French Ship Éole (1799)

''Éole'' was an 18-gun corvette of the French Navy, launched, captured, and later commissioned in the Royal Navy in 1799 as HMS ''Nimrod'' after her capture by . She was then "the finest and most handsome ship-sloop in the British navy". She was sold in 1811. ''Nimrod'' made three whaling voyages between 1811 and 1819. On her first she captured several American whalers. ''Nimrod'' was last listed in 1820.

Capture

Built in Bordeaux as a privateer corvette, ''Éole'' was requisitioned and brought into service in the French Navy in September 1799, and commissioned in Rochefort. captured her at Saint Domingue on 23 November 1799. She was one of a squadron of four French vessels, all four of which ''Solebay'' captured that day. ''Éole'' was described as being of 300 tons, carrying 16 guns, and having a crew of 125 men. She was coming from Cape François and was believed to be sailing to Jacquemel.

The Vice admiralty court at Jamaica condemned her. The Royal Navy then took her into service as HMS ''Nimrod''.

HMS ''Nimrod''

At some point between 28 February and 20 May 1800, ''Nimrod'' captured the Spanish felucca ''Victoria'', which was sailing from Tobasco to Jamaica with a cargo of specie, logwood, and cochineal. It is not clear who her commander was while she was in the Caribbean.

Between 21 May and 8 August, ''Nimrod'', , and captured two Spanish vessels: a Spanish felucca that was sailing from Havanah to Vera Cruz, and a xebec sailing from Campeachy to Havana. ''Nimrod'' and ''Crescent'' also captured or detained three other Spanish vessels: a felucca carrying wax, a xebec carrying hides and leather, and a schooner sailing from Saint Domingo to Curacoa carrying mahogany.

''Nimrod'' arrived at Plymouth on 26 January 1801 where she underwent fitting. Commander John Edwards commissioned her for Channel service.

Between June and July 1803 ''Nimrod'' underwent refitting, while Commander Terrence O'Neill commissioned her on 7 June. He had 24-pounder carronades replace her 18-pounders, and had her complement increased from 86 to 121 men. He then served on the Mount's Bays station where he also had the brig-sloop , and two Revenue cutters under his command.

In late November ''Nimrod'' detained and sent into Portsmouth ''Diana'', Bunting, master, which had been sailing from Lisbon to Amsterdam. ''Diana'' arrived in Plymouth on 19 November. A few days later ''Nimrod'' detained and sent into Plymouth ''Hindemann'', of Bremen, which had been sailing from Bordeaux to Embden. ''Hiindeman'' arrived in Plymouth on 22 November. In July 1804 the development of debilitating sea-sickness forced O'Neill to resign his commission.

''Nimrod'' sailed for the Leeward Islands in November 1804. ''Nimrod'' recaptured a brig that the French privateer ''Dame Ernouf'' had captured before herself falling prey to .

In January 1805 ''Nimrod'' recaptured the American ship ''Ardent'', which had been carrying coffee and logwood when a French privateer had captured her.

Commander Thomas Orde took command in 1805, but died that same year. Commander Thomas John Cochrane assumed command in September but left in January 1806 to take command of . Between 25 October 1805 and 15 January 1806 Commander Frank Collier commanded ''Nimrod''.

Commander John Haswell assumed command on 6 August 1806.

At some point Commander Hugh Cameron commanded ''Nimrod''. On 4 August 1807 the merchants of Essequibo and Demerara presented Cameron with a sword worth 100 guineas in recognition of his services in the protection of the colony and its trade.

Commander Joseph Spear assumed command of ''Nimrod'' in 1807. At some point Spear and ''Nimrod'' captured the Spanish packet ''Firmeza'', which had been sailing from Cadiz to Cartagena, Colombia.

On 27 July 1807, ''Nimrod'' captured the French privateer schooner ''Nouvelle Enterprise'' some 20 leagues east of Barbados. ''Nouvelle Enterprise'', of Guadeloupe, was armed with a 12-pounder gun and four carronades, and had a crew of 55 men under the command of Captain Francis Penaud. The Royal Navy took her into service as .

From April to mid-June 1808 ''Nimrod'' and cruised in company, and agreed to share any prizes they captured. Around 9 May ''Cherub'' captured the privateer schooner ''Vaillante'', Dubois, master, which was armed with swivel guns and small arms. Her crew abandoned her and escaped ashore, leaving behind one man who was sick and who died the next day. ''Cherub'' and ''Nimrod'' then used the schooner as a tender. On 17 May ''Nimrod'' captured a Spanish schooner carrying hides, cocoa, and indigo. She was ''Esther'', sailing from La Guayra to Teneriffe. Lastly, on 22 May, ''Cherub'' and ''Nimrod'' jointly captured a Spanish letter of marque brig after a brief exchange of fire when the British sent in a boarding party in boats after her crew had run her ashore. She was armed with two guns and four howitzers but her crew abandoned her before the boarding party arrived. She had been carrying a cargo of cocoa from Cumano to Barcelona when the British intercepted her. The British were able to retrieve her, though not without difficulty. ''Nimrod'' then took the prizes into St Thomas. There the estimates were that the brig's cargo was worth about $20,000, and the Spanish schooner about $1200.

''Nimrod'', , and shared in the proceeds of the American schooner ''Minerva'', forwarded from Saint Christoper.

In the second half of 1808, Commander Nevinson de Courcy, late of , took command of ''Nimrod'' and sailed her back to Britain.

Disposal: ''Nimrod'' was laid up at Deptford in May 1809. The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" offered "Nimrod Brig, of 345 Tons" for sale at Deptford on 21 February 1811. She sold there on that date.

Whaler

John Soady Rains either purchased her, or purchased her from her purchasers. In either case, she then made three whaling voyages for him between September 1811 and 3 October 1819.British Southern Whale Fishery Database – voyages: ''Nimrod''.
/ref> She entered ''Lloyd's Register'' in 1811.''Lloyd's Register'' (1811), Supplement Seq. №N44.
/ref>

1st whaling voyage

''Nimrod'', William Perry, master, left Britain on 26 September 1811 with destination the Galapagos, However, she was reported to have been chased into port on 1 November by a French privateer. She sailed from Falmouth on 13 November for the South Seas.

In June 1812 ''Nimrod'' was at Post Office Bay in the Galapagos. On 18 December 1812 Rains received a letter of marque on behalf of Perry and ''Nimrod''.Letter of Marque. Accessed 19 December 2016.
/ref> On 8 December she was at . She was reported at the Galapagos on 22 April 1813 with 1300 barrels.

Around March 1813, ''Nimrod'' captured the American vessel ''Barclay'', of New Bedford. ''Barclay'' had separated from the Spanish ''guarda costa Cuenia'' on 21 March.

''Nimrod'' was at St Helena on 25 June 1813 with two US prizes, one of which was the whaler ''Walker''. She may also have captured a third American whaler that she had sent to St. Helena. ''Nimrod'' was reported on 9 November to have returned home with the US prize ''Walker''. By 20 November ''Nimrod'', James Allan Day, master, had completed her voyage.

The story of the capture and fate of the two prizes, ''Barclay'' and ''Walker'', is complex, with various inconsistent accounts. American records report that in March 1813 Captain David Porter and the captured the Peruvian warship ''Nereyda''. ''Nereyda'' had captured two American whalers, ''Walker'' and ''Barclay'', only to have ''Nimrod'' take ''Walker''. ''Nereyda'' had sent ''Barclay'' to Callao, where Porter was able to recapture her before she could enter port. He sent a disarmed ''Nereyda'' back to the Peruvian authorities as a gesture of good will. He searched for ''Nimrod'' and ''Walker'', but was unable to find them.

2nd whaling voyage

James Allan Day sailed ''Nimrod'' from Britain on 10 May 1814 for the Brazil Banks. He sailed under a letter of marque dated 23 March.Letter of Marque.
/ref>

In 1813, the British East India Company (EIC) had lost its monopoly on the trade between India and Britain. British ships were then free to sail to India or the Indian Ocean under a licence from the EIC. ''Nimrod''s owners applied for a licence on 25 Julyand received the licence on 8 August.

''Nimrod'' was reported to have been off Payta Head on 13 December 1815 with 500 barrels. On 23 April 1816 ''Nimrod'' was off the coast of Peru with 1500 barrels of oil. In December 1816 the stroke of a whale drowned Day, the Mate, and a boat crew. ''Nimrod'' then put into Rio de Janeiro in distress. On 3 February 1817 ''Nimrod'' was off Cape Clear under jury masts, main top mast, and bowsprit.''Lloyd's List'
№5153.
/ref> Under the command of Captain Thomas she returned to Britain on 26 March 1817.

3rd whaling voyage

''Nimrod'' left Britain on 8 July 1817 under the command of Captain Folger (or O. Tolger). In January 1818 she was reported to have 150 barrels of whale oil and a new master, Easton. She returned to Britain on 3 October 1819 with 500 casks of whale oil, and another master, Gulliver.

Fate

''Nimrod'' was last listed in ''Lloyd's Register'' and the ''Register of Shipping'' in the volumes for 1820.

Notes

Citations

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eole (1799)
Corvettes of the French Navy
1790s ships
Captured ships
Sloops of the Royal Navy
Whaling ships