PSYCHOLOGICAL DOMINANCE - THE CAPTURE OF l’EGYPTIENNE

[Cmmdre]

Psychological dominance.

It is difficult to read the history of the war at sea during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and not have that phrase constantly cross your mind. Over and over the ships of the British navy attempt extraordinary deeds and succeed. Many times they do so because of courage and daring. Often they succeed because the French, whether on ships or manning coastal defenses, seem to be defeated before the battle is joined.

Take for instance the case of the 36-gun 12-pounder frigate l’Egyptienne.


The frigate l’Egyptienne had begun life in 1779 as the French national frigate Railleuse. At some point she had been hired out to a cartel of Bordeaux merchants as a privateer. She was crewed with some 250 men and sent off to the Caribbean to harry British shipping. Privateers worked under a different set of rules that did a man o’ war. While the captain of a man o’ war might receive fame and honors by prevailing in a slugging match with an enemy warship, or, indeed, by striking his colors after a valiant defense against superior odds, the captain of a privateer avoided combat at all costs. His mission was to take prizes so the ship’s owners could make a profit and unlike a man o’ war which would be repaired in a naval dockyard, a privateer had to be repaired at the expense of the owner.

On March 23, 1804, HMS Osprey (18) under the command of Commander George Younghusband was cruising off the Windward Islands and spotted four strange sails. He altered course to investigate. Coming within hail, I have to admit that I never cease to be amazed at this means of identifying friend and foe, Younghusband ascertained that he was facing l’Egyptienne and three merchantmen she was escorting. This bit of information coming to him by way of a broadside l’Egyptienne fired in answer to his hail.

This set off a battle that lasted about an hour and twenty minutes at which time l’Egyptienne broke off the action and fled. Osprey pursued banging away with her 6-pounder chase guns but her rigging was so damaged that she was soon left behind. Osprey lost one man killed and 16 wounded, l’Egyptienne suffered 8 dead and 18 wounded.

Two days later l’Egyptienne encountered HMS Hippomenes (14) under the command of Commander Conway Shipley. l’Egyptienne was still damaged from her encounter with Osprey and tried to avoid combat. A chase ensued and after 54 hours, Shipley brought her within range of his French 8 pounder (equivalent to the long nine) chase guns. For the next three hours and twenty minutes Hippomenes kept l’Egyptienne under fire. When Hippomenes caught up and it was obvious that an exchange of broadsides would result, l’Egyptienne struck. The cost was one many lightly wounded on Hippomenes.

In all fairness, one understands why l’Egyptienne tried to break off the action with Osprey on the 23rd. It might not have been the best decision, once Osprey was within hail a fight was going to take place and once the fight began l’Egyptienne was no longer able to avoid being damaged by any means other than winning quickly, but it was defensible to one degree or another from a privateer’s standpoint.

When l’Egyptienne encountered Hippomenes the calculus had dramatically changed. She couldn’t outrun Hippomenes so a fight was inevitable. Even if l’Egyptienne had believed up until the first 8-pound (avoirdupois weight) ball whistled overhead that she could outrun Hippomenes, at that point she had to fight. The decision to strike to a significantly smaller vessel without a fight verges on the inexplicable… if once doesn’t consider that the French expected to lose as much as the British expected to win.

See more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hippomenes_(1803)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptienne_(ship)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_...illeuse_(1779)

Reprinted from.
http://ageofsail.wordpress.com/2009/...f-legyptienne/

[Naharaht]

It is truly amazing that l’Egyptienne did not fight harder. It is like a terrier scaring a big dog.

[csadn]

One factor I've seen repeatedly in commerce-raider ships: There is a progressive collapse of discipline as combat after combat is avoided, such that when a fight becomes unavoidable late in the cruise, the commerce-raider's demise is almost assured.

[Cmmdre]

One factor I've seen repeatedly in commerce-raider ships: There is a progressive collapse of discipline as combat after combat is avoided, such that when a fight becomes unavoidable late in the cruise, the commerce-raider's demise is almost assured.

The capture of the Jeune Richard was the result of a naval engagement that took place in the Caribbean on 1 October 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, between the British packet ship Windsor Castle, and the French privateer Jeune Richard. Early on the morning of 1 October a sail was sighted, and by half past eight the mystery ship was piling on sail to catch the packet. Identifying her as a privateer schooner, Rogers attempted to outrun the enemy, but she continued to close and he realised he would be compelled to fight. His enemy was the Jeune Richard, carrying six long 6-pounder guns and one long 18-pounder gun, a considerably heavier weight of shot than the Windsor Castle. The Jeune Richard also had a crew of 92, over three times that of the British packet.

Rogers prepared for action, and stood by to sink the mail should it become necessary to keep it out of enemy hands. By noon the Jeune Richard had closed the distance, and running up the French colours, she opened fire. The Windsor Castle returned fire, at which the French called on Rogers to surrender. He refused, so the Jeune Richard ran alongside the Windsor Castle deploying grappling irons, and attempted to board. The Windsor Castle′s crew mustered with pikes and repelled the boarders, killing or wounding between eight and ten of the French. The Jeune Richard′s crew attempted to cut the lines and pull away but the Windsor Castle′s main yard remained locked in the privateer's rigging, holding the two ships together.
The fighting continued for several hours, but by 3pm one of the Windsor Castle′s 9-pounder carronades had been brought up on deck and loaded with double grape, canister and 100 musket balls. When the French made another attempt to force their way aboard, this was discharged to great effect, sweeping the privateer's decks and causing considerable casualties and damage. Rogers then led five of his men onto the Jeune Richard and forced the French from their guns, driving them below after a fierce fight and securing control of the privateer. With the French crew trapped below but still considerably greater in number than the small British force that had control of the decks, Rogers ordered each Frenchman up on deck one at a time, where they were then placed in irons.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture..._Jeune_Richard
http://www.sailsofglory.org/showthre...light=milk+run