Battle of Sand-in Olonne

The battles of Sand-in Olonne puts at the catches, the February 23rd 1809, a division of 3 French frigates (the Calypso , the Cybèle & the Italian ) with part of the English squadron of blockade.

In February 1809, two English, strong divisions each of four vessels and several frigates, blocked the roads of Lorient and the island of Aix; the rear-admiral Willaumez accepted the order to install, to go on Lorient, to attack the enemy and to be made rejoin by the division wet in this port, and that the captain Troude ordered. Willaumez thus left Brest the 21 with eight vessels and two frigates, and appeared the evening in front of Lorient; but the tide prevented the exit of the Troude captain, and the squadron of Brest was not any more in sight, when the frigates Cybile , the Italian and Calypso set sail. The frigates come from Lorient and seek to rejoin the French fleet in front of Rochefort.

This small division under the orders of Pierre Roch Jurien of the Gravel pit arrived the February 23rd at the Pointe of Lomaria of Belle-Île-en-Mer: at once two English corvettes, wet in the Bay of Quiberon, reflect under veils and followed it, and, a few hours after, the watchtower of Calypso announced five vessels and a frigate moving on Lorient. During all the night, the English frigate and one of the corvettes observed the French frigates, having on those the advantage of the wind.

At the point of the day, Jurien was in the sight of the Tour of the Whale, when he saw several vessels with the wind which did not answer the signals that one made them. It was the English frigate and the corvette which let be able to come to pass to poop of Cybèle which was a little under the wind; then the Italian , whom assembled the Jurien captain, transfered of edge to support this already committed frigate with the English. The commander Jurien of the Gravel pit chooses to seek refuge in the roads of the Sand-with Olonne, in the Vendée.

“ One saw, says the report/ratio to the rear-admiral, of the vessels under the wind, and those of the wind which drove out us us had considerably approached. The certainty to be reached soon, decided to us to wet with the Sand-with Olonne; at nine hours and a quarter we let touch the anchor, by making Combossure; at nine hours and half, three vessels, two frigates and a corvette came to attack us there, a vessel of eighty wet by my davit of starboard, with half-range of gun, and the other buildings were held under veils with small range of rifle ”

English, under the command of the admiral Stopford, does not hesitate to face the shallow waters and to risk the stranding to engage the French ships. They acts of 3 linerships, with draft quite higher than that of the French frigates. There are the Caesar (80 guns), the Defiance and the Donegal (74 guns).

It was whereas the combat became terrible, the cables of the Italian and of Cybèle were cut, the fire put at these frigates by the balls of the enemy; and Calypso , which, not to cover the fire of the Italian , have-thread of the cable, was failed, but this event did not delay the fire of the three French frigates.

The English vessel of 80 ceased its fire and was withdrawn, after a three hour old combat, while pursuing on the rocks; its poop offered nothing any more but one vast embrasure. Its captain had been killed. The other vessels which were broken down very-were maltreated by the frigates and the forts. After this combat, the Jurien captain entered the Bridge-of-Sands; he had 64 killed men of his crew and 47 wounded.

The combat will last nearly one hour and half. The frigates counteract the English broadsides crânement. The downward tide will force English with a precipitated retirement.

French will present the business like a victory, having put in escape their adversaries. But the Cybèle , irrevocable, will be demolished. The 2 other frigates, considered to be inapt, will be sold.

Among English, only the Defiance was damaged, being failed by presenting its poop to the guns of the Italian.

Partial source

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