On this day 21 March

[7eat51]

On the 21st of March 1800, the HMS Peterel captured two merchants, which were part of a larger convoy, off the coast of Marseille. Both ships were carrying wheat, and sailed away under the command of prize crews. Later in the day, however, the convoy’s escorts attacked the British ship. The Peterel, a 16-gun Pylades-class ship-sloop under the command of Francis William Austen, Jane Austen’s brother, forced the Cerf, a 14-gun corvette, and the Lejoille, a 6-gun xebec on shore. The French were able to recover the Lejoille, but lost the Cerf. Austen then defeated the Ligurienne, a 16-gun brig-sloop, after 90 minutes of fighting without suffering a single casualty.

The Battle between the HMS Peterel and the French Ship Ligurienne:


Francis William Austen:


For more information on today’s event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Peterel_(1794)
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/15255/pages/443

[Volunteer]

This is a great story Eric. Please keep up with the historical anecdotes. I really enjoy them.

[Ship's Cat]

Agreed. Very enjoyable.