1796 - Amiable and Pensée


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol I

1796

Aimable and Pensee

339

choose her distance, ought to be wholly armed with carronades. The Glatton, had she been of that description, might have succeeded in cutting off one, if not two of her opponents ; and the smallest ship among them would have served to identify the whole of her companions.

On the 22d of July, at 5 p.m., the British 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Aimable, Captain Jemmet Mainwaring, being on a cruise off the island of Guadeloupe, discovered the French 36-gun frigate Pensée coming round the point of land named Englishman's Head. The Aimable immediately hauled to the wind in chase, stretching close in shore, to prevent the Pensée from getting into Anse la-Barque. At 6 h. 35 m. p.m., the weather nearly calm, the two frigates, being then about three miles south of the Hayes and about half that distance from the shore, met and came to action on opposite tacks, but not very closely. At 7 h. 45 m. a breeze sprang up from the eastward, and the Aimable ran down for the purpose of boarding her adversary ; but, just as she had got within half a cable's length of the Pensée's starboard bow, the Aimable was taken aback by the wind from the southward. The Pensée immediately made sail to the northward, and was followed by the Aimable, who succeeded in raking her with the starboard broadside. At 8 h. 10 m. p.m. the firing, which, owing to the distance maintained by the Pensée, had been rather ineffective, ceased ; and the latter, whom the trade-wind had just reached, crowded sail to the west-north-west.

The Aimable continued in chase during the night, and at daylight the next morning, the 23d, discovered the Pensée about seven miles off right ahead. Every effort was now used by Captain Mainwaring to increase the sailing of his ship : the stays were slackened, the wedges of the masts eased, and the guns shifted, to give the vessel her proper trim ; but still the Pensée was getting ahead. At 7 a.m., however, the French frigate shortened sail, and hauled up on the starboard tack under her topsails. The Aimable immediately steered down for her opponent ; who, as if determined this time to fight, backed her mizen topsail occasionally for the former to come up.

At 8 h. 35 m. the Aimable advanced near to the Pensée's weather quarter; and the two captains, in the true spirit of chivalry, exchanged salutes with the hat. But, in another five minutes, the Pensée, as if desirous to evade coming to close action, filled her mizen topsail, and hauled on board her fore and main tacks. Whereupon the Aimable, bearing round up, discharged her starboard broadside into her opponent ; who then bore up also, and the firing became mutual. At 8 h. 50 m. a.m. the Pensée, having ranged ahead, hauled up on the larboard tack, with the intention of raking the Aimable : but the latter, putting her helm a-port, poured a raking broadside into the former. At 8 h. 55 m. a.m. the Pensée, pursued by the

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