On this day 8 August - a cutting out expedition
On the 8th of August 1808, a cutter and jolly boat from the HMS Porcupine - 24-gun post ship under the command of Henry Duncan - cutout the Concepcion from the island of Pianosa, near the coast of Tuscany, Italy. The expedition was led by Lieutenant Francis Smith. The Concepcion, a 4-gun ship, was under the protection of a tower, a 6-gun shore battery, and soldiers and one of its cannons which were positioned ashore.
For more on today's event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Porcupine_(1807)