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Mentor | 12304 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal Guns | 28 | HLP | |
| Nationality | Great Britain | ||
| Operator | Private Owners | ||
| Acquired | 1778 | HLP | |
| Home Port | Liverpool - Lancashire | HLP | |
| Shipyard | Unknown | HLP | |
| Category | Privateer | HLP | |
| Ship Type | Unknown | HLP | |
| Foundered | 1782 | HLP | |
On Wednesday, the 26th ult. , in lat. 47, long-, n., at A.M. daylight, saw four sail bearing- S.E.; bore away for them. As we came near, found two of them to be ships, one having Dutch colours hoisted, the other English; the other two sail being a sloop and a schooner. At nine A.M. came so near one of the ships as to perceive she was a frigate, on which we hauled upon a wind to the southward. She immediately hoisted French colours, fired several shot, and gave chace to us. We, finding she came up fast, kept away with the wind abeam, and set every studding sail and small sail in the ship to the best advantage. At noon the frigate was about two miles astern in chace. The 28th October moderate winds and clear weather; the. frigate in chace all these twenty-four hours, sometimes coming near us, other times dropping, according as the breeze freshened and died away. We took every possible method to get away from him, but could not get distance enough from him to alter our course in the night. At ten A.M. saw three sail astern, steering after us. At meridian, the frigate about a mile and a half astern, coming up fast with us. The 29th October, at half past meridian, the wind dying away, the frigate came up with us fast, in consequence of which, we in studding sails, up courses, and got all clear for engaging. At one P.M. came to action, which continued very warm till ten minutes past two, when she made all the sail she could, and stood away from us to the southward.
"She was a frigate of 36 guns, carrying 28 twelve-pounders on one deck. We weighed one of their shot, and found it 15 Ib. weight. We had our main-top-mast shot away, a great deal of our rigging and sails, and one shot through our mainmast head, just below the trussle trees, which splintered all the larboard cheek of the mast and all the bolts. At five P.M. two of the vessels we saw astern came up, and spoke us, proved to be the Lyon and Tyger privateers, belonging to Bristol. We all three made sail after the frigate. At A.M. daylight, had a survey on our mainmast, by our carpenters, found it so much shattered, and impossible to get any fishes on it, concluded putting into Ireland, in order to get a new one. At meridian in company with the privateers, saw two sail, one upon a wind, which we knew to be the frigate, being in the same disguise as when we first saw her, with his fore-top gallant mast down, and a small jigger abaft, and the other a brig standing to the S.E., to which the Lyon gave chace I suppose, not knowing the other vessel to be the frigate by being in that disguise, and she on the wind to the N.W. The Tyger gave chace to her, we being disabled so much, with our main-top-mast down, and a great way astern of them both, and not consulting with me, thought it most prudent to haul my wind. As the Tyger drew near her chace, she perceived her to be the frigate, whereupon she immediately hauled her wind, and stood for the Lyon, which I suppose would have been the case had I gone down with her. Our officers and men behaved exceeding well.