 In late 1808 , the French Navy despatched five frigates to the Indian Ocean to rendezvous at Île de France under the command of Commodore Jacques Hamelin . Although only four frigates eventually reached the French island , these were new vessels carrying 40 heavy guns each under orders to attack British shipping in the Bay of Bengal , in particular the large East Indiamen of the Honourable East India Company ( HEIC ) . The first frigate to discover a convoys was Caroline , which attacked a Europe @-@ bound convoy in the Action of 31 May 1809 . Capturing two East Indiamen carrying over £ 500 @,@ 000 worth of silk , Caroline brought her prizes back to the fortified port of Saint Paul on Île Bonaparte . 
