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With Peter Goodwin and the cutter Alert.

We spoke in detail of Alert‘s history and of the Junon and Alert, as possible paintings prepared with the author and much respected naval historian Peter Goodwin.

This to be part of a project, a series of paintings about His Majesties armed cutter Alert.

To include Alert‘s capture of the American commerce raider, the brig  USS Lexington which operated quite successfully out of Morlais, Brittany – until she met the cutter Alert.

“What the French did with the Alert and its fate ?”

The following sums up the current position except:
I have not yet had time to consult my books here.
I doubt the National Musee de la Marine would have plans however there are other sources in Paris.

I will have to check my records to find the addresses.

Peter wrote
Gordon,
Super to see you. I been doing some homework concerning  the Alert being captured by the French Junon.

Junon is  a Charmant  class 32 gun frigate laid down at Rochefort 1777 and launched March 1778 and went into service in May that same year  and was wrecked in October 1780

Tons 540 tonnes
Length 44.2 metres
Breadth  – 11.2metres
Draught – 5.4 metres

I have tried to get into web site of  the National Musee de la Marine Paris  to enquire on what the French did with the Alert and its fate but getting into contacts at the museum is difficult  as all is in French.

Could you get into them and send my contact details?

The National Musee de la Marine is also based at Rochfort and Toulon and I think Brest   so they may have something.

If you do a painting of Junon and Alert then as the Junon is a specific class of frigate and we know that the French  were more consistent in ship design .

There is a serious proposal to build a full size replica of Alert which measured 70 ‘ between perpendiculars and take moulds with a view to building a class for racing.

A cutter like Alert with her low freeboard and huge sail area would pose a real challenge to modern sailors!