 In April 1808 , despite the brief deployment of the ship of the line HMS Albion and frigates HMS Phaeton and HMS Dedaigneuse to the Persian Gulf , Al Qasimi dhows appeared off <unk> , raiding shipping at Surat before they were driven off by ships of the Bombay Marine . Later in the year , a huge fleet of 50 raiders appeared off Sind in the Arabian Sea and caused severe disruption to the regional trade . The fleet attacked merchant shipping along the Indian coast and even seized a large country ship named Minerva , massacring her crew and converting her into their flagship . At its height in early 1809 , it was estimated that the Al Qasimi forces in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea included 60 large bhagalas , over 800 dhows , and employed 19 @,@ 000 men , against just two HEIC ships , Mornington and Teignmouth . 
