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PELLEW to THE ADMIRALTY BOARD
Indefatigable, Falmouth. 17th January, 1797
Sir, - I have the honour to make
known to you for the information of the Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty that on Friday last the 13th instant, in latitude
47o 30' N, Ushant bearing NE 50 leagues, we discovered at half-past
noon a large ship in the NW quarter, steering under easy sail for
France. The wind was then at west, blowing hard, with thick hazy
weather. I instantly made the signal to the Amazon for a general
chase, and follow'd it by the signal that the chase was an enemy.
At 4 P.M. the Indefatigable had gained sufficiently upon the
chase for me to distinguish very clearly that she had two tier of
guns, with her lower deck ports shut. She had no poop, and
according to my judgement she was a French ship en razée. At a
quarter before 5 I observed with considerable regret that she had
carried away her fore and topmasts. The Indefatigable at the same
instant lost her steering-sail booms. The ship at this time was
going 11 or 12 knots, blowing very hard and a great sea. I
foresaw from this that the escape of the enemy under her lower
masts only in a stormy night of 14 hours continuance, should her
defence prove obstinate, was very possible, and I believed as a
ship of large force that she would be reduced to persevere in her
resistance from the expectation that we should be apprehensive of
entangling ourselves upon a lee shore with the wind dead upon it.
The instant she lost her topmasts I reduced my sails to close
reef'd topsails, and at 15 minutes before 6 we brought the enemy
to close action, which continued to be well supported on both
sides near an hour, when we unavoidably shot ahead. At this
moment the Amazon appeared astern, and gallantly supplied our
place, but the eagerness of Captain Reynolds to second his friend
had brought him up under a press of sail, and after a well-supported
and close fire for a little time, he unavoidably shot ahead also.
The enemy, who had nearly effected running me on board, appear'd
to be much larger than the Indefatigable, and from her very heavy
fire of musketry I believe was very full of men. The fire was
continued until the end of the action with great vivacity altho'
she frequently defended both sides of the ship at once.
As soon as we had replaced some necessary rigging, and the Amazon
had reduced her sail, we commenced a second attack, placing
ourselves after some raking broadsides upon each quarter, and
this attack, often within pistol shot, was by both ships un remitted for above 5 hours. Then we sheer'd off to secure our
masts. It would be needless to relate to their lordships every
effort that we make in an attack which commenced at a quarter
before 6 P.M. and ceased not but at intervals until half-past 4 A.M.
Night actions should not be inconsiderably engaged in, but in
this instance everything was to be hazarded or the escape of the
enemy was absolutely certain, and altho' she was running for her
own ports, yet the confidence I felt in my own knowledge of the
coast of France forbade me to listen for a moment to any
suggestions of danger there from. I placed also some considerable
reliance that her commander would not voluntarily sacrifice his
ship and his crew by running her for a dangerous part of the
coast, and I promised myself to see the day before we should have
run down our distance. But in fact every creature was too
earnestly and too hardily at work to attend exactly to the run of
the ship, and I believe 10 hours or more severe fatigue was
scarcely every experienced. The sea was high, the people on the
main deck were up to their middles in water, some guns broke
their breechings four times over, and some drew the ring-bolts
from the sides, and many of them were repeatedly drawn
immediately after loading. All our masts were much wounded, and
the maintop mast completely unrigg'd, and saved only by uncommon
alacrity.
At about 20 minutes past 4 the moon opening rather brighter than
before, showed to Lieutenant George Bell, who was watchfully
looking out on the forecastle, a glimpse of land. He had scarcely
reached me to report it when we saw the breakers; we were then
close under the enemy's starboard bow, and the Amazon as near
upon the larboard. Not an instant could be lost, and every life
depended upon the prompt execution of my orders, and here it is
with heartfelt pleasure I acknowledge the full value of my
officers and ship's company who, with incredible alacrity, hauled
the tacks on the board, and made sail to the southward. The land
could not be ascertained, but we took it to be Ushant, and in the
Bay of Brest, crippled as we were, I had no particular fears; but
before day we again saw breakers upon the lee bow; the ship was
instantly wore to the northward, and myself satisfied that the
land we had before seen was not Ushant. The lingering approach of
daylight was most anxiously look'd for by all, and soon after it
opened we saw the land very close ahead. We again wore to the
southward in 20 fathoms water, and in a few minutes after
discovered the enemy, who had so bravely defended herself, laying
on her broadside, and a tremendous surf beating over her; and the
miserable fate of her brave but unhappy crew was perhaps the more
sincerely lamented by us from the apprehensions of suffering a
similar misfortune. We passed her within a mile in a very bad
condition, with 4 feet of water in the hold, a great sea, and the
wind dead on the shore; but we ascertained to a certainty our
situation to be that of Audierne Bay, and our fate depended upon
the possible chance of weathering the Pennmark Rocks. Exhausted
as we were with fatigue, every exertion was made, and every inch
of canvas set that could be carried, and at 11 A.M. we made the
breakers, and by the blessing of God weather'd the Pennmark Rocks
about half a mile.
The Amazon had haul'd her wind to the northward when we did to
the southward; her condition I think was better than ours, and I
knew that her activity and exertions were fully equal to them.
The judgement with which she was managed during so long an action
and the gallantry of her attacks could not but warm the bosom of
every spectator, and to the heart of a friend it was particularly
delightful. I have full as much reason to speak highly of my own
officers and men, to whom I owe infinite obligation, the
Lieutenants Thomson, Norway, and Bell, Lieutenants O'Connor and
Wilson of the Marines, and Mr. Thomson the master, have abundant
claims upon my gratitude as well as every inferior officer in the
ship.
The sufferings of the Amazon are unknown to me. I am singularly
happy to say that my own is inconsiderable. The first lieutenant,
Mr. Thomson, a brave and worthy officer, is the only one of that
description wounded, with eighteen men, twelve of which number
have wounds of no serious consequence, consisting chiefly of
violent contusions from splinters. I have the honor to enclose
the minutes of this action with a state of the damages sustained
therein, and shall in a few days proceed to Plymouth to be ready
to receive their lordships' orders for the repair of the said
defects, and am, with great respect, Sir,
Your most obedient and humble servant
Ed. Pellew.
