnes casualties amounted to two men wounded.
In November she and Caroline destroyed the Persian towns of Linga
Bandar Lengeh
Bandar Lengeh is a harbor city in, and capital of Bandar-Lengeh County, in Hormozgan province of Iran on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The harbor is 280 km from Lar, 192 km from Bandar Abbas, and 420 km from Bushehr. The weather in Bandar Lengeh is hot and humid, typical of coastal...
and Laft
Laft
Laft ) is an ancient city in Iran, which is more than 2000 years old. It is located on Qeshm island in the Straits of Hormuz, to the south-west of Bandar Abbas.-Description:...
on Qeshm
Qeshm
Qeshm Qeshm Qeshm (Persian: قشم - pronounced kē´shm is an Iranian island situated in the Strait of Hormuz, and separated from the mainland by the Clarence Strait/Khuran in the Persian Gulf .-Geography:...
Island. She also destroyed 20 vessels, nine of them large dhows at Linga and eleven, nine of them large dhows, at Laft. This time the resistance on shore was more intense and Chiffone lost one man killed and 17 wounded out of total British casualties (including men from the East India Company's vessels), of two killed and 27 wounded.
In January 1810 Chiffonne and Caroline carried Shenaz
Shinas
Shinas , population 43,312 as of 2005, is a coastal town in northern Oman, near the border between Oman and United Arab Emirates.Shinas has a distinctive collection of traditional buildings...
, which had rebelled against Sultan Sa'id of Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and which they restored to him. Syyed Sa'id presented Wainwright with a scimitar
Scimitar
A scimitar is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia .The Arabic term saif translates to "sword" in general, but is normally taken to refer to the scimitar type of curved backsword in particular.The curved sword or "scimitar" was widespread throughout the Muslim...
in recognition of his exertions against the pirates.
In November 1810, Chiffonne rescued the crew of , which had wrecked on Red Island, near Singapore.