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HMS Niemen (1809)
Encyclopedia
HMS Niemen was a Royal Navy
38-gun fifth-rate
frigate. She began her career as the Niémen, a 44-gun French Navy
Armide-class
frigate, designed by Pierre Rolland. She was only in French service for a few months when in 1809 she encountered some British frigates. The British captured her and she continued in British service as Niemen. In British service she cruised in the Atlantic and North American waters, taking numerous small American prizes, some privateers but mostly merchantmen. She was broken up in 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
and the War of 1812
.
to a design by Pierre Rolland, carrying 40 guns. She was launched in 1808 but spent only months in French service. She was commissioned at Bordeaux on 22 November 1808, but not completed until January 1809. On 4 April 1809 she sailed under the command of Commandant Jean Dupotet
for Fort-de-France
with stores and a substantial crew of 319.
Two days later, as she was she was in the Bay of Biscay
, she encountered three British vessels, including the 36-gun frigate , under the command of Captain Sir Michael Seymour
. Also sailing in company with Amethyst were the 36-gun , (Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland), and the 38-gun , (Captain Robert Mends).
Seymour, who had previously won fame by capturing the French frigate Thétis the previous November, gave chase at 11am. After a sustained chase lasting all day, the Amethyst lost sight of the Emerald, which could not match the speed of the two others, and had failed to gain on the Niémen. Seymour then wore his ship around and was able to bring himself close to the Niémen at 9.30pm.
The two ships began exchanging fire at 11.30pm, with Amethyst coming alongside at 1am on the morning of 5 April to exchange sustained broadsides. By 3am the Niémen had lost her main and mizzen masts, and her fire was slackening. The Arethusa then arrived on the scene, firing a couple of broadsides at the badly damaged French ship. At this point Niémen surrendered. Other accounts report that during the night, Niémen came in position to capture Amethyst, when Arethusa
came to the rescue and forced her to strike her colours.
Regardless, Niémen had surrendered, having lost 47 killed and 73 wounded, compared to eight killed and 37 wounded on the Amethyst. Sir Michael brought her in as a prize, and was rewarded with a baronetcy for his actions in capturing the Niémen, and the earlier capture of the Thetis. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issue of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Amethyst 5 April 1809" to be awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
10d in prize money; the Royal Navy took her into service and commissioned her as HMS Niemen. Nieman arrived at Portsmouth on 26 April. There she underwent a Small Repair between August and November. Her captor, Sir Michael Seymour, was appointed to command her in September 1809.
At some point in late 1809 or early 1810 she captured the Portuguese brig Rio Douro and the American ship Orion. On 15 May 1810 she left on a cruise in the Atlantic. In 3 January Niemen captured the Danube, bound from New York to Bordeaux. On 30 November she captured the Betsy.
In 1811 she was on the Irish station, based at Cork
. In 3 January Niemen captured the Danube, bound from New York to Bordeaux. On 9 January she recaptured the brig Unanimity. Then on 4 March Niemen captured the Charleston packet.
Under Captain Thomas Young, and in company with Fortunee, Niemen captured the American brig Meteor on 26 July.
During the year she took the American gun-vessel Charlestown, and the American schooner Purse, Captain Samuel Turner, sailing from New York to Bordeaux. The cause, at least in the case of Purse, was breach of the blockade of France. However, the crew of the Purse recaptured their vessel, after killing Midshipman Sanders, the Prize Master from Niemen. On 29 May 1812 on her return trip to New York with a valuable cargo of brandy, wine, and silks, Purse encountered Armide. After a 14 hour chase during which Purses fore-top mast was shot away, Armide captured her. The Purses master and crew were brought into Plymouth in irons.Whether or not they stood trial for the murder of Sanders is not currently known.
On 4 December Niemen was in company with Armide when Armide captured the brig Female.
On 21 January 1812 Niemen and Medusa
captured the Arno. Then on 29 January Niemen captured the Abigail. Two days later, Niemen was in company with the British privateer Pheasant when they captured the American brig Hannibal. The Betsey followed on 18 March, with the Medusa in company. Next, Niemen captured Vesta on 18 April. Lastly, Niemen captured the Lark on 28 April.
In March 1812 Captain Samuel Pym
was appointed to command Niemen however he actually took command after April. On 4 January 1813 Niemen sailed with a convoy for Saint Helena
. On 19 December Niemen captured the ship Stockholm.
In August or so, while Niemen was off Rochfort, she sent her four of her boats in to attack a convoy lying there. During the night, before the boats arrived, the convoy moved, except for one chasse maree, which the boats captured. However, the tide turned and a French brig came out of the Loire. She succeeded in recapturing the chasse maree, as capturing the 15-man crew of the British boat that had taken her. Niemen then sailed to North America to join a squadron under Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren
, which had already left.
On 19 December Niemen shared with Jaseur in the capture of the Rising States. Jaseur shared her prize money, by agreement, with Belvidera
and Narcissus.
Niemen escorted a convoy to Bermuda
in January 1814, and then spent 1814 on the Bermuda station. Here she took some numerous prizes, most of them small schooners, but a few of greater import.
Also between 6 August and October, Niemen captured the following American vessels: the sloop James Phillip and the sloop Regulator. Niemen also burnt 17 schooners or sloops ranging between 15 and 60 tons in the period from 9 May to 4 October.
made a painting of the battle, Combat de la frégate Niemen contre les frégates Aréthusa et Amethyst. It is at the Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts but not on display.
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...
38-gun fifth-rate
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigate. She began her career as the Niémen, a 44-gun French Navy
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...
Armide-class
Armide class frigate
The Armide class was a type of 40-gun frigates of the French Navy, designed by Pierre Roland. A highly detailed and accurate model of Flore is on display at Paris naval museum.*Armide...
frigate, designed by Pierre Rolland. She was only in French service for a few months when in 1809 she encountered some British frigates. The British captured her and she continued in British service as Niemen. In British service she cruised in the Atlantic and North American waters, taking numerous small American prizes, some privateers but mostly merchantmen. She was broken up in 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Construction and capture
Niémen was built by Chantier Courau Frères at BordeauxBordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
to a design by Pierre Rolland, carrying 40 guns. She was launched in 1808 but spent only months in French service. She was commissioned at Bordeaux on 22 November 1808, but not completed until January 1809. On 4 April 1809 she sailed under the command of Commandant Jean Dupotet
Jean Dupotet
Jean Henri Joseph Dupotet Dupotet was born the first son of a 10-child family. He joined the Navy as a sailor at 16. From May 1795, he served aboard the 32-gun Alceste. Dupotent distinguished himself on 7 August 1795, when the squadron of Alceste attacked and captured the 74-gun HMS Berwick...
for Fort-de-France
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
with stores and a substantial crew of 319.
Two days later, as she was she was in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, she encountered three British vessels, including the 36-gun frigate , under the command of Captain Sir Michael Seymour
Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet
Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral.-Family and early life:...
. Also sailing in company with Amethyst were the 36-gun , (Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland), and the 38-gun , (Captain Robert Mends).
Seymour, who had previously won fame by capturing the French frigate Thétis the previous November, gave chase at 11am. After a sustained chase lasting all day, the Amethyst lost sight of the Emerald, which could not match the speed of the two others, and had failed to gain on the Niémen. Seymour then wore his ship around and was able to bring himself close to the Niémen at 9.30pm.
The two ships began exchanging fire at 11.30pm, with Amethyst coming alongside at 1am on the morning of 5 April to exchange sustained broadsides. By 3am the Niémen had lost her main and mizzen masts, and her fire was slackening. The Arethusa then arrived on the scene, firing a couple of broadsides at the badly damaged French ship. At this point Niémen surrendered. Other accounts report that during the night, Niémen came in position to capture Amethyst, when Arethusa
HMS Arethusa (1781)
HMS Arethusa was a 38-gun Minerva-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy built at Bristol in 1781.She took part in the Action of 23 April 1794, capturing Pomone....
came to the rescue and forced her to strike her colours.
Regardless, Niémen had surrendered, having lost 47 killed and 73 wounded, compared to eight killed and 37 wounded on the Amethyst. Sir Michael brought her in as a prize, and was rewarded with a baronetcy for his actions in capturing the Niémen, and the earlier capture of the Thetis. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issue of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Amethyst 5 April 1809" to be awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
HMS
Niemen The Admiralty purchased Niémen for the sum of £29,979 2sShilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
10d in prize money; the Royal Navy took her into service and commissioned her as HMS Niemen. Nieman arrived at Portsmouth on 26 April. There she underwent a Small Repair between August and November. Her captor, Sir Michael Seymour, was appointed to command her in September 1809.
At some point in late 1809 or early 1810 she captured the Portuguese brig Rio Douro and the American ship Orion. On 15 May 1810 she left on a cruise in the Atlantic. In 3 January Niemen captured the Danube, bound from New York to Bordeaux. On 30 November she captured the Betsy.
In 1811 she was on the Irish station, based at Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. In 3 January Niemen captured the Danube, bound from New York to Bordeaux. On 9 January she recaptured the brig Unanimity. Then on 4 March Niemen captured the Charleston packet.
Under Captain Thomas Young, and in company with Fortunee, Niemen captured the American brig Meteor on 26 July.
During the year she took the American gun-vessel Charlestown, and the American schooner Purse, Captain Samuel Turner, sailing from New York to Bordeaux. The cause, at least in the case of Purse, was breach of the blockade of France. However, the crew of the Purse recaptured their vessel, after killing Midshipman Sanders, the Prize Master from Niemen. On 29 May 1812 on her return trip to New York with a valuable cargo of brandy, wine, and silks, Purse encountered Armide. After a 14 hour chase during which Purses fore-top mast was shot away, Armide captured her. The Purses master and crew were brought into Plymouth in irons.Whether or not they stood trial for the murder of Sanders is not currently known.
On 4 December Niemen was in company with Armide when Armide captured the brig Female.
On 21 January 1812 Niemen and Medusa
HMS Medusa (1801)
HMS Medusa was a 38-gun 5th rate frigate of the Royal Navy that served in the Napoleonic Wars. Launched on 14 April 1801, she took part in the Action of 5 October 1804 against a Spanish squadron, in the River Plate Expedition in 1807, and made several captures of enemy ships, before being converted...
captured the Arno. Then on 29 January Niemen captured the Abigail. Two days later, Niemen was in company with the British privateer Pheasant when they captured the American brig Hannibal. The Betsey followed on 18 March, with the Medusa in company. Next, Niemen captured Vesta on 18 April. Lastly, Niemen captured the Lark on 28 April.
In March 1812 Captain Samuel Pym
Samuel Pym
Sir Samuel Pym KCB was a British admiral, brother of Sir William Pym.In June 1788, Pym joined the Royal Navy as captain's servant of the frigate Eurydice...
was appointed to command Niemen however he actually took command after April. On 4 January 1813 Niemen sailed with a convoy for Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
. On 19 December Niemen captured the ship Stockholm.
In August or so, while Niemen was off Rochfort, she sent her four of her boats in to attack a convoy lying there. During the night, before the boats arrived, the convoy moved, except for one chasse maree, which the boats captured. However, the tide turned and a French brig came out of the Loire. She succeeded in recapturing the chasse maree, as capturing the 15-man crew of the British boat that had taken her. Niemen then sailed to North America to join a squadron under Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren
John Borlase Warren
Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...
, which had already left.
On 19 December Niemen shared with Jaseur in the capture of the Rising States. Jaseur shared her prize money, by agreement, with Belvidera
HMS Belvidera (1809)
HMS Belvidera was a 36-gun Royal Navy Apollo-class fifth-rate frigate built in Deptford in 1809. She saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and continued a busy career at sea into the middle of the 19th century...
and Narcissus.
Niemen escorted a convoy to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
in January 1814, and then spent 1814 on the Bermuda station. Here she took some numerous prizes, most of them small schooners, but a few of greater import.
- 8 February: the American 9-gun US letter of marqueLetter of marqueIn the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
packetPacket shipA "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Bourdreaux. - 8 May: the merchantman Hound.
- 23 May: Niemen's boats cut out three American letter of marqueLetter of marqueIn the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
schooners at Little Egg Harbour: Quiz, 28 men, pierced for 14 guns but mounting two, and the Clara, J. Newman, Master, and Model, each pierced for 12. The cutting out expedition suffered four men wounded. Model, John Austen, Master, was of 250 tons and was carrying a cargo of 270 barrels of flour. - 28 May:schooner Quiz of 214 tons, W. Phillips, Master. She was armed with two guns and had a crew of 28 men. When captured she was sailing from St. Iago to Philadelphia with a cargo of sugar, molasses and coffee.
- 7 June: sloop Flash, James Barstow, Master. Niemen shared the capture with SaturnHMS Saturn (1786)HMS Saturn was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 November 1786 at Northam. She was present at the Battle of Copenhagen as part of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's reserve....
. - 12 July: Niemen captured the American privateer Henry GuilderSherbrooke (Barbados)Sherbrooke ' was a Canadian letter of marque in the last year of the War of 1812. She was originally the American privateer brig Henry Guilder . She was condemned and confiscated by the authorities in Halifax in April 1815.-History:The American privateer Henry Guilder, of New York, had a short...
(or Henry Gilder), Samuel Newson, Master, of 12 guns (eight 12-pounders and two long 9-pounders), and 45 or 50 men. Henry Guilder was sold at the prize court's auction in August at HalifaxCity of HalifaxHalifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and became the (unsuccessful) British privateer SherbrookeSherbrooke (Barbados)Sherbrooke ' was a Canadian letter of marque in the last year of the War of 1812. She was originally the American privateer brig Henry Guilder . She was condemned and confiscated by the authorities in Halifax in April 1815.-History:The American privateer Henry Guilder, of New York, had a short...
. - 15 July: Niemen recaptured the Sir Alexander Ball, J. Skynner, Master, of 300 tons, which had been taken on a voyage from Bristol to Malta, with a cargo of British manufactures and colonial produce. She carried six guns and a crew of 35 men. On 18 August 1812, Sir Alexander Ball, then a letter of marqueLetter of marqueIn the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
, had captured the Grace Anne Green, with HyacinthHMS Hyacinth (1806)HMS Hyacinth was an 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Great Yarmouth. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun Post-ship...
and BlossomHMS Blossom (1806)HMS Blossom was an 18-gun Cormorant-class sloop-of-war. She was built in 1806 and is best known for the 1825–1828 expedition under Captain Beechey to the Pacific Ocean. She explored as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska, the furthest point into the Arctic any non-Inuit had been at the time...
in sight. - 7 August: the Swedish brig Enigheton or Enigheden, sailing from St. Andrews to Philadelphia with a cargo of plaster of Paris and of hardware.
- 30 August: the merchantman Enterprise, sailing from Barnstable to Washington with salt and Glauber salts.
- 2 September: the merchantman Los Dos Ermanos.
- 5 September: the merchantman James, sailing from Washington to New York with a cargo of flour.
- 21 September: the merchantman Swift.
- 4 September: the letter of marqueLetter of marqueIn the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
Daedalus, off ChincoteagueChincoteagueChincoteague may refer to:Geography*Chincoteague Bay, a bay on the coast of Maryland and Virginia*Chincoteague Channel, a channel in Virginia connecting Chincoteague Bay and Chincoteague Inlet*Chincoteague Inlet, an inlet on the coast of Virginia...
, and the merchantman Hibernia. Daedalus was sailing from Port au Prince to New York with a cargo of coffee. - 3 October: the merchantman Tickler, sailing from Philadelphia to Saint Bartholomew with flour, bread, crackers and soap. She was under the command of John Boyd, Master. Niemen shared the capture with Loire. of 41 tons and carried a crew of six men.
- 1 December: the merchantman Industry, off Cape HenryCape HenryCape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
. - Unknown date: the merchantman Janus.
Also between 6 August and October, Niemen captured the following American vessels: the sloop James Phillip and the sloop Regulator. Niemen also burnt 17 schooners or sloops ranging between 15 and 60 tons in the period from 9 May to 4 October.
Fate
Nieman was broken up at Deptford in September 1815. Her name was perpetuated in a 28-gun sixth rate launched in 1820 as .Postscript
In 1843 Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-BragerJean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager
Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager, a French marine painter, was born at Dol in 1814. He studied under Gudin and Eugène Isabey, and in 1840 accompanied the fleet which brought Napoleon's remains from St. Helena, which island afforded him subjects for various pictures...
made a painting of the battle, Combat de la frégate Niemen contre les frégates Aréthusa et Amethyst. It is at the Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts but not on display.
External links
- Three Section Plans for the Frégate Niemen
- http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=1595 HMS Niemen at Ships of the Old Navy