Coog
08-10-2012, 23:19
On 11 August 1808 the French 16-gun brig Sylphe ,under the command of capitaine de frégate M. Louis Marie Clément, encountered the 18-gun HMS Comet. Sylphe was sailing with Diligente, a 20-gun corvette, and Espiègle, a 16-gun brig, to carry supplies from Lorient to Guadeloupe. The French, under orders to avoid combat, attempted to escape. Diligente out-sailed her two consorts. Comet caught up with the two laggards, with Espiègle ahead. Comet then engaged Sylphe, capturing her near the Île d'Yeu.
In the 20-minute engagement, the French suffered seven men killed and five wounded, most severely; the British had no casualties. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Comet 11 Augt. 1808" to the three surviving claimants from the action. The British took Sylphe into Royal Navy service as HMS Seagull.
In the 20-minute engagement, the French suffered seven men killed and five wounded, most severely; the British had no casualties. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Comet 11 Augt. 1808" to the three surviving claimants from the action. The British took Sylphe into Royal Navy service as HMS Seagull.