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The Action of 12 December 1782 was a naval engagement fought off the coast of Spain near Ferrol, in which the British 40-gun fifth rate HMS ''Mediator'' successfully attacked a convoy of five armed ships. ''Mediator'' succeeded in capturing one American privateer, the ''Alexander'', and then captured the French ex-ship of the line ''La Ménagère''. The convoy was part of Pierre Beaumarchais's supply chain to the American colonists. ==Background== The Frenchman Pierre Beaumarchais founded a commercial enterprise, Roderigue Hortalez and Co., supported by France and Spain. The French and Spanish supplied the American rebels with weapons, munitions, clothes, and provisions that would never be paid for. Beaumarchais contracted for the transport of the supplies in convoys. Even so, the Royal Navy captured many of the transport vessels. Baumarchais assembled one convoy in December 1782. He met his captains in Bordeaux and then supervised the loading of his vessels. The plan was to sail for Port-au-Prince, Saint Domingue and then on to America to supply the American colonists.〔(''L’Aimable Eugénie'' )〕 The convoy consisted of five ships. *''Alexander'' was a corvette that Beaumarchais purchased in 1781 a Bordeaux.〔Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2132.〕 She was under the command of Commander Stephen Gregory, who had an American privateer commission issued in France (a "Congress" commission) and sailed under a French ensign and an American pennant. She had a mixed American and French crew of 102 men and was armed with twenty-four long 9-pounder guns. She was of about 500 tons burthen and carried a cargo of stores and provisions. *''Aimable Eugénie'', which was named after Beaumarchais' daughter, was under the command of Nicolas Baudin. She mounted 36 guns and had a crew of 130 men; she was the primary escort for the convoy.〔(''L’Aimable Eugénie'' )〕 Beaumarchais had bought her at Nantes in March 1782 for £t300,000.〔Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2133.〕 *''Ménagère'', which was under the command of François Jérome Foligné-Deschalonges, had a burthen of 600 tons (bm) and was a two decked vessel, launched in 1775 or '76.〔Demerliac (1996), p.210, #2131.〕 She was a former 64-gun ship of the line, and now armed en flûte, with twenty-six 12-pounders on her main deck and four 6-pounders on her forecastle and quarterdeck. She had a crew of 212 men and carried 100 tons of gunpowder plus naval stores and bale goods. *''Dauphin Royal'' was under the command of Antoine Chambert. She was a transport purchased and armed at Bordeaux for the Marine Royale.〔Demerliac (1996). p.192, #1910.〕 She was of 300 tons burthen (bm), armed with twenty-eight guns and carried a crew of 120 men. *The convoy also included an unknown American privateer brig with 14 guns and a crew of 70 men. On 9 December 1782 the convoy sailed from the mouth of the Gironde for the West Indies and from there America.〔(''La Ménagère Beaumarchais Contract'' )〕 On 12 December, at 7:00am, HMS ''Mediator'', under the command of James Luttrell, was sailing off Ferrol when she sighted the convoy.〔Allen, p.351.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Action of 12 December 1782」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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