La Vénus

Posted by Albert Parker on Tuesday 23rd of February 2016 02:05

VÉNUS WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE CAPTURE OF NORTHUMBERLAND ON 1744-05-08.
As of April 24/May 5, Vénus was assigned to patrol the English Channel between Le Havre and Brest, hundreds of miles/kilometers from where Northumberland was captured on 1744-05-08.
The participation of Vénus in the capture of Northumberland is a figment of the imagination of British naval history writers of the late 18th century. Vénus is not mentioned by name in the only published British first-hand account of the capture, and she is not mentioned in the report of the commanding officer of the French force, Captain Conflans of Content, in the official report of the captain of the ship that did most of the fighting, Captain Perrier of Mars, or in a published letter from another officer of Mars.
See the Northumberland and "Action of 1744-05-08" entries for more information about how Vénus came to be associated IN ERROR with the capture of Northumberland.