Pomone (30)
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Origin and History
The frigate was built by Coulomb at Toulon and launched in 1749.
During the Seven Years' War, the frigate was under the command of:
- in 1759: Captain Sauvage
The frigate was burnt on May 16 1760 during an engagement with the British Navy at Anse-aux-Foulons near Sillery on the Saint-Laurent river.
Service during the War
In March 1759, the frigate, armed in flûte (some guns removed to make room for supplies), joined the flotilla of privateers and merchantmen assembled under the command of Jacques Kanon to bring powder, provisions and petty reinforcement (600 recruits) to Canada. The flotilla sailed from Bordeaux on March 22 and the frigate arrived at Québec on May 19. On June 5, when all the vessels of Kanon's squadron which had not been sacrificed to make fireships were sent for safety to Sainte-Anne-de-Batiscan near Trois-Rivières, only the frigates Atalante (32) and Pomone (30) remained at Québec.
In April 1760, the frigate took part in the expedition against Québec. On April 20, the frigate was part of Vauquelin's small flotilla who sailed from Sorel to escort Lévis' Army. On April 28, the flotilla reached Anse-au-Foulon while Lévis laid siege to the town. On May 9, the British relief fleet started to arrive and Lévis was forced to lift the siege. On May 16 at daybreak, in response to the expressed wishes of General Murray, Commodore Swanton gave orders to the Diana (32) and the Lowestoffe (28), soon followed by the Vanguard (70), to pass the town and to attack the French vessels in the river above. At 5:00 a.m., the 6 French vessels (2 frigates, 2 smaller armed ships, and 2 schooners) under command of the gallant Captain Vauquelin. were setting sail when the British vessels appeared. The French vessels cut their cables. The frigate Pomone made a bad manoeuvre and ran aground at Anse-aux-Foulons on the Saint-Lauren. The 2 British frigates ignored her and pursued the Atalante (32) who joined the French transport vessels at Cap-Rouge. Seeing that the British frigates were catching up with the French transport vessels, the commander of the Atalante (32) ordered them to beach so that Lévis could salvage the provisions they transported. The Atalante (32) then sailed upstream but was forced to run aground at Pointe-aux-Trembles. Vauquelin did not belie his reputation and fought his ship for two hours with persistent bravery till his ammunition was spent, refused even then to strike his flag, and being made prisoner, was treated by his captors with distinguished honour. Meanwhile, the Vanguard (70) did not sail farther than Saint-Michel and returned to Anse-au-Foulon, enfilading the French trenches and forcing their abandonment. The captain of the Pomone burned her to prevent her capture. The Vanguard (70) then sailed back for Québec. After the engagement, the 2 British frigates remained at Pointe-aux-Trembles. The destruction of his vessels was a death-blow to the hopes of Lévis, for they contained his stores of food and ammunition. Lévis resolved to wait for the night before retiring.
Characteristics
| Guns | 30 (8 x 12-pdrs, 22 x 6-pdrs)
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| Crew | no information available yet | ||||
| Length | 114 ft (34.75 m) | ||||
| Width | 30 ft 4 in (9.25 m) | ||||
| Depth | 14 ft (4.27 m) | ||||
| Displacement | 502 long tons (484 tonneaux) |
References
Deschênes , Ronald; Frégates du Roy de 1682 à 1767, Avril 2001
N.B.: the section Service during the War is mostly derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
