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Frigate action of 29 May 1794
The frigate action of 29 May 1794—not to be confused with the much larger fleet action of 29 May 1794 that took place in the same waters at the same time—was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars between a Royal Navy frigate and a French Navy frigate. The action formed a minor part of the Atlantic campaign of May 1794, a campaign which culminated in the battle of the Glorious First of June, and was unusual in that the French ship ''Castor'' had only been in French hands for a few days at the time of the engagement. ''Castor'' had previously been a British ship, seized on 19 May by a French battle squadron in the Bay of Biscay and converted to French service while still at sea. While the main fleets manoeuvered around one another, ''Castor'' was detached in pursuit of a Dutch merchant ship and on 29 May encountered the smaller independently cruising British frigate HMS ''Carysfort''.
Captain Francis Laforey on ''Carysfort'' immediately attacked the larger ship and in an engagement lasting an hour and fifteen minutes successfully forced its captain to surrender, discovering a number of British prisoners of war below decks. ''Castor'' was subsequently taken back to Britain and an extended legal case ensued between the Admiralty and Captain Laforey over the amount of prize money that should be awarded for the victory. Ultimately Laforey was successful, in part due to testimony from the defeated French captain, proving his case and claiming the prize money. The lawsuit did not harm Laforey's career and he later served at the Battle of Trafalgar and became a prominent admiral.
==Background==
During the spring of 1794, the newly declared French Republic faced famine. In an effort to secure the required food supplies, large quantities were ordered from the French American colonies and from the United States, which gathered in a large convoy of merchant vessels off Hampton Roads in Virginia.〔Gardiner, p. 14〕 On 2 April the convoy sailed for Europe under Contre-Admiral Pierre Vanstabel, expecting to meet a squadron under Contre-Admiral Joseph-Marie Nielly on route while the main French Atlantic Fleet under Contre-Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse held off the British Channel Fleet under Lord Howe.〔James, p. 127〕 On 6 May, Nielly's ships sailed from Rochefort and soon passed out of the Bay of Biscay and into the Central Atlantic, where they encountered a British convoy sailing from Newfoundland. The convoy was unprepared for the encounter, and escorted only by the frigate HMS ''Castor'' under Captain Thomas Troubridge.〔James, p. 128〕 Nielly, whose squadron included five ships of the line and several smaller warships, ordered an attack on the convoy and after a brief chase ten merchant ships were captured and ''Castor'' was run down by the ship of the line ''Patriote'', the British vessel offering no resistance in the face of such overwhelming odds.〔Clowes, p. 485〕
Troubridge and most of his crew were removed from their ship and taken aboard Nielly's flagship ''Sans Pareil'', where they remained for the rest of the campaign.〔 〕 They were replaced by 200 French sailors taken from Nielly's squadron, as ''Castor'' was hastily refitted at sea for service with the French Navy. Command was given to Captain L'Huillier, who operated as a scout for Nielly's squadron until 24 May, when he became detached while chasing the Dutch merchant ship ''Maria Gertruda'', which had been separated from a Dutch convoy that had been attacked by Villaret's fleet on 19 May.〔Woodman, p. 43〕 Separated from Nielly's ships, L'Huillier turned back towards Europe with the Dutch ship in tow. While the French fleets and squadrons searched the Eastern Atlantic for the convoy, the Royal Navy was equally active with a number of squadrons and independently sailing warships complementing the main fleet under Lord Howe.〔James, p. 125〕 One such ship was the small 28-gun frigate HMS ''Carysfort'' under Captain Francis Laforey. Laforey was cruising the Eastern Atlantic for signs of the French convoy when on 29 May his lookouts sighted two sails ahead.〔James, p. 205〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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