"Frigate Duel 1782: HMS Santa Margarita and L’Amazone " Topic
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Tango01 | 19 Nov 2016 10:17 p.m. PST |
"In reading about warfare in the Age of Fighting Sail one is invariably impressed by the aggression and sheer bloody-minded will to win that characterised the Royal Navy. These were the factors that regularly brought victory even when the odds seemed stacked against British ships and the enemy, usually French or Spanish, never seems to have had the same single-minded focus on prevailing. Only in the War of 1812, when Britain again confronted the United States, did the Royal Navy consistently encounter enemies with the same ruthless commitment to victory. These thoughts came to me this week when leafing again through the Victorian classic, "Deeds of Naval Daring" by Admiral Edward Giffard (1812-1867), and came on an action I had not previously known of. This was a duel between equally-matched British and French frigates, HMS Santa Margarita, an ex-Spanish prize, and the French L'Amazone. As an aside I might mention that Giffard gives the date as 29th July 1781, whereas a note on the National Maritime Museum's website clearly identifies it as occurring exactly one year later, in 1782. It's notable that Giffard also referred to the "Santa Margaretta" rather than "Santa Margarita". The difference in naming is not significant but that of the date is. Built for the Spanish navy in 1774, the Santa Margarita had been captured off Lisbon in November 1779. Take into British service, she was refitted in 1780/81 and sent in June 1781, under the command of Captain Elliot Salter, to join a squadron off the American coast…" Main page link Amicalement Armand |
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