French Frigate Minerve (1809)

The French frigate ''Minerve'' was originally launched in 1788 for the Portuguese Navy, where she served under the dual names of ''Nossa Senhora da Vitória'' and ''Minerva''. The French Navy captured and renamed her in November 1809, after which she played a notable role in the Indian Ocean campaign of 1809-1811, participating in the defeat of a Royal Navy frigate squadron at the Battle of Grand Port, but at the surrender of Mauritius in December 1810, the ship was handed over to the British, and seems to have been broken up soon afterwards.

Design and construction

The ''Nossa Senhora da Vitória'' was built at Lisbon by the shipbuilder Torcato Jose Clavina, and launched on 18 July 1788,''Fragata "Minerva"'', Aequivo Histiórico da Marinha
/ref> or according to some other sources, 19 July in the same year.

A standard modern work on the Portuguese navy of this period states the ship's hull length at 156 feet 9 inches, and her beam (the breadth of the hull) at a very wide 58 feet. Conversely, an equivalent work quoting French sources states her length at 147 ''pieds du roi'' and 1 ''pouce'', and her beam at 35 ''pieds'' 8 ''pouces'', corresponding to 47.78 m × 11.57 m or 156 ft 9 in by 38 ft English measure. The reason for the discrepancy in beam measurement is not clear, though it is possible that it represents miscopying of a shared source.

Pierre Bouvet, who commanded the ''Minerve'' in French service, wrote that the ship seemed large enough to accommodate a main armament of 24-pounder long guns, although details of her hull construction indicated that in practice she had never carried anything heavier than 18-pounder long guns.P. Bouvet, ''Précis des campagnes de l'amiral Pierre Bouvet'' (Paris, Michel Lévy Frères, 1865), p. 95 The armament allocated at the time of the ship's construction is said to have been eleven pairs of 18-pounders, eleven pairs of 9-pounders, and four pairs of 6-pounders, numbers more suited for a small two-decker with two full batteries of guns than a true frigate, but by the time of her capture by the French in 1809, her armament had assumed a more conventional frigate configuration, with the main gundeck mounting fourteen pairs of 18-pounders and one pair of carronades, supported by nine pairs of lighter guns on the open deck of the forecastle and quarterdeck, a mix of 24-pounder carronades and long 9-pounders.Guy-Victor Duperré
"Une Campagne dans la mer des Indes (1809)"
''Révue historique et littéraire de l'Ile Maurice. Archives Coloniales'', vol. 2 (1889-1890), pp. 485-48 at p. 487.

After her capture by the French, Bouvet re-armed the ship, replacing her Portuguese 18-pounders with English cannon of the same calibre which had previously formed the main battery of the frigate ''La Canonnière'' (ex-HMS ''Minerve''), and in the absence of sufficient numbers of carronades, armed her forecastle and quarterdeck with 18-pounder short guns taken from the captured East Indiaman ''Warren Hastings''.Bouvet, ''op. cit.'', pp. 96-97. This also appealed to Bouvet as it simplified the ammunition supply by making all the cannon aboard a ship the same calibre (a practice that would be widely adopted in subsequent decades), and he also borrowed several practices from the opposing Royal Navy, including the use of a barricade of tightly bundled hammocks to protect the quarterdeck from musketry and grapeshot during battle.Bouvet, ''op. cit.'', pp. 103-104

The Portuguese had originally allocated the frigate a crew of around 349 men, but due to the limited manpower resources available in the Indian Ocean, her total crew in French service was perhaps below 250 men, and a significant proportion of them were Portuguese defectors.Bouvet, ''op. cit.'', pp. 94-95.

Portuguese Navy career

In Portuguese service, the frigate was known as both ''Nossa Senhora da Vitória'' and ''Minerva'', with one online source suggesting that this reflected a change of name around 1792.Pedro Cruz, ''Marinha de Guerrra Portuguese'' blog
"Navios da Ral Marinha Portuguesa II"
In 1807, along with the bulk of the Portuguese Navy, she participated in the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil. In June 1809 ''Minerva'' departed from Brazil, under Captain Pinto,Troude, ''op. cit.'', p. 76. and on 22 November 1809 she encountered the French frigate ''Bellone'', under Captain Duperré.Duperré, ''op. cit.'', p. 486.Troude, ''op. cit.'', p. 77

Duperré's report states that he had come into gunnery range by about 3 o' clock and opened fire, but dogged sailing by the Portuguese frigate kept him at a distance and prevented him from keeping up a sustained fire, and after two hours, he ordered his gunners to cease fire, electing to manoeuvre his faster-sailing frigate to gain the advantage of the weather gauge. Although he initially hoped to fight a night action, calm weather meant that he was unable to close the range with ''Minerva'' until 9 o' clock the next morning, 23 November 1809. The ''Minerva'' continued to manouvre, and although some sources claim that ''Bellone'' was able to deliver a raking broadside, it was not until some time after quarter past nine that the French frigate was able to secure a favourable position, at pistol-shot range off the port quarter of her Portuguese opponent's stern. ''Bellone'' then simply cannonaded ''Minerva'' for around one hour and forty-five minutes, targeting her sails and rigging, until the Portuguese frigate surrendered.

French service as ''Minerve''

Duperré, hindered by the damage ''Bellone'' had sustained, the reduction and dispersion of his crew over his prizes, and the 500 prisoners he had aboard, decided to return to Île de France, where he arrived on 2 January 1810, accompanied by the '' Victor'', a former privateer corvette which ''Bellone'' had recaptured from the Royal Navy, and the frigate ''Manche'', which they had met en route.

At Île de France the French repaired the captured Portuguese frigate and commissioned her as ''Minerve'', appointing Pierre Bouvet as her captain.Troude, ''op. cit.'', p. 87 As noted above, Bouvet re-armed her with captured English guns. To form the core of a new French crew, Bouvet was allowed to bring with him half the seamen from his former command, the brig-rigged corvette '' ''Entreprenant'''', along with the men of the captured schooner '' Mouche n° 6'', who he had repatriated from the Philippines, augmented by and a few veteran marine artillerymen from the crew of the frigate ''La Canonnière''; but this probably did not amount to more than 75-100 French seamen at most - the ''Entreprenant'' had a notional strength of 110 men,Bouvet, ''op. cit.'', p. 203. so presumably around fifty sailors were carried over from her, while the maximum crew assigned for a ''Mouche''-class schooner was 25 men.Winfield & Roberts, ''op. cit.'', p. 252. To make up the numbers, he recruited around a hundred and fifty of the frigate's former Portuguese crew, and a number of young local volunteers, though even with these reinforcements, the crew was perhaps only in the region of 200-250 men.

Fight with the East India Convoy

''Minerve'' then sailed with ''Bellone'' and the smaller ''Victor'' on 14 March 1810, to patrol in the waters between Mauritius and Africa astride the main sea-lanes Europe and the East Indies. After failing to encounter any enemy ships in the open ocean east of Madagascar, they moved into the Mozambique Channel, south of the Comoros Islands between Madagascar and the African mainland, and at daybreak on 3 July 1810, the lookouts aboard ''Minerve'' sighted three sails on the horizon, and the frigate moved to investigate.

The ships proved to be the East Indiamen ''Windham'', ''Ceylon'' and ''Astell''; although they were civilian vessels, they were well-armed with 18-pounder cannon, their captains had stood their ground successfully against French raiders in the past, and their crews were now reinforced by large numbers of British Army soldiers.

French and English sources give somewhat contradictory versions of the resulting battle,Bouvet, ''op. cit.'', pp. 97-103, provides the perspective of ''Minerve''s captai

the dispatches from the captains of the ''Windham'' and ''Astell'' are printed in ''The Asiatic Annual Register'', ed. E. Samuel, vol. 12 (London, Cadell and Davies, 1812), pp. 61-62, 107-10

https://books.google.com/books?id=t89UAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA107] while the standard secondary account in English is that of W. James
''The Naval History of Great Britain''
(new ed., London, Bentley 1837), vol. 5, pp. 261-65. but it in outline, it is clear that ''Minerve'' sustained much of the fight before ''Bellone'' came into gunnery range, sailing down the British line and engaging the three East Indiamen in turn before manoeuvring around the head of their formation. After turning, however, the ''Minerve'' had its main topmast shot away, which also brought down the mizzen topmast. ''Bellone'' and ''Victor'' took over the battle, while the ''Minerve'' cleared away the tangle and eventually returned under its lower sails to resume the fight against ''Ceylon'', which surrendered without further resistance, while the dismasted ''Windham'' surrendered to ''Bellone'', and the ''Astell'' made its escape.

A part of ''Minerve'''s crew were assigned to man the captured ''Ceylon'', led by ''Enseigne de vaisseau'' Vincent Moulac. The French squadron and the two captured East Indiamen sailed to Anjouan, the nearest island in the Comoros archipelago, where they could repair their shattered masts and attend to injured personnel; not until mid-July were the repairs completed and the ''Minerve'' and the other ships ready to return to Île de France. Arriving there a month later on 20 August, the ''Minerve'' immediately found herself embroiled in the Battle of Grand Port.

Battle of Grand Port

Approaching the Grand Port anchorage, the squadron found another French-built frigate anchored there under the protection of the heavy guns of the fort on Île de la Passe. Most officers of the squadron believed this ship to be the powerful privateer ''Charles'', which was expected to return to the island after a refit in France.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 105-107.

In reality, the frigate was HMS ''Nereide'', and the British had seized the fort on Île de Passe a week earlier. As ''Minerve'' sailed into the anchorage, the 42-pounder cannon of the fort opened fire against her waterline, striking her orlop, and killing and maiming many of the young volunteers who were acting as powder monkeys. Nonetheless, the ''Minerve'' was able to sail forward and, according to her captain's memoirs, deliver a raking broadside into the stern of the British frigate, followed by her prize ''Ceylon'' and the smaller ''Victor''. ''Bellone'' then entered the harbour behind them, though ''Windham'' did not risk the passage, and was subsequently recaptured by Royal Navy.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 107-110. For the British version, see James, ''Naval History'', vol. 5, pp. 273-281

The French anchored their ships in a defensive line, with ''Minerve'' at the rear, ''Ceylon'' and ''Bellone'' ahead of her, and the smaller ''Victor'' tucked behind them; another squadron of frigates based on the opposite side of the island was ordered to sail round and try and trap the Royal Navy attacking force.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 111-114 The opposing Royal Navy force, meanwhile, had been reinforced with three other frigates, HMS ''Sirius'', HMS ''Magicienne'', and HMS ''Iphigenia'', and on 23 August, they attacked, sailing boldly into the harbour - the British plan was for HMS ''Iphigenia'' to come broadside-to-broadside with ''Minerve'', while HMS ''Magicienne'' positioned herself off her bow, to fight both her and the weaker ''Ceylon'', but while ''Iphigenia'' reached her position, the ''Magicienne'' ran aground with her vulnerable bows pointing towards the French line - the ''Minerve'' thus found herself trading broadsides with ''Iphigenia'' and simultaneously delivering ranking fire against ''Magicienne'', which answered with her chase guns; nearby, a similar duel evolved between ''Bellone'', HMS ''Nereide'' and HMS ''Sirius''.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 114-117, James, ''Naval History'', vol. 5., pp. 281-285. At dusk, however the anchor cables of the French frigates were shot away in close succession, and they drifted forward and ran aground; ''Minerve'' ended up behind the ''Bellone'', with only her stern projecting so that the four aft cannon of the main-deck broadside and the corresponding five quarterdeck guns were able to continue firing; ''Ceylon'' ran aground behind her in turn, so that only nine of her broadside guns were unmasked.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 117-118, James, ''Naval History'', vol. 5., p. 285.

Bouvet now had to assume overall command of the squadron from the wounded Duperré, and around 8 o' clock that evening, he transferred control of ''Minerve'' to his second-in-command ''Lieutenant de vaisseau'' Albin Roussin; the gunnery duel continued through the night, and it was Roussin who received the surrender of the shattered HMS ''Nereide'' the next morning - later that day, HMS ''Magicienne'', still aground, was set on fire; attempts to refloat HMS ''Sirius'' proving futile, she was blown up in turn on the morning of 25 August, leaving only HMS ''Iphigenia'' retreating slowly out of the harbour, kedging with her anchors due to wind conditions and the risk of running aground; Bouvet, meanwhile, had moved first to ''Bellone'', apparently taking with him some of the crew from ''Minerve'' to pass ammunition and reinforce her gun crews, and then on 26 August to the smaller ''Victor'' (the only ship in the French squadron still capable of sailing to confront the retreating ''Iphigenia'', the others having run aground too hard to be refloated mid-battle), and finally the captured HMS ''Iphigenia'', which surrendered on 27 August after the second French frigate squadron appeared to close the exit from the port; as the surrendered ship was relatively undamaged compared with the other frigates from the battle, she was promptly commissioned by the French as ''La Iphigénie'', with Bouvet placed in charge and a large proportion of the French seamen from the ''Minerve'' reassigned to crew her.''Bouvet'', ''op. cit.'', pp. 118-128, James, ''Naval History'', vol. 5, pp. 285-296.

Subsequent role

At least one modern source claims that ''Minerve'' next sailed to the Philippines, to recover the crew of the schooner ''Mouche n° 6'', which the Spanish had seized at Manila. However, this seems unlikely, as Bouvet's own memoirs make clear that this mission had taken place earlier while he was in command of ''Entreprenant''.

In reality, there is little that evidence ''Minerve'' ever left Grand Port. The journal of the French flag officer Guy-Victor Duperré shows that between 17 and 25 October 1810, several contradictory orders were issued in quick succession: ''Minerve'' and the other ships of his squadron were first taken out of service to undergo repairs, then ordered to hastily make ready again, before ''Minerve'' was specifically assigned to serve as a prison hulk for crewmen from captured enemy ships; then on 27 November she was again repurposed, anchored as a guard ship or floating battery to defend a new harbour boom.Adrien d'Epinay
''Renseignements pour servir à l'histoire de l'Île de France jusqu'a l'année 1801, Inclusivement''
(Nouvelle Imprimerie Dupuy, Mauritius, 1890), pp. 569-570.

This did not prevent the arrival of a large British invasion force, and on 3 December 1810, the frigate was handed over to the Royal Navy, although her officers and crew were allowed to return to France to continue the fight, along with the rest of the personnel from the naval squadron and defending garrison. In April 1811, a Royal Navy report stated that ''Minerve'' would require three months of repair at considerable expense, and though there is no definitive record of her fate, the ship appears to have been broken up shortly thereafter.H.C.M. Austen, ''Sea Fights and Corsairs of the Indian Ocean'' (Government Press, Mauritius 1935), p. 167.

Citations

References

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*Esparteiro, Comandante António Marques (1976) ''Catálogo Dos Navios Brigantinos (1640-1910)''. (Lisbon: Centro de Estudos de Marinha)
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Les bâtiments ayant porté le nom de ''Minerve''
netmarine.net

Fragata "Minerva"
Arquivo Histórico da Marinha

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minerve (1809)
Age of Sail frigates of France
Frigates of the French Navy
Ships built in Portugal
Captured ships
Ships of the Portuguese Navy