HMS Acteon (1805)
HMS Acteon, was the brig Actéon, launched in France in 1804 as the second of the two-ship Lynx-class. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1805 but laid her up. The Navy finally commissioned her in 1809. She was at the British invasion of Île de France and later served in the Channel, the North Sea, the Baltic, and the Chesapeake. She was broken up in 1816.
French service and capture
She was built to plans by Pierre-Jacques-Nicolas Rolland and commissioned on 14 June 1804. She was stationed in Île-d'Aix Roads.On 11 January 1805, she departed Rochefort under Lieutenant Depoge to join up with Admiral Missiessy's squadron, bound for the Caribbean. She returned to Rochefort on 20 May.
French records state that she was captured off the Gironde, on 27 September,> or on 11 Vendémiaire An 14, by.
British records state that on 2 October 1805 captured the French brig-sloop Actéon, under Capitaine de frégate Depoge, off Rochefort. She was armed with sixteen 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 126 men. Actéon had on board a colonel and some recruits, as well as arms and clothing for a regiment in the West Indies. The navy took Actéon into service as HMS Acteon.
British service
After Actéon arrived at Portsmouth the navy laid her up in ordinary.In February 1809 Commander Ralph Viscount Neville commissioned her at Portsmouth. Between June and September Acteon underwent a Very Small Repair.
, under the command of Commander Phillip Browne, was off the Scilly Isles on 6 November, when she sighted a brig chasing a lugger. Plover joined in, with joining later. After a chase of almost four hours, Plover came alongside the lugger, which surrendered. The lugger proved to be the French privateer Lézard, of Saint Malo. She was pierced for 14 guns, but had none aboard when captured. She and her crew of 57 men had sailed from Île de Batz the night before but had not made any capture. Browne credited Acteon and Orestes with having blocked Lézards escape. Lastly, Browne further reported that the three British men-of-war had recaptured the English ship Weymouth, from Gibraltar, shortly before she could reach Aber Wrac'h. Weymouth, Llewellyn, master, had been captured on 4 November at. After her recapture she arrived at Scilly where she described her captor as having had six guns and a crew of 63 men.
In February 1810 there occurred an unfortunate incident of friendly fire. As the packet Princess Elizabeth, Kidd, master, was sailing to Lisbon she encountered a naval brig and an engagement developed that lasted about two-and-a-half hours. Eventually Kidd decided that further resistance was useless and ceased firing. When the boarding party from the brig arrived at Princess Elizabeth both sides realized the mistake. The brig was Acteon. Kidd had prepared the mails for jettisoning but had not yet given the order that it be thrown overboard when it became clear that the brig was English. Fortunately, there were no casualties aboard the packet and no loss of mail. Kidd believed that it was possible that there were wounded aboard Acteon. Princess Elizabeth arrived at Lisbon on 28 February and was due to sail back to London on 4 March.
On 23 May the French ship Susan and Sarah arrived at Plymouth from Île de France. She and her "very valuable Cargo" were a prize to Acteon.
On 15 July Nivelle sailed Acteon for the Cape of Good Hope. By 21 November she was off the island of Rodrigues preparing for a joint naval and military expedition to take Île de France. The invasion fleet, under Admiral Albemarle Bertie, arrived at Île de France on the 28th; the capitulation was signed on the 3 December.
After the capture of the island Neville received promotion to post captain and transferred to take command of. Admiral Bertie appointed his nephew, Bertie Cornelius Cator, to command of Acteon.
Earlier Lieutenant Bertie Cator had been appointed to command the transport "Bombay ". He moved from temporary command of and by some accounts commanded Anna during the invasion. On 12 December, Sophie and Acteon burnt two small schooners, one of 25 and one of 60 tons. Then on the 16th they burnt Little Elenea, of 59 tons and two men, sailing from Charleston to Baltimore. On the same day they also burnt a 69-ton sloop.
Lastly, on 23 December Acteon and Sophie captured two vessels of 240 tons. George and Betsey were both sailing from Baltimore to Lisbon.
Acteon returned to Norwegian waters in 1814. On 7 June Cator received promotion to post captain. Commander John Ross, replaced Cator in command of Acteon.
Acteon was part of a squadron of five vessels that detained Panther, Gegollae, master, which was sailing from Martinique to Dunkirk. Panther arrived at Plymouth on 26 June 1815.