French brig Ronco (1808)

For other ships of the same name, see French ship Ronco and HMS Tuscan.
Ronco
Career (France)
Name: Ronco
Namesake: Ronco (river)
Builder: Venice
Laid down: June 1807
Launched: April 1808
Captured: 2 Nay 1808
Career (UK)
Name: Tuscan
Acquired: 2 May 1808 by capture
Honours and
awards:		 Naval General Service Medal with clasp "1 Nov. Boat Service 1809"
Fate: Sold 29 January 1818
General characteristics [1][2]
Displacement:360 tons
Tons burthen:334 3⁄94 (bm)
Length:97 ft 7 in (29.74 m) (overall)
76 ft 5 in (23.29 m) (keel)
Beam:28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
Draught:3.55 m (11.6 ft) (unloaded)
Depth of hold:4.38 m (14.4 ft)
Sail plan:Brig
Complement:French service:112
British service:100
Armament:French service: 14 x 24-pounder carronades + 2 x 6 or 12-pounder chase guns
British service:14 x 24-pounder carronades + 2 x 9-pounder chase guns

Ronco was a French Illyrien or Friedland-class brig built at Venice and launched in April 1808. HMS Unite captured her less than two months later. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Tuscan. She served in the Mediterranean and participated in one action that earned her crew a Naval General Service Medal. She was first offered for sale in 1816 and sold in 1818.

Capture

Unite encountered Ronco at daybreak on 2 May 1808 some seven or eight miles NW of Cape Promontore, Istria. Ronco fired several broadsides that cut up Unite‍ '​s sails and rigging, and then surrendered. Captain Campbell of Unite described Ronco as being armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronades, and "only Two Months off the Stocks, measures about Four Hundred Tons, extremely well found, and in my Opinion, very fit for His Majesty's Service.[3] Ronco had barely struck when Unite sighted a frigate and a schooner to windward. Unite immediately gave chase, but her quarry escaped into Pola.[3] The Royal Navy heeded Campbell and took Ronco into service as HMS Tuscan.

HMS Tuscan

Tuscan was commissioned in August 1808 in the Mediterranean under Commander John Gourley (acting). One month later Commander John Wilson replaced Gourly.[2]

Between 30 October and 1 November Tuscan was part of Admiral Benjamin Hallowell's squadron at the Bay of Rosas. On 30 October, boats from Tuscan joined with boats from Tigre, Cumberland, Volontaire, Apollo, Topaz, Philomel, and Scout in a cutting out attack after a squadron off the south of France chased an enemy convoy into the Bay of Rosas. The convoy had lost its escorting ships of the line, Robuste and Lion, near Frontignan, where the squadron under Rear Admiral George Martin, of Collingwood's fleet, had burnt them, but were nevertheless heavily protected by an armed storeship of 18 guns, two bombards and a xebec. Some of the British boats took heavy casualties in the clash, but Tuscan had only one officer slightly wounded, and one seaman dangerously wounded. By the following morning the British had accounted for all eleven vessels in the bay, burning those they did not bring out.[4] On January 1813 prize money was awarded to the British vessels that took part in the action for the capture of the ships of war Gromlire and Normande, and of the transports Dragon and Indien. A court declared Invincible a joint captor. Head money was also paid for the Grondire and Normande and for the destruction of Lemproye and Victoire.[5] In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "1 Nov. Boat Service 1809" to all surviving claimants from the action.

In December 1810 Commander George Matthew Jones replaced Wilson. However, in January 1811, Lieutenant Phillips (acting) took temporary command. Jones returned to command by February, holding it until through 1812.[2]

In 1811 Tuscan supported the British Army in Spain, especially in the efforts to break the siege of Cadiz by landing troops to attack the French at Isla de León. In February 20 a naval force of warships and transports under the command of Captain Edwin Brace HMS St Albans weighed anchor. The 7000 troops Lieutenant-General Thomas Graham landed at Algeciras and marched to Tariffa. There the transports the artillery and military stores in heavy surf. Subsequently Graham participated in the Battle of Barrossa.The Royal Navy ships involved, in addition to St Alban's and Tuscan, included Druid, Comus, Sabine, Ephira, Steady and Rebuff.[6]

In October, a French force was pressing on Spanish General Francisco Ballesteros in the vicinity of San Roque, Cádiz. Ballasteros asked for assistance. Rear-Admiral Legge, the commander of the British fleet at Cadiz, dispatched a force on 11 October to Tariffa to come to his assistance. Stately, Columbine and Tuscan carried eight companies each from the 47th and 87th regiments of foot, a detachment of 70 men from the 95th Regiment, and four light artillery pieces. The troops landed on 18 October and the next day the French advanced along the coast. Fire from Tuscan, Stately‍ '​s boats, and Gunboat 14 sent them into retreat.[7]

When the War of 1812 broke out, the British captured several American ships in the Mediterranean. Tuscan shared with San Juan, Sabine, Lavinia, Hindostan, and Hyacinth in the American droits for Phoenix, Margaret, Allegany and Tyger, captured on 8 August 1812.[8][Note 1]

Tuscan arrived at Portsmouth on 11 October, having convoyed transports from Gibraltar.[10]

In May 1813, Jones recommissioned Tuscan, which returned to the Mediterranean. Tuscan shared with Pomone and some other British vessels in the salvage for the recapture two Spanish vessels El Correv Diligente de Carraccas and Nostra Senora de los Desemperados on 26 May.[11][Note 2]

On 6 or 8 July 1815 a privateer of one gun and 20 men came into Genoa. Tuscan had captured her off Elba.[13] Tuscan arrived at Portsmouth on 29 November from the west.[10]

Fate

The Principal Officers and Commissioners of the Navy offered the "Tuscan brig, of 334 tons", lying at Plymouth for sale on 28 August 1816.[14] However, she did not sell. Still, though in ordinary at Plymouth, Tuscan was able to be of some use. On 8 November 1817 the port authorities moored her to serve as a breakwater sheltering workmen building a new pier.[10] Finally, after numerous unsuccessful listings, Tuscan sold on 29 January 1818 Thomas Pittman for £800.[2]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes
  1. ↑ In May 1816 there was distribution to the sharing vessels of their portions of two-thirds of the first three American vessels and nine-tenths of Tyger. A first-class share was worth £120 16s 0½d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 19s 9¼d.[9]
  2. ↑ A first-class share of the prize money was worth £4 0s 8¾d; a sixth-class share, that of an ordinary seaman, was worth 7d.[12]
Citations
  1. ↑ Winfield and Roberts (2015 forthcoming), Chap. 7.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Winfield (2008), p. 319.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The London Gazette: no. 16163. p. 995. 16 July 1808.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16319. pp. 1602–1604. 29 November 1809.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16698. p. 208. 26 January 1813.
  6. ↑ Naval Chronicle, Vol. 25, p.339.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16527. p. 2117. 2 November 1811.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17133. p. 829. 4 May 1816.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17136. p. 911. 14 May 1816.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Paul Benyon, The Naval Database: HMS Tuscan, - accessed 22 February 2015.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17687. p. 587. 10 March 1821.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17718. p. 1332. 23 June 1821.
  13. ↑ Lloyd’s List, no.4992, -accessed 21 February 2015.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17163. p. 1577. 13 August 1816.
References