HMS Moucheron (1802)

HMS Moucheron was a French privateer, built in 1799, which the British captured in 1801 and which the British government purchased in 1802 for the Royal Navy. She foundered in 1807 in the Mediterranean without leaving a trace.

Privateer
Moucheron, meaning gnat, is not the former French naval brig Actif, built in Bordeaux. That brig became HMS Morgiana (1800).

On 18 July 1800, Moucheron and another privateer, the Abeille, captured the American ship Josephus and brought her into Cadiz. There the French Consul released the vessel and her cargo. The privateers appealed to the prize court in Paris, which upheld the release.

At some point Moucheron captured the American ship Argo, Thomas Chipman, master, and brought her into port. The Council of Prizes at Paris ordered ''Argo's release on 3 September.

Capture
On 16 February 1801, HMS Révolutionnaire (1794) captured Moucheron. Moucheron was armed with sixteen 6 and 12-pounder guns, and had a crew of 130 men. She was 20 days out of Passage and had captured the British brig William, of London, which had been sailing from St. Michael's with a cargo of fruit.

British service
Moucheron arrived in Plymouth on 7 March 1801. The Government purchased her in 1802 and she was fitting out at Plymouth in June 1803, when Commander James Hawes commissioned her. He had been promoted in 1802 and was given the best sloop available at the time.

On 15 November 1803, Moucheron was in company with HMS Poulette (1799) and HMS Liberty (1779) off Alderney when Poulette came across a French convoy of some 30 transports plus armed escorts. Poulette was able to run the vessels ashore and her boats captured three, a brig, a lugger and a sloop. Unfortunately, Moucheron was unable to come up in time though Liberty did. The British suffered no casualties.

On 2 March 1804 the French privateer lugger Socise captured two merchantmen, the Rising Sun and the William and Mary in the Bristol Channel. Moucheron recaptured them on 5 March and sent them into Guernsey on 8 March. On 3 February 1805 Moucheron recaptured the ship Cambridge, of Lewes, and her cargo. The French privateer Braave had captured her while Cambridge was on her way from Jamaica to Liverpool. After her recapture by Moucheron, Cambridge reached Cork on 14 February. At around the same time Moucheron recaptured the brig Speedwell and her cargo.

On 8 February Moucheron was under the command of a Captain Reed when she sailed with sealed orders that had arrived by special King's Messenger. They were of such importance that the Admiral sent the messenger on board with them, and she sailed directly.

In April 1805 Moucheron was in the Mediterranean. Lord Nelson had her patrol the Straits of Gibraltar and provide the garrison of Gibraltar such assistance as they might require.

On 3 August 1805, HMS Calcutta (1795), left St Helena as escort of a motley convoy to England. On 26 September 1805 the convoy was in the Channel south of the Isles of Scilly when it encountered a French squadron. It turned out this was Allemand's squadron. Calcutta was forced to strike, but not before she had bought time for the convoy to escape. Moucheron was in the vicinity and sailed to the sound of the guns. She then proceeded to cruise with Allemand’s squadron, which paid her no attention as she was flying an American flag. Moucheron counted the French ships and then, having completed her reconnaissance, sailed to notify Admiral Lord Cornwallis at Brest. However, by the time Cornwallis arrived at the spot where Moucheron had left Allemand, he had left.

On 7 and 9 April 1806 Moucheron, by this time, and perhaps earlier, again under Hawse's command, captured the Prussian galliot Jonge Cornelius and the ship Mercurius, which carrying eight cases of coffee. In between, on 8 April, she shared with the gun-brigs HMS Hardy (1804) and HMS Daring (1804) in the capture of the Minerva.

Fate
Moucheron disappeared in the eastern Mediterranean in early 1807, with some accounts specifying the Dardanelles. As no trace of her or her crew was ever found, this is pure conjecture. The Royal Navy officially paid her off effective 7 June 1807.