HMS Alexander (1796)

''HMS Alexander'' was the French privateer schooner ''Alexandre'' that the British Royal Navy captured in 1796, purchased, and took into service as a ship's tender to , and later a troopship. She was the victor in two single-ship actions against opponents of equal or greater force. The Navy sold her in 1802.

Capture

On 1 April , Captain William Cayley, was escorting a convoy to the West Indies. They encountered the French privateer ''Alexander'', and her prize, the Portuguese vessel "''Signior Montcalm''", and captured them at (). ''Alexander'' was armed with ten guns and had a crew of 65 men under the command of M. Petre Edite. She was ten days out of Nantz. "''Signior Montcalm''" had been sailing from Lisbon to the when ''Alexander'' had captured her.

The convoy was so near Madeira that Cayley sent the prize there under escort by , with ''Albacore'' under orders to attempt to regain the convoy. Cayley decided to take ''Alexander'' with him. Six vessels ultimately shared the prize money for ''Alexander'' and the salvage money for the Portuguese vessel ''Nostra Signora del Monte del Carmo''. The six were ''Invincible'', , ''Prompte'', the bomb , ''Albacore'', and ''Grampus''.

Career

Admiral Henry Harvey, commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station, decided to use the captured vessel as a tender to his flagship . Different records give her name as ''Alexander'', ''Alexandrian'', or ''Alexandria''.

Harvey appointed Master Peter Giles Pickernell to command ''Alexandria''. According to a biography, he commanded her for four years. In her he spent much of his time carrying despatches for Admiral Harvey, and then later Harvey's successor Lord Hugh Seymour. However, it is also clear that there was apparently a break in his command.

''Alexandria'' and Pickerell were apparently at the capture of Trinidad (21 February 1797), the unsuccessful attack on Puerto Rico (17 April 1797).

During at least part of the second half of 1797 ''Alexander'' was under the command of Lieutenant William Wood Senhouse. Harvey sent ''Alexandrian'' out in quest of some privateers that were reported off Martinique. On 15 August 1797 she encountered the French privateer ''Coq'' of six guns and 36 men. After an engagement of three-quarters of an hour, ''Le Coq'' struck. She had lost two men killed and five wounded. That same evening ''Alexandrian'' attacked another, larger schooner. After a running fight, the French vessel escaped in the darkness.

In September ''Alexander'' delivered dispatches to the Governor of Demerara and to Captain Jemmett Mainwaring of , after which Senhouse sailed for Barbados. At daylight on 4 October ''Alexandria'' was some five or six leagues west of Barbados when she sighted a schooner in pursuit of an American brig. By 9:00am Senhouse was able to bring the schooner, which proved to be the French privateer ''Epicharis'', to action. After 50 minutes the privateer struck. ''Epicharis'' was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 74 men. ''Alexander'' lost one man killed, and four wounded, one mortally. The French had at least four men killed and 12 wounded; Senhouse believed that French casualties were greater, and based his count of 74 men on ''Epicharis'' on the number of men actually counted after she struck.

Harvey designated Pickerell an Acting Lieutenant in May 1798. During his period of command of ''Alexandria'', she also captured several privateers. Pickerell's biographical entry gives the number as six or seven. The most important occurred on 9 October 1799 when he captured a privateer of eight guns and 70 men after an engagement that lasted three-quarters of an hour. That same day Seymour had confirmed Pickerell's appointment as a lieutenant.

''Alexander''s subsequent career is currently obscure. She was at the capture of Suriname (20 August 1799), and at Demerara. On 12 September, 1800, under command of Lt. John Morrell, she made contact with USS Philadelphia between Deserada and Antigua. In March 1801 the tender ''Alexandria'' supported the capture of the Danish Virgin Islands, and particularly Saint Thomas, by Lieutenant-General Thomas Trigge and Rear Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth. There she covered the landing of the troops. ''Alexander'' was also at Tortola on 2 April 1801.

Disposal

The Navy sold ''Alexander'' in 1802.

Notes

Citations

References

*
*La Nicollière-Teijeiro, Stephane (1896) ''Course et les corsaires du Port de Nantes: armements, combats, prises, pirateries, etc''. (Honoré Champion).
*O’Byrne, William R. (1849) ''A naval biographical dictionary: comprising the life and services of every living officer in Her Majesty's navy, from the rank of admiral of the fleet to that of lieutenant, inclusive''. (London: J. Murray).
*Pérotin-Oumon, Anne (1996) "Commerce et Travail dans les Ville Coloniales des Lumieres: Basse-Terre et Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadaloupe", in François-Xavier Emmanuelli, ''Les Européens et les Espaces Océaniques au XVIIIe Siècle'' (Paris: Société française d'Histoire d'Outre Mer).
*Steel, David (1805) ''Steel's Prize Pay Lists; new series ... Corrected to the first of April, 1805''. (P. Steel).
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander (1796)
1790s ships
Privateer ships of France
Captured ships
Schooners of the Royal Navy