French brig Voltigeur (1804)
The French brig "Voltigeur was a "Palinure"-class brig launched in 1804. The British captured her in 1806 and renamed her HMS "Pelican. She was sold in 1812. Capture. In late 1805, the sister ships and "Voltigeur", both armed with 16 guns and having crews of 120 men and 115 men, were under the command of "Lieutenants de vaisseau" Louis-Henri Saulces de Freycinet and Jacques Saint-Cricq. They cruised the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein before they set sail for Santo Domingo. On 24 March, a little south-east of Puerto Rico, they encountered and exchanged fire  for about four hours before nightfall ended the encounter. During that engagement the French vessels had suffered damage and possibly casualties. They then sailed towards Curacoa. ) Two days later, on 27 March 1806, , under the command of Captain Charles B.H. Ross, was sailing from Santo Domingo to Curacoa when she encountered two French navy brigs. At 1pm, "Pique" began firing at long range, and by 2pm had caught up with them. After an intensive cannonade that lasted some 20 minutes, "Pique" was able to send a boarding party aboard one of the two French vessels. A terrible struggle  ensued before the French vessel struck. The French crew had concealed themselves under sails and in the wreckage, emerging once the boarding party arrived and subjecting it to a devastating fusillade that killed or wounded most of the boarding party. Ross then sent over more men, before returning to the chase of the second brig. After the exchange of several more broadsides, the second French vessel struck. The two French brigs were "Phaeton" and "Voltigeur". "Pique" had one man wounded during the chase, and nine men killed and 13 wounded during the boarding of "Phaeton". Ross estimated that the French  vessels had lost half their crews dead and wounded. Later reports suggested that although French casualties on "Phaeton" had been heavy, those on "Voltigeur" were slight. The British took "Phaeton" into service as "Mignonne", and "Voltigeur" as "Pelican". In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Pique 26 March 1806" to all surviving claimants from the action. British service. The British commissioned "Pelican" under Commander William Ward. She then sailed to Portsmouth. "Pelican" participated in the capture of Copenhagen. Before the battle, on 19 August, "Pelican" captured the Danish merchant vessel "Christian Tonder". Then after the  battle, on 10 September, "Pelican" was in company with and at the capture of the Danish merchant vessel "Fredeus Forsward". "Pelican" and "Comus" were together on 29 September, with "Defence" in sight, at the capture of the Danish merchant vessel "Elizabeth Vonder Pahlen". The same three British warships were together on 2 October at the capture of the Danish vessel "Anna Catharin"a. Lastly, on 4 November "Pelican" captured the Danish brig "Charlotta Amelia". On 26 October 1807, Tsar Alexander I of Russia declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time  the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. "Pelican" was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate "Speshnoy" ("Speshnyy"), then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship "Wilhelmina" ("Vilghemina") at the same time. The Russian vessels were carrying the payroll for Vice-Admiral Dmitry Senyavin’s squadron in the Mediterranean. Between 20 March and 13 June 1807 "Pelican" was in Portsmouth, undergoing refitting. "Pelican" then returned to the West Indies where on 29 March 1808 , in company with "Lilly", "Pelican", , and , sailed from Marie-Galante  to attack the island of La Désirade. They arrived on 30 March and sent in a landing party of seamen and marines from the vessels of the squadron, all under the overall command of Captain Sherriff of "Lily". As the boats approached they exchanged fire with a battery of 9-pounder guns covering the entrance to the harbour. The ships' guns silenced the battery and the French surrendered. In June 1808 Commander Isaac Morrison replaced Ward. In December Commander Edward A’Court replaced Morrison. On 9 December 1809, was some nine leagues from Beachy Head when she sighted two luggers. She  gave chase and after a fight captured one. While this was going on "Pelican" came on the scene and chased the second lugger, but without success. The captured lugger was the "Grand Rodeur", four days out of Dieppe. She was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 80. In 1809 "Pelican" was in the western hemisphere, where she detained the "President", Burgeis, master, which was sailing from Boston to Cuba. Fate. "Pelican" was paid off in 1810. She was put up for sale on 27 November 1811, and sold at Deptford on 16 March 1812. French brig Voltigeur