Action of 27 February 1809: Dubourdieu captures HMS Proserpine

Background. HMS Proserpine was a 32-gun Amphion-class frigate commissioned by Captain Charles Otter in September 1807. She sailed to the Mediterranean on 6 March 1808. The British later sent her to sail off Toulon to observe and report on the movements of the French fleet. Captain Bernard Dubourdieu, a native of Bayonne who joined the Navy in 1792, analyzed her patrol pattern. He prepared his frigate Pénélope, accompanied by Pauline, to approach the British ship during the night.

Engagement. The action occurred on 27 February 1809. Dubourdieu's squadron, consisting of Pénélope and Pauline, engaged HMS Proserpine. The British frigate suffered severe damage to its rigging. With no hope of escape or rescue, Proserpine struck her colours after a one-hour battle. The engagement resulted in the death of one crew member and injuries to ten others, one of whom died from his wounds.

Aftermath. Following the capture, the French Navy repaired HMS Proserpine at Toulon. The vessel was taken into French service under its existing name, Proserpine, and commissioned on 1 May 1809. On 1 April, capitaine de frégate Ganteaume, younger brother of Admiral Ganteaume, took command, transferring from Mohawk; she was still under captain Ganteaume's command between 28 June and August 1809. The ship served Admiral Ganteaume's Mediterranean squadron, later undergoing a refit in Genoa in 1810.