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VINCEJO
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Taken from the Spanish by COMORANT, 20, in the Mediterranean on 19 March 1799. Taken 1804. |
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- She was a deep waisted brig, pierced for 28 guns but mounting only 18-pounder carronades on the main deck.
Her complement was 96 officers, men and boys. - 1800 George LONG, Mediterranean.
During the evening of 30 March 1800 the French GUILLAUME TELL, 80, (one of the three ships which escaped after the Battle of the Nile) attempted to put to sea unseen to avoid the blockade of Malta. She was spotted by PENELOPE and she signalled VINCEJO to pass the information to Capt. TROUBRIDGE in CULLODEN.
PENELOPE harassed the Frenchman, raking her with two broadsides, until the other ships could come up.
The GUILLAUME TELL surrendered after a desperate defence in which she lost upwards of 200 men.
The naval medal was awarded to PENELOPE and VINCEJO. - 1803 James PREVOST, Chatham.
to be paid off. - 1804 John Westly WRIGHT, Channel.
At the end of April he was ordered to cruise between the Loire and L'Orient to maintain communications with the French royalists but in the following days he chased a number of enemy convoys without making any captures.
On the morning of the 7 May a French corvette he had seen off L'Orient came through the Taignouse Passage to enter Quiberon Bay.
Capt. WRIGHT slipped and followed after her but the corvette worked into the Morbihan so he remained off the mouth of the river and, in the course of the day, drove a sloop on shore between St. Ildas and St. Jaques. - The following day, while she was becalmed and trying to sweep against the current, she was attacked by a French flotilla consisting of 6 brigs and 5 luggers mounting 35 guns (18 and 24-pounders and 36-pounder howitzers) between them which rowed out of the Morbihan.
After two hours exchange of fire at musket-shot range, VINCEJO's hull, masts and rigging were badly damaged, three guns had been disabled and her complement of 96 was reduced to 50 effective officers and seamen, including 17 boys.
Two petty officers had been killed including Mr LEWIS, acting boatswain.
To save further loss of live Capt. WRIGHT was forced to surrender. - In September 1813 Lieut. Henry WALLIS, second of the VINCEJO, escaped from his prison at Verdun by using false keys and scaling a 50 foot wall by means of a knotted rope.
He made his way to the coast, obtained a boat at Blankenburg and managed to reach Dover.
He reported that the French authorities had threatened him with torture because he refused to incriminate Capt. WRIGHT whom they were charging with aiding the interests of the Bourbons and fostering disaffection.
Capt. WRIGHT was murdered by the French and Lieut. WALLIS had been placed in close confinement for nine years.
He was appointed to PINCHER on 6 December 1813. - VINCEJO was recaptured by Capt. FINLEY in ROVER on 30 November 1811 when, renamed COMPTE REGINAUD, she was being used as a French letter of marque carrying a cargo of spices, sugar and coffee from Batavia to La Rochelle.
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