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Chronologie der europäischen Seekriege 1793 - 1815 Band 1 : Von 1793 bis zum Frieden von Amiens 1802 von Thomas Siebe Sprache: Deutsch Broschiert - 224 Seiten - BoD ISBN 978-3-8423-2883-9 Erschienen: September 2010 Bei AMAZON bestellen Mehr Infos Beispiel-Seiten Beispiel 1 - Beispiel 2 - Beispiel 3 |
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Die
folgenden Extrakte des offiziellen Berichts von Commander Charles
Dashwood an Admiral Cornwallis sind der NAVAL CHRONICLE von 1801, Band
6, und der ROYAL NAVAL BIOGRAPHY, Band 2, London 1824, von John
Marshall, entnommen. Die Extrakte weichen jedoch leicht
voneinander ab. Rot gekennzeichnet sind die Abweichungen aus der
CHRONICLE, blau und in eckigen Klammern hervorgehoben sind die
Abweichnungen aus der BIOGRAPHY. In brauner Schrift erscheinen die
interessanten Fussnoten Marshalls.
Dashwoods
Bericht über das Gefecht vom 31. Juli 1801
SYLPH,
at sea, August 1, 1801.
Sir - I have the honour of acquainting you,
that being off St. Andero with his Majesty's sloop
[brig] under my direction [command], [ in obedience to my orders,]
I last evening gave chase to an armed schooner, then standing to the N.
E. ; but before there was a possibility of arriving up with her, a
large frigate was discovered close under the land, standing towards us,
to whom the schooner fled for refuge. Unwilling to quit the station you
assigned me, I stood towards them, but as the night approached, and
observing them to be undismayed by the appearance of the Sylph, with no
probability of gaining the wind (for
they were directly in the wind's eye), at a little after
sunset I shortened sail, hove to, and prepared for battle, there to wait the result.
At this time the hull of the frigate was clearly discernible. The light
airs from the southward did not permit her to arrive up till eleven
o'clock, at which period, from her not answering the private signal,
and being within half gun-shot, I gave directions to commence the
action ; the enemy bearing down in a silent and most masterly manner, instantly returned it,and soon closed to
within that of a pistol [soon
came within hail].
At this distance, and being precisely abreast of each other, the battle
continued with equal vigour for one hour and twenty minutes; when
finding the sails, standing, and almost all the running, rigging cut to
pieces, one gun dismounted, several shot between wind and
water,
and the brig in an unmanageable state, I conceived it most advisable to
edge away a little to repair the damages we had sustained. I was the
more inclined to act thus, not from any advantage the enemy had gained
over us, but from his [her] position,
which was admirably calculated for boarding, and which I was naturally
anxious to avoid, I soon, however, perceived she was not in a situation
even to follow us ; I [and] consequently hove to,[.] and
the remaining part of the night we were busily employed in putting the
Sylph in a situation to
maintain her station ; at
day-light the enemy was found six or seven miles ahead, and to
windward, with his [her] fore-yard on deck, and [apparently] otherwise damaged, not having any head sail set but his
foretop-mast stay-sail.
Seeing her in this situation, I conceived it my duty to endeavour to
renew the action, and therefore made all sail possible, wearing
occasionally (for I dare not venture to tack), for that purpose, but
before I could accomplish it, the
enemy, having swayed up his fore yard, wore at seven o'clock,
[the enemy´s ship swayed
up her fore-yard, wore,] and made all sail for the land.
The wind having, however, in the
course of the night changed in a violent squall [during the night] to the N. W. with every appearance
of blowing, and a rising sea, and finding the main-mast to be severely wounded, with
the momentary expectation of its going over the side, the sloop [brig] making a foot and a half
water an hour, together with the enemy's great superiority, [she] having fourteen [14] ports of aside on [on
each side of]
her main-deck, exclusive of the bridle, and evidently carrying 44 or 46
guns, I found it impossible to follow her with the most distant hope of
success, and accordingly wore and stood to the northward, which, I
trust, will meet your approbation. I beg permission to remark, that
although the British colours were kept flying from the break of day to
the moment of the enemy's wearing and standing to the southward, yet he [she]
carefully avoided showing his
[hers];
I am, therefore, at a loss to know whether she was a French or Spanish
frigate, though I am inclined to think, from various circumstances, she
belongs to France. Although I lament exceedingly the loss of one [1] man killed, and nine [9] wounded, three [3] of whom I much fear are dangerously so,
yet it is a
consolation
to reflect that more mischief was not done, considering the situation
of the two vessels, which can only be attributed to their unceasing
exertions to disable us [* Fussnote
von Marschall : The
Sylph´s main-mast was shot through in several places. Upwards
to
250 large shot passed through her boom-maissail alone.].
Anmerkung
von Seeschlacht.tk: Es
gibt einige Indizien im Text, die nahelegen, dass der
ursprüngliche Text Dashwoods sowohl in der CHRONICLE
als auch
in Marshalls Publikation zumindest gekürzt wurde und zwar in
beiden Versionen an unterschiedlichen Stellen. Damit wäre
keine
der beiden Versionen identisch mit dem Bericht, den Admiral Cornwallis
und die Admiralität ursprünglich in die
Hände bekamen.
Die interessanteste Diskrepanz beider Versionen sind die Angaben zur
Gefechtsdistanz. Die CHRONICLE-Version spricht von Pistolenschussweite,
die Marshall-Version von "within hail", innerhalb von Rufweite also.
Mindestens einer der beiden Autoren bzw. Dashwood selbst haben also
hier die Aussage der
Passage verändert, mit welcher Absicht auch immer.
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The Naval History of Great Britain: During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
von William James, Andrew Lambert Sprache: Englisch Gebunden - 568 Seiten - Stackpole Books Erscheinungsdatum: März 2003 |
Dashwoods
Bericht über das Gefecht vom 28. September 1801
SYLPH,
at sea, September 29,
1801.
Sir - I have the honour to acquaint you, that
yesterday afternoon I gave chase, in
his Majesty's sloop under my directions, to a sail in the
N. W., Cape Pinas bearing south, distance forty-two [42] leagues.
Although before sun-set I clearly discovered her to be a French frigate
(each having hoisted their
respective colours) [* Fussnote von
Marschall : The
enemy´s ship in this occasion displayed her colours.] ,
of a large description, having fifteen ports of a side on her
main-deck, and evidently carrying 44 or 46 guns, yet confident of
support from the well known bravery of my Officers and crew; I
determined to engage the enemy, notwithstanding her superior force, I
therefore made the necessary arrangements for bringing her to close
acion. After various manoeuvres, in which each ship endeavoured to gain
the wind, and which were executed under a press of sail, and some heavy
broadsides were given and received on thrice passing each other, within
a little more than the length of the Sylph, yet, by the silent
attention to, and by
the prompt execution of my orders, I was enabled, at half past seven
o'clock, to place the sloop [brig]
within pistol-shot on his [her]
weather bow, when being reduced to commanding canvas, a most
severe conflict took place, which continued without intermission, and
with increased vigour on the part of his Majesty's seamen, for two
hours and five minutes, when the enemy wore and made sail on the
opposite tack. I was most assiduously anxious to maintain the position
I had laboured to obtain, conceiving it best calculated for annoying
the enemy, with the least risk to ourselves, and had the good fortune
to succeed to the very last moment, the enemy appearing appalled at the
astonishing fire we kept up, never daring [dared]
to advance ; and on his
frequently
edging away to bring his broadside to bear, so was the Sylph edged away
accordingly, by which means, and their unceasing exertions [endeavours] to disable us, I
attribute[d] our
extreme good fortune in having only Mr. Lionel Carey, Midshipman,
slightly wounded
[* Fussnote von Marschall :
The
gentleman alluded to above. The other officers mentioned by Captain
Dashwood in those letters, were Mr. Burgess, the first Lieutenant;
Messrs. Watts (acting Lieutenant),
Allward (the Master), and John Mitchell (Master´s Mate); the
whole of whom he highly commended.].
Thus
having evidently the advantage, and having most effectually beaten her
off, I would have followed up the blow, had their been even a distant
chance of succeeding, but finding
the sails, standing
and running rigging cut to pieces, the
maintop-mast very severely
[badly]
wounded, and by an unfortunate shot completely unrigged, without the
possibility of setting any sail on it, rendered a pursuit
imprafticable. I therefore got up another mast, and having repaired the
various damages we had sustained, I have great pleasure in stating,
that at day-light his Majesty's sloop was in a situation to renew the
contest, had the enemy been in sight. Having received certain
information since my return to the [this]
station you honoured me,
that the ship which the Sylph was engaged with some time since (the particulars of which I had the honour
of transmitting to you in my letter of the ist of August last),
was the French frigate L'Artemise, of 44 guns and 350 men, so I can
with equal truth pronounce this to be the same, from the many
corresponding observations which I made. She had then twenty [20] men killed and forty [40] wounded, and was obliged
to return to St. Andero to refit [* Fussnote von
Marschall : The
French journals of that period also stated, that the Captain of her was
tried by a court-martial, and condemned to be shot, for his conduct on
that occasion; which sentence Buonaparte approved and ordered to be
carried into execution.];
and from the disordered state which she was in
on her [when]
making off, I have the stongest reason to suppose she has [now]
met with a similar fate, particularly as a number of lights and men
were seen hanging over her bows, from which I infer she must have
received considerable damage, and I think there is every probability of
some of his Majesty's frigates falling in with her, as I unluckily
parted with the Immortalite a few hours before [* Fussnote von
Marschall : L'Artemise was destroyed, after having been
chased on shore near Brest, by a part of the British blockading
squadron, in 1809.].
Anmerkung von Seeschlacht.tk: Auch
im zweiten Bericht Dashwoods fällt es schwer, zu sagen, ob es
sich
um, wenn überhaupt, bei einer der beiden Versionen um den
Originalbericht handelt.
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Der Schiffbruch der Fregatte Medusa. Ein dokumentarischer Roman aus dem Jahr 1818
Die berühmte Höllenfahrt der Überlebenden der MEDUSA, |
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SEESCHLACHT.TK - Das Buch
Napoleons gefallene Göttinnen |
Royal Navy Biography von John Marshall London 1931 |
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