Émilie (1793 Ship)

''Émilie'' a French corvette-built privateer based in Île de France (now Mauritius). She is mostly known as one of the ships captained by Robert Surcouf.

In early 1795 she was renamed to ''Émilie''. She was then under command of young Robert Surcouf and was armed with only four 6-pounders cruising from August 1795; in January 1796, after she had captured ''Cartier'', Surcouf transferred to his prize, leaving ''Émilie'' in command of Jean Croizet. (more details at Robert Surcouf#Cruise of Émilie and capture of Triton). She returned to Mauritius in March 1796 and was renamed ''Modeste'' again. In August 1796, armed with 20 guns, she cruised under Claude Deschiens, who died in battle on 10 September 1796; command passed to Jean-Marie Dutertre and she returned to Isle de France in June 1797. Dutertre went on another cruise from late 1797 or early 1798, and sailed until April 1798 (again with 20 guns). Her fate is murky: in March 1797 the 32-gun captured ''Émilie'' near Visakhapatnam, but then in April 1798 the 32-gun also captured an ''Émilie''.

Career

''Émilie'' was originally the merchantman ''Lafayette'', which arrived at Île de France from Bordeaux in July 1792. In 1793, she was commissioned as a privateer corvette and conducted a campaign under Jean-François Malroux.

In September 1793, she was renamed ''Île de France'' and cruised until April 1794 under Léonard-Julien Quiroard.

Around May 1794, she was under Louis Levaillant, carrying the name ''Modeste''. She notably captured the Dutch East India Company ship ''Hootluyce'', with Joachim Drieux leading her boarding party.

In August 1795, ''Modeste'' passed under the command of Robert Surcouf, who renamed her ''Émilie''. Governor Malartic had refused to provide Surcouf a lettre de marque and ordered ''Émilie'' to go to the Seychelles to purchase tortoises as food for Île de France.Levot, p.494Granier, p.217Cunat, p.392 Upon arrival at Mahé, she encountered two large British ships and fled hastily, cutting her anchor.''Les corsaires de la République'', Gallois Arrived a Bago, Myanmar, ''Émilie'' encountered the British merchant ''Pinguin''; she approached without hoisting colours and when ''Pinguin'' fired a warning shot, Surcouf took pretext of it to fire a three-shot broadside that induced ''Pinguin'' to surrender. Surcouf took supplies needed for ''Émilie'' and sent ''Pinguin'' to Mauritius under Péru, one of his officers. On 19 January, ''Émilie'' captured the pilot ship ''Cartier'', along with two rice-loaded merchantmen she was guiding; Surcouf transferred to ''Cartier'', which he renamed ''Hasard'', taking all the guns off ''Émilie'' and leaving only 23 men aboard under Jean Croizet, who returned to Île de France with the two prizes.

When she returned to Île de France, ''Émilie'' was renamed back to ''Modeste''. In August 1796, she set out for another campaign under Claude Deschiens, this time armed with 20 guns. She captured ''Princess'' while ''Princess'' was at anchor in Delagoa Bay. Although ''Modeste'' captured ''Princess'', was able to fend off ''Modeste''. ''Modeste'' did capture ''Good Intent'' two days later.

Deschiens was killed in action on 10 September. As Deschiens was preying on British whalers, two heavily armed whalers attacked ''Modeste''. Deschiens managed to repel them but was injured in the battle and died of his wounds the next day. Jean-Marie Dutertre took command and continued the cruize. Still, ''Modeste'' returned to Île de France within the month.

The same month, she set out for another campaign under Jean-Marie Dutertre. Apparently captured ''Modeste'' near Visakhapatnam in March 1797.

Notes

Citations

References

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* (Volume 1 and 2 in a single file)
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* {{cite book, title=Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins, trans-title=The maritime Glories of France: biographical notes on the most famous sailors, last=Levot, first=Prosper, author-link=Prosper Levot, year=1866, publisher=Bertrand, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=08O_XGLO43QC, language=French, oclc=562314991
*Rhys, Richard & Thierry Du Pasquier (1989) "Bay whaling off southern Africa, c. 1785–1805", ''South African Journal of Marine Science'' Vol. 8, 1, pp. 231–250.

1790s ships
Age of Sail merchant ships
Merchant ships of France
Privateer ships of France
Captured ships