“ACTION BETWEEN H.M FRIGATE ”AMBUSCADE” AND THE FRENCH FRIGATE ”BAYONNAISE””
Oil on canvas
23 3/8 x 30 in. (59.4 x 76.2cm)
Private Collection
HMS Ambuscade was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built in 1773. The French captured her in 1798 but the British recaptured her in 1803. She was broken up in 1810.
On 13 December 1798, Ambuscade captured a French merchantman, Faucon, with a cargo of sugar and coffee bound for Bordeaux. Disaster struck the following day. Ambuscade was blockading Rochefort, when the smaller French corvette Bayonnaise captured her at the Action of 14 December 1798. The court martial exonerated Captain Henry Jenkins of Ambuscade, though a good case could be made that he exhibited poor leadership and ship handling. The French brought her into service as Embuscade…
Zaidan Gallery 
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