ALGESIRAS french ship-of-the-line 1805.

[aukepalmhof]

The other ship on the stamp is the French ship-of-the-line ALGÉSIRAS in some French web-sites named ALGÉRISAS, so I am wondering what is the correct name.

Built as a ship-of-the-line 2nd Rate by Caro at Lorient in 1804.
Launched under the name ALGÉSIRAS named after the Battle of Algeciras on 06 June 1801.
Tonnage ?, dim. 168 x 44 x 22ft.
Armament: 28 – 36pdr., 30 – 18pdr., 16 – 8 pdr., 4 – 36 carronades.
Crew ?
1805 Completed.

After completing together with the AIGLE she sailed to the West Indies to join the combined French/Spanish Fleet under Vice Admiral Villeneuve.
11 June 1805 the French Fleet sailed from the Caribbean waters for Europe, arriving off Cape Finisterre on 09 July, but adverse winds delayed the fleet to enter the Bay of Biscay until 22 July.
The same day a British squadron of 15 ships-of-the-line under command of Vice Admiral Robert Calder sighted the French/Spanish fleet of 20 ships, and at 17.15 the action began, which now is known as the Battle of Cape Finisterre. The visibility was poor and the battle became a confused melee.
Calder signaled at 20.25 to his ships to break off the action, with the plan to resume the battle the next day.
But at daybreak on the 23 July the fleets were 14 mile apart, and Calder or Villeneuve did not attack again.
Villeneuve with his fleet sailed to the South and arrived in La Coruna on 01 August.
At this port he received orders from Napoleon to proceed to Brest and Boulogne, but believing a rapport that a strong British fleet were present in the Bay of Biscay, instead he sailed to Cadiz, where he arrived on 21 August.
Villeneuve and the combined fleets stayed in Cadiz till he received orders to proceed to the Mediterranean, he sailed with his combined fleet of 33 ships on 19 October from Cadiz.
After two days of maneuvering, at daybreak of 21 October the two fleets came in sight of each other off Cape Traflagar.
The ALGÉSIRAS under command of Rear Admiral Charles Rene Magon Du Medine took part in the battle what followed.
HMS TONNANT engaged her and after a fierce battle she struck her colours, and a boarding party under command of Lieutenant Bennet took possession of the ship.
The ALGÉSIRAS had 169 casualties under which Rear Admiral Magon.
During the storm that followed the battle the next day the ALGÉSIRAS was in danger of drifting onto the same rocks as the FOUGUEUX, Lieutenant Bennet with his small prize crew was unable to both guard 650 French prisoners while setting up a jury rig, and was forced to release the prisoners, after they were freed they took possession of the ship and locked him and his crew up.
Afterwards the French took the ship to Cadiz.
She never sailed out under French colours from this port, and on 14 August 1808 she was taken by Spain.
What the Spanish did with her I could not find out, but she was stricken in 1826.

Cayman Islands 2005 20c sg?, scott? (she is the ship looking on the bow.)


Gosset. http://groups.msn.com/JacquesKanon/vaiss1781815.msnw