A minor engagement in which the French frigate Amazone captured the British post ship Ariel, which later served briefly in the American Continental Navy under John Paul Jones.
Key Facts
- British vessel captured
- HMS Ariel (post ship)
- French vessel
- Amazone (36-gun frigate)
- Duration of pursuit
- 90 minutes
- British casualties (dead)
- 4 men
- British casualties (wounded)
- 20 men
- British commanding officer
- Captain Thomas Mackenzie
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A French fleet under Admiral comte d'Estaing had entered American waters from the West Indies during the Siege of Savannah. HMS Ariel, unaware of the French presence, approached an unidentified sail to investigate and found herself outmatched by a superior French force of a frigate and two supporting vessels.
On 11 September 1779, the British post ship Ariel under Captain Thomas Mackenzie was overhauled off Charles Town by the French 36-gun frigate Amazone. After a ninety-minute chase in which Ariel lost her mizzen-mast and rigging and suffered four killed and twenty wounded, Mackenzie surrendered.
D'Estaing exchanged the captured British crews for French prisoners, freeing British sailors to man vessels on the North America Station. Ariel was taken into French service, repaired at Lorient, then lent to the American Continental Navy in October 1780, where she served briefly as USS Ariel under John Paul Jones.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Comte d'Estaing.
Side B
1 belligerent
Captain Thomas Mackenzie.