French brig Adèle
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
| |
| Name: | Adèle |
| Namesake: | Adele |
| Captured: | 1800, 1807 |
| General characteristics (Adèle 1) | |
| Displacement: | 120–130 tons |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 20–22 (officers, cadets, seamen) |
| Armament: | 12 guns |
| Armour: | Timber |
| General characteristics (Adèle 2) | |
| Displacement: | 280 tons |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 150? |
| Armament: | 10 guns |
| Armour: | Timber |
Adèle was a late 18th century, early 19th century French brig, privateer. The name is associated with two, possibly three, separate vessels. The Adèle was captured twice by the Royal Navy.
Construction
The first, or possibly second, Adèle was built in Mauritius and registered and owned by the firm of Merle, Cabot & Co.[1] It was described as a "beautiful little vessel (….) recently fitted out at Nantz, well found, and invert respect qualified for the service she was intended to perform".[2]
One version of the Adèle was armed with 12 guns (10 x 4 pounders, 2 x 6 pounders), but another with 10 guns (8 x 12-pounder carronades, 2 x 12-pounder long guns). In the latter case, the vessel was "pierced for eighteen guns".[3]
History
On 12 November 1800, the English brig-sloop HMS Albatross captured Adèle, which was under the command of Nicolas Surcouf.[4] Adèle lost six killed and thirteen wounded during the engagement; on board the Albatross one marine and one seaman (from HMS Braave) were killed, and six men were wounded (one of whom belonged to Braave and one to HMS Centurion).[2]
In 1803 the Adèle (the same as captured in 1800 or possibly another vessel), sailed from the Isle de France (now Mauritius), to Port Jackson, New Holland, under the command of Louis Ruault Coutance, a former naval officer (Lieutenant de vaisseau). Her cargo consisted of 4,000 gallons of rum, 430 gallons of Cape wine, together with 6,000 lbs of sugar, 40 casks of meat, 11 anchors, a case of jewellery and a considerable quantity of cloth.[1] She arrived at Port Jackson on 16 July 1803, and left on 4 September to return to Martinique.[5]
On 5 December 1807, HMS Russell captured Adèle.[3] Captain Caulfield, of Russell, reported that he had captured Adèle in the Indian Ocean, about 135 km off the coast of Burma (17°05′N 93°13′E / 17.083°N 93.217°E). Adèle had sailed from Isle de France on 14 July, and carried "seven months water and provisions for one hundred and fifty men".[3]
References
- 1 2 Edward Duyker (1987) Coutance and the Voyage of the Adele. Explorations, no 4, March 1987, pp 21–25.
- 1 2 Extract of Particulars relative to the Engagement between the Albatross and L'Adele. The Asiatic Annual Register or, A View of history of Hindustan, and of the politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia, for the year 1801. London: J. Debrett, Piccadilly, and T. Cadell Jun. & W. Davies, Strand. 1802, (p.48).
- 1 2 3 The London Gazette: no. 16172. pp. 1126–1127. 16 August 1808.
- ↑ Capture of L'Adele French Privateer. Naval Chronicle (Vol. 6: July to December 1801), p.339.
- ↑ "Arrival of Vessels at Port Jackson, and their Departure". Australian Town and Country Journal, Saturday 3 January 1891, p.16. Retrieved 4 February 2012.