On this day 8 March

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On the 8th of March 1808, the HMS St. Fiorenzo concluded a three-day intermittent engagement with the Piémontaise, a French 40-gun frigate under the command of Lieutenant de vaisseau Charles Moreau. Days earlier, the Piémontaise had been attacking British merchants when the Fiorenzo, under the command of Captain George Nicholas Hardinge, spotted her. A pursuit ensued with periodic gunfire being exchanged. On the 8th, both ships met for their final duel. An hour and twenty minutes later, the French ship surrendered having run out of ammunition and having sustained significant casualties. Though the British 38 gunner faired better, it lost its captain during one of the Piémontaise's broadsides. Lieutenant William Dawson assumed command of both ships, freeing British prisoners taken from previous prizes. The French ship was subsequently renamed HMS Piedmontaise.

Captain George Nicholas Hardinge:


HMS St. Fiorenzo vs. French frigate Piémontaise:







For more information on today's event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Nicholas_Hardinge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_St_Fiorenzo_(1794)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_...ontaise_(1804)