"The Sea Wolf Attacks: Lord Cochrane's HMS Pallas engages the French frigate La Minerve and her squadron, Isle d'Aix, 14th May 1806"

Oil on Linen Canvas

26 x 36 inches (66 x 91.5 cm)

Signed, lower right

Framed in a hand-finished gilt frame with white slip

World-wide exclusive - only available from Marine Artists

No officer could have exemplified better than did Lord Cochrane the great Nelson’s instruction ”Engage the Enemy More Closely”.

The inspiration for fictional heroes such as Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Captain Jack Aubrey, Cochrane’s efforts to take the attack to the enemy at all times seem reckless, foolhardy or just simply insane.

The action shown here in a major new painting by Maarten Platje demonstrated all those qualities. This painting summarises all the greatest qualities of fearless dash for which Cochrane was known and loved and is an important work of historical marine art.

On 14^th May 1806, Lord Cochrane was in command of HMS Pallas, a 32-gun frigate although probably carrying greater firepower, off the Isle d’Aix in the estuary of the Gironde river. He had been raiding French shipping and coasts, causing havoc with absurdly daring night attacks and cutting-out expeditions, often using his own multi-oared galley to bring his raiding parties inshore.

On this day it was seen that the large French 40-gun frigate Minerve was sitting beneath the protection of the Aix battery, backed up by three French brigs. Lord Cochrane, of course, decided to attack immediately and sailed Pallas straight at Minerve under the fire of the shore batteries and attack from the brigs.

Having disabled one brig, avoided disaster from the shore batteries and fired at least one broadside, Cochrane and Pallas crashed into Minerve. As the latter had just grounded, the impact was an enormous shock; the British sailors recovered more quickly and got off another broadside but Pallas suffered considerable damage to her masts and rigging and at this point two further French frigates headed to the rescue of the badly-damaged French ship. The British sloop Kingfisher, defying orders, came up to give Pallas a line and tow her out.

To take on a much larger frigate, three brigs, a powerful shore battery and then two further frigates clearly seemed acceptable odds to Lord Cochrane. It is interesting to compare Cochrane’s approach with the enormous risks taken by Horatio Nelson, for example at St. Vincent, on the Atlantic Chase and in Agincourt Sound. To pull off such outrageous risks it must have been essential to have the complete trust of your men – and their men would follow both Cochrane and Nelson anywhere.

To buy the original painting or reserve it contact Charles Mayes

cm@marineartists.co.uk +44(0)79 4179 8655

The price includes professional shipping, delivery & insurance to any address world-wide

A larger photograph / full description available on request

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