1799 - Capture of the Santa-Teresa


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1799 Daedalus and Prudente 319

bay ; where, on the 15th, the two ships came to an anchor. The cost of repairing the prize in that country being deemed by the naval commanding officer at the Cape, Captain George Losack of the 50-gun ship Jupiter, more than the ship, although a very fine frigate of her class, was worth, the Prudente was not purchased for the use of the British navy. It would gratify us to he able to state, that the first lieutenant of the Dædalus, who brought in the prize, and whom Captain Ball recommends "in the strongest terms," received the reward usually conferred on first lieutenants, after actions of far less merit than that of the Dædalus and Prudente ; but an admiralty-list before us, of July, 1823, still contains among the lieutenants the name of Nicholas Tucker.

On the 6th of February, at 4 p.m., while the British 44-gun ship Argo, Captain James Bowen, accompanied by the 74-gun ship, Leviathan, Captain John Buchanan, was drawing round the east end of Majorca, under storm stay-sails, with a violent westerly gale, two Spanish frigates were discovered at anchor, near a fortified tower on the south point of the Bahia de Acude. The latter, which were the 34-gun frigates Santa-Teresa and Proserpine, immediately cut their cables and made sail to the north-north-east. The two British ships, as quickly as possible, were under all the canvass they could bear ; under more, indeed, than the Leviathan could, for she presently split her main topsail and dropped astern.

This accident to the largest of their pursuers the two Spanish frigates saw, and, shortly after the close of day, having previously spoken each other, took advantage of, by separating. The Proserpine hauled sharp up to the northward, and the Santa-Teresa, setting her topgallantsails, kept right before the wind. The Argo, selecting the point of sailing in which she excelled, followed the latter, and signalled her consort to alter her course to port in pursuit of the former. But the Leviathan, neither seeing the Proserpine's change of course nor the Argo's signal, continued to follow the latter. At midnight, after having fired her bow-guns for some time previous, the Argo got alongside of the Santa-Teresa ; who, notwithstanding that her small sails had all been cut by shot, or carried away in the chase, and that the Leviathan was at no great distance from her, persevered in her endeavours to get off, not surrendering until she had received, without returning it, the Argo's whole broadside: which wounded two of her men, and did much damage to her rigging.

The Santa-Teresa mounted 34 long Spanish 12 and 6 pounders, and, we believe, eight 24-pounder carronades, total 42 guns, besides swivels and cohorns. She was commanded by Captain don Pablo Perez, with a crew of 280 seamen and marines, besides 250 soldiers, and was stored and victualled for four months. Being a fine ship of 949 tons, and just out of dock, the Santa-Teresa became an acquisition to the class of

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