USS Enterprise vs Flambeau The USS " Enterprise " vs " Flambeau " was a single ship action fought in October 1800 during the Quasi - War . During the action the defeated the French privateer brig " Flambeau " off the leeward side of the island of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea . Although the " Enterprise " was outgunned by the " Flambeau " she was still able to take her as a prize after a short battle . The battle helped bring to fame the " Enterprise " s commanding officer , Lieutenant John Shaw , who added the capture of " Flambeau " to his already long list of French prizes . Background . During the Quasi - War American merchant ships often became the target of French privateer s who seized them in large quantities . In an effort to stem these depredations against American shipping several United States Navy warships were dispatched to hunt down French privateers . One such vessel was the , American naval schooner under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw . " Enterprise " had been sent out to the Caribbean Sea in March 1800 with orders to cruise against French shipping in the region . " Enterprise " had already previously engaged and defeated several French privateer s when on the night of 24 October she sighted the privateer " Flambeau " off the leeward side of Dominica . The French letter of marque " Flambeau " was a brig that was slightly more powerful than " Enterprise " , having twelve eight - pound cannon as compared to the American schooner ' s dozen six - pounders . The French privateer also had more crew than the American vessel , 110 opposed to " Enterprise " s 83 . With a broadside of 48 pounds to " Enterprise " s 36 pounds and with a larger crew , " Flambeau " had an advantage over " Enterprise " . Nonetheless , Shaw decided to engage " Flambeau " . " Enterprise " could not catch up to " Flambeau " but when morning came " Flambeau " found herself becalmed . Her captain then used sweeps to close with " Enterprise " . Action . Eventually a wind came and the two ships managed to maneuver towards each other until they were within musket range . After engaging with small arms for a while , Lieutenant Shaw eventually veered his schooner away and the " Flambeau " opened up on the Americans with a broadside of roundshot . " The Enterprise " replied with her own broadside and the two vessels engaged each other with cannon for twenty minutes . The " Flambeau " was beginning to receive heavy damage when her captain decided to disengage and maneuvered away from the " Enterprise " . However , " Enterprise " pursued the French brig and continued to engage her . " Flambeau " ' s foretopmast was in danger of being dismasted from damage it had received from " Enterprise " , so the French captain sent men aloft to try to repair it . However after a sudden gust of wind the mast flew off the ship carrying six French sailors with it . The " Enterprise " ceased her attacks upon the " Flambeau " and sent out a boat to rescue the French sailors adrift on the topmast . After rescuing the French topmen , the " Enterprise " caught up with the French brig and came alongside . Before the action could continue the French captain struck her colours as Flambeau ' s medicine chest had been destroyed and the hull compromised multiple times . Aftermath . The entire action lasted about forty minutes . The French were much worse off than the Americans in terms of casualties , with 7 Frenchmen killed and 33 wounded compared to 3 Americans killed and 7 wounded . A prize crew from " Enterprise " was sent aboard the " Flambeau " and sailed her to Saint Kitts where she was condemned . The proceeds from the sale of the " Flambeau " were adjudicated to the crew of the " Enterprise " . The capture of " Flambeau " brought further acclaim to Shaw , who had already defeated several other French privateers and taken them as prizes . " Enterprise " continued her cruise , next chasing down and capturing the " Pauline " and later the " Guadaloupeenne " . Shortly afterward , chronic illness forced Shaw to transfer command of the vessel to Lieutenant Andrew Sterett . Sterret continued to cruise the Caribbean , taking several more prizes before returning home . Upon Shaw ' s return home the president and other public officials personally thanked him for his service . Shaw later continued his naval career , serving with distinction during the War of 1812 .