Antelope was a West Indian packet ship launched in 1780. The French captured her in 1781, 1782, and finally, in 1794. She is most famous for a desperate single-ship action in 1793 when her crew captured a better-armed French privateer with a much larger crew.
Career
The French first captured her in 1781, and then ransomed her.
On 1 December 1793, Antelope was sailing without Captain Kempthorne, who had remained in Falmouth due to illness, and was off Cumberland Harbour, Cuba when she sighted two privateers. Obeying orders, Antelope headed back to port to avoid trouble, but the next day the wind failed and one of the privateers, Atlante (of eight 3-pounder guns), was able to come alongside and attack. Antelope was armed with six 3-pounder (1.4 kg) guns and manned by a crew of 21. Atlante, a French privateer from Charleston, South Carolina, had a crew of 65, consisting of Frenchmen, Irishmen, and Americans. Command fell on Boatswain John Pascoe, who then led the crew in repelling the boarding parties. Antelopes crew repeatedly threw back the privateers, and eventually cut their grapples. In their resistance, Antelopes crew was aided by the fact that she was higher than the Atlante, enabling the crew to fire down on the deck of the privateer while being protected. However, depositions by Mr. Pascoe and Antelopes gunner deny that M. Nodin played any such role.
Antelope lost 3 killed and 3 wounded, one mortally. The privateer lost her first captain mortally wounded and second captain wounded, 30 men killed in the action, and 17 wounded (three mortally); only 16 of her 65 men were unhurt. Pascoe received 50 guineas and a gold whistle; the crew, widows, and dependents received money.