 In 1811 , Alceste entered the Adriatic . On 4 – 5 May , she and Belle Poule participated in a raid at Parenza ( Istria ) that destroyed a French 18 @-@ gun brig . They chased the brig into the harbour but could not get the ships close enough to bombard her . Instead , the two vessels landed 200 seamen and all their marines on an island nearby and brought on to it two 9 @-@ pounders and two howitzers , which they placed in one battery , and a field piece that they placed further away . Eventually , they and the French in Parenza engaged in five hours of mutual bombardment , during which the British were able to sink the brig . They then returned men and cannons to their ships . In the action , Belle Poule had one man killed and three wounded and Alceste had two men killed ; all casualties occurred onshore . 
