9 September

[Anav]

1825 - USS Brandywine sails for France to carry the Marquis de Lafayette home after his yearlong visit to America.
1841 - First iron ship authorized by Congress.

[David Manley]

Born this day in 1776, Philip Broke, later to become captain of HMS Shannon

[Coog]

On 9 September 1813 10-gun cutter HMS Alphea, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas William Jones, encountered, south-west of Start Point, the French 14-gun privateer cutter Renard, under the command of French captain Leroux-Desrochettes, and owned by the legendary Robert Surcouf. Renard was armed with eight 8-pounder carronades and four 4-pounder guns and had a crew of 50 men; Alphea had 41 or 36.

Renard approached, but then retreated when she realized that Alphea was a man of war. The chase began at 5pm but Alphea was not able to get close until 1 a.m., when she began to fire her bow chasers. The two vessels exchanged broadsides and at one point Alphea repulsed a boarding attempt, causing heavy casualties to the French. The action continued until At 3:30 a.m. when the Alphea suddenly exploded. (There was speculation that the cause was hand grenades thrown from Renard that exploded in the magazine.)

There were no reported survivors. (The French reported seeing four men in the water, but they disappeared before Renard could reach them. French accounts report that Renard could not maneuver in the calm winds and the men in the water, having been blinded by the explosion, could not swim toward her.)

Renard lost five men killed and 31 wounded, including her captain, Leroux-Desrochettes, who had an arm shot away and later died of his injuries. Renard returned to France with only 13 able-bodied men.