HMS Doterel (1808)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Class and type: | Cruizer class brig-sloop |
| Name: | HMS Doterel |
| Namesake: | Eurasian dotterel |
| Ordered: | 31 December 1807 |
| Builder: | John Scott and Richard Blake, Bursledon |
| Laid down: | April 1808 |
| Launched: | 6 October 1808 |
| Fate: | Broken up 1855 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruizer-class brig-sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 386 11⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 30 ft 8 in (9.3 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft 10 in (3.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Doterel (or Dotterel), was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy. Launched on 6 October 1808, she saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and in the War of 1812. In February 1809 she took part in the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne, then in April the Battle of Basque Roads. She was laid up in 1827 at Bermuda, but not broken up until 1855.
Doterel was first commissioned under Commander Anthony Abdy in October 1808. By February 1809 she was in the Basque Roads and had become attached to a squadron under Robert Stopford when on 27th of that month she took part in the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Stopford in the 80-gun Caesar had been accompanied by the seventy-fours Defiance and Donegal, and the 36-gun frigates Emerald, Amethyst and Naiad, when he had chased a French force comprising eight ships of the line and two frigates, into the Pertuis d'Antioche. Stopford immediately sent Naiad to appraise Admiral James Gambier of the situation but Naiad had not gone too far when she signalled that there were three other vessels to the north-west. Stoppard ordered Amethyst and Emerald to remain while he and the rest of the squadron set off in pursuit.
When daylight came, the vessels sighted by Naiad were revealed to be the three French frigates, Calypso, Italienne and Sybille, being chased by Doterel and the 36-gun frigate Amelia. Doterel and Amelia had drawn so close to Sybille, the nearest French ship, that her two companions shortened sail in preparation for battle but on seeing Stopford's approaching squadron, all three French ships took off with Doterel and Amelia in close pursuit. At 10:00 the French frigates arrived at Sable d'Olonne where they anchored with springs, in the shallow water beneath the town's batteries.Caeser, Donegal, Defiance and Amelia stood in and engaged. Two of the French frigates were obliged to cut their cables and run ashore in order to escape before the British were forced to withdraw by the falling tide. However, all three French frigates were destroyed in the action.
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