1811 - Manly with Loland and consorts

Contents

Next Page

Previous Page

10 Pages >>>

10 Pages <<<

1811 Light Squadrons and Single Ships 348

chase of the Chanticleer, came up to the assistance of the Loland. The Sampsoe placed herself on the Manly's larboard bow ; and the Alsen, taking the station of the Loland, who had tacked to get on her opponent's starboard quarter, lay on the Manly's starboard beam. Thus hemmed in, and having had her head-sails all shot away since the commencement of the action, her standing and running rigging cut to pieces, her remaining sails reduced to tatters, her two masts and bowsprit badly wounded, and four of her guns dismounted, the Manly hauled down her colours.

Although, as the Danish official account states, the Manly was much crippled, and there was no part of her hull but had more or less suffered, she came out of the action with so comparatively slight a loss, as one seaman killed, and one seaman and two marines dangerously wounded. All three Danish brigs received some trifling damage in their sails and rigging ; but the Loland alone is admitted to have sustained any loss, and that was only one man killed. The Danish Captain Holm, with a feeling that establishes him for a brave man, says in his letter to Rear-admiral Lufkin : " It must be confessed, that it reflect. much honour on the commander of the Manly to have made such a resistance." And it is really a question, in our view of the subject, whether more honour was not gained by the loss of the Manly, than by the escape of the Chanticleer. Lieutenant Simmonds, when subsequently tried for the loss of his brig, was not only most honourably acquitted, but received from the president of the court, Captain Richard Lee, when the latter returned him his sword, a very handsome eulogium on his conduct.

Before we quit the subject of Danish brigs of war, we will submit a remark or two upon the nature of their armament. From the concurrent testimony of all the British officers who have been engaged with them, the Langland, Lougen, Loland, and other Danish brigs of that class, carried " long 18-pounders ; " and, if we are not mistaken, we have seen the same caliber of guns mentioned in some of the Danish official accounts. We strongly suspect, however, that the gun was not the " long 18-pounder, " as usually understood by that term, but a sort of medium gun, not much longer nor much heavier than a Danish carronade of the same, or at all events of a 32-pound, caliber. Our opinion is founded upon the fact, that 18 long English 18-pounders, with their carriages, weigh about 856 cwt. ; while 18 carronades, 32-pounders, with their slides and carriages, weigh but 415 cwt. The British brig that carries the latter measures about 382 tons, and therefore the Danish brig that could carry the former would measure at least 600 tons. Now the largest brig of war, which the British have taken from the Danes, was the Gluckstadt, and she measured but 338 tons. Her force, as well as that of the seven or eight other Danish

^ back to top ^