Naval General Service clasp Northumberland, 22 May 1812
Abraham Mogridge
Provenance:
Glendining’s, July 1953.
Abraham Mogridge/Mogdridge was born at Crediton and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 3rd Class aboard Ethalion at Portsmouth on 3 July 1810. He was paid off a month later and joined Royal William, before moving to Northumberland in September 1810 as Boy 2nd Class. He was present for the action on 22 May 1812
In the morning of 22 May, the French squadron arrived off the Roches de Penmarch. Around 11:30, a large sail appeared in the north, which was soon recognised to be the Northumberland . Feretier decided to sail through by force. However, Morice signaled that one of his crew, Ensign Legrand, was familiar with the area and thought himself capable of leading the frigates through a shallow pass where they could evade Northumberland. Feretier decided to take his chance with this idea, and ordered Andromaque to lead, leaving Mameluck free to manoeuver at will. Around 15:00, the frigates came within range of Northumberland, which waited near Pointe du Talut. Northumberland fired a few shots, to which Andromaque, supported by coastal defence batteries, responded with her whole broadside. A full artillery exchange broke out, obscuring the view of the ships with smoke and killing Ensign Legrand on Andromaque. Officer Legros, the only other officer on Andromaque familiar with these waters, took over the pilotage, but around 17:45, Andromaque ran aground on the northern part of Basse Grasie reef. Ariane reacted by turning on her right, but soon also ran aground. Sensing the danger, Northumberland immediately retreated, and took the opportunity to repair the damage caused to her rigging by the cannonade,particularly her fore topmast.
With Mameluck the only ship able to manoeuver, Feretier ordered the brig to sail to Lorient and request assistance. Mameluck attempted to execute the order, but also ran aground, close to Ariane. With the receding tide, the frigates started to list so much that they threw their starboard artillery overboard, emptied their water reserves and removed all unnecessary cargo. Soon afterwards, Northumberland, returned, along with the 12-gun Growler, anchored north of the frigates, and started a two-hour bombardment, to which the frigates were unable to respond, save for a handful of carronades on Andromaque. After the first few shots, at 5:55, a fire broke out in the fore top of Andromaque; with his fire pump shattered, Morice ordered the mast cut down, but all the men assigned to the task were killed or wounded by British shots, and fire soon engulfed the forecastle.[9] With the water intake well above the sea, it was impossible to flood the powder room. Feretier sent an ensign to Andromaque, who returned to bring the news that the fire was beyond control; he then ordered the 86 sick and the prisoners taken to the boats that had come from Lorient. Northumberland, upon seeing they had been successful in their aims, departed from the action. The préfet maritime went to the site of the battle. Feretier reported that the hull of Ariane was riddled with shot to starboard and filled with water, and that the pilots deemed her impossible to refloat. The préfet then ordered Ariane abandoned; Feretier had her set afire to prevent her capture. By 8:20, the crew had come ashore and the officers embarked on boats for Lorient; Andromaque exploded soon afterwards. Ariane exploded in the night, at 2:30. Mameluck had cut her topmasts and thrown her artillery overboard in fruitless attempts to refloat, and had been abandoned by her crew because a number of the shots below the waterline made her impossible to sail into combat. However, she had not suffered as much as the frigates, and the next day, a party returned to Mameluck and succeeded in refloating her. She reached Lorient on 24, only survivor of the squadron.
Mogridge joined Puissant in January 1813 and was drafted to Gladiator in March 1813. Raised Ordinary Seaman in August 1813, he was paid off in October 1815. In 1861 he was an In Pensioner at Greenwich and died there 1872
sold together with typed biography.
Some edge bruising . A rare clasp
