Caroline (1804 ship)

Caroline was a French privateer commissioned in Saint-Malo in 1804. She served in the Indian Ocean, based at Île de France (now Mauritius). As she was returning to Saint-Malo, a sloop of the British Royal Navy captured her off Cape Finisterre in 1809; she was accidentally sunk shortly thereafter.
French service.
Built at Solidor, near Saint-Malo, "Caroline" was commissioned by a joint venture between Robert Surcouf and his father-in-law Louis Blaize de Maisonneuve, Her captain was Nicolas Surcouf, Robert's brother.
"Caroline" departed Saint-Malo in February 1804, bound for Île de France (now Mauritius).
On 16 April "Caroline" was still to the west of Africa when Surcouf captured . Five days later, Surcouf captured "Unicorn" (or "Licorne" in French), off St Helena as "Unicorn" was returning from the South Seas. "Surcouf" plundered both vessels of their cargoes, transferred "Unicorn"s crew to "Whim", and then released "Whim", against a ransom of 4000 piastres. 
A prize crew of 13 men under the command of Jean-Baptiste Graffin sailed "Unicorn" back to France. There she was sold for 6,200 piastres, and her two cargoes were sold for 8,898 piastres.
"Caroline" arrived at Île de France in May 1804. She cruised the Indian Ocean from July to November before returning to Île de France on 21 November. During this cruise she captured (14 August; 600 tons and 8 guns), "Fame" (13 October; 600 tons), and (19 October; 800 tons and 8 guns). recaptured "Mornington"; however, Captain Fallonard of the brig "Île de France" recaptured "Mornington" yet again. 
At Île de France "Caroline" was refitted and transformed into a brig. She went on a second campaign from September 1805 to January 1806. "Caroline" captured the ships "Waldegrave" and "Commerce" in the Indian Ocean, and "Melville" and "Prince de Galles" in the Gulf of Bengal, teaming up with Perroud's "Bellone" and Henry's . Surcouf appears to have left "Caroline" after this voyage. When "Caroline" was paid off, her 117 officers and crew men shared a payment of 46,566.42 piasteres, divided into 241 shares, representing one-third of the net value of the prizes she had taken. Nicholas Surcouf had 12 shares, Lacaze Ranly, her second captain, had 10 shares. The least was a half-share, which was the lot of the cabin boys and a couple of the officers' servants. Each seaman had from three-quarters of a share to 1½ shares.
In September 1808, "Caroline" departed Île de France, bound for Saint-Malo, under Joseph Guezenec.
Fate.
On 28 December 1808, the British sloop was returning to Britain from Corunna when she encountered and captured "Caroline" north of Cape Finisterre. She brought "Caroline", described as a "French Letter of Marque from the Isles of France to Bordeaux (with a valuable cargo)", to Plymouth, where however, on Saturday, 14 January 1809, she was run down in the Catwater and sunk.
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