1794, England
Corvette, captured from the French fleet, recaptured the H.M.S. Hermione from mutiny and made famous in “Master and Commander”.
Originally, she was a French navy corvette named “Unité”, built in Le Havre in 1794. She was the lead ship of her class and was armed with 24 eight-pound guns.
She was ...
1794, England
Corvette, captured from the French fleet, recaptured the H.M.S. Hermione from mutiny and made famous in “Master and Commander”.
Originally, she was a French navy corvette named “Unité”, built in Le Havre in 1794. She was the lead ship of her class and was armed with 24 eight-pound guns.
She was captured in 1796 in Bona (Algeria) by the British Royal Navy frigate H.M.S. Inconstant and was renamed H.M.S. Surprise and re-armed with 28 guns.
In 1799 she famously recaptured the H.M.S. Hermione in Puerto Cabello (Venezuela) whose crew had mutinied. Captain Edward Hamilton leading a boarding party sneaked into the harbour, boarded the H.M.S. Hermione and sailed away under heavy Spanish gunfire.
She is currently famous thanks to the novel of author Patrick O’Brian which relates the feats of Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey which were filmed in “Master and Commander”.
Since 2004 her replica is berthed in the Maritime museum of San Diego.
