Capture of USS Argus

s captain was Commander John Fordyce Maple, an officer who had joined the Royal Navy aged twelve years old in 1782, two years before William Henry Allen was born.
On 13 August, the Argus took two final prizes. One of them was from Oporto in Portugal and was carrying wine. It is suggested by both American historians that the crew of the Argus looted some of the cargo, and that their debauched state affected their performance during the coming battle. As with the Arguss previous captures, the prize was set on fire, but Pelican was near enough to sight the smoke from the burning vessel, and make for it.
Battle
At 5 a.m. on the morning of 14 August, the Argus and Pelican sighted each other 5 leagues (about 15 miles) west of St. David's Head. The Argus was the faster but more lightly armed vessel (with eighteen 24-pounder carronades and a 12-pounder chase gun, against the Pelicans sixteen 32-pounder carronades, and one 12-pounder long gun and two 6-pounder long guns) Allen's decision to accept battle against a heavier opponent stemmed from confidence gained while he was the First Lieutenant of the at the time she captured . Following promotion he had said that he could "take any British 22 gun sloop of war in ten minutes."

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