French brig Cygne (1806)
1/36th scale model of Cygne, on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris.
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| History | |
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 France
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| Name: | Cygne |
| Namesake: | Swan |
| Ordered: | 21 January 1806 |
| Builder: | Le Havre Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 28 April 1806 |
| Launched: | 12 September 1806 |
| Fate: | Wrecked on 13 December 1808 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Abeille-class brig |
| Displacement: | 350 ton (French) |
| Length: | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Beam: | 8.7 m (29 ft) |
| Draught: | 3.5 m (11 ft) |
| Complement: | 84 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: | Timber |
Cygne was an Abeille-class 16-gun brig of the French Navy, launched in 1806.
On 10 November 1808, under Lieutenant Menouvrier Defresne, Cygne departed Cherbourg, part of a squadron under Rear-Admiral Hamelin also comprising the frigates Vénus, Junon, Amphitrite and the brig Papillon. bound for Martinique. The next day, the ships of the squadron were scattered. On 13, Cygne captured the Portuguese ship Miliciano and set her ablaze.
Arriving near Martinique, Cygne was chased by the frigate HMS Circe (Augustin Collier), the corvette Stork (George Le Geyt), the brigs HMS Morne Fortunee (John Brown), Amaranthe (Pelham Brenton), Epervier (Thomas Tudor) and the schooner Express (William Dowers). On 12 December, Cygne passed the Northern cape of Martinique; seeing that he would be overhauled by the British squadron before reaching Saint-Pierre, Menouvrier Defresne decided to drop anchor under a shore battery at Anse Céron.
Two of the British brigs then dropped anchor in positions that cut Cygne′s retreat to Saint-Pierre, while the other ships launched boats to attempt a cutting out boarding.Cygne sank three before they reached her. Circe approached with her crew ready for boarding, but was repelled by a grapeshot broadside, while the surviving boats reached Cygne′s stern; the British party was repelled and 17 men were taken prisoner.
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Wikipedia