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	Дата	03.05.2013 20:40:37
	Рубрики	11-19 век; Флот;

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Отчет о бое самого Томсона:

"Admiralty-Office, November 24, 1798.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Thompson, late Commander of His Majesty's Ship Leander, to Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K. B. dated Trieste, the 13th October, 1798.

IT is with extreme pain I have to relate to you the Capture of His Majesty's Ship Leander, late under my Command, by a French Seventy-four Gun Ship, after a close Action of six hours and a half. On the 18th August last, being within five or six miles of the West end of Goza, near the Island of Candia, we discovered at day-break a large Sail on the S. E. quarter, standing directly for the Leander; we were then becalmed, but the Stranger bringing up a fine breeze from the Southward, we soon made him to be a large Ship of the Line. As the Leander was in Officers and Men upwards of Eighty short of Complement, and had on board a number which were wounded on the 1st, I did not consider myself justified in seeking an Action with a Ship that appeared of such considerable superiority in point of size; I therefore took every means in my power to avoid it: I however soon found that our inferiority of sailing made it inevitable; and I therefore, with all sail set, steered the Leander a Course which I judged would receive our Adversary to the best advantage, should he bring us to Battle. At eight o'clock the strange Ship (still continuing to have the good fortune of the wind) had approached us within a long random shot, and had Neapolitan Colours hoisted, which he now changed to Turkish; but this deception was of no avail, as I plainly made him to be French. At nine he had ranged up within a half Gun-shot of our Weather Quarter; I therefore hauled the Leander up sufficiently to bring the Broadside to bear, and immediately commenced a vigorous Cannonade on him, which he instantly returned. The Ships continued nearing each other until half past ten, keeping up a constant and heavy firing. At this time I perceived the Enemy intending to run us on board; and the Leander being very much cut up in Rigging, Sails, and Yards, I was unable, with the light air that blew, to prevent it. He ran us on board on the Larboard Bow, and continued alongside us for some time. A most spirited and well-directed Fire, however, from our small Party of Marines (commanded by the Serjeant), on the Poop and from the Quarter-deck, prevented the Enemy from taking advantage of his good fortune, and he was repulsed in all efforts to make an impression on us. The firing from the Great Guns was all this time kept up with the same vigour; and a light Breeze giving the Ships way, I was enabled to steer clear of the Enemy, and soon afterwards had the satisfaction to luff under his Stern, and passing him within ten yards, distinctly discharged every Gun from the Leander into him.
As from henceforward was nothing but a continued series of heavy firing within pistol-shot, without any wind, and the sea as smooth as glass, I feel it unnecessary to give you the detail of the effects of every shot, which must be obvious from our situation; I shall therefore content myself with assuring you, that a most vigorous Cannonade was kept up from the Leander, without the smallest intermission, until half past three in the afternoon. At this time, the Enemy having passed our Bows with a light breeze, and brought himself on our Starboard-side, we found that our Guns on that side were nearly all disabled by the wreck of our own spars, that had all fallen on this side. This produced a cessation of our fire, and the Enemy took this time to ask us if we had surrendered? The Leander was now totally ungovernable, not having a thing standing but the shattered remains of the Fore and Main-masts and the Bowsprit, her Hull cut to pieces, and the Decks full of killed and wounded; and perceiving the Enemy, who had only lost his Mizen-top-mast, approaching to place himself athwart our Stern; in this defenceless situation, I asked Captain Berry if he thought we could do more? He coinciding with me that further resistance was vain and impracticable, and, indeed, all hope of success having for some time vanished, I therefore now directed an answer to be given in the affirmative, and the Enemy soon after took possession of His Majesty's Ship.
I cannot conclude this account without assuring you how much advantage His Majesty's Service derived during this Action from the gallantry and activity of Captain Berry of the Vanguard; I should also be wanting in justice, if I did not bear testimony to the steady bravery of the Officers and Seamen of the Leander in this hard contest, which, though unsuccessful in its termination, will still, I trust, entitle them to the approbation of their Country. The Enemy proved to be the Genereux, of 74 Guns, commanded by M. Lejoille, Chef de Division, who had escaped from the Action of the 1st of August, and, being the rearmost of the French Line, had received little or no share of it, having on board 900 men, about 100 whom we found had been killed in the present contest, and 188 wounded. I inclose a List of the Loss in Killed and Wounded in the Leander, and have the Honour to be, &c.
THOMAS THOMPSON."

Решение трибунала по делу о сдаче Линдера:

" THE following is the Sentence of the Court-Martial held on Capt. Thompson, of the Leander:

At a Court-Martial, assembled and held on board His Majesty's Ship America, at Sheerness, on Monday December 17th, 1798,

PRESENT,

GEORGE TRIPP, Esq. President,
Captain Thomas Parr,
Captain John Dilkes,
Captain William Mitchell,
Captain George Brusac,
Captain William Taylor,
Captain Richard King, Captain John Bazeley,
Captain Charles White,
Captain George Dundas,
Captain Richard Dacres,
Captain Samuel Sutton.
William Finch, Esq. Judge Advocate.

The Court, in pursuance of an Order from the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland, dated the 13th of this present month December, proceeded to enquire into the conduct of Capt. Thompson, Commander of His Majesty's late Ship Leander, and such of the Officers and Ship's Company as were on board her at the time she surrendered to the Genereux, a French Ship of 74 guns, and to try them for the same, respectively, accordingly: аnd the Court having heard the Evidence brought forward in support of Captain Thompson's Narrative of the Capture of the said Ship, and having very maturely and deliberately considered the whole, is of opinion, that the GALLANT and ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED Defence of Captain Thompson, of the Leander, against so superior a Force as that of the Genereux, is deserving of every praise his Country and this Court can give; and that his Conduct, with that of the Officers and Men under his command, reflects not only the highest Honour on himself and them, but to their Country at large; and the Court does therefore most honourably acquit Captain Thompson, his Officers, and Ship's Company - and he, and they, are hereby most honourably acquitted accordingly. "

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