Phaeton (carriage) Phaeton (carriage) A phaeton (also phaéton) was a form of sporty open carriage popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Drawn by one or two horses, a phaeton typically featured a minimal very lightly sprung body atop four extravagantly large wheels. With open seating, it was both fast and dangerous, giving rise to its name, drawn from the mythical Phaëton, son of Helios, who nearly set the earth on fire while attempting to drive the chariot of the sun. With the advent of the automobile, the term was adapted to open touring cars, also known as phaetons. The
HMS Phaeton (1782) 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop "Harrier", Captain Edward Ratsey. After exchanges of fire first with "Harrier" and then with "Phaeton", "Sémillante" took refuge under the guns of a shore battery. Unable to dislodge her, the two British vessels eventually sailed off, each having suffered two men wounded. "Sémillante" was reported to have suffered 13 killed and 36 wounded. After resupplying at San Jacinto, "Sémillante" intended to sail for Mexico in March 1805 to fetch specie for the Philippines; the encounter with "Phaeton" and "Harrier" foiled the plan. Motard returned to the Indian Ocean, operating for the next three years against British