got into a storm and decided to anchor at La Calle, a French outpost in nominally Algerian territory. His anchors broke and his ship, carried by a storm, was smashed against the rocks of the shore. This event nearly ruined Hamidou's career. The loss of a ship entrusted to a raïs was most often very severely punished. He decided not to make his report, and he was caught and brought back by force to Algiers. But he was able to calm the anger of the Dey and soon, he had a frigate built by the Spanish Maestro Antonio, a renegade carpenter in Algiers. In 1797 a corvette of the Dey of Algiers returned to the port without displaying the Algerian flag or saluting the mosque of Sidi Abderrahman, patron of the city of Algiers. This symbolic act meant the loss of its captain either in battle, or desertion. In fact, the latter, having many misdeeds and serious navigation errors to be forgiven, had preferred to desert, and went to take refuge in Morocco. The Dey, wishing to reward Hamidou for his recent successes, appointed him to the command of the vessel. Hamidou is mentioned regularly in the register of catches, especially involving Genoese, Venetian, Neapolitan and Greek vessels. On March 8, 1802, after a few days of cruising, Hamidou commanding a Xebec of 40 guns met a Portuguese warship of 44 guns. Aware of the military superiority of the Portuguese frigate, he employed cunning. He hoisted an English flag to approach the Portuguese. The Portuguese let themselves be approached by the Algerians, as they realize far too late that they are facing pirates. The Algerians boarded and devastated the ship. 282 Portuguese were taken prisoner. The corsairs captured the ship. The frigate would become a unit of the Algerian fleet under the name of La Portugaise. Hamidou was given an honorary Yatagan, and was received in solemn audience. The Portuguese frigate was not the only one that the Algerians or Hamidou captured. On 28 May the same year, Hamidou captured another Portuguese war frigate of 36 guns. These successes earned the Rais the title of the admiral of the Algerian fleet, and his own villa in El Biar from Hussein Khodja who would later become Dey. For nearly two years, Hamidou's name ceased to appear on the prize register because of internal problems and rivalry with the Odjak, and the