French brig Mercure (1806)

HMS 'Victorious' Taking the 'Rivoli', 22 February 1812 , Thomas Luny. The painting show the explosion of Mercure in the background.
History
France
Name:	Mercure
Namesake:	Mercury
Builder:	Genoa, by Muzio & Migone
Laid down:	May 1805
Launched:	17 July 1806
Commissioned:	November 1806
Struck:	14 June 1810
Kingdom of Italy
General characteristics
Armament:	16 x 24-pounder carronades
Armour:	Timber

The Mercure was a brig of the French Navy.

In November 1806, she was commissioned in Genoa under Gen. Lacombe-Saint-Michel. In 1808, she was at Corfu, and in 1810 in Venice. On 14 June 1810, she was transferred to the navy of the Kingdom of Italy, along with Cyclope and Écureuil, in exchange for the frigate Favorite.

On 22 February 1812, as she escorted the newly commissioned 74-gun Rivoli with the brigs Mamelouk and Iéna, the squadron encountered a British force. In the ensuing Battle of Pirano, Mercure battled against HMS Weazel for 45 minutes until her magazines suddenly exploded, instantly sinking her and killing all aboard except for three men, who were rescued by Weazel.^[1]

The wreck of Mercure was discovered in 2001 when a fishing net caught one of her guns. Archeological campaigns were conducted from 2002, and the hull was found in 2005, in good condition.

Sources and references

Citations

1. Troude 1867, p. 146

References

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 260. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
• Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France. 4. Challamel ainé. pp. 160–162.
• Beltrame, C.; Gaddi, D. (April 2002). "Report on the first research campaign on the Napoleonic brick, Mercure, wrecked off Lignano, Udine, Italy in 1812". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 31 (1): 60–73. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2002.tb01400.x.

Coordinates: 45°33′42″N 13°12′19″E / 45.5617°N 13.2053°E