Between 28 March 1800 and 3 July 1801, Thomas Cochrane, in command of the 14-gun brig-sloop ‘Speedy’, claimed to have taken 50 vessels, 122 guns, and 534 prisoners while cruising off the Spanish coast. The most spectacular of his small-ship victories was the boarding and capture of the 32-gun Spanish frigate ‘El Gamo’, a ship more than twice as powerful as his and with a complement nearly six times larger.

Cochrane ran ‘Speedy’ alongside the ‘Gamo’, and fired his guns treble-shotted into her. The Spanish tried three times to board but, at each attempt, Cochrane pulled away briefly and fired on the concentrated boarding parties. Eventually, having depleted the enemy, ‘Speedy’ emptied her whole crew upon the Spanish ship’s deck and carried her after a bloody struggle that cost four killed and seventeen wounded, the Spaniards losing fourteen and forty-one wounded.

In a calm sea, ‘El Gamo’, flying a Spanish ensign, is shown in starboard-broadside view, obscuring all but the stern end of ‘Speedy’ behind her. ‘Speedy’ flies both white and blue ensigns (the American colours Cochrane is said to have flown on approaching are not depicted). Both ships’ sails have been peppered with shot, and vicious hand-to-hand fighting is underway on ‘El Gamo’’s quarter-deck. In the background, a few miles distant, the Barcelona coastline is depicted approximately, in aerial perspective.

Inscribed: “To the Right Honourable Earl Spencer (late First Lord of the Admiralty) this print representing the Boarding and taking his Catholic Majesty’s Xebecque Frigate El Gamo, by His Majesty’s Sloop Speedy, Commanded by the Right Hon. Captain Lord Cochrane after a close Action of One Hour and Ten Minutes off Barcelona at Noon on the 6th of May 1801. Is most respectfully Dedicated. El Gamo 32 Guns 309 Men. Speedy 14 Guns 54 Men”.

The NMM also holds a preparatory drawing by Pocock (PAD8766), which bears close compositional resemblance to this print, oddly dated “6 Nov 1799” (exactly a year and a half earlier than the incident depicted). However, this inscription appears to be in a different hand and so may simply be due to a clerical error.

A matching oil offered for sale as by Pocock entitled “Lord Cochrane's 'Speedy' capturing the Spanish Frigate 'El Gamo'” was lot 115 in the International Art sale at Waddington’s of Toronto on 2 December 2008.

Hand coloured. Stored with PAH7989, a duplicate.