Naval/Maritime History 27th of August - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1794 – Launch of French Preneuse, a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.


The Preneuse was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She served as a commerce raider at Île de France.




Destruction of Preneuse, by Auguste Mayer

Career
In 1795, Preneuse was stationed at Rochefort under Captain Larcher. She was then transferred to the Indian Ocean station, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sercey.[2]

In 1796, she was a Mauritius under Captain Ravenel, at Port-Nord-Ouest.

In March 1798, under Lhermitte, she ferried ambassadors from Mysore sent by Tippu Sultan to île de France to request help against the British. Near Tellicherry, Preneuse found two East Indiamen, Raymond and Woodcot at Tellicherry; she attacked and captured both on 20 April,[5] after a one-hour battle. She left the diplomatic mission at Mangalore, and sailed to Batavia.

She was soon joined by the 22-gun corvette Brûle-Gueule, which ferried Rear-Admiral Sercey. The squadron sailed to Surabaya, where a settlement was established. A small mutiny broke out when Preneuse crew refused to let go of the British flags captured at Tellicherry; Lhermitte had personally to confront the mutineers with his sabre to re-establish discipline. He then had a firing squad execute five of the mutineers.

After a short stay at Surabaya, Preneuse and Brûle-Gueule sailed for a three-month cruise, capturing 40 British merchantmen and participating in the Macau Incident. After returning to Subaraya, Sercey set his flag on Preneuse and the squadron sailed for île de France.

They arrived in May 1799, encountering the British blockade composed of three ships of the line, one frigate and one brig. The French ships reached Rivière Noire District, where they were joined by a number of coastal ships offering assistance. Preneuse and Brûle-Gueule anchored in the bay. They sent seven 18-pounders ashore and the French built an improvised fort to guard the entrance of the bay; it sustained a 3-week siege before the British retreated.

In August 1799, Preneuse departed for a patrol near Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar. On 4 September, she fought against five British ships. In September, she fought against a 64-gun ship of the line.

Preneuse also attempted to supply arms to the Graaff Reinet Republic of Adriaan van Jaarsveld. On the 20th, she sailed into Algoa Bay under Danish colours, when 16-gun ship-sloop HMS Rattlesnake recognised her. Preneuse exchanged cannon fire with Rattlesnake and the armed store ship Camel, before retreating.

On 9 October 1799, as Preneuse neared Good Hope, the 54-gun HMS Jupiter encountered her and gave chase. After 22 hours, Jupiter gained on Preneuse, and the two vessels exchanged fire. Preneuse managed to outmaneuver Jupiter and rake her; the British then retreated to avoid being boarded, and managed to escape.

Main article: Battle of Port Louis


Algoa Bay, 20–21 September 1799. French frigate Preneuse against HMS Camel and the privateer Surprise


Destruction of the Preneuse

On 11 December 1799, as she returned to Île de France, Preneuse encountered the 74-gun HMS Tremendous, under Captain John Osborn, off Port Louis. Tremendous gave chase. As Preneuse closed to the land, the 50-gun HMS Adamant, under Captain William Hotham, cut her escape route. While Preneuse was attempting to sail under the protection of the coastal forts at Baie-du-Tombeau, erratic winds drove her ashore. The British closed in and battered Preneuse, which Lhermitte then deemed lost. He had the crew abandon ship, while he stayed behind with his officers, struck the colours and scuttled the frigate. British boats attempted to recover Preneuse, but she came under fire from the coastal batteries and they abandoned the attempt.

The British took Preneuse's officers to Adamant, where Commodore Botham treated them with courtesy. He released Lhermitte on parole the next day.


Combat et destruction de la Fregate la Preneuse, dans la Baye du Tombeau a l' Ile de France, 11 Dec 1799 (PAD5632)


The Preneuse class was a type of two 42-gun frigates.

Preneuse class, (40-gun design of 1794 by Raymond-Antoine Haran, with 28 x 18-pounder and 12 x 8-pounder guns).

• Preneuse, (launched 1794 at Rochefort) – destroyed by British Navy 1799.
• Africaine, (launched 1798 at Rochefort) – captured by British Navy 1801, becoming HMS Africaine.

Capture of the Africaine French frigate by the Phoebe... 1 Nov 1801 (PAH4006)


lines & profile It is likely that these plans show her prior to her refit. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 712, states that 'Africaine' was refitted at Deptford Dockyard between 17 February 1802 and 17 February 1803.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Preneuse_(1795)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Port_Louis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preneuse-class_frigate
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-289602;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=A

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1798 - Boats of HMS Alfred (74), Cptn. T. Totty, captured Scipion (20) at Basse Terre


HMS Alfred was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 October 1778 at Chatham Dockyard.



Career
She fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780.

Lloyd's List reported on 17 May 1795 that Alfred had captured a French 22-gun corvette off Cape Finisterre. The corvette had been sailing to the West Indies and Alfred took her into Barbados.

Fate
Alfred was broken up in 1814.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with sternboard decoration, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, longitudinal half-breadth for Alfred (1778), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, as built at Chatham Dockyard.


HMS Warrior as a prison ship. This image was published in 1862.

The Alfred-class ships of the line were a class of four 74-gun third rates for the Royal Navy by Sir John Williams. They were an enlarged version of the Royal Oak class.

Ships

• HMS Alexander

Builder: Deptford Dockyard
Ordered: 21 July 1773
Launched: 8 October 1778
Fate: Broken up, 1819

• HMS Alfred

Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 13 August 1772
Launched: 22 October 1778
Fate: Broken up, 1814

• HMS Warrior

Builder: Portsmouth Dockyard
Ordered: 13 July 1773
Launched: 18 October 1781
Fate: Broken up, 1857

• HMS Montague

Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 16 July 1774
Laid Down: 30 January 1775
Launched: 28 August 1779
Completed for Sea: 23 September 1779
Fate: Broken up, 1818

• A fifth ship Edgar was also ordered (16 July 1774) to this design, but on 25 August 1774 was altered to the modified Arrogant design.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Alfred_(1778)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred-class_ship_of_the_line

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1804 – First Barbary War: Lt. Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.


Lt. Stephen Decatur, with volunteers from frigate Constitution and schooner Enterprise, enters Tripoli harbor in the ketch Intrepid under the stealth of darkness to burn the captured frigate Philadelphia. Decatur's raid succeeds without American losses.


Burning of the frigate Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli, 16 February 1804, by Edward Moran, painted 1897, depicts a naval action of the First Barbary War

Commodore Edward Preble had assumed command of the U.S. Mediterranean Squadron in 1803. By October of that year Preble had begun a blockade of Tripoli harbor. The first significant action of the blockade came on 31 October when USS Philadelphia ran aground on an uncharted coral reef and the Tripolitan Navy was able to capture the ship along with its crew and Captain William Bainbridge. Philadelphia was turned against the Americans and anchored in the harbor as a gun battery.

On the night of 16 February 1804, a small contingent of U.S. Marines in a captured Tripolitan ketch rechristened USS Intrepid and led by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, Jr. were able to deceive the guards on board Philadelphia and float close enough to board the captured ship. Decatur's men stormed the vessel and decimated the Tripolitan sailors standing guard. To complete the daring raid, Decatur's party set fire to Philadelphia, denying her use to the enemy. Decatur's bravery in action made him one of the first American military heroes since the Revolutionary War. The British Admiral Horatio Nelson, himself known as a man of action and bravery, is said to have called this "the most bold and daring act of the age." Even Pope Pius VII stated, "The United States, though in their infancy, have done more to humble the anti-Christian barbarians on the African coast than all the European states had done..



USS Philadelphia, a 1240-ton, 36-gun sailing frigate, was the second vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Philadelphia. Originally named City of Philadelphia, she was built in 1798–1799 for the United States government by the citizens of that city. Funding for her construction was the result of a funding drive which raised $100,000 in one week, in June 1798. She was designed by Josiah Fox and built by Samuel Humphreys, Nathaniel Hutton and John Delavue. Her carved work was done by William Rush of Philadelphia. She was laid down about November 14, 1798, launched on November 28, 1799, and commissioned on April 5, 1800, with Captain Stephen Decatur, Sr. in command. She is perhaps best remembered for her burning after being captured in Tripoli.



Service history
Putting to sea for duty in the West Indies to serve in the Quasi-War with France, she arrived on the Guadeloupe Station in May 1800 and relieved the frigate Constellation. During this cruise she captured five French armed vessels and recaptured six merchant ships that had fallen into French hands.



Returning home in March 1801, she was ordered to prepare for a year's cruise in the Mediterranean in a squadron commanded by Commodore Richard Dale. At his own request, Decatur was relieved of the command of President by Captain Samuel Barron. The squadron arrived at Gibraltar on July 1, with Commodore Dale in the frigate President. Philadelphia was directed to cruise the Straits and blockade the coast of Tripoli, since in May 1801 the Pasha Yusuf Karamanli had threatened to wage war on the United States by chopping down the flagpole with the American flag before the U.S. consulate.

Philadelphia departed Gibraltar for the United States in April 1802, arriving in mid-July. In ordinary until May 21, 1803, when she recommissioned (having her sixteen 9-pounder long guns replaced with sixteen 32-pounder carronades at this time), and sailed for the Mediterranean on July 28, 1803. She arrived in Gibraltar on August 24 with Captain William Bainbridge in command, and two days later recaptured the American brig Celia from the Moroccan ship-of-war Mirboka (24 guns and 100 men), and brought them both into Gibraltar.



Destruction
During the First Barbary War (1801–1805), Philadelphia cruised off Tripoli until October 31, 1803, while giving chase and firing upon a pirate ship she ran aground on an uncharted reef two miles off Tripoli Harbor. The captain, William Bainbridge, tried to refloat her, first laying the sails aback, and casting off three bow anchors and shifting the guns aftward. But a strong wind and rising waves drove her further aground. Next they jettisoned many of her cannons, barrels of water, and other heavy articles overboard in order to make her lighter, but this too failed. They then sawed off the foremast in one last desperate attempt to lighten her. All of these attempts failed and Bainbridge, in order not to resupply the pirates, ordered holes drilled in the ship's bottom, gunpowder dampened, sails set afire and all other weapons thrown overboard before surrendering. Her officers and men were made slaves of the Pasha (or Bashaw).

Philadelphia, which had been refloated by her captors, was too great a prize to be allowed to remain in the hands of the Tripolitans, so a decision was made to recapture or destroy her. The U.S. had captured the Tripolitan ketch Mastico, renamed her Intrepid, and re-rigged the ship with short masts and triangular sails to look like a local ship. On February 16, 1804, under the cover of night and in the guise of a ship in distress that had lost all anchors in a storm and needed a place to tie up, Intrepid was sailed by a volunteer assaulting party of officers and men under Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, Jr. next to Philadelphia. The assault party boarded Philadelphia, and after making sure that she was not seaworthy, burned the ship where she lay in Tripoli Harbor. Lord Horatio Nelson, known as a man of action and bravery, is said to have called this "the most bold and daring act of the Age."

Her anchor was returned to the United States on April 7, 1871, when the Bashaw presented it to the captain of the visiting Guerriere.

• 
  
  
  
• 
  "Preparation for War to defend Commerce ... the building of the Frigate Philadelphia," Birch's Views of Philadelphia(1800).
• 
  
• 
  
  (A) is the location of the wreck of Philadelphia at the time she was fired by Decatur. The dashed line is Decatur's route. (B) is the final resting place of Philadelphia after drifting and burning.
  
  
  Local account of the destruction

In 1904, Charles Wellington Furlong, an American adventurer went to Tripoli to investigate the sinking of Philadelphia and later wrote of it in his book, The Gateway to the Sahara: Observations and Experiences in Tripoli (1909). In this book the following account, based on records from a local synagogue, is given:

Yusef Pashaw had equipped a number of corsairs.... His captains, Zurrig, Dghees, Trez, Romani and El-Mograbi, set sail from Tripoli and shortly sighted an American vessel [Philadelphia]. Zurrig left the others and daringly approached the ship, annoying her purposely to decoy her across the shoals. She stranded, but fired on the other vessels until her ammunition gave out, whereupon the Moslems pillaged her. The American Consul [actually the Danish consul, Nissen] was very much disheartened and tried to conclude arrangements similar to those recently made between the Bashaw and the Swedish Consul; but such an enormous tribute was demanded that no terms could be reached, so by order of the Bashaw the vessel was burned.... Footnote 2: This of course was an erroneous idea. It may have been purposefully circulated through the town, particularly among the inhabitants other than Mohammedans.​

Furlong later reports in the same book, that he talked to other Arabs in Tripoli who said that the ship was not burned, but moved to the Lazaretto where it was dressed up as a trophy and its guns used to call the end of Ramadan. According to the detailed account of Hadji-Mohammed Gabroom, an American ketch was able to sneak in, kill some of the 10 guards, cause the others to flee, then set the ship on fire.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Philadelphia_(1799)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Tripoli_Harbor

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1813 – Launch of HMS Grasshopper, a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig sloop


HMS Grasshopper was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig sloop launched in 1813. She was the second ship of the class to bear the name; the first Grasshopper had been stranded at Texel and surrendered to the Batavian Republic on Christmas Day 1811. The present Grasshopper remained in service until sold in 1832.



Service
On 6 October 1813, Grasshopper recaptured the Dryades, Humphries, Master. Dryades had been sailing from Dublin to London when she was captured. After Grasshopper recaptured Dryades, Dryades arrived at Portsmouth on 7 October.

From 1814 Grasshopper served in the Mediterranean. On 29 April and 18 May 1815, she captured the Maruccia, Madonna del Montalleggro, and the Immaculata Concezione. Another report expands on this, crediting Grasshopper with detaining the Concession, sailing from Gallipoli, Apulia to Marseilles, the Madame de Monte Allegro, from Naples, the Majorca, from Naples, the Concizione, from Capo Danza and Messina to Naples, and the Concizime, from Leghorn and Civitavecchia to Naples.

Unfortunately, Grasshoper's prize agents, Messers Lark and Woodhead, went bankrupt in 1816. As a result, the last of the prize money from these captures did not arrive until 1850, and then was minor.


HMS Pelorus, a sister-ship also converted to a ship-sloop

More importantly, on 13 May was part of the squadron that was present at the surrender of Naples during the Neapolitan War, though she herself was not actually there. A British squadron, consisting of Grasshopper, the 74-gun Tremendous, the frigate Alcmene, and the sloop Partridge blockaded the port and destroyed all the gunboats there. Parliament voted a grant of £150,000 to the officers and men of the squadron for the property captured at the time, the grant being paid in 1816. Initially, Grasshopper was excluded from the payment as she was not actually present, having been sent on an errand. However, Sir Charles Barrard sued and eventually the court agreed that there had been a blockade and that Grasshopper had been part of the blockade and so was entitled to share in the grant. The money was paid in May 1819, with the other officers and crew of the other three vessels being required to repay part of their grant.

Grasshopper then spent 1816 and 1817 in Portsmouth. From 1818 she was assigned to the North America Station, being based at Halifax and Newfoundland. From May 1819 her captain was Commander David Buchan, and in her he carried out an assignment from the Governor, Sir Charles Hamilton, to return the native woman Demasduwit to her people, the Beothuks. Although she died of tuberculosis before the mission could be accomplished, he transported her body to a Beothuk camp by ascending the Exploits River in January 1820. Seeing signs of the Beothuk, but meeting none, they left her body and possessions in a tent by Red Indian Lake and returned to Grasshopper by the end of February.

Between January and June 1822 Grasshopper was in Portsmouth where the Navy converted her to a ship-sloop. In December 1823 Commander John Alpin took command for the Halifax station. On 23 December 1826 Commander Courtenay Edward William Boyle assumed command; at the time Grasshopper was still at Halifax.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile (proposed and approved) for the Snake (1798), an 18 gun flush-decked Ship Sloop. The plan includes later alterations to the mast positions for Victor (1798), an 18 gun flush-decked Ship Sloop. The plan was also used for the Brig Sloops Fly (1813) and Grasshopper (1813) when they were re-rigged as Ship Sloops in 1822.

Between June 1827 and February 1828 Grasshopper was at Woolwich undergoing repairs and fitting for sea. Commander Abraham Crawford commissioned her on 8 December 1827 for Jamaica.

From 1828 to 1830 Grasshopper served on the West Indies Station, based in Jamaica. There she was involved in suppressing the slave trade.

On 27 June 1828 she captured the Xerxes. Admiral Fleeming had ordered Crawford to patrol Cuba's northwest coast and it was there that Grasshoperencountered the Xerxes. The Xerxes was armed with one 18-pounder gun, four smaller guns, and her 44-man crew was well supplied with small arms. She had sailed with 426 slaves, of whom 406 were still alive. Grasshopper chased Xerxes for 26 hours before capturing her in the Gulf of Mexico; Grasshopper then took her into Havana where British and Spanish Mixed Court condemned (confiscated) the vessel and nominally freed the now 401 surviving slaves on 12 July.

On 22 November Grasshopper captured the Firme, which was carrying 487 slaves when Grasshopper captured her, having started out from the Gold Coast with 492. Firme had a crew of 43 men, four passengers, and was armed with six guns, four 18-pounders, one 12-pounder, and one 24-pounder. She too went into Havana and was condemned on 18 December. Crawford received promotion to post-captain in the hospital ship Magnificent, which was at Port Royal, Jamaica, on 5 January 1829; he invalided back to Britain on 3 April in the yacht Herald later that year.

Commander Charles Deane assumed command of Grasshopper on 5 January 1829. Commander John Elphinstone Erskine replaced him on 3 May 1830.

Fate
The Navy paid off Grasshopper on 6 September 1831. The Admiralty offered Grasshopper for sale at Portsmouth on 30 May 1832. She was sold on that day to Thomas Ward for £910.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Grasshopper_(1813)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruizer-class_brig-sloop
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;searchTerm=Grasshopper_(1813

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1848 - Beginning of Spanish expedition to Balanguingui


The Balanguingui Expedition of 1848 was an amphibious campaign organized by Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa to capture Balanguingui Island in the Sulu Archipelago from the Moro Pirates, who were using it as a base for their piratical activities.


Naval bombardment of Balanguingui, by Fernández Muñoz.

The expedition, composed of 19 warships of various sizes under José Ruiz de Apodaca, set sail from Manila, was joined by additional forces at Daitan and Zamboanga, and arrived at Balanguingui on 12 February. The island was defended by four strongholds. After a landing near one of these forts, a naval bombardment and an assault succeeded in capturing the building. The second and biggest fort, as well as a minor nearby fortification, were taken by the Spaniards three days later in a bloody assault. On 21 February the remaining fort was easily captured. The campaign ended shortly after. It was a major blow to the pirates, as the Spaniards succeeded in capturing four forts and several villages, which they burned, along with more than 150 proas that were used by the pirates. About 550 captives were also freed during the operation.



Background


A Balanguingui garay warship, c. 1850

By the mid-nineteenth century, the south of Mindanao and the south of the Philippines in general, were a usual haven of Muslim pirates, who devastated the coasts of the archipelago in search of booty and prisoners that they later sold in the market of Jolo. The Spanish government proposed the elimination of the pirates. To accomplish this, several expeditions were carried out against the pirate havens starting in 1843. One of the major expeditions was led by Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa, the governor-general of the Spanish colony, in early 1848. He organized a fleet of 19 warships at Manila under Brigadier José Ruiz de Apodaca including 2 steamers, 2 schooners and 3 brigs, plus several smaller vessels, including gunboats and feluccas. Three regular infantry companies under Lieutenant Colonel Arrieta were embarked on these ships on 27 January. Two other companies, a beefeater battalion, a contingent of police, an artillery detachment, and some engineers and workers were later embarked. The flagship of the fleet was the steamer Reina de Castilla. The fleet was joined by several transports at Daitan, and, on 17 February, set sail to the major pirate base of Balanguingui. The fleet was reinforced on the way by several Filipino local vessels called vintas and 150 auxiliaries of Zamboanga.

Balanguingui was a small island with an area of 6 square miles, covered with mangroves and jungle. The ground was so flat and swampy that when the tide rose, just a few sandbanks remained dry. Four forts stood over these sandbanks, surrounded by some houses built on stilts. A shallow channel divided the island in two portions, also spreading into several branches which penetrated inside the ground, making Balanguingui a swampy maze. The forts were known by the names of Sipac, Balanguingui, Sungap and Bocutingol. The first two were the biggest, and were located at the tip of the largest estuary. Their walls were built with tree trunks ranging from 2 to 3 feet in diameter and from 18 to 20 in height, and were reinforced by fences and stone embankments.

Expedition
Capture of Fort Balanguingui


Map of Balanguingui island, 1848.

At dawn on February 16, taking advantage of the low tide, which had left the fort linked to the mainland, the regular infantry companies of Asia, la Reina, Segundo Ligero and Fernando VII, plus the 150 veteran Zamboangan auxiliaries, were landed. The first three were entrusted with the capture of the fort, while the second one and the auxiliaries, under Andrés Arriete, were a reserve force. Two steamers and two schooners, with support from several minor vessels, began to shell the fort. Once the bombardment had lowered the morale of the pirates, the assault was launched.

It was found that grappling hooks were needed to climb the fort's walls, but despite this and stubborn resistance by the pirates, who defended themselves with rifles, grenades, spears and stones, the Spaniards managed to scale the walls and enter the fort. Some 25 pirates were killed inside, while another 30 or 40 dove into the water and were drowned or killed by the fire from the Spanish feluccas and armed boats. 14 artillery pieces were taken. The Spanish losses amounted to 5 regular soldiers and two auxiliaries killed and about 50 wounded, including two colonels, José María Pañarada and Cayetano Figuera.

Capture of Fort Sipac
The Spaniards then tried to advance inside the island through the channel, but there wasn't enough water for the Spanish boats. Clavería decided to assault the Fort called Sipac. He reconnoitered the fort and found that the naval forces could not approach to surround it, so he gave orders for 2 12 caliber mountain howitzers to be deployed on the isthmus. At dawn on the 19th the naval forces took their positions. They opened fire at 7:00 AM, at the same time as the land batteries. One hour later, the assault columns, which included a naval brigade and 50 grappling hooks, began the assault shouting "Viva la Reina". They were met with heavy rifle-fire from the pirates but succeeded in cutting down some wooden obstacles and entering the fort. The pirates, in their desperation, killed their families or rushed themselves against the Spanish bayonets. Many civilians were killed during the battle, and about 150 were captured by the Spaniards, who sent them to a field hospital.


Spanish landing at Balanguingui, by Antonio Brugada.

Near the main fort, on the other side of a thick coconut grove, there was a minor fort that had inflicted some casualties during the previous engagement.[7]Claverías entrusted its capture to Captain Gregorio Bárcenas and his carabineer company of the 2nd Light Regiment. Only one Moro was wounded in the assault, compared to no Spanish casualties. The Spaniards took 93 artillery pieces at the two forts, most of them bronze cannons. Thirteen others were found in nearby houses. The Spanish losses had been considerable: 16 killed, 124 wounded and 22 bruised. Captain José María Ataide, of the 1st Light Regiment, was killed, and Clavería's two adjutants were wounded along with other officers. 340 corpses of dead pirates were bunched together and burned to avoid disease.

End of the campaign
There was a last fort in the hands of the pirates at the island. The Spaniards were informed by some fugitives that the pirates were improving the fort's defenses.[9] They also showed Clavería and his men a point from which they could approach to the fort without being seen. On 21 February, Clavería detached a company of the 1st Light Regiment under Colonel Peñarada and some Zamboagan auxiliaries from his naval forces to be landed at the signaled point with the aim of reconnoitering the area or, if possible, capturing the fort. Peñarada and his men, once disembarked, advanced through waist-deep water and managed to surprise the fort.

The pirates, lacking military experience, were caught by surprise and fled, leaving the fort and 3 artillery pieces in Spanish hands; another one was captured in a nearby house. After this, two Spanish armed boats and some Zamboagan vintas entered the island through its channels and set fire to numerous pancos (garay) and other vessels used by the pirates, 150 in number. The infantry, meanwhile, cut between 7,000 and 8,000 coconuts, set fire to the seven villages on the island and dismantled and burned the forts. Although the minor vessels of the expedition were detached during the nights to prevent the escape of the remaining pirates, some of them managed to escape to Jolo or the nearby islands. On the other hand, most of those who had sought refuge in the mangroves died of hunger and thirst.

Aftermath
On 25 February the Spanish troops were reembarked along with the wounded, the prisoners and the freed captives, and the fleet set sail to Zamboanga. After a short stop at the islands of Tonquil and Pilas to inform the natives there about the punishment inflicted to Balanguingui, the steamers arrived at Zamoanga on 28 February, followed a day later by the remaining ships. The success of the expedition was simultaneously celebrated at Zamboanga and at Manila, where news of the Spanish victory had been received. Clavería was awarded the Cross of San Fernando and was made Count of Manila and Viscount of Clavería by the Queen Isabella II of Spain.

Besides the capture of the pirate vessels and artillery, about 250 captives were freed. The Spanish casualties of the expedition numbered between 229 and 237 men, of which 22 were killed, but the success greatly contributed to reduce the activities of the Moro pirates against the Spanish possessions in the area. Since the pirates had also affected Dutch possessions in the area, the General-Governor of those possessions congratulated Clavería on 25 July 1849. Thanks to the Spanish victory trade was temporarily reactivated and the pirates of the Sulu Archipielago, having been informed of Clavería "ravaging the island of Balanguingui and putting its defenders to sword", were terrified It was rumored, at the beginning of 1849, that the island had been reoccupied by the pirates, but after an expedition was sent to the area, no significant force was found.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_expedition_to_Balanguingui

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1855 – Launch of USS Santee (1855), a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy.


USS Santee (1855) was a wooden-hulled, three-masted sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be so named and was one of its last sailing frigates in service. She was acquired by the Union Navy at the start of the American Civil War, outfitted with heavy guns and a crew of 480, and was assigned as a gunboat in the Union blockade of the Confederate States. She later became a training ship for the U.S. Naval Academy.


The USS Santee moored at the United States Naval Academy, 1905

Laid down in New Hampshire in 1820
Rated at 44 guns, she was laid down in 1820 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, but due to a shortage of funds, she long remained uncompleted on the stocks. She was finally launched on 16 February 1855, but not commissioned until 9 June 1861, Captain Henry Eagle in command.



Civil War service
Assigned to the Gulf of Mexico blockade
Santee departed Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 20 June 1861, stopped at Hampton Roads, Virginia to load ammunition, and resumed her voyage to the Gulf of Mexico on 10 July.

On 8 August, the frigate captured the schooner C. P. Knapp in the gulf some 350 miles south of Pensacola and escorted the blockade runner to that port. On 27 October, Santee took her second prize, Delta, off Galveston; the hermaphrodite brig had attempted to slip into Galveston with a cargo of salt from Liverpool.

Shortly before midnight on 7 November, boats left the frigate and entered Galveston Bay hoping to capture and burn the Confederate armed steamer, General Rusk. However, in attempting to avoid detection, the boats ran aground.


James Henry Carpenter in 1861 or 1862 in the Union Navy.

Hand-to-hand fighting at sea
Since he had lost the advantage of surprise, the expedition's commander, Lt. James Edward Jouett, cancelled his plans to attack General Rusk and turned his attention to the chartered Confederate lookout vessel, Royal Yacht. After a desperate hand-to-hand fight, he captured Royal Yacht's crew, set the armed schooner afire, and retired to Santee with about a dozen prisoners.

During the action, one man from the frigate was killed and two of her officers and six of her men were wounded, one mortally. A young 15-year-old sailor named James Henry Carpenter was wounded in the thigh and mentioned in dispatches due to his actions. Carpenter would become Santee's acting Master's mate and would serve again on Santee when she served as a school ship for the United States Naval Academy. Another of Santee's sailors, George H. Bell, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in the action.

On 30 December, after a five or six-mile chase on boats from Santee, they captured 14-ton Confederate schooner, Garonne. Captain Eagle stripped the prize for use as a lighter.

Reassigned to the West Gulf blockade
In January 1862, when the Union naval force in the Gulf of Mexico was divided into two squadrons, Santee was assigned to Flag Officer David Farragut's new West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Under the new organization, Santee continued to blockade the Texas coast, primarily off Galveston, until summer. Then, because scurvy had weakened the frigate's crew and the enlistments of many of her sailors had expired, the ship sailed north. She reached Boston, Massachusetts on 22 August and was decommissioned on 4 September.

Assigned as a midshipmen schoolship


The former USS Santee being used as a training ship, classroom and barracks ship about 1875 at the US Naval Academy.

Refitted at the Boston Navy Yard, the ship was recommissioned there exactly a month later and sailed for Newport, Rhode Island, to serve as a school ship at the United States Naval Academy which had been moved there from Annapolis, Maryland, for security during the Civil War. At Newport, midshipmen lived, studied, and attended classes in frigates Santee and Constitution as they prepared for positions of leadership in the Union Navy.

After the close of the Civil War, the Naval Academy returned to Annapolis, Maryland, and Santee, carrying midshipmen, sailed for that port and moored near Fort Severn on 2 August 1865. There, she continued her duty as school ship which she had performed at Newport. The following year, she became a gunnery ship and was used by midshipmen to master the art of naval gunnery. About the same time, the frigate began to be used as a barracks ship for midshipmen being punished and for new fourthclassmen receiving their first taste of Navy life.

Santee sinks at her moorings


US Naval Academy waterfront in the late 1860s with the barrack/school ships USS Constitution and Santeetied up in the background. Other ships not identified.

Before dawn on 2 April 1912, after a half a century of duty as an educator, Santee sank at her mooring. Efforts to refloat the frigate proved unsuccessful.

She was sold to Joseph G. Hitner, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 2 August 1912, the anniversary of her arrival at Annapolis. After six months of effort, she was finally raised; and, on 8 May 1913, Santee departed the Severn River under tow and proceeded to Boston, Massachusetts, where she was burned for the copper and brass in her hull.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Santee_(1855)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1861 – Launch of Terribile, the first ironclad warship to be built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy), and the second member of the Formidabile class.


Terribile was the first ironclad warship to be built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy), and the second member of the Formidabile class. Terribile and her sister, Formidabile, were both built in France. A broadside ironclad, she was laid down in June 1860, launched in February 1861, and was completed in September that year. She was the first Italian ironclad to enter service and was equipped with four 203 mm (8.0 in) and sixteen 164 mm (6.5 in) guns.



The ship took part in the operation off Lissa in 1866 during the Third Italian War of Independence. There, was tasked with neutralizing the Austrian coastal batteries protecting the port at Comisa, which placed her too far away to take part in the ensuing Battle of Lissa. The ship's postwar career was limited due to a combination of drastically reduced naval budgets and the appearance of more modern ironclads. In 1885, Terribile was withdrawn from service for use as a training ship. She remained in service until 1904 when she was broken up for scrap.



Design
Main article: Formidabile-class ironclad
Terribile was 65.8 meters (216 ft) long overall; she had a beam of 14.44 m (47.4 ft) and an average draft of 5.45 m (17.9 ft). She displaced 2,682 long tons (2,725 t) normally and up to 2,807 long tons (2,852 t) at full load. She had a crew of 371. Her propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by six coal-fired, rectangular boilers. Her engine produced a top speed of 10 knots(19 km/h; 12 mph) from 1,100 indicated horsepower (820 kW). She could steam for about 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi) at her top speed. To supplement her steam engine, the ship was schooner-rigged.

Terribile was a broadside ironclad, armed with a main battery of four 203 mm (8.0 in) guns and sixteen 164 mm (6.5 in) rifled muzzle-loading guns. The ship's hull was sheathed with wrought iron armor that was 4.3 in (109 mm) thick.

Service history
Terribile was built by the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyard in La Seyne; her keel was laid down in June 1860, the first member of her class to begin construction. She was launched on 16 February 1861 and was completed in September that year. In June 1866, Italy declared war on Austria, as part of the Third Italian War of Independence, which was fought concurrently with the Austro-Prussian War. The Italian fleet commander, Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano, initially adopted a cautious course of action; he was unwilling to risk battle with the Austrian Navy, despite the fact that the Austrian fleet was much weaker than his own. Persano claimed he was simply waiting on the ironclad ram Affondatore, en route from Britain, but his inaction weakened morale in the fleet, with many of his subordinates openly accusing him of cowardice.

Rear Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff brought the Austrian fleet to Ancona on June 27, in attempt to draw out the Italians. At the time, many of the Italian ships were in disarray; Terribile was carrying only half her guns at the time, and other ships were experiencing various difficulties with their engines or armament. Persano held a council of war aboard the ironclad Principe di Carignano to determine whether he should sortie to engage Tegetthoff, but by that time, the Austrians had withdrawn, making the decision moot. The Minister of the Navy, Agostino Depretis, urged Persano to act and suggested the island of Lissa, to restore Italian confidence after their defeat at the Battle of Custoza the previous month. On 7 July, Persano left Ancona and conducted a sweep into the Adriatic, but encountered no Austrian ships and returned on the 13th.

Battle of Lissa


Map showing the disposition of the fleets on 20 July; Terribile was further to the south and did not see action
See also: Battle of Lissa (1866)

On 16 July, Persano took the Italian fleet out of Ancona, bound for Lissa, where they arrived on the 18th. With them, they brought troop transports carrying 3,000 soldiers; the Italian warships began bombarding the Austrian forts on the island, with the intention of landing the soldiers once the fortresses had been silenced. In response, the Austrian Navy sent the fleet under Tegetthoff to attack the Italian ships. Terribile was at that time in the 3rd Division, along with her sister Formidabile, the ironclads Re di Portogallo and Regina Maria Pia, and the coastal defense ship Varese. After spending the 18th unsuccessfully bombarding the Austrian fortresses, the Italians withdrew late in the day, preparing to launch another attack the following morning. Persano ordered Terribile and Varese to attack the fortifications protecting the town of Comisa, while the rest of the fleet would attack the main port at Vis. These attacks again failed to defeat the Austrian defenders.

Persano repeated his orders for the 20th, with Terribile and Varese again tasked with suppressing the batteries at Comisa. Before the Italians could begin the attack, the dispatch boat Esploratore arrived, bringing news of Tegetthoff's approach. Persano's fleet was in disarray; Terribile and Varese were nine miles to the west of most of his ships, preparing to attack Comisa, and three other ironclads were to the north-east. Persano immediately recalled Terribile and Varese while he ordered his ships first into a line abreast formation, and then to line ahead formation. Shortly before the action began, Persano left his flagship, Re d'Italia, and transferred to Affondatore, though none of his subordinates on the other ships were aware of the change. They there thus left to fight as individuals without direction.

Terribile did not see action during the battle; she only fired a single long-range shot at the ship of the line Kaiser. She had answered Persano's summons very slowly and only arrived on the scene after Re d'Italia had been rammed and sunk, and the coastal defense ship Palestro had been set on fire, soon to be destroyed by a magazine explosion. Persano's forces had withdrawn, and though his ships still outnumbered the Austrians, Persano refused to counter-attack. The Italian fleet began to withdraw, followed by the Austrians; as night began to fall, the opposing fleets disengaged completely, heading for Ancona and Pola, respectively.

Later career


Terribile in La Spezia in 1896

After the battle, Persano was replaced by Admiral Giovanni Vacca; he was ordered to attack the main Austrian naval base at Pola, but the war ended before the operation could be carried out. After the end of the war, the government lost confidence in the fleet and drastically reduced the naval budget. The cuts were so severe that the fleet had great difficulty in mobilizing its ironclad squadron to attack the port of Civitavecchia in September 1870, as part of the wars of Italian unification. Instead, the ships were laid up and the sailors conscripted to man them were sent home. Terribile was rapidly surpassed, first by central battery and then turret ships, which made the first generation of ironclads like Terribile and her sister obsolete.

In 1872–73, the ship received new boilers. Her armament was significantly reduced in 1878 to eight 8-inch guns. Starting in 1885, Terribile was employed as a training ship. By that time her armament had been revised and now consisted of two 6 in (152 mm) guns, two 5.9 in (150 mm) guns, and two 4.7 in (119 mm) guns alongside two torpedo tubes. She served in this capacity until 1904, when she was stricken from the naval register and subsequently broken up for scrap.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_ironclad_Terribile

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1940 – World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.


Altmark was a German oil tanker and supply vessel, one of five of a class built between 1937 and 1939. She is best known for her support of the German commerce raider, the "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee and her subsequent involvement in the "Altmark Incident".



The Altmark Incident
Main article: Altmark Incident
Altmark (Captain Heinrich Dau) was assigned to support Admiral Graf Spee during her raid in the South Atlantic between September and December 1939. Seamen rescued from the ships sunk by Admiral Graf Spee were transferred to Altmark. After Admiral Graf Spee was heavily damaged by British cruisers in Battle of the River Plate and subsequently scuttled by her crew, in the Río de la Plata in December 1939, Altmark attempted to return to Germany, steaming around the north of Great Britain and then within the Norwegian littoral. On 14 February 1940 Altmark, proceeding south within Norwegian territorial waters, was discovered by three British Lockheed Hudson Mk.II aircraft from RAF Thornaby and pursued by several British destroyers led by HMS Cossack. Late on 16 February 1940 in Jøssingfjord she was fired upon while the Norwegian Navy stood by and took no action save for raising a protest flag. The German tanker then received a boarding party from HMS Cossack. During an attempted escape across the ice, seven of the Altmark crew were shot down. During the skirmish Altmark was run onto the rocks. It had been the British intention to tow the ship back to a Scottish port, but the damage to the tanker's stern frustrated this idea.


Aerial reconnaissance photo of Altmark in the Jøssingfjord prior to the incident

An attack by one belligerent upon its enemy in neutral waters is a breach of neutrality, in this case a breach of Norwegian neutrality by Britain. Because Hitler feared Norway would be insufficiently resolute to protect the German iron-ore traffic that passed legitimately along the Norwegian littoral, at Admiral Erich Raeder's urging he decided on the invasion of Norway and Denmark in March 1940.

The British justification for the attack on the Altmark was set out in a Note to the Norwegian Government from Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax dated 10 March 1940. The problem the British Government faced was the wording of The Hague Convention XIII of 1907 to which it was a signatory. Article 10 provides that: "The neutrality of a Power is not affected by the mere passage through its territorial waters of warships or prizes belonging to belligerents."

This meant that the Altmark was within its rights to sail through Norwegian waters with prisoners aboard providing that it did not come to a protracted stop longer than 24 hours. In the diplomatic letter, the British government confirmed that it was not contrary to the law of neutrality to sail a prison ship through neutral waters, and Britain often did this herself. In fact the British complaint had nothing to do with the prisoners. Altmark was a fleet tanker assimilated to a warship and was proceeding to Germany from the Atlantic by the north-about route. Instead of sailing down the North Sea as he would do in peacetime, the master of the Altmark had elected to sail the entire leg of the voyage southwards within Norwegian territorial waters in order to attract immunity from attack there under international law. There was no other reason for him to want to voyage through waters so dangerous to navigation. With no valid breech of international law, the British excused their violation of international law by contriving that the Altmark's course abused international law even without a violation, and since the Norwegians had declined to stop a voyage that was not in violation of international convention the British Admiralty decided it was justified in taking action contrary to law, essentially announcing that it had the right to determine what course an enemy ship must travel to be entitled to the protections of international law.

The question remains unresolved to this day as to whether, as the Hague Conventions stood in 1940, a warship could legitimately seek immunity from attack in neutral waters by widely varying its course to reach them.


German dead are brought ashore for burial after the incident.

Subsequent history
The ship, renamed Uckermark on 6 August 1940, then resumed the role for which she had been built. During Admiral Lütjens' Atlantic adventure with the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau between January and March 1941, Uckermark, under Captain Zatorski, was a supply ship and scout attached to the squadron. As the result of her reports the battleships were directed to various merchant vessels, which were then sunk.

On 9 September 1942 she left France for Japan with a cargo of vegetable oil and fuel, supplying the auxiliary cruiser Michel on the way, arriving at Yokohama on 24 November 1942. Uckermark was then intended as the replenishment ship for the German raider Thor, which was raiding merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean areas.

On 30 November 1942, Uckermark was anchored in Yokohama, Japan, next to Thor and the Australian passenger liner Nankin, which Thor had captured in March five days out from Fremantle, Australia, en route to Colombo, Ceylon. While the crew was at lunch, Uckermark suffered a huge explosion that ripped the vessel apart. Uckermark, Thor, and Nankin were sunk by the explosion. The cause of the explosion was thought to be a spark from tools used by a repair gang working near the cargo tanks. The Uckermark had delivered 5000ts of gasoline to Yokohama. It seems to be logical that the residual fumes and gasoline did explode. Diesel fuel does not explode the way the ship went up. 53 crewmen from Uckermark died in the explosion. The severely damaged ship was beyond repair and was scrapped.

Some of the survivors of the ship were sent to France on the blockade runner Doggerbank and perished when the ship was mistakenly sunk by the German submarine U-43 on 3 March 1943 with all but one of the 365 strong crew lost at sea.


HMS Cossack returns to Leith on 17 February 1940, after rescuing the British prisoners held in Graf Spee'ssupply ship Altmark



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_tanker_Altmark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altmark_Incident

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.


Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world, executed by the United States Navy nuclear-poweredradar picket submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) in 1960 under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach. The New York Times described Triton's submerged circumnavigation of the Earth as "a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man's ultimate conquest of the seas."


Sea trials (27 September 1959)

The circumnavigation took place between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering 26,723 nautical miles (49,491 km; 30,752 mi) over 60 days and 21 hours. The route began and ended at the St. Peter and Paul Rocks in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean near the Equator. During the voyage, Tritoncrossed the Equator four times while maintaining an average speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). Triton's overall navigational track during Operation Sandblast generally followed that of the first circumnavigation of the world, led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan from 1519 to 1522.

The initial impetus for Operation Sandblast was to increase American technological and scientific prestige before the May 1960 Paris Summit between U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. It also provided a high-profile public demonstration of the capability of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines to carry out long-range submerged operations independent of external support and undetected by hostile forces, presaging the initial deployment of the U.S. Navy's Polaris ballistic missile submarines later in 1960. Finally, Operation Sandblast gathered extensive oceanographic, hydrographic, gravimetric, geophysical, and psychological data during Triton's circumnavigation.


Triton's navigational track and mission milestones


Triton's circumnavigation track and milestones

Although official celebrations for Operation Sandblast were cancelled following the diplomatic furor arising from the shooting down of a CIA U-2 spy planeover the Soviet Union in early May 1960, Triton did receive the Presidential Unit Citation with a special clasp in the form of a golden replica of the globe in recognition of the successful completion of its mission, and Captain Beach received the Legion of Merit for his role as Triton's commanding officer. In 1961, Beach received the Magellanic Premium, the United States' oldest and most prestigious scientific award, from the American Philosophical Society in "recognition of his navigation of the U.S. submarine Triton around the globe."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Triton_(SSRN-586)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sandblast

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
16 February 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.


MS Mikhail Lermontov was an ocean liner owned by the Soviet Union's Baltic Shipping Company, built in 1972 by V.E.B. Mathias-Thesen Werft, Wismar, East Germany. It was later converted into a cruise ship. On 16 February 1986 she collided with rocks near Port Gore in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, and sank, claiming the life of one of her crew members.


Mikhail Lermontov at Tilbury in 1983

MS Mikhail Lermontov, launched in 1972, was the last of the five "poet" ships: Ivan Franko, Taras Shevchenko, Alexandr Pushkin (now Marco Polo), Shota Rustaveli and Mikhail Lermontov, named after famous Ukrainian, Georgian and Russian writers (Ivan Franko and Taras Shevchenko being Ukrainian, and Shota Rustaveli being Georgian), built to the same design at V.E.B. Mathias-Thesen Werft, Wismar, East Germany. Mikhail Lermontov, born 1814 and died 1841, was known as the "poet of Caucasus."

MS Mikhail Lermontov was originally used as an ocean liner on the Leningrad—New York run. However, the Soviet government realised that there was more money to be made by converting it to a cruise ship, and the accommodation and facilities on board were significantly upgraded in 1982 to meet the expectations of western customers.

Background
On 16 February 1986 Mikhail Lermontov was cruising in New Zealand for the CTC cruise company. On that day it left Picton for the Marlborough Sounds, carrying mostly elderly Australian passengers. The Picton pilot, Don Jamison (who was also a Picton harbourmaster), piloted the ship out of Picton. His presence, and his knowledge of the area, should have assured the safety of MS Mikhail Lermontov.

Hugging the shoreline to give the Australian passengers a good view of the area, Jamison continued towards the cape. About one mile from the cape, Jamison made the decision to take MS Mikhail Lermontov through the passage. A Russian officer questioned the decision, but the harbour-master assured him it would be a safe course, and at the time the decision was made the ship was still within the harbour limits.

Disaster
On 6 February 1986, Mikhail Lermontov sailed from Sydney on the beginning of a two-week cruise around New Zealand, carrying 372 passengers and a crew of 348, which combined to a total of 743 people. On the evening of 16 February, Mikhail Lermontov was sailing past Cape Jackson, on the northeastern shore of New Zealand's south island, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Wellington. At 5:37 PM, travelling at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), Mikhail Lermontov struck rocks about 5.5 metres (18 ft) below the waterline on its port side.

By 8:30 pm, passengers began to abandon ship, with the aid of the crew and local rescue vessels. The passengers were transferred to several ships in the area, including the LPG tanker Tarihiko (Captain Reedman) and the SeaRail road-rail ferry Arahura (Capt John Brew). As darkness set in MS Mikhail Lermontov listed further to starboard. Within 20 minutes of the last passenger being rescued, the ship had disappeared completely, sinking at approximately 10:27 PM, 4 hours and 50 minutes after running aground. The sinking resulted in only one casualty, 33-year-old crew engineer Pavel Zagladimov, who went down with the ship. The coroner's report lists his official cause of death as 'unknown', as his remains were never found. Eleven of those rescued had minor injuries.

Wreck


Mikhail Lermontov in 1984

MS Mikhail Lermontov rests where it sank, lying on its starboard side in depths reaching up to a maximum of about 38 metres (125 ft). It is popular with scuba divers and the site is served by local dive shops in Picton and Kaikoura.[6] It is also one of the biggest, easily accessible, diveable ship wrecks in the world. The dives range from an easy 12 metres (39 ft) depth at the top of the wreck, through to deep penetration and decompression dives to depths of 36 metres (118 ft). It is possible to enter the wreck, especially in the open public areas accessible from the port side windows near the top of the wreck, although care must be taken and guides familiar with the wreck are highly recommended, especially for enclosed overhead environments and where entanglement hazards may exist. Closed circuit diving is recommended to avoid causing reduced visibility when entering enclosed areas such as restaurants, crew messes, and shopping arcades. Three divers are known to have died while exploring the ship, including one diver whose body is still possibly trapped inside.



Cause as established by New Zealand inquiry


NIWA sonar image of Mikhail Lermontov resting on the seafloor.

The New Zealand preliminary inquiry report found that; "at the time of the grounding the ship's courses and speeds were being directed by Captain D.I. Jamison in the employ of the Marlborough Harbour Board as Harbourmaster and chief pilot."

"The decision to direct the ship through the channel was made by Captain Jamison without consulting any other person at the time the ship was in position Lat 41˚ 01' 04" S Long 174 19' 30" E."

"When Captain Jamison observed the passage between Cape Jackson and the Cape Jackson light house, to open up, he made a sudden decision to navigate the ship through that passage."

The 1986 New Zealand Minister of Transport Richard Prebble later stated of the captain's actions, "why he decided to guide the ship over a passage that he actually knew was too shallow, I don't think he'll ever be able to answer."

Cause as established by Soviet inquiry
The Soviet commission of inquiry concluded that; "Pilot Don Jamieson took a decision which was not justified by anything and gave a command to steer the ship through the dangerous for navigation passage between Cape Jackson and Jackson Head which must not be passed through because of insufficient depths for a ship of such draught." Nevertheless, the Russian navigator, chief officer Sergey Stepanishchev was sent to prison for 4 years "with labor" and fined $US30,000 because he did not overrule the pilot New Zealand Prime Minister at the time of the sinking, David Lange, called the sentence "totally absurd; it's an instance of totalitarian justice being metered out to a man who had no ... responsibility for steering the ship anywhere near Port Jackson. In fact, he'd been stood down in favour of Captain Jamison."

Court case
The disaster was the subject of the celebrated Australian restitution case Baltic Shipping Company v Dillon (The Mikhail Lermontov) (1993) 176 CLR 344, in which Mrs Dillon, having already been awarded damages for loss to both her possessions and person, as well as a pro-rated refund on her cruise ticket, claimed restitution for the remaining value of her ticket on the basis of failure of consideration. Rejecting proposed analyses of the cruise as an entire obligation, and alternatively as a payment conditional on performance, the High Court re-affirmed the rule that failure of consideration must be total in order for a claim for restitution to be sustained. Simply put, Mrs Dillon could not deny the benefit she received during her first eight days on the cruise. Furthermore, the court, following earlier English authority, held that full damages and complete restitution will not be given for the same breach of contract. The now-abolished forms of action cast a long shadow: a claim for money had and received evolved from the writ of indebitatus assumpsit, a legal fiction that the parties had an implied agreement that upon discharge for breach or frustration that the subject matter of the original agreement would be returned. An alternative form of action lay in debt. In Holmes v Hall (1677) 2 Mod 260, it was recognised that where concurrent claims existed and a claim in assumpsit indebitatus was available, the claim in assumpsit operated to exclude other claims. In the 'modern' language of Dutch v Warren (1720) 1 Stra 406, '[the defendant] has given the plaintiff an option to disaffirm the contract, and recover the consideration he was paid for it in the same manner as if it had never existed....but then the contract must be totally rescinded...;since otherwise, the contract is affirmed by the plaintiff's having received part of that equivalent for which he has paid his consideration, and it is then reduced to a mere question of damages proportionate to the extent to which it remains unperformed.'





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Mikhail_Lermontov
http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/lermontov.htm

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 16 February


1519 – Birth of Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (d. 1572)

Gaspard de Coligny, Seigneur de Châtillon (French pronunciation: [ɡaspaʁ d(ə) kɔliɲi sɛɲœʁ d(ə) ʃɑtijɔ̃]; 16 February 1519[1] – 24 August 1572) was a French nobleman and admiral, best remembered as a disciplined Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion and a close friend and advisor to King Charles IX of France.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspard_II_de_Coligny


1669 – Launch of French Île de France 74/80 guns (designed and built by Louis Audibert, launched 16 February 1669 at Toulon) – renamed Lys in June 1671 and broken up 1691


1782 - Lawriston was a 22-gun corvette of the French Navy captured

Lawriston was a 22-gun corvette of the French Navy.
Originally a ship of the French East India Company, Lawriston was brought into service in the French Navy. [2] She took part in the Siege of Pondicherry in 1778.
She was returned to merchant service in June 1781 at Île de France but again requisitioned in December 1781. [1] She was captured by the British on 16 February 1782.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_corvette_Lawriston_(1778)


1793 HMS Iphigenia (32), Cptn. Patrick Sinclair, captures the French privateer Elizabeth in the Channel

HMS Iphigenia (1780) was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1780 and burnt by accident in 1801


1802 – Launch of Culland's Grove was a merchant ship launched in 1802 that the British East India Company (EIC) hired as an "extra ship".

Culland's Grove was a merchant ship launched in 1802 that the British East India Company (EIC) hired as an "extra ship". On her maiden voyage she sailed to Bengal and Benkulen. The French privateer Blonde captured her on her return voyage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culland's_Grove_(1802_EIC_ship)


1815 USS Constitution (44), Cptn. Charles Stewart, captured British merchantman Susannah

The frigate Constitution captures British ship Susannah, despite the War of 1812 being over six weeks earlier. Word is slow getting to the fleet.


Constitution c. 1803–04

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution


1926 – Launch of HMS Suffolk, pennant number 55, was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass.

HMS Suffolk, pennant number 55, was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, and part of the Kent subclass. She was built by Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK), with the keel being laid down on 30 September 1924. She was launched on 16 February 1926, and commissioned on 31 May 1928.


HMS Suffolk on the Tyne

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Suffolk_(55)


1945 - PB4Y-1 Liberators from (VPB 117) sink Japanese army cargo ship Ida Maru at Cape St. Jacques, French Indochina.


1993 Haitiean Ferry Neptune – Sank on 16 February 1993 - 500 to 700 people lost their life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_maritime_disasters_in_the_20th_century

 

[Jimsky]

16 February 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.

Thanks Uwe, unbelievable video and story,

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1782 - Battle of Sadras
British fleet of 9 ships of the line, under Sir Edward Hughes, engaged a French fleet of 11 ships of the line, under Bailli de Suffren, off the East coast of India.


The Battle of Sadras was the first of five largely indecisive naval battles fought between a British fleet (under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes) and a French fleet (under the Bailli de Suffren) off the east coast of India during the Anglo-French War. Fought on 17 February 1782 near present-day Kalpakkam, the battle was tactically indecisive, but the British fleet suffered the most damage. Under Suffren's protection, French troop transports were able to land at Porto Novo.



Background
France had entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778, and Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic in late 1780 after the Dutch refused to stop trading with the French and the Americans. The British had rapidly gained control over most French and Dutch outposts in India when news of these events reached India, spawning the Second Anglo-Mysore War in the process.


Detail from a 1794 map showing southern India. Sadras is south of Madras on the east coast.

The French admiral Bailli de Suffren was dispatched for military assistance to French colonies in India, leading a fleet of five ships of the line, seven transports, and a corvette to escort transports from Brest in March 1781. Suffren was involved in a happenstance battle with a British fleet at Porto Prayain the Cape Verde Islands in April. In October, he left reinforcement troops at the Dutch-controlled Cape of Good Hope to assist with colonial defense. Suffren added some ships to his fleet and sailed on to Île de France, arriving at Port Louis in December.

After further additions at Port Louis, Suffren's fleet sailed for India under the command of the elderly Navy Brigadier General Thomas d'Orves, accompanying transports carrying nearly 3,000 men under the command of the Comte du Chemin. D'Orves died in February 1782, shortly before the fleet arrived off the Indian coast, and Suffren once again took command.

Suffren first sailed for Madras, hoping to surprise the British stronghold there. Encountering the fleet of Hughes anchored in Madras on 15 February 1782, Suffren turned south. He intended to land troops at Porto Novo, march up the coast and recapture French and Dutch holdings on the way. Hughes raised anchor and sailed after Suffren.

Battle
Suffren was hampered with protecting his troop convoys from Hughes, whose goal he presumed was to prevent the troops from landing. Detaching one corvette to protect the convoy and detailing another to watch the British fleet, Suffren attempted to draw Hughes away. However, under cover of night Hughes managed to slip between Suffren's squadron and the convoys. The signal was raised on the morning of 17 February, and Suffren gave chase to force battle.


French Admiral the Bailli de Suffren

When the fleets closed for action around 15:30, some of Suffren's ships had not properly formed the line of battle. Only five of the French ships engaged at first. Of the remaining six, only two joined the action later, with the other four apparently violating Suffren's orders and hanging back. Suffren, leading in Héros, exchanged a broadside with Exeterbefore targeting Hughes' flagship Superb. The battle lasted for over three hours, with Exeter sustaining the worst damage. She was very nearly sunk, but two French ships were recalled (for reasons unknown) before they could finish her off. Superb also suffered significant damage. The battle came to end with the onset of night.

Aftermath
Suffren summoned his captains for council and chastised those that had chosen to stay out of the battle before following the troop convoy to Porto Novo. There the French army had landed, and Suffren met with the Mysorean ruler Hyder Ali to plan strategy. After making repairs, Suffren set off to find Hughes again. The French and Mysorean forces captured Cuddalore, just north of Porto Novo, on 4 April.

Hughes sailed for Trincomalee, where he made repairs.

The rival fleets




HMS Superb was a 74-gun Bellona-class third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 27 October 1760 at Deptford Dockyard.



The Superb was Admiral Edward Hughes's flagship in India in 1782 during a notable series of engagements with the French under Suffren.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Dragon' (1760) and 'Superb' (1760), and 'Bellona' (1760), 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers.

On 20 June 1783 the Superb took part in the Battle of Cuddalore before returning to Bombay for copper sheathing along her hull. On 7 November she developed a severe leak through the sheathing into the bilge, and sank in Tellicherry Roads off the Bombay coast, with the loss of all hands.




Scale: 1:48. Contemporary carvel built block design model of the 'Superb' (1760), a 74-gun two-decker ship of the line. The model is decked and has the name ‘Superbe’ on the stern. The figurehead is a warrior (?) holding a sword. Although not as elaborate when compared with models such as those built in the Navy Board style, block models are considered a valuable source of information in terms of hull shape and decoration. They were constructed from layers of wood, the lines of which were lifted from the plan, and assembled in a ‘bread and butter’ fashion, after which the hull was carved and faired to produce a final smooth finish. It was the normal practise to paint on various fittings such as gun-port lids, channels and in some cases elaborate decoration.


HMS Hero was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir Thomas Slade and launched on 28 March 1759 from Plymouth Dockyard. She was the only ship built to her draught.



From 1763 to 1767 she was commanded by Captain Paul Ourry.

She had a part in the Battle of Porto Praya a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren.

Under the command of Captain Theophilus Jones, she took part in the 1783 Battle of Cuddalore.

She was converted to a prison ship in 1793, and was eventually broken up in 1810.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, stern board outline with some decoration, sheer lines with inboard detail and quarter gallery decorations, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Hero' (1759), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, possibly as built and launched at Plymouth Dockyard.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the quarterdeck and forcastle deck, upper deck, gun deck (lower deck), and orlop deck for 'Hero' (1759), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, as fitted at Chatham Dockyard as a Prison Ship. Signed by Thomas Pollard [Master Shipwright, Chatham Dockyard, 1793-1795].


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sadras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Superb_(1760)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-351580;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=S
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hero_(1759)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-318651;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=H

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1782 - Battle of Sadras - Part II - the french ships


Héros was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, known mostly for being the flagship of Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez during the Anglo-French War.



Career
Construction
She was built in 1778 at Toulon on a design by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb.

Six battles in 27 months


Héros was the flagship of admiral Suffren during his 1781-83 campaign in the Indian Ocean (National Maritime Museum).


Les « Indes orientales ». Le Hérosfought in five battles under Suffren.

In 1781 she became part of Suffren's force, consisting of the 16-gun frigate Fortune, five ships of the line, eight troopships and a thousand soldiers, all entrusted with carrying the French war effort into the Indian Ocean. The other warships were one other 74 gun ship (the Annibal) and three 64-gun ships (the Vengeur, the Sphinx and the Artésien). Suffren had been allowed to choose his officers and non-commissioned officers and so these were mainly from Provence, despite the fact that the force set off from Brest. There were around ten men per gun, making a total crew of 712.

On 22 March 1781 the force sailed for the south Atlantic and on 16 April it met a force under commodore George Johnstone waiting off Cape Verde to attack the Cape. Suffren sailed the Héros into the centre of the enemy formation to try to destroy it while it was still at anchor, in what became the battle of Porto Praya. The ship almost fought the battle alone, since the other French ships were not so well commanded or manoeuvred and so engaged the enemy little or not at all. For more than an hour the Héros was under continual fire from the British ships - she fired "as fast as it was possible to load and reload" noted a British report of the battle. The Annibal was completely dismasted and her captain was killed, leaving the Héros to take her in tow after the battle.

Héros was stationed off the Cape from 21 June to 29 August to defend the Dutch colony from a British attack and to repair the damage done to her at Porto Praya. On 25 October she arrived at Mauritius Island to join the French ships already stationed there - these were the ships of the line Orient (74 guns), Sévère (64), Bizarre (64), Ajax (64), Brillant (64) and Flamand (56), the frigates Pourvoyeuse (38), Fine (36) and Bellone (32), the corvettes Subtile (24), Sylphide (12) and Diligent (10) and the fireship Pulvérisateur (6 or 4 guns). With Héros as Suffren's flagship, the eleven ships left the island on 7 December 1781 to attack the British force in the Indian Ocean

On 17 February 1782 the Héros fought at the battle of Sadras off the coast of Coromandel, attacking the centre of the British formation and seriously damaging below the waterline Edward Hughes' flagship, the 74 gun HMS Superb. Héros and the rest of the squadron then called at Pondichéry and Porto-Novo to disembark general Duchemin's troops (21 February to 23 March 1782).



On 12 April, still Suffren's flagship, she fought in the bitter battle of Providien off Sri Lanka. She attacked HMS Superb again at pistol-shot range, causing a fire to break out aboard the British ship. She then de-masted HMS Monmouth, forcing her to leave the British line. However, the Héros was also heavily damaged, losing the top of her foremast. This meant she was no longer maneuverable and so was forced to leave the battle, with Suffren switching his flag to the 64 gun Ajax mid-battle. The Héros then called at Batticaloa on Sri Lanka with the rest of the squadron for repairs and to rest her crew.

On 6 July Héros fought in the battle of Negapatam. The wind suddenly changed direction mid-battle and broke up the two lines of battle, turning the engagement into a general mêlée. Héros saved the 64 gun Brillant, which had lost her mainmast, then try to engage HMS Superb, but the British ship refused to engage and the two squadrons disengaged for the third time after an indecisive battle. Héros called at Cuddalore on 8 July and she and the squadron were based there until 1 August. There Suffren met nabab Haidar Ali, who had come with his army to ally with Suffren against the British. The force then sailed again for Sri Lanka.

She and the squadron called at Batticaloa again from 9 to 23 August 1782 to be reinforced by the 74 gun Illustre and the 60 gun Saint-Michel and seventeen transports with troops and supplies. Héros was also placed on her side at Batticaloa to repair her hull, caulking and upperwork. Meanwhile, Suffren prepared an attempt to recapture Trincomalee, the main port on Sri Lanka. On 25 August, en route to Trincomalee, Héros had her stern and aftcastle lightly damaged in a collision with the Artésien. She was still able to take part in the French landings on 26 August which ended in the surrender of the British garrison on 31 August and the port's recapture.

On 3 September 1782, in the battle of Trincomalee, Héros was again engaged against Hughes' squadron, which had come to the aid of Trincomalee. Héros, Illustreand Ajax attacked the British centre but the wind dropped on part of the French line and the rest of the squadron was unable to follow - several captains only bombarded the British ships from a distance contrary to Suffren's orders. A sketch by one of Suffren's officers shows Héros spending several hours at the height of the action in the crossfire of HMS Superb, HMS Monmouth (64 guns), HMS Burford (74 guns) and HMS Eagle (64 guns). She lost her mainmast then her mizzenmast - the latter dragged the French flag into the water with it and for a moment the British thought that Suffren had struck his colours. Unengaged French ships of the line finally managed to tack into the battle and get the Héros to safety. Suffren moved to Orient and Héros was taken in tow by Sphinx, staying at Trincomalee for repairs until 1 October - she was repaired with matured timber and supplies taken from other ships of the line and transport ships.

She and the squadron sailed to Cuddalore in October to support the French garrison there, then under threat of siege. It wintered, resupplied and rested at Sumatra in November and December. On 12 November Héros became a floating embassy when Suffren received Alauddin Muhammad Syah, Sultan of Aceh on board her. This was the first French squadron of such size to visit the region and - fearing it was an invasion - Syah wished to find out whether or not its intent was hostile towards him. On 8 January 1783, Héros returned to the Indian coast and took part in a deception which captured a British frigate. She then arrived in Cuddalore on 6 February.

From February to June 1783 Héros cruised between the Coromandel and Trincomalee coasts, with Suffren making Trincomalee his main base. She was present on 10 March when the squadron was reinforced by a large force under Bussy (consisting of the 74 gun Fendant and Argonaute, the 66 gun Hardi and transports carrying 2,500 men). Suffren ordered this force to attack the British forces heading for Madras. Héros escorted the force before returning to Trincomalee and on 20 June she and the squadron fought the battle of Cuddalore. This was the final engagement between Hughes' and Suffren's squadrons - Suffren decided to give battle despite being outnumbered 18 to 15 in an attempt to lift the encirclement of Bussy's forces at Cuddalore. Héros took part in the battle, but orders received from the French king forced Suffren to lead the squadron from a frigate instead to avoid being wounded or captured - this directive had come into force after de Grasse's capture from the Ville de Paris at the battle of the Saintes on 12 April the previous year. Hughes' squadron was forced to flee, saving Bussy's force as Suffren had hoped. However, Suffren was unable to capitalize upon the victory since nine days later he received a dispatch reporting the signing of a preliminary peace agreement in Europe five months earlier (what would become the Treaty of Paris).

Héros sailed back to France in triumph - she and Vengeur sailed on 6 October and arrived at Mauritius on 12 November, where its governor M. de Souillac came on board to salute Suffren. On 29 November, now accompanied by the frigate Cléopâtre, she sailed from the Cape, which she reached on 22 December. Nine British ships of the line were calling at the Cape at the same time - most of them had fought against Suffren but his renown was such that all the British officers came on board the Héros "to salute in person a master of their profession, in a unique scene in French naval history. On 3 January 1784 the ship resumed her journey, reaching Toulon on 26 March to a rapturous reception and festivities at the city's hôtel de l’Intendance. On 6 April a local newspaper, the Courrier d'Avignon, reported a surprise dessert served to Suffren:

"It is written of this town [Toulon] that she presented to one diner a symbol, whose allegory was expressed with equal ingenuity and delicacy. As a dessert, it served a small sugar ship of the line modeled on the Héros, sailing the commander's flag; it was placed in a glass bowl below which was placed a laurel crown; at the poop of the ship was written the ship's name in large letters, Le Héros, and lower one read "At this table where everything flatters taste / With a shining circle around it, / This one must admire above all / It's Le Héros who virtue crowns"."​

Impressed by the quality of Hindustani textile manufacture and hoping to set up a textile industry on Malta, Suffren had embarked fifty Indian cotton manufacturers on the Héros for the voyage home. They were immediately sent from Toulon to Malta to use its local cotton.

Evolution during the Indian Campaign


'Marine and sailor at rest - Héroslost 40% of her crew over the three years of the campaign.

The ship was on station for 27 months and then took 9 months to get back to France, meaning she was away from home waters for almost three years. This made her one of the most heavily engaged French warships of the time, though she was much-changed when she returned to Toulon - she had been dismasted twice (at Providien and Trincomalee) and repaired with modified rigging and masts from other ships and her launch had been so badly damaged by gunfire that Suffren suspended it from the stern at the level of the gallery.

The good health and discipline of the ship's crew (or at least those who remained on the flagship) is also instructive as to the kind of men being recruited in Brest in March 1781. However, it is difficult to trace changes in personnel over the course of the campaign - for example, the ship's muster does not take into account the presence of slaves, Lascars and sepoys, who at times formed a considerable proportion of the crew. This was especially true during the final months in the Indian Ocean, when large numbers of the original crew had been killed in action or lost to sickness, wounds or desertion The Indian sailors' pay was different and records of their service are incomplete.

Of the 19 officers and gardes de la marine who left Brest with the ship in March 1781, only 8 returned to Toulon aboard her - 8 had left the ship during the campaign, 2 had been killed in combat and 1 had died of his wounds. 88 of the seamen were killed in battle, 99 died of sickness or wounds at sea and 399 were hospitalized at least once - of that 399, it is recorded that 41 died in hospital, though that is definitely an under-estimate. 49 men deserted. Total losses were 365 out of a complement of 712 men on departure from Brest. Suffren made up these losses by taking men from frigates and transport ships, recruiting locally and redistributing among the squadron the crews of Orientand Bizarre, which both ran aground in 1782. Research is complicated by these crew movements and by the fact that Suffren gave preference to sailors from Provence for the voyage home, so that they could return home more easily to their family, since he chose Toulon not Brest as his destination. It is estimated that around 40% of the original crew did not return to Toulon.

Later career
Suffren died in December 1788 and Héros remained stationed at Toulon with the Levant squadron. Early in 1793 war broke out again between France and Britain and Héros was seized by the British as she was moored at Toulon when a Royalist cabale surrendered the city to them on 29 August. As the Siege of Toulon ended in the liberation of the city, Captain Sidney Smith had her scuttled by fire on 18–19 December along with Thémistocle and six other ships of the line which he was unable to take with him as prize ships.




Scale: unknown. A contemporary full hull model of the French 74-gun, two-decker ‘Le Heros’ (1770). This unusually large-scale model is constructed plank on frame using wood, with the addition of horn for the wales. The name ‘Le Heros’ is inscribed on the stern. As is typical with POW models, the masts and bowsprit are slightly over-scaled in height and rake. The deck is complete with numerous fittings including the hammocks stowed in the netting on top of the bulwarks, which has then been covered by a white painted canvas as protection against the weather. Built in 1770, the ‘Le Heros’ was present on the 16 April 1781, as one of the squadron commanded by De Suffren in the action at Porto Praya. On 20 June 1783, it was in action off Cuddalore and later in the year, when in the East Indies in company with the 64 gun ‘Artesian’, it pursued and engaged ‘HMS Hanibal’, 50 guns, compelling it to strike. The ‘Le Horos’ was finally destroyed by Captain Sir W. Sidney Smith at the evacuation of Toulon in 1793.


The Annibal was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, and was one of the earliest of his works. She was built at Brest in 1778.



She sailed out to the West Indies and took part in the Battle of Grenada under Lamotte-Picquet.

She was then sent out to the East Indies with Suffren and fought at the battles of Porto Praya, Sadras, Providien, Negapatam and Trincomalee in 1782. The following year she fought at the battle of Cuddalore.

She was renamed Achille in 1786 to prevent confusion with the Petit Annibal.



Achille (left) being dismasted by HMS Brunswick at the Glorious First of June

She served with the French Navy until 1794, when she was captured by the Royal Navy during the battle of the Glorious First of June. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy as the third-rate HMS Achille, retaining the French spelling of the name. However, she was in a poor state and was broken up at Plymouth in 1796, just two years after her capture.



Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with sternboard decoration and the name on the counter in a cartouche, the sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Achille (captured 1794), a captured French Third Rate. The plan illustrates the ship as she was taken off prior to being broken up at Plymouth Dockyard in February 1796. Signed by John Marshall [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1795-1801].



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sadras
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Héros_(1778)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-325498;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=L
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Annibal_(1779)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-289041;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=A

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1783 - The Action of 17 February 1783 was a minor naval engagement fought in between Jamaica & Cuba in the Caribbean sea between a Royal Navy frigate HMS Fox and a Spanish Navy frigate Santa Catalina.


The Action of 17 February 1783 was a minor naval engagement fought in between Jamaica & Cuba in the Caribbean sea between a Royal Navy frigate HMS Fox and a Spanish Navy frigate Santa Catalina.



Events
Background
By the end of 1782 the Spanish and French had been on the defensive since the Battle of the Saintes, which signaled British domination of the seas in the Caribbean. Soon after the Royal navy were conducting a blockade off Cap Francois and Fort Royal as well as keeping a watch off Havana.[4] At the same time British frigates were intercepting both Spanish and French privateers.

Captain George Stoney in HMS Fox, a thirty gun frigate was sent to Jamaica in charge of a captured Spanish privateer, one of two simultaneously taken near Santo Domingo.

Action
On 17 February whilst sailing off the coast of Jamaica, a sail was spotted and Fox sailed to investigate. As she approached the vessel hauled up Spanish colours and thus cleared for action. Fox went in for the attack and soon realized she was fighting a frigate of nearly equal match in terms of size, guns and men. In the subsequent action which lasted for nearly four hours, the Spanish frigate was eventually dismasted by Fox's devastating carronades. The Spanish captain realized he could not put up a jury rig to escape and soon after struck.

Aftermath
Santa Catalina, a Spanish frigate of twenty two guns and one hundred and sixty three men that had been sent from the Havana for the express purpose of herself making prize of the British ship.

Fox had four men killed and one wounded in the action, whilst Santa Catalina was totally dismasted with the loss of nearly 35 casualties with the rest of her crew of sailors and marines taken prisoner. Santa Catalina was broken up in Port Royal as it was too damaged and was advised against any repair.


HMS Fox was a 32-gun Active-class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 2 June 1780 at Bursledon, Hampshire by George Parsons.



Fox was sent to the Caribbean in late 1781 and in January the following year under Captain Thomas Windsor captured two Spanish frigates. In March 1783 under Captain George Stoney captured the Spanish frigate Santa Catalina.

In March 1797, near Visakhapatnam, Fox captured the French privateer Modeste, under Jean-Marie Dutertre.

Took part in the bloodless Raid on Manila in January 1798.

Because Fox served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March 1801 and 2 September, her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.

She was broken up in April 1816.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_17_February_1783
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Fox_(1780)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1794 - French naval corvette Vengeur, ex-privateer Marseillaise, was captured during the battle for Martinique in 1794


HMS Avenger was a 16-gun ship-sloop of the British Royal Navy. Previously she was the French privateer Marseillaise and then naval corvette Vengeur, which the British Army captured during the battle for Martinique in 1794. The Admiralty sold her 1802.



French career
Prior to her service in the French Navy, Vengeur was a French privateer called Marseillaise and may even have been a British armed merchantman Avenger, before that. Marseillaise (the -ois termination gave way to -ais at this period), was a 300-ton, 16-gun privateer corvette from Martinique, commissioned in 1793.

Lloyd's List reported on 27 August 1793 that the French privateer Marsellois, of 22 guns and 180 men, from Dunkirk, had captured Harpooner and two Dutch vessels from the West Indies, and sent all three into Boston.

The French Navy acquired Marseillaise in January 1794 in the Antilles. She was stationed at Martinique when on 5 February, a fleet under the command of Admiral Sir John Jervis landed troops under the command of General Charles Grey. On the 17 February the British troops captured Venguer at St Pierre.

British career
Vengeur was commissioned as a British warship in Martinique and was initially placed under the command of Lieutenant James Milne. On 17 March, boats from Avenger took part in a cutting out expedition in Fort Royal Bay, which captured the French frigate Bienvenue. When Milne was killed in action, command of Avenger passed to Lieutenant Henry William Bayntun.

Avenger and her crew took part in the capture of Gaudeloupe in April 1794. Bayntun remained in command of Avenger until 4 May 1794 when he was promoted to Post Captain and appointed to Bienvenue, the frigate he had captured the previous month. Edward Griffith became the captain of Avenger and on 22 September he arrived with her at Portsmouth. In 1795 she was under the command of Charles Ogle. She was registered as HMS Avenger in June 1798 but was not fitted out for sea again.

In 1797 Avenger was among the vessels that qualified for prize money for stores and the like captured at Martinique, St Lucia, and Guadeloupe between March and April 1794. There was a second, much larger disbursement in 1800.[9] A third disbursement, smaller than the first, took place in 1806.

Fate
The Admiralty sold Avenger on 9 September 1802.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Avenger_(1794)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1805 - French frigate Ville de Milan (38), Cptn. Jean-Marie Renaud (Killed in Action), was captured by HMS Cleopatra (32), Cptn. Sir Robert Lawrie, off Bermuda.


HMS Milan was a 38-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had previously been the Ville de Milan, a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, but served for only a year before being chased down and engaged by the smaller 32-gun frigate HMS Cleopatra. Ville de Milan defeated and captured her opponent, but suffered so much damage that she was forced to surrender without a fight several days later when both ships encountered HMS Leander, a British fourth rate. Milan went on to serve with the Royal Navy for another ten years, before being broken up in 1815, after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars.


Battle between Ville de Milan and HMS Cleopatra, depicted in a contemporary print

Construction and French career
Ville de Milan was built at Lorient to a one-off design by Antoine Geoffroy. She was originally named Hermione, but was renamed after her launch; she was completed for service by February 1804. She was assigned to the West Indies and sailed from Martinique on 28 January under Captain Jean-Marie Renaud, bound for France with important despatches.



On 16 February the Ville de Milan was spotted off Bermuda by the 32-gun HMS Cleopatra, under Captain Sir Robert Laurie. Laurie ordered a chase, while Renaud, who had orders to avoid combat, pressed on sail in an attempt to escape. The chase covered 180 miles and lasted until the following morning, when it became clear to Renaud that he was being overhauled and would be forced to fight. He reluctantly prepared to meet the Cleopatra, with the ships exchanging fire, the Cleopatra from her bowchasers, the Ville de Milan from her stern battery. The engagement began in earnest at 2.30pm, and a heavy cannonade was maintained between the two frigates until 5pm. The Cleopatra had suffered heavy damage to her rigging, and now tried to manoeuvre across the Frenchman's bows to rake her. While doing so she had her wheel shot away and her rudder jammed. The Ville de Milan approached from windward and ran aboard the Cleopatra, jamming her bowsprit over the quarterdeck of the British ship and raked her decks with musket fire. The British resisted one attempt to board, but on being unable to break free, were forced to surrender to a second boarding party. The Cleopatrahad 22 killed and 36 wounded, with the loss of her foremast, mainmast and bowsprit. The Ville de Milan had probably about 30 killed and wounded, with Captain Renaud among the dead. She also lost her mainmast and mizzenmast. Though wounded, the Ville de Milan's second officer, Capitaine de frégate Pierre Guillet took command. Three days were spent transferring a prize crew and prisoners, and patching up the ships, before the two got underway on 21 February.


The chase of Ville de Milan by HMS Cleopatra

However on 23 February they were discovered by the 50-gun HMS Leander, under Captain John Talbot. The two vessels came together for support, but when Leander ran up to them, they hoisted French colours and separated. Talbot chased Cleopatra, brought her to with a shot and took possession. The freed crew reported the situation to Talbot, and left him to pursue the fleeing Ville de Milan. Talbot soon overtook her and she surrendered without a fight. Both were taken back to Halifax, where the Ville de Milan was taken into service as HMS Milan, with Laurie as her captain. Laurie's engagement with the superior opponent had initially cost him his ship, but had rendered her easy prey to any other Royal Navy frigate in the vicinity. Had he not brought her to battle, the Ville de Milan could have easily outsailed the Leander or even engaged her on fairly equal terms. Instead the damage and losses incurred in breaking down the Cleopatra had left her helpless to resist.


lines & profile Date: NMM, Progress Book, volume 6, folio 356, states that 'Milan' (1805) arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 15 March 1806, recoppered in April 1806, and sailed on 4 May 1806 having been fitted. She was taken to pieces in December 1815.

British career
Milan was refitted at Portsmouth between 12 March and 4 April 1806 and commissioned that year under Sir Robert Laurie, who would command her for the next four years. She returned to the Halifax station for much of this time, but by 1812 was laid up in ordinary at Portsmouth. The conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars led to her being broken up at Chatham Dockyard in December 1815.


HMS Cleopatra was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a long career, seeing service during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During the latter wars she fought two notable engagements with larger French opponents. In the first engagement she was forced to surrender, but succeeded in damaging the French ship so badly that she was captured several days later, while the Cleopatra was retaken. In the second she forced the surrender of a 40-gun frigate. After serving under several notable commanders she was broken up towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars.



Construction
Cleopatra was ordered on 13 May 1778 and was laid down on 6 July 1778 at the yards of James Martin Hillhouse, Bristol. She was launched on 26 November 1779 and had been completed by 9 September 1780. £9,202 (approximately £1.2 million at today's prices)[3]was paid to the builder, with another £5,563.1.5d (approximately £730 thousand at today's prices)spent on dockyard expenditures. Cleopatra was commissioned in October 1779 under her first commander, Captain George Murray.


HMS Cleopatra, depicted in a print by Nicholas Pocock

Career
Fourth Anglo Dutch War
Cleopatra was initially assigned to serve with the Western squadron and was soon active in activities to suppress French cruisers and privateers. On 15 June 1780 Cleopatra and HMS Apollo captured the 26-gun Stanisland off Ostend; while the privateer Comtesse de Provence fell to Cleopatra on 11 November 1780. Cleopatra escorted a convoy to the Baltic on 1781, becoming involved in the Battle of Dogger Bank on 5 August. She passed under the command of Captain Henry Harvey in January 1783, but was paid off in April that year and fitted for ordinary at Sheerness. She remained laid up until 1790 when she began a Great Repair, and was recommissioned in January 1793 under Captain Alexander Ball.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with half stern board outline, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for building 'Cleopatra' (1778), a 32-gun, Fifth Rate Frigate, at Bristol by Mr Hilhouse. Signed by John Williams [Surveyor of the Navy, 1765-1784].

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Cleopatra continued her effective career against raiders by capturing the privateer Trois Amis on 24 March 1793 in company with HMS Lizard. She was operating from Nova Scotia from 1794, and was under Captain Charles Penrose in June 1795. He took the privateer Aurore on 3 March 1796, before passing command to Captain Charles Rowley who coincidentally took another French ship named Aurore on 22 April that year. Rowley went on to capture the 12-gun privateer Hirondelle during his tenure, before Captain Israel Pellew took over command of the Cleopatra in September 1797. Pellew served briefly in the English Channel, taking the 16-gun privateer Emilie on 26 March 1798. He then returned the Cleopatra to Halifax in August that year. She operated off the American coasts, ranging as far as the Caribbean and Cuba, where she and HMS Andromache captured a Spanish gunboaton 22 March 1801. Pellew then returned the Cleopatra to Britain, where she spent between 1802 and 1804 under repair at Woolwich, recommissioning in July 1804 under Captain Charles Elphinstone. Elphinstone's tenure lasted less than a month, by August Cleopatra was sailing under Captain Sir Robert Laurie.

Fight with Ville de Milan
Cleopatra spent some time in the West Indies, and was homeward bound in February 1805. While sailing off Bermuda Cleopatra sighted a sail--the 40-gun French frigate Ville de Milan. Ville de Milan had sailed from Martinique on 28 January under Captain Jean-Marie Renaud and was bound for France with several important dispatches. Despite identifying his quarry as a superior opponent, Laurie ordered a chase. Renaud had orders to avoid combat and pressed on sail to escape Laurie. The chase covered 180 miles and lasted until the following morning, when Renaud reluctantly came about to meet Cleopatra, which was overhauling Ville de Milan The engagement began in earnest at 2:30pm, and a heavy cannonade was maintained between the two frigates until 5pm, when the Cleopatra had her wheel shot away and her rudder jammed. Ville de Milan approached from windward and ran aboard Cleopatra, jamming her bowsprit over the quarterdeck while raking Cleopatra's decks with musket fire. The British resisted one attempt to board, but on being unable to break free, were forced to surrender to a second boarding party. Cleopatra had 22 killed and 36 wounded, with the loss of her foremast, mainmast and bowsprit. Ville de Milan probably had about 30 killed and wounded, with Captain Renaud among the dead. She also lost her mainmast and mizzenmast. Three days were spent transferring a prize crew and prisoners, and patching up the ships, before the two got underway on 21 February.


Battle between Ville de Milan and HMS Cleopatra, depicted in a contemporary print

However, on 23 February they were discovered by the 50-gun HMS Leander, under Captain John Talbot. Leander ran up to them, whereupon they separated. Talbot chased Cleopatra, brought her to with a shot and took possession. The freed crew reported the situation to Talbot, and left him to pursue the fleeing Ville de Milan. Talbot soon overtook her and she surrendered without a fight. He took both back to Halifax. There Ville de Milan was taken into service as HMS Milan, with Laurie as her captain. Laurie's engagement with the superior opponent had initially cost him his ship, but had rendered her easy prey to any other Royal Navy frigate in the vicinity. Had he not brought her to battle, Ville de Milan could have easily outsailed Leander or even engaged her on fairly equal terms. Instead the damage and losses incurred in defeating Cleopatra had left Ville de Milan helpless to resist.

Later actions
With the loss of her captain to the command of Milan, Cleopatra was recommissioned in July 1805 under Captain John Wright. She remained on the Halifax station, from September 1806 under Captain Robert Simpson. Cleopatra, which was under the command of Captain William Love, Pert, and Maria shared in the capture of Jane, Collins, master, on 25 June 1807.

From August 1808, Cleopatra was under Captain Samuel Pechell. On 22 January 1809 she fought an action with the 40-gun Topaze, and with the support of HMS Jason and HMS Hazard, captured Topaze. Cleopatra was then present at the Invasion of Martinique in February 1809. Captain Charles Austen took command in October 1810, with command reverting to Pechell in July 1811. Captain Charles Gill took over in December 1812, followed in an acting capacity by Captain William M'Culloch in 1814.

Fate
Cleopatra was paid off in July 1814 and broken up at Deptford by 21 September 1814.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cleopatra_(1779)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...4;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=C;start=0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Milan_(1805)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-331129;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1806 – Launch of HMS Racehorse, a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop


HMS Racehorse was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Hamilton & Breeds and launched in 1806 at Hastings. She served in the Channel, where she captured a small privateer, and in the East Indies, where she participated in the capture of Isle de France (now Mauritius) and the operations around it. She was wrecked in 1822.



Service
Racehorse was commissioned in March 1806 under Commander Robert Forbes, who sailed her for the Mediterranean on 25 May. By June 1807 she was under Captain William Fisher, cruising in the Channel.

Racehorse was among the vessels that detained the Danish ships Die Twende Softre on 28 August, and Swannen on 7 September. On 4 December she recaptured the Portuguese ship Gloria. On 2 March 1808 Racehorse captured the French privateer lugger Amiral Gantheaume off the Seven Islands, which are 16 miles west of Behat. Amiral Gantheume was armed with four guns and had a crew of 28 men. She was two days out of Granvilleand had not taken anything. Racehorse then cruised the Channel Islands.

Fisher sailed for the Cape of Good Hope on 29 September. There a number of her crew volunteered aboard other ships during the Invasion of Ile de France. On 13 and 14 March 1809, Racehorse was in company with her class-mate, Harrier, about 1000 miles from Rodrigues. Harrier fell behind and this was the last sighting of her; she was lost, presumed foundered.

In December 1810, Commander James de Rippe replaced Fisher. Racehorse was sent to Mauritius to join the squadron there under James Hillyar that had been assembled to attack the French squadron under Francois Roquebert that was expected from Brest. Early in 1811 Racehorse was in company with her sister-ship Elipse when Eclipse recaptured the Donna Emilia. On 3 February, Racehorse captured the slaver Othmany.

The French squadron evaded Hillyar, but Racehorse and the rest of the squadron, now under Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg, caught them off Tamatave in Madagascar. In the ensuing Action of 20 May 1811, the British defeated the French and captured two of their ships. Racehorse was not heavily engaged, and suffered no casualties. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Off Tamatave 20 May 1811" to the remaining survivors of that action.

Racehorse was present at the capture of the Néréide three days later. Racehorse then sailed for the Cape on 7 August. On 19 September she and Astraea captured the French slaver brig Eclair.

On 5 January 1812 Eclipse, with Racehorse in company, took the lugger Eliza with 145 slaves, which she sent to the Cape of Good Hope. Racehorse captured the American ship Monticello on 12 November. Racehorse also shared in the proceeds of the capture, on 16 November, of Valentine. On 3 February 1813, Racehorse was under the command of Commander George F. Rich, and in company with Harpy, under the command of Commander Samuel Hoare. They captured the American ship Rose, which was carrying tea and 8907 Spanish dollars (worth approximately £2226).

On 15 August 1813 Racehorse sailed from the Cape of Good Hope as escort to several vessels, including Rambler bound for St Helena and Britain.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board outline, sheer lines with scroll figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Cruiser (1797), and later for Ferret (1806), Scorpion (1803), Swallow (1805), Musquito (1804), Scout (1804) and Despatch (1804), all 18 gun Brig Sloops. The plan also shows the mast alterations (to ship-rigged) for Snake (1797) and Victor (1798), both 18 gun Ship Sloops.

Post-war
Racehorse was paid off into ordinary at Portsmouth in 1813. Between February 1816 and July 1818 she underwent repair and fitting for sea there. She was recommissioned in May under Commander George Pryse Campbell, who took command on 5 May, for the Mediterranean. Racehorse came under the command of Commander Charles Abbot on 27 January 1821 when Campbell was promoted to post-captain.

Fate
Racehorse returned to Britain in 1822 under Captain William Suckling, who had taken command in February 1822. On 14 December 1822 she sailed from Holyhead, Anglesey, bound for the Isle of Man to meet with the Revenue cutter Vigilant. That night she was wrecked on a reef of rocks off Langness on the Isle of Man. Her pilot mistook the light on Langness Pier for the light on Douglas Pier. Boats from Racehorse took a number of the crew to shore, and five intrepid local men made four trips out and back to rescue more. On the last trip, with Suckling on board, the boat overturned in the surf. Six men from Racehorse drowned, as did three rescuers from Castletown.

The subsequent court martial reprimanded the Master, Henry Hodder, for failing to take constant depth soundings, and warned him to be more careful in the future. The court martial severely reprimanded the pilot, William Edwards, for sailing too close to land, and mulcted him of all pay due.

There is a detailed account of the loss of the Racehorse in Janet Gleeson's book The Lifeboat Baronet - Launching the R.N.L.I. Whilst the author indicates that RNLI founder Sir William Hillary was not present at this particular event, living elsewhere on the Isle of Man, she argues that the shipwreck was undoubtedly a significant contributing factor to his desire to set up a national lifesaving organisation.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Racehorse_(1806)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1817- Launch of HMS Melville, a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy,


HMS Melville was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 February 1817 at Bombay Dockyard.


HMS Melville off the volcanic Graham Island, 1831.

From 19 January 1836 until August 1837 she served in North America and the West Indies as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Peter Halkett and was commanded by Captain Peter John Douglas. From 1 September 1837 to 1841 she was the flagship of Rear-Admiral George Elliot and was captained by Richard Saunders Dundas, during this time she served at the Cape of Good Hope and in the East Indies and was present during the First Opium War with China.



During the Opium War 32 officers, 351 sailors and 75 Royal Marines served aboard her of whom 16 sailors and four marines would be killed in action at the capture of Bocca Tigris on 7 January 1841 and the subsequent campaign along the Pearl River to Canton.

She was converted to serve as a hospital ship in 1857, and was sold out of the navy in 1873. Her sale in Hong Kong raised HK$35,000 which was used to purchase the Royal Naval Hospital at Mount Shadwell.



Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Black Prince' (1816), 'Melville' (1817), 'Hawke' (1820) and 'Wellesley' (1815), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers, based on the design of the captured Danish 74-gun 'Christian VII'. Note that the 'Wellesley' was originally of this design, but was changed to follow the lines of the 'Cornwallis' (1813) of the Armada/Conquestadore/Vengeur class. Signed by William Rule [Surveyor of the Navy, 1793-1813] and Henry Peake [Surveyor of the Navy, 1806-1822].


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the orlop deck with for & aft platforms, and elevations of the storeroom and cabins for Wellesley (1815) and Melville (1817), both 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. On 25 May 1814 duplicate copies were sent to Bombay. One set went in the East India Company Extra Ship Tigris, and the other in the Indus. Initialled by Henry Peake [Surveyor of the Navy, 1806-1822], Joseph Tucker [Surveyor of the Navy, 1813-1831], and Robert Seppings [Surveyor of the Navy, 1813-1832].

The Black Prince-class ships of the line were a class of four 74-gun third rates built for the Royal Navy in the closing years of the Napoleonic War. The draught for this class of ship was essentially a reduced version of the captured Danish ship Christian VII.

Wellesley, while ordered to be built to this design and always officially so classified, was actually built to the design of and used the moulds of Cornwallis, a Vengeur/Armada class ship previously built at Bombay; this was because the set of plans sent from the Navy Board and intended for the construction of Wellesley were lost en route to India when the ship carrying them was captured and burnt by the Americans.

Hawke was converted to screw propulsion in the 1850s when adapted as a 60-gun "blockship".

Ships

• HMS Wellesley

Builder: Bombay Dockyard
Ordered: 6 January 1812
Begun: May 1813
Launched: 24 February 1815
Fate: Sunk in air attack by the Luftwaffe, 1940

• HMS Black Prince

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 14 August 1810
Begun: July 1814
Launched: 30 March 1816
Fate: Broken up, 1855

• HMS Melville

Builder: Bombay Dockyard
Ordered: 6 September 1813
Begun: July 1815
Launched: 17 February 1817
Fate: Sold, 1873

• HMS Hawke

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 6 January 1812
Begun: April 1815
Launched: 16 March 1820
Fate: Broken up, 1865


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile for Wellesley (1815) and Melville (1817), both 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. On 25 May 1814 duplicate copies were sent to Bombay. One set went in the East India Company Extra Ship Tigris, and the other in the Indus. Signed by Henry Peake [Surveyor of the Navy, 1806-1822], Joseph Tucker [Surveyor of the Navy, 1813-1831], and Robert Seppings [Surveyor of the Navy, 1813-1832].


Scale: 1:24. Plan showing the midship section with profiles of the chocks and knees illustrating the method of attaching the beams to the sides for Wellesley (1815), with copies sent for Melville (1817), Black Prince (1816), and Redoubtable (1815), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. On 20 October 1812 a copy of this plan was forwarded to Portsmouth Dockyard for dispatch to Bombay onboard the ex-French frigate Java (captured 1811). However, as the Java was captured by the USS Constitution in December 1812, a second copy was dispatched on 26 March 1813 onboard the 74-gun Third Rate Stirling Castle (1811). A duplicate plan was also sent to Portsmouth on 25 May 1814 to be forwarded in the custody of Mr Joseph Seaton, passenger, onboard the East India Company Extra Ship Tigris.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Melville_(1817)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Prince-class_ship_of_the_line
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-330563;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
17 February 1828 – Launch of HMS Bombay, an 84-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy,


HMS Bombay was an 84-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 February 1828 at Bombay Dockyard.


The Bombay on fire 1861 (actually 14 December 1864)

She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1861.



On 8 December 1864, members of the crew fielded a rugby side to play against the Buenos Aires Cricket Club in their first official rugby game and opening of the BACC's new game field in Parque Tres de Febrero in Palermo, Buenos Aires, located where the Galileo Galilei planetarium is today. That day the BACC defeated the Bombay team by 85 runs to 31.

The ship would be destroyed in a fire on the River Plate, in a freak target practice accident. Her efficient ventilation system spread the fire of unknown origin during the target practice off Uruguay near Isla da Floes near Montevideo in the River Plate on 14 December 1864, destroying her and costing the lives of 93 of her crew of 619.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for Asia (1824) and Bombay (1828), both 84-gun Second Rate, two-deckers. The body plan was taken from the captured French Second Rate Canopus (ex Le Franklin). The plan, with alterations dated 1821 to 1826, was later used for Vengeance (1824), Thunderer (1831), Monarch (1832), and Powerful (1826), all 84-gun Second Rate, two-deckers. The plan is stamped 'Chatham Dockyard, 18 December 1917', which may refer to when Ganges was altered and renamed Tenedos III.


HMS Bombay on fire


The Canopus-class ships of the line were a class of nine 84-gun two-deck second rates of the Royal Navy. Their design was based on an enlarged version of the lines of the captured French ship Franklin, since commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Canopus, although this ship herself was not included as a member of the class. The earlier ships were initially ordered as 80-gun third rates, but this classification was altered by changes in the rating system in February 1817. This class of ships is sometimes referred to as the Formidable class.


HMS Vengeance, a Canopus-class ship of the line

Ships

• HMS Formidable

Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 8 May 1815
Launched: 19 May 1825
Fate: Sold, 1906

• HMS Ganges

Builder: Bombay Dockyard
Ordered: 4 June 1816
Launched: 10 November 1821
Fate: Sold, 1929

• HMS Asia

Builder: Bombay Dockyard
Ordered: 22 April 1819
Launched: 19 January 1824
Fate: Sold, 1908

• HMS Vengeance

Builder: Pembroke Dockyard
Ordered: 23 January 1817
Launched: 27 July 1824
Fate: Sold, 1897

• HMS Powerful

Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 23 January 1817
Launched: 21 June 1826
Fate: Broken up, 1864

• HMS Clarence

Builder: Pembroke Dockyard
Ordered: 27 May 1819
Launched: 25 July 1827
Fate: Burnt, 1884

• HMS Bombay

Builder: Bombay Dockyard
Ordered: 26 January 1825
Launched: 17 February 1828
Fate: Burnt, 1864

• HMS Thunderer

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 23 January 1817
Launched: 22 September 1831
Fate: Sold, 1901

• HMS Monarch

Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 23 July 1817
Launched: 18 December 1832
Fate: Broken up, 1866


Scale 1:24. A plan showing the midship section, and the section at Station 28 for 'Monarch' (1832), 'Vengeance' (1824), 'Thunderer' (1831) and 'Powerful' (1826), and a copy sent to Bombay for 'Asia' (1824) and 'Bombay' (1828), all 84-gun, Second Rate, two-deckers.


Scale: 1:16. A sectional model depicting the circular stern for Canopus Class second rate vessels. The model is made entirely of wood, with the outboard painted black and the traditional yellow buff stripes along the gun decks, which carry on round the stern and onto the galleries. The lower part of the stern is painted brown to indicate copper sheaving. There are twelve gun ports, all of which are painted red internally. The upper and lower stern galleries all run into one with the quarter galleries and comprise of a series of dummy as well as framed glass panels, and individual sliding sash doors, some of which are working. On the lower stern galleries moulded columns are painted on raised pillars between each stern gallery window. The stern post is fitted together with two small brass eyes to take the rudder, which unfortunately is missing. Internally the model comprises of three decks supported by deck beams and shelves, all of which are painted a light brown colour. The underside of the decks and beams are painted white. The lower of the decks is fitted to a solid waterline base, with the interior hull and ceiling planking painted the same colour as the decks. The poop deck is fitted with a raise taffrail and bulwark rail complete with ports for guns and access. On the starboard stern quarter at the upper gun deck the model inscribed "Canopus Class" and on the lower deck "Original After-Port" is hand painted. There is an accompanying original metal display plaque painted black and inscribed "CIRCULAR STERN, of ships of "Canopus" class. 84 GUNS, built by Sir Robert Sepping, between 1821-1832. S.K.No550 CL1 DIV. E.".


Scale: 1: 48. Plan showing the framing profile (disposition) for Asia (1824) and Bombay (1828), both 84-gun Second Rate, two-deckers, building at Bombay Dockyard, India. The plan includes later undated alterations.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bombay_(1828)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus-class_ship_of_the_line
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-296914;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=B