French frigate Manche (1806)

Manche was a 40-gun Hortense-class frigate of the French Navy, originally named Département de la Manche, but the name was immediately shortened to Manche around the time of her launch in April 1806.

Hortense, sister-ship of Manche
History
France
Name: Manche
Namesake: English Channel
Ordered: 6 October 1803 and 30 January 1806
Builder: Cherbourg Dockyard (Constructeur: Jacques Bonard)
Laid down: May 1804
Launched: 5 April 1806
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: Hortense-class frigate
Displacement: 1390 tons (French)
Length: 48.75 m (159.9 ft)
Beam: 12.2 m (40 ft)
Draught: 5.9 m (19 ft)
Propulsion: Sails
Sail plan: Ship
Armament:

She took part in operations in the Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811 under Captain François-Désiré Breton.

Action during Mauritius campaign of 1809-1811

Under Captain Jean Dornal de Guy, Manche captured the 16-gun gun brig HMS Seaflower, Lieutenant William Fitzwilliam Owen commanding, on 28 September 1808 near Bengkulu.[2]

On 26 April 1809, Manche departed Port-Napoléon [3] in a squadron under Captain Hamelin, along with Créole and Vénus. The squadron managed to re-take Foulpointe in Madagascar, captured three prizes at the Action of 18 November 1809, and raided the British settlement at Tarapouly, in Sumatra.

In 1810, she took part in the Battle of Grand Port, contributing to the capture of HMS Iphigenia and the fort held by the British on Île de France.

Fate

Manche was captured during the invasion of Île de France in 1810. She was broken up as she was unfit for Royal Navy service.

References
  1. Winfield and Roberts (2015), p.144.
  2. Fonds marine.
  3. Correspondance de Napoléon

Bibliography
  • La Manche, frégate française : 1803-1810, Roger Lepelley, 1989
  • HAMELIN Emmanuel, amiral, baron (1768-1839)
  • Une mission à l'Isle de France
  • Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. (Seaforth Publishing). ISBN 9781848322042
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