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

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1810 – Launch of French Friedland, an 80-gun Bucentaure-class ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané


The Friedland was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.

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Career
Her launching was attended by Napoleon and his wife, Marie Louise. She was commissioned in Antwerp under Captain Le Bozec on 4 January 1811, and attributed to the Brest squadron.

She was given to Holland with the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814.

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Napoleon I and Marie Louise, together with Jérôme Bonaparte and Catharina of Württemberg, assisting at the launching of the Friedland at the arsenal of Antwerp




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Friedland_(1810)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1832 – Launch of HMS Castor, a 36-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy.


HMS Castor
was a 36-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy.

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Castor was built at Chatham Dockyard and launched on 2 May 1832. She was one of a two ship class of frigates, built to an 1828 design by Sir Robert Seppings, and derived from the earlier Stag class. The Castor class had a further 13 inches (33 cm) of beam to mount the heavier ordnance. Castor cost a total of £38,292, to be fitted for sea.

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Her first captain was Lord John Hay, and by September 1832 Castor was at Lisbon.

On 27 August 1834 she collided with the Revenue Cutter Cameleon off South Foreland, Dover, sinking Cameleon with the loss of most of its crew. This incident led to the Court Martial of officers and crew of Castor on 6 September 1834 in Plymouth. The officers were acquitted but the lieutenant of the watch was dismissed from the service, it having been admitted and proven that a proper watch had not been kept.

She took part in the Egyptian–Ottoman War (1839–1841), also known as the Second Syrian War, when the British Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, supported the Ottoman Empire and took action to compel the Egyptians to withdraw from Beirut. During the Oriental Crisis of 1840 Castor was involved in the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre on 3 November 1840. After cruising on the coast of Ireland she was sent out to the East Indies Station; before being decommissioned at Chatham in 1842.

In 1845 Castor was on the China Station under the command of Captain Graham. Officers, seaman and Royal Marines of Castor participated in the siege of Ruapekapeka Pā from 27 December 1845 to 11 January 1846 during the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Seven sailors were killed in the battle to take the fortified stronghold that was built by the Māori.

In 1852 Castor was on the Cape of Good Hope Station under the command of Commodore Wyvill. She came to the assistance of HM Troopship Birkenhead, when the Birkenhead was wrecked on 26 February 1852.

She was used as a training ship from January 1860, and was a Royal Naval Reserve training ship at North Shields from April 1862, having been reduced to 22 guns. She was sold at Sheerness on 25 August 1902 for breaking up at Castle & Sons breakers yard in Woolwich.

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Scale: 1:16. A model of the circular stern of HMS Castor (1832) made entirely in wood and painted in realistic colours. The hull is painted black with a broad white stripe along the main gundeck which encompasses the stern gallery. Four gunports are depicted on the main gundeck with a further four on the poop. All the gunports are shown open with no lids, their inner faces painted red. The two stern quarter galleries have white painted details and three windows. There is provision for five windows at the stern, the inner faces painted red and a further four windows on the poop. The inboard hull is painted white and is devoid of detail apart from the provision of the entry ports for the two stern quarter galleries. There is a metal fixing for a rudder

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Scale: 1:32. Stern models showing the port side of HMS Castor (1832) and the starboard side of the Danish ship Perlin (captured 1807) made entirely of wood with metal fittings. The model although secured by three wooden planks is actually two half sectional models, the port side represents the new proposed round stern for HMS Castor and is painted a brick red from the base to just above the waterline with the upperworks in black apart from a thick horizontal section along the gundeck which is finished in a creamy white colour. The gunports are painted red internally on the gundeck and a bottle green on the upper deck. The stern gallery consists of four sections of curved and flat glazed windows together with vertical mouldings and a smaller carved decoration picked out in white and gold. The forward edge of the quarter edge is an ornately carved full length female figure in flowing robes with a feather headdress, all of which is painted gold and varnished. Internally the model is finished with two decks made from single sheets of wood, scored with individual planks and stained and varnished. Below decks are a series of metal hanging knees supporting deck beams together with a number of meal rings for rigging hammocks. The solid bulwarks are painted a dark green and meet the deck with a rounded timber section of spirketting and a square section of gunwale capping, both of which are painted black. The bulwark has been pierced to take three guns. The starboard side represents Perlin, a Danish ship and illustrates the old fashioned square stern with the more traditional quarter gallery complete with three glazed windows and three across the stern. The hull is painted a creamy white from the base to just above the waterline, with the upperworks painted black apart from a thick horizontal band along the gundeck which is finished in a creamy white colour. It is pierced for two guns, the inside of the gunport is painted red on the gundeck and dark green on the upper deck gunport. There is also a gunport projecting through the stern, again finished in a dark green which carries on round thorugh the inside face of the bulwarks. Like the port side it is fitted with two layers of deck consisting of single sheets of wood, scored with individual planks, stained and varnished

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Scale: 1:16. Waterline model depicting the proposed circular stern for HMS Castor (1832), a 36 gun frigate. Model inscribed "No 13. case. Cumbl'd room (7)"


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Castor_(1832)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1855 - Launch of HMS Conqueror, a 101-gun Conqueror-class screw-propelled first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy.


HMS Conqueror was a 101-gun Conqueror-class screw-propelled first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1855, but spent only six years in service before being wrecked on Rum Cay in what was then the colony of the Bahamas in 1861.

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Engraving depicting HMS Conqueror (1855), wrecked off the coast of Rum Cay, Bahamas.

Construction and commissioning
Conqueror was one of a two ship class, her sister being Donegal. She was built to an 1852 design from the Surveyor’s Department and ordered from Devonport Dockyard on 16 November 1852. She was laid down on 25 July 1853, launched on 2 May 1855 and commissioned on 9 April 1856. She cost a total of £171,116, with £91,244 spent on her hull and a further £50,919 spent on her machinery, from John Penn & Son.

Career
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"The loss of H.M.S. Conqueror 100 guns on Rum Cay, Bahamas, West Indies" [sic], attributed to George Pechell Mends
Signed lower left 'G.P.M' and inscribed along the bottom 'The loss of H.M.S. Conqueror 100 guns on Rum Cay, Bahamas, West Indies'. The 'Conqueror' was a 101-gun screw-assisted 1st-rate, of 3225 tons, built at Devonport in 1855. Under Captain Edward Sotheby she was carrying troops to assist French intervention in Mexico when wrecked on Rum Cay due to a navigational error, on 13 December 1861. All 1400 people on board got off safely. Mends would only just have arrived on the North American and West Indies station (as flag-captain of the 'Edgar') at the time of 'Conqueror's' loss, and the fact this drawing is dated two weeks after the wreck suggests he saw salvage work in progress that day, even though this is probably a composed drawing rather than an on-the-spot scketch. The remains of the ship are known and now designated as an underwater museum site, popular with divers


Conqueror was initially commanded by Thomas Matthew Charles Symonds and formed part of the Channel Squadron. She was later assigned to operate in the Mediterranean during the Crimean War, and later was based out of Malta, when Hastings Yelverton took command on 22 July 1859. Yelverton was succeeded by William John Cavendish Clifford, and he by James Willcox in 1860, by which time Conqueror had returned to Plymouth. Edward Southwell Sotheby took over command and was despatched to carry troops supporting the French intervention in Mexico in late 1861. While sailing through the Bahamas, Conqueror was wrecked on Rum Cay on 29 December 1861 due to a navigation error. All 1,400 aboard were saved.

Wreck
The wreck lies in 30 ft (9.1 m) of water off Rum Cay and is preserved as an Underwater Museum of the Bahamas. It is a popular dive site.


The Conqueror-class ships of the line were a class of two 101-gun first rate screw propelled ships designed by the Surveyor’s Department for the Royal Navy.

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Design
The Conqueror class ships were designed in 1852 as two-decker 101-gun first rates in a period when many under-construction sail ships of the line were being redesigned to use screw propulsion in addition to sail. Two ships were subsequently completed, HMS Conqueror and HMS Donegal.

Careers
Both ships saw service in the Channel Squadron, and later in the Crimean War. Both were used to transport troops to Mexico in support of the French intervention there in 1861. HMS Conqueror was wrecked on Rum Cay whilst carrying this out, but without losses, and most of her machinery, guns and stores were subsequently salvaged. The advent of armoured ironclads, such as HMS Warrior in the 1860s made the traditional ships of the line largely obsolete. HMS Donegal continued in service as a guard ship, in which role she took the last surrender of the American Civil War. She was hulked in 1886, and became part of the torpedo training school HMS Vernon. She served until the establishment moved on shore in 1923, and was broken up in 1925.

Ships
Builder: Devonport Dockyard
Ordered: 16 November 1852
Laid down: 25 July 1853
Launched: 2 May 1855
Completed: 9 April 1856
Fate: Wrecked at Rum Cay on 13 December 1861
Builder: Devonport Dockyard
Ordered: 27 December 1854
Laid down: 27 September 1855
Launched: 23 September 1858
Completed: 27 August 1859
Fate: Renamed HMS Vernon on 14 January 1886. Sold for breaking up on 18 May 1925

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HMS Donegal, built at Devonport dockyard 1859, withdrawn to harbour at Portsmouth 1870, hulked (turned into accommodation) 1886, scrapped 1925. At Portsmouth she formed part of HMS Vernon torpedo school, and her name was changed to Vernon in 1886.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Conqueror_(1855)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1866 - Battle of Callao
occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War.



The Battle of Callao (in Spanish, called Combate del Dos de Mayo mainly in South America) occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War. The Spanish fleet bombarded the port of Callao (or El Callao), and eventually withdrew without any notable damage to the city structures, according to the Peruvian and American sources; or after having silenced almost all the guns of the coastal defenses, according to the Spanish accounts and French observers. This proved to be the final battle of the war between Spanish and Peruvian forces.

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Spanish ships exchange fire with Peruvian coastal defenses at the Battle of Callao .

Background
President Juan Antonio Pezet assumed the presidency of Peru in April 1863, at a time when Spain was making efforts to recover some prestige by recovering (or humiliating) its lost colonies in America. Spain began its campaign by seizing the Chincha Islands, which were rich in guano, and demanding indemnity as recompense for the murder of two Spanish citizens in Lambayeque.

Vacillating, President Pezet began removing vast quantities of Peru's guano deposits to give to Spain when Spanish ships threatened Callao and the neighboring coastline. Pezet believed that Peru’s naval forces were much too weak to challenge the Spanish fleet.[citation needed] In November 1865, in a moment of nationalism, Colonel Mariano Ignacio Prado seized power from Pezet after a coup, and organized an effective defense against Spanish aggression that culminated with the Battle of Callao.

After the indecisive Battle of Abtao in February 1866, Méndez Núñez decided to take punitive action against South American ports, his first target being the undefended Chilean port of Valparaíso. The neutral British and American naval commanders in Chilean waters were unable to prevent this action, and the Spanish bombarded the town and destroyed the Chilean merchant fleet.

Méndez Núñez continued afterward for Spain by attacking a strong port and went with his fleet towards the well-defended Peruvian port of Callao.[citation needed] The battle, starting on May 2, was characterized by arduous, long-range combat with ironclads utilized by both sides. Observing the combat were American, British and French ships.

Battle
The Spaniards arrived at Callao, on April 25, with 7 warships and 7 auxiliary ships carrying 252 guns, most of them (126 pieces) 68-pounder cannons. The Spanish ships included the ironclad Numancia and the steam frigates Reina Blanca, Resolución, Berenguela, Villa de Madrid, Almansa and the corvette Vencedora. A V-Shaped formation characterized the Spanish fleet, with the smaller ships on the back. Essentially, this was the most formidable fleet that had assembled up to that point in the waters of the American Pacific Ocean.

Prior to the battle, Peruvian president Mariano Ignacio Prado rallied and mobilized the military and the townspeople against Spain. The strong forts and batteries of the stronghold at Callao, which had once repelled Sir Francis Drake and John Hawkins, were reinforced with 5 heavy British-made 22-ton Blakely rifles. Moreover, four Armstrong guns were placed in two armoured turrets, Junín and La Merced, both protected with a 10 cm thick iron belt. The Armstrong and the Blakely guns were the most potent cannons of the time, and they were a national pride for Peru. In total, the Peruvians had 52 guns and 13 additional guns mounted on the warships Colon, Tumbes, and Sachaca. Also, Peru had two locally built ironclads: The Confederate-style casemated ram ironclad Loa and the monitor Victoria, as well as infantry and cavalry.

The Spanish fleet, forming a V-shaped line of attack, enter into the bay at 10:00 hours, and formed two lines of battle: In the north, the ironclad Numancia and the frigates Almansa and Resolución, while the frigates Villa de Madrid, Berenguela and Reina Blanca moved south. The rest of the fleet, including the corvette Vencedora, remained back near the island of San Lorenzo. The Numancia, one of the largest ships to have ever existed at the time, went forward in order to begin the attack.

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A Callao armored turret, armed with two 300-pound Armstrong guns

At 11:50 hours, the ironclad Numancia opened fire on the defenses. The Peruvian fort Santa Rosa fired back soon after. No shot hit the Spanish warships, so the guns had to be recalibrated; a loss of time that could have been avoided if the Peruvian artillery had begun firing over the Spanish ships while they were taking up positions. When the batteries resumed their fire, a shot hit the Numancia injuring the Spanish Admiral Méndez Nuñez. The ship, however, suffered no damage thanks to its armor. The Cañón del Pueblo, a 500-pound Blakely gun, became unusable as the heavy recoil made it derail.

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The ironclad Numancia, flagship of the Spanish fleet.

The Spanish frigate Villa de Madrid, meantime, was hit by a Blakely 450-pound projectile, which inflicted 35 casualties and destroyed her boilers. The ship had to be towed out of the battle by the corvette Vencedora, while she fired over 200 shots on the Peruvian forts during the maneuver. The Berenguela, pierced side-to-side at the waterline by an Armstrong 300-pound projectile, was also forced to retreat. She had silenced all the Armstrong guns from the Junín armoured turret. Also, the frigate Almansa was hit by another shot at 14:30, resulting in the deaths of 13 crewman and causing an explosion of her powder room, thus forcing her to retreat. Half an hour later, having made the necessary repairs, she returned to her position and resumed the action against the Peruvians.

By this time, there was heavy fire from both sides. A Spanish shot from the Blanca hit the armored turret La Merced, destroying it and killing or injuring 93 men, including Peruvian Secretary of Defense José Gálvez and colonels Cornelio Borda and Enrique Montes. Chacabuco battery was also affected, losing several cannons and a great number of its volunteer crew, as well as Santa Rosa and Pinchicha forts. In the first one was wounded Ship's captain Muñón, and the second one lost 2 cannons. In adittion, Maipú and Independencia batteries had been completely silenced. The Peruvian sustained then heavy casualties, as many of the 3,000 infantry and cavalry troops present during the battle had been entrenched outside the forts to prevent an alleged Spanish attempt of landing, suffering the gunfire of the Numancia, the Almansa, the Resolución and the Vencedora.

At 16:00, having been repelled the small Peruvian fleet under Lizardo Montero, which approached the Spanish twice, only 12 or 14 of Santa Rosa fort guns responded yet to the Spanish fire. One of their shots hit the Blanca, killing 8 men and injuring Captain Topete. At 17:00, nevertheless, Santa Rosa's guns had reduced to three. The badly wounded Admiral Méndez Núñez ordered then to his fleet suspend the fire. The Spanish crews, having sustained heavy damage and it being impossible for them to fight any longer, retreated from the battlefield. The battle was finished. The badly battered Spanish ships remained for several days on San Lorenzo island, taking care of their wounded and their repairs.

Results
On the Spanish side the bombardment was seen as a victory. According to Admiral Méndez Nuñez, almost all of the coastal batteries were silenced during the engagement and only three guns of Santa Rosa’s fort were still making fire when the Spanish fleet left the battlefield. He also reported that those last shots were fired without ammunition, which was confirmed by the Captain of the French corvette Venus, who was present during the battle. Shortly after, the French newspaper La Presse published a new portraying the bombardment as a Spanish victory:

The news from Callao, May 9, give the following details about the bombing of this place. On May 2 the Spanish fleet attacked Callao and its formidable batteries armed with 90 guns, among them Armstrong[type]. At the time that the shelling ceased with the day only three Peruvian guns continued their fire. All the armored batteries had been placed out of action. The victorious fleet then ceased its fire, shouting "Long life to the Queen!”

On early June the news of the victory were celebrated in Spain with great festivities, whose benefits went to the widows and orphans of those who were killed in combat. Méndez Núñez was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Carlos III and was promoted to Lieutenant General. The commanding officers of the ships involved on the combat were also promoted and their crews received double pay. In honor to them, on 20 July 1866, before the Battle of Lissa, the Austrian Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff harangued his crews shouting “Let's imitate the Spanish at Callao!”

On the other hand, the Peruvians celebrated the battle as a victory, claiming that they had stopped the Spanish from trying to re-colonize South America. In a private letter dated on May 3, 1866; an American eyewitness, T.H. Nelson, wrote:

"The damages caused to Callao are barely noticeable. The [Peruvian] batteries occupied the [Spanish] squad so much that there was no time to bombard the city." In fact, after the battle, the hyped up and surprising situation was so big that American and British troops witnessing the battle joined the cheers of "Viva el Perú!"

In 1870, former U.S. general Alvin Peterson Hovey, member of the United States legation to Perú, described the battle as inconclusive but glorious for both countries in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Hamilton Fish:

But the battle came on, on the glorious "Dos de Mayo," for so both Spain and Peru call it, and the fleet bore bravely up toward the forts, reaching within three-quarters of a mile. Then, as they were gallantly exchanging shots, two torpedoes exploded and threw columns of water at least 150 feet in the air. The whole Spanish fleet retired and fought at long range for the remainder of the day. Such was the cause of the success or defeat that followed this action, so glorious both to Peru and Spain. On the part of Peru it will be a feast day forever, and on the part of Spain the Duke of Callao claimed his title for this victory!

Aftermath
A couple of months after the battle, the famed ships of the War of the Pacific, Huascar and Independencia, were added to the Peruvian fleet. While the war still remained without a peace settlement, the Peruvians contemplated the idea of invading the Philippines to ward off the Spanish ships that were in the area. The nation hired Commodore John Randolph Tucker, who had outshone himself in the American Civil War fighting for the Confederate States of America. Nonetheless, various Peruvian officers felt insulted at such a decision since they felt that they had shown they were just as capable as any other officers to lead and win a naval battle. At the end, the idea was abandoned, but Tucker found another important job in the Peruvian Amazon. This event, along with the fear of a Spanish attack from the Atlantic due the presence in South American waters of the Spanish frigates Blanca, Resolución, Villa de Madrid, Almansa, Concepción and Navas de Tolosa along with the capture on August 22 of the unassigned Chilean corvette Tornado by the Spanish frigate Gerona prevented the expedition against the Philippines. The Spanish expedition in the Pacific officially ended in 1868, but the peace was not signed until 1879.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Callao
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USS Card while it is docked at Saigon.
Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship's hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.



The Attack on USNS Card was a Viet Cong (VC) operation during the Vietnam War. It took place in the port of Saigon in the early hours of May 2, 1964, and mounted by commandos from the 65th Special Operations Group (Đội Biệt động 65).

Card was first commissioned into the United States Navy during World War II. Decommissioned in 1946, Card was reactivated in 1958 and entered service with the Military Sea Transport Service, transporting military equipment to South Vietnam as part of the United States military commitment to that country.

As a regular visitor to the port, Card became a target for local VC commando units. Shortly after midnight on May 2, 1964, two Viet Cong commandos climbed out of the sewer tunnel near the area where Card was anchored, and they attached two loads of explosives to the ship's hull. The attack was a success and Card sank 48 feet (15 m), and five civilian crew members were killed by the explosions. The ship was refloated 17 days later, and was towed to the Philippines for repairs.

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Background
USNS Card was a Bogue-class escort carrier that had served in the United States Navy. In 1946 Card was decommissioned and was transferred to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On May 16, 1958, Card re-entered service with the Military Sea Transport Service, under the control of the United States Navy. The ship was manned by a civilian crew and was prefixed "USNS" (United States Naval Ship) instead of "USS" (United States Ship) as it was in service but not commissioned.

With the escalation of the Vietnam War, the United States government stepped up military support for South Vietnam's fight against the Viet Cong. On December 15, 1961, USNS Card left Quonset Point, Rhode Island, with a cargo of H-21 Shawnee helicopters and U.S. soldiers from Fort Devens, Massachusetts, bound for Vietnam. At Subic Bay in the Philippines, the cargo and troops were transferred to USS Princeton, which arrived and unloaded off the coast of Da Nang the following month.

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Card while in service with the United States Navy

From 1961 onwards, Card and USNS Core regularly docked in Saigon to unload heavy artillery, M113 armored personnel carriers, aircraft, helicopters and ammunition for the South Vietnamese government. The Port of Saigon was situated between the Te and Ben Nghe Canals, and was about 700 meters (2,300 ft) wide from one side to the other. To facilitate the arrival of Card and other American ships which pulled into Saigon, the South Vietnamese military often deployed navy vessels to conduct patrols around the port, while the surrounding shores were protected by an elite Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Airborne battalion. The port itself was guarded round the clock by Republic of Vietnam National Police, as undercover South Vietnamese agents operated across the river in the Thu Thiem area to disrupt VC activities there. Undeterred by the level of protection which the South Vietnamese government normally afforded to American ships, Tran Hai Phung—commander of the Viet Cong's Saigon-Gia Dinh Military District—ordered the 65th Special Operations Group to attack USNS Card.

Sinking of USNS Card
Failed attempt on USNS Core
Despite their best efforts to control VC activities across the river in the Thu Thiem area, the South Vietnamese military and police could not stop VC agents from operating there. So VC members of the 65th Special Operations Group were able to watch US and South Vietnamese military activities at the port, while they were preparing to attack American targets. Lam Son Nao, a commando of the 65th Special Operations Group, was also an employee at the port facility. As his unit was assigned with the mission to attack the carrier, Nao took advantage of his position as an employee at the port facility, to reconnoitre Card to design the best strategy to sabotage the ship and all the military hardware on board. Nao's father had previously worked at the port facility as a tradesman, so he memorised all the underground tunnels and sewage systems at the facility. He advised Nao that the best way to enter the area where American ships normally anchored was through the sewer tunnel opposite Thu Thiem.

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The cargo ship and aircraft ferry USNS Card (T-AKV 40) in Saigon on 2 May 1964, after she was attacked by Viet Cong commandos of the 65th Special Operations Group. Photo taken by Charles J. Skiff, USN.

While bathing in the Saigon River, Nao inspected the sewer tunnel, which his father had advised him to use. Nao concluded that the tunnel would provide the best access to the American area, but it also presented challenges. The sewage tunnel contained waste and toxic oils which could cause blindness, so Nao and his men would have to close their eyes as they moved through it to avoid blindness. Nao and his men must bathe to purge deadly odours to avoid detection, and probably arrest, by South Vietnamese authorities. After Nao had surveyed the tunnels leading to the port, he presented his plan to the Saigon-Gia Dinh Military District Headquarters. Nao decided to utilise high explosives, enough to sink a ship, and to detonate them using a timer so that his men could get away safely. Nao's superiors approved the plan and they ordered him to launch the attack before sunrise to avoid killing local Vietnamese civilians.

Nao returned to Saigon and began assembling the equipment required for the attack, which included C4 plastic explosives, TNT, wire, mine detonators and batteries. Nao trained new commandos, namely Nguyen Phu Hung and Nguyen Van Cay, to support his operation. To ensure success, Nao measured the height, length and width of the sewer tunnel to assemble the bomb devices to the right size, to be carried through the tunnel unhindered. Towards the end of 1963, Nao received news that Card had arrived in Saigon with another load of armored personnel carriers, artillery and aircraft. But the carrier turned out to be her sister ship, USNS Core. On the evening of December 29, 1963, Nao and Cay carried their bomb devices, which had about 80 kilograms (180 lb) of explosives, through the sewer tunnel. They attached the explosives to Core's hull, set the timer and retreated into the sewer to await the outcome.

The bombs failed to explode because the battery had expired due to protracted storage. Determined the operation would remain a secret, the commandos snuck back to Core and retrieved the explosive devices. Soon, Core and its crew sailed from Saigon without any damage. Nao reported the mission failure to the Saigon-Gia Dinh Military District Headquarters. His superiors did not express disappointment in the failure, but they encouraged Nao and his men to destroy Card at all costs. On May 1, 1964, Viet Cong reconnaissance teams spotted USNS Card as she sailed through Ganh Rai Bay and entered Long Tau River. They reported this information to the 65th Special Operations Group in Saigon. As usual, Card docked at the commercial port to unload a shipment of cargo and military helicopters, and pick up helicopters to be returned to the US.

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Successful attack
When Nao received news Card had arrived in Saigon, he inspected the equipment which included a new battery and a redesigned bomb. Nao decided to set off the bombs during the early hours of May 2, so that he and his fellow operative could escape safely and avoid inflicting casualties on the local population. Due to illness, Cay declined to take part in the operation, so Hung had to replace him. At around 9am on May 1, Nao rushed to Hung's home, where the latter was given a hand grenade and was notified of an upcoming operation without much detail. At 6pm, after Nao had finished loading the bombs onto one canoe, he and Hung traveled down the Saigon River in two separate canoes, toward the commercial port district. They pulled over in the Thu Thiem area. To avoid detection by South Vietnamese authorities they mingled with the local workers. While awaiting the right time, Nao briefed Hung on the objectives of the operation, which was to sink the largest American ship at the Saigon Port, and report the results to headquarters.

Shortly after 6:30pm as both men headed toward Warehouse Number 0 at the commercial port, a police patrol boat spotted them and gave chase. Nao ordered Hung to throw the hand grenade and both men would retreat toward the local village if their bombs were discovered by police. The police patrol stopped about 20 meters (66 ft) away from Nao's canoe, and the patrol boat commander questioned both men about their activities during that evening. Nao claimed that he and Hung intended to go to the other side of the river to buy new clothes at the market. To avoid delaying the operation, Nao bribed the patrol boat commander 1000 Vietnamese dong, as the South Vietnamese police were widely known for their corruption. When the patrol boat commander received the bribe, he gave both Nao and Hung permission to move on but demanded another bribe when they return. When the commandos arrived at the sewer tunnel, they assembled the bomb device with each man carrying 40 kilograms (88 lb) of explosives through the tunnel.

When the commandos emerged from the tunnel, they swam toward the broadside of Card which anchored near the sewer opening. Nao and Hung attached two bombs to the ship, with one near the bilge and one at the engine compartment, just above the waterline. Nao then inspected both bombs to ensure proper assembly. Nao then stuck the battery onto a pole and connected it to the bombs with wires, then set the timer. At 1.10am, the bombs were completed and both commandos retreated to the sewer tunnel, boarded their canoes on the other side and rowed back to Thu Thiem. Again, the police patrol boat was waiting for Nao and Hung to arrive, because the commander wanted another bribe. As Nao and Hung approached the patrol boat, an explosion was heard and a bright light could be seen in the commercial port area. The South Vietnamese police patrol boat then started its engine and raced towards Card, instead of extracting another bribe.

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Aftermath
For the VC commandos of the 65th Special Operations Group, the explosion on Card signalled a successful mission. By sunrise, Card had settled 48 feet (15 m) into the river with its engine compartment completely flooded. Five American civilians who worked on the ship died as a result of the attack. Due to rapid response from the ship's crew and local authorities, flooding inside the ship was quickly stopped and it was stabilized. An inspection revealed that the explosion had torn a hole 12 feet (3.7 m) long and 3 feet (0.91 m) high, on the starboard side of the ship. In the days that followed, five US Navy divers were deployed to Saigon from the Philippines, in addition to several salvage teams from US bases in Japan and the Military Sea Transport Service Command. Amongst the divers was founding US Navy Seals member Roy Boehm, who claimed to have recovered the remains of a Hagerson Demolition Pack, a specialised explosive charge used by US navy frogmen. Bohem speculated that the explosives used in the attack had been stolen from his own South Vietnamese Navy unit by a group of deserters who had been mistreated by a South Vietnamese officer.

USS Reclaimer, a rescue and salvage ship, bound for the Philippines, was ordered to change course and sail for Saigon. The tugboat USS Tawakoni based at Subic Bay in the Philippines was placed on standby, and later received orders to sail to South Vietnam. Upon arrival in Saigon, US Navy divers and salvage teams tried to pump water from Card's flooded compartments. Their initial attempts were hindered by malfunctions in the pumping equipment, and poor diving conditions in the river. It took salvors 17 days to refloat Card. They then began the process of moving the ship by installing a 6-inch pump and generators in Card to pump bilge water. Reclaimer and Tawakoni then towed Card to Subic Bay where it underwent further repairs.

After Card was sunk, North Vietnam made use of the incident for propaganda purposes. On October 20, 1964, the North Vietnamese government issued a postage stamp which proclaimed an "Aircraft Carrier of America sunk in the Harbor of Saigon", to praise the Viet Cong commandos who carried out the attack. The US Navy refused to admit Card had been sunk even for a brief period of time, instead stating Card was damaged and quickly repaired. For the remainder of 1964, the VC launched further attacks on US targets such as the Brinks Hotel and Bien Hoa Air Base, but there were no significant responses from the US military. Card returned to service December 11, 1964 and remained in service until 1970, when she was placed in the Reserve Fleet.

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The refit USNS Card in February 1965. She is seen loading cargo into her enlarged cargo elevator.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Card
http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/011.htm
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
2 May 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano, killing 323 people.
This was the first time a warship had been sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine.


ARA General Belgrano was an Argentine Navy light cruiser in service from 1951 until 1982.

Originally commissioned by the U.S. as USS Phoenix, she saw action in the Pacific theatre of World War II before being sold by the United States Navy to Argentina. The vessel was the second to have been named after the Argentine founding father Manuel Belgrano (1770–1820). The first vessel was a 7,069-ton armoured cruiser completed in 1896.

1024px-ARA_General_Belgrano_underway.jpg

She was sunk on 2 May 1982 during the Falklands War by the Royal Navy submarine Conqueror with the loss of 323 lives. Losses from General Belgranototalled just over half of Argentine military deaths in the war.

She is the only ship to have been sunk during military operations by a nuclear-powered submarine and the second sunk in action by any type of submarine since World War II, the first being the Indian frigate INS Khukri, which was sunk by the Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.


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Phoenix at Pearl Harbor in 1941

Sinking

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Deployment of naval forces on 1–2 May 1982 in the South Atlantic

After the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, on 2 April 1982 Britain declared a Maritime Exclusion Zone (MEZ) of 200 nautical miles around the Falkland Islands within which any Argentine warship or naval auxiliary entering the MEZ might be attacked by British nuclear-powered submarines (SSN).

On 23 April, the British Government clarified in a message that was passed via the Swiss Embassy in Buenos Aires to the Argentine government that any Argentine ship or aircraft that was considered to pose a threat to British forces would be attacked.

On 30 April this was upgraded to the total exclusion zone, within which any sea vessel or aircraft from any country entering the zone might be fired upon without further warning. The zone was stated to be "...without prejudice to the right of the United Kingdom to take whatever additional measures may be needed in exercise of its right of self-defence, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter." The concept of a total exclusion zone was a novelty in maritime law; the Law of the Sea Convention had no provision for such an instrument. Its purpose seems to have been to increase the amount of time available to ascertain whether any vessel in the zone was hostile or not. Regardless of the uncertainty of the zone's legal status it was widely respected by the shipping of neutral nations.

The Argentine military junta began to reinforce the islands in late April when it was realised that the British Task Force was heading south. As part of these movements, Argentine Naval units were ordered to take positions around the islands. Two Task Groups designated 79.1, which included the aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo plus two Type 42 destroyers, and 79.2, which included three Exocet missile armed Drummond-class corvettes, both sailed to the north. General Belgrano had left Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego on 26 April. Two destroyers, ARA Piedra Buena and ARA Hipólito Bouchard (also ex-USN vessels) were detached from Task Group 79.2 and together with the tanker YPF Puerto Rosales, joined General Belgrano to form Task Group 79.3.

By 29 April, the ships were patrolling the Burdwood Bank, south of the islands. On 30 April, General Belgrano was detected by the British nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine Conqueror. The submarine approached over the following day. On 1 May 1982, Admiral Juan Lombardo ordered all Argentine naval units to seek out the British task force around the Falklands and launch a "massive attack" the following day. General Belgrano, which was outside and to the south-west of the exclusion zone, was ordered south-east.

Lombardo's signal was intercepted by British Intelligence. As a result, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her War Cabinet, meeting at Chequersthe following day, agreed to a request from Admiral Terence Lewin, the Chief of the Defence Staff, to alter the rules of engagement and allow an attack on General Belgrano outside the exclusion zone. Although the group was outside the British-declared total exclusion zone of 370 km (200 nautical miles) radius from the islands, the British decided that it was a threat. After consultation at Cabinet level, Thatcher agreed that Commander Chris Wreford-Brown should attack General Belgrano.

At 15:57 (Falkland Islands Time)[N 1] on 2 May, Conqueror fired three 21 inch Mk 8 mod 4 torpedoes (conventional, non-guided, torpedoes), each with an 805-pound (363 kg) Torpex warhead. While Conqueror was also equipped with the newer Mark 24 Tigerfish homing torpedo, there were doubts about its reliability. Initial reports from Argentina claimed that Conqueror fired two Tigerfish torpedoes on General Belgrano. Two of the three torpedoes hit General Belgrano. According to the Argentine government, General Belgrano's position was 55°24′S 61°32′WCoordinates:
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55°24′S 61°32′W.

One of the torpedoes struck 10 to 15 metres (33 to 49 ft) aft of the bow, outside the area protected by either the ship's side armour or the internal anti-torpedo bulge. This blew off the ship's bow, but the internal torpedo bulkheads held and the forward powder magazine for the 40 mm gun did not detonate. It is believed that none of the ship's company were in that part of the ship at the time of the explosion.

The second torpedo struck about three-quarters of the way along the ship, just outside the rear limit of the side armour plating. The torpedo punched through the side of the ship before exploding in the aft machine room. The explosion tore upward through two messes and a relaxation area called "the Soda Fountain" before finally ripping a 20-metre-long hole in the main deck. Later reports put the number of deaths in the area around the explosion at 275 men. After the explosion, the ship rapidly filled with smoke. The explosion also damaged General Belgrano's electrical power system, preventing her from putting out a radio distress call. Though the forward bulkheads held, water was rushing in through the hole created by the second torpedo and could not be pumped out because of the electrical power failure. In addition, although the ship should have been "at action stations", she was sailing with the water-tight doors open.

The ship began to list to port and to sink towards the bow. Twenty minutes after the attack, at 16:24, Captain Bonzo ordered the crew to abandon ship. Inflatable life rafts were deployed, and the evacuation began without panic.

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General Belgrano, sinking

The two escort ships were unaware of what was happening to General Belgrano, as they were out of touch with her in the gloom and had not seen the distress rockets or lamp signals. Adding to the confusion, the crew of Bouchard felt an impact that was possibly the third torpedo striking at the end of its run (an examination of the ship later showed an impact mark consistent with a torpedo). The two ships continued on their course westward and began dropping depth charges. By the time the ships realised that something had happened to General Belgrano, it was already dark and the weather had worsened, scattering the life rafts.

Argentine and Chilean ships rescued 772 men in all from 3 to 5 May. In total, 323 were killed in the attack: 321 members of the crew and two civilians who were on board at the time.

Naval outcome
Following the loss of General Belgrano, the Argentinian fleet returned to its bases and played no major role in the rest of the conflict. British nuclear submarines continued to operate in the sea areas between Argentina and the Falkland Islands, gathering intelligence, providing early warning of air raids and effectively imposing sea denial. A further effect was that the Argentinian Navy's carrier-borne aircraft had to operate from land bases at the limit of their range, rather than from an aircraft carrier at sea. The minimal role of the Navy in the rest of the campaign led to a considerable loss of credibility and influence within the Junta.



 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 2 May


1450 – Death of William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_de_la_Pole,_1st_Duke_of_Suffolk


1495 - Battle of Rapallo - Genoese fleet under Francesco Spinola defeats French fleet under de Miolans, all French ships are captured.


1519 – Death of Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)




1704 – Launch of French Jason 54 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 2 May 1704 at Brest) – deleted 1720


1745 – Launch of Spanish Dragón 60 (launched 2 May 1745 at Havana) - Wrecked 29 May 1783

Conquistador class, 70 guns
Conquistador (Jesus, Maria y José) 64 (launched 28 January 1745 at Havana) - Captured by Britain 1748
Dragón 60 (launched 2 May 1745 at Havana) - Wrecked 29 May 1783


1751 – Launch of french Lion 64 (launched 22 May 1751 at Toulon) - hulked 1783 and sold 1785.

Lion class. Designed and built by Pierre-Blaise Coulomb.
Lion 64 (launched 22 May 1751 at Toulon) - hulked 1783 and sold 1785.
Sage 64 (launched 29 December 1751 at Toulon) - condemned 1767 and taken to pieces in 1768.


1768 – Launch of Spanish San Isidro 70 (launched 2 May 1768 at Ferrol) - Captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797, sold 1814

San Isidro class both ordered 1766 at Ferrol (Esteiro Dyd), 70 guns
San Isidro 70 (launched 2 May 1768 at Ferrol) - Captured by Britain at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797, sold 1814
San Julián 70 (launched 10 December 1768 at Ferrol) - Captured by Britain and recaptured at the Battle of Cape Santa Maria, 1780, wrecked 1780


1778 - King George visited Portsmouth


1804 William Bligh appointed Captain of HMS Warrior (74)


1808 HMS Unite (40), Cptn. Patrick Campbell, captured Ronco (16) off Cape Promontoro in the Gulf of Venice.


The Impérieuse was a 40-gun Minerve-class frigate of the French Navy. The Royal Navy captured her in 1793 and she served first as HMS Imperieuse and then from 1803 as HMS Unite. She became a hospital hulk in 1836 and was broken up in 1858.

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Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with sternboard outline and some decoration detail, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Imperieuse (captured 1793), a captured French 40-gun Frigate, as taken off at Chatham Dockyard prior to being fitted as a 38-gun Fifth Rate Frigate. Signed by Thomas Pollard [Master Shipwright, Chatham Dockyard, 1793-1795]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Imperieuse_(1793)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-320431;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=I


1809 HMS Spartan (38), Cptn. Jahleel Brenton, and HMS Mercury (28), Cptn. Henry Duncan, cut out 12 vessels from the port of Ceseratico and blew up the castle and magazine.

HMS Spartan
was a Royal Navy 38-gun fifth-rate frigate, launched at Rochester in 1806. During the Napoleonic Wars she was active in the Adriatic and in the Ionian Islands. She then moved to the American coast during the War of 1812, where she captured a number of small vessels, including a US Revenue Cutter and a privateer, the Dart. She then returned to the Mediterranean, where she remained for a few years. She went on to serve off the American coast again, and in the Caribbean, before being broken up in 1822.

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Drawing. Inscribed below, probably by the artist, 'Spartan - 38 guns' and above; 'Sketched by Mr Paget when confined (by the rain) to his cell in the Convent of Valambrosa [Vallambrosa]...F. [indeciph] Sept 21st 1821'. The final part of the top inscription, apparently by Paget's travelling companion, is probably readable from the drawing (not sighted). Why Paget should have chosen to draw this frigate flying the Blue Peter at the fore, as ready to sail, while weatherbound in an Italian convent guesthouse during his tour of 1818-21 is as yet unresolved. PvdM 3/05

HMS Mercury was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built during the American War of Independence and serving during the later years of that conflict. She continued to serve during the years of peace and had an active career during the French Revolutionary Warsand most of the Napoleonic Wars, until being broken up in 1814.

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HMS Mercury cutting out a French gunboat from Rovigno, 1 April 1809

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


1811 HMS Dover (38), Lt. Charles Generis (Act)., and HMS Chichester (22), Cptn. William Kirby, wrecked in Madras Roads by a hurricane which arose as they were departing for an expedition against Batavia

HMS Chichester was a 26-gun storeship, formerly the French corvette Var, launched in 1806 and captured in 1809; Chichester was wrecked in 1811.

Carron was launched at Bombay Dockyard in July 1792. She was a country ship that made several voyages for the British East India Company (EIC) before the Royal Navy purchased her in 1804 to use as a fifth-rate frigate, and renamed Duncan. In 1807 the Navy renamed her Dover. She was wrecked off Madras on 2 May 1811.



1813 Boats of HMS Repulse (74), Cptn. Richard Hussey Moubray, HMS Volontaire (44) , Cptn. Waldegrave, and HMS Undaunted (38), Cptn. Thomas Ussher, cut out 9 vessels from the port of Morgion and destroyed some batteries in the vicinity.

On 2 May 1813, after observing that the French were rebuilding the batteries at Morgiou the 74-gun ship Repulse, under the command of Captain Richard Hussey Mowbray, along with Undaunted, Volontaire, and Redwing, mounted another attack. One hundred Marines, along with seamen from the ships, covered by the fire of Redwing, landed in boats armed with carronades and drove the enemy—a detachment of the 4th Battalion of the 1st Regiment—away into the hills, and kept them there while the batteries, containing nine gun carriages and a 13-inch mortar, were destroyed with explosives. Meanwhile, the ships launches captured a number of vessels in the bay below. The French suffered at least twelve killed, and several prisoners were taken, at a cost of only two men killed, and four wounded from Undaunted and Volontaire.[13] In 1847 a clasp to the Naval General Service Medal marked "2 May Boat Service 1813" was awarded to the surviving members of the crews of Repulse, Undaunted, Volontaire, and Redwing who took part.

HMS Volontaire (1806), a fifth rate captured in 1806 and scrapped in 1816

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Repulse_(1803)


1814 – Launch of USS Superior was built for the War of 1812, and was named after one of the Great Lakes. Superior was a U.S. Navy frigate built in 1814 at Sackets Harbor, New York, by Henry Eckford, and was laid down in February 1814 and launched on 2 May of the same year.

USS Superior
was built for the War of 1812, and was named after one of the Great Lakes. Superior was a U.S. Navy frigate built in 1814 at Sackets Harbor, New York, by Henry Eckford, and was laid down in February 1814 and launched on 2 May of the same year.



1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.

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


1844 – Launch of HMS Centurion was a two-deck 80-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 May 1844 at Pembroke Dockyard.

HMS Centurion
was a two-deck 80-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 May 1844 at Pembroke Dockyard.[1]
In 1855 she was fitted with screw propulsion. Centurion was sold out of the navy in 1870.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Centurion_(1844)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-301009;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=C


1863 - During the Civil War, the steam screw sloop USS Sacramento, commanded by Captain Charles S. Boggs, seizes the British blockade-runner Wanderer off Murrells Inlet, N.C.

The first USS Sacramento was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy.
Sacramento was launched on 28 April 1862 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, in Kittery, Maine; sponsored by a Mrs. Tilton of Boston; and commissioned on 7 January 1863, Commander Andrew E. K. Benham in command.



1887 – Launch of Spanish Reina Cristina was an Alfonso XII-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy which fought in the Battle of Manila Bay.

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


1942 - USS Drum (SS 228) sinks Japanese seaplane carrier, and USS Trout (SS 202) sinks a Japanese freighter off the southeast coast of Honshu.


1942 - HMS Edinburgh was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, which served during the Second World War, was sunk by torpedoes in 1942.




1945 - USS Springer (SS 414) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese frigate in the Yellow Sea and then sinks a Japanese coastal defense ship the next day.


1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_2
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1241 - The naval Battle of Giglio was a military clash between a fleet of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and a fleet of the Republic of Genoa in the Tyrrhenian Sea.


The naval Battle of Giglio was a military clash between a fleet of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and a fleet of the Republic of Genoa in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It took place on Friday, May 3, 1241 between the islands of Montecristo and Giglio in the Tuscan Archipelago and ended with the victory of the Imperial fleet.

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The target of the Imperial fleet was to intercept a delegation of high-ranking prelates from France, Spain, England and northern Italy which were traveling with the Genoese fleet en route to Rome where Gregory IX had summoned a council.

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The battle of Giglio depicted in the Chronica Majora of Matthew Paris (1259)

Prelude
After Frederick's victory at the Battle of Cortenuova in 1237 a conflict erupted in the spring of 1239 between the Pope and the Emperor concerning the question of the Imperial claim to rule over the cities of the Lombard League, an open conflict that culminated in the second excommunication of the Emperor on March 20, 1239.[5] From then on both sides not prepared to compromise carried the military conflict against each other, where the Emperor achieved a victory in the Papal States at the Siege of Faenza, which increasingly threatened the position of the Pope.

In the fall of 1240 the Pope issued to the Church dignitaries of Italy, Sicily, Germany, France, Spain and Hungary, the invitation to a council which should be addressed at Easter 1241 in Rome consulting the next steps of the church against the Emperor. In his capacity as King of Sicily Frederick II could easily suppress participation of the Sicilian prelates, but the clergy of the other countries gathered in the following months in order to travel on to Rome.

Battle

Nuova Cronica (14th century)

The Emperor controlled the land route through central Italy and thus Rome was cut off by land from northern Italy. The council gathered in Nice, where they were first transported by a fleet of the Maritime Republic of Genoa, which was led by a Guelph (Pope loyal) Government in its port. The two legates James of Palestrina and Otto of San Nicola negotiated with the Genoese for 32 armed galleys for the further transport by sea to Rome, and as soon as the embassies of the Lombard cities had embarked the journey should be started. When Frederick II learned of this project he ordered in March 1241 his in Lombardy prevailing vicars, Marino di Ebulo and Oberto Pallavicini to attack Genoa by land.

The Emperor had to upgrade its Sicilian fleet to set the Genoese under pressure from the sea. The Emperor had 27 galleys armed standing under the command of his son Enzio along with admiral Ansaldo de Mari. This contingent than sailed to the Maritime Republic of Pisa which was the arch rival of Genoa and staunchly Ghibelline (Emperor loyal). The Pisan fleet of 40 galleys stood under the command of Ugolino Buzaccherini.

On April 25, the Genoese fleet sat sail from Genoa but first headed to Portofino where they were anchored there for one or two days. When the crews learned of an attack by Oberto Pallavicino on the town of Zolasco, they intended to come to the rescue, but the two legates kept it off by successfully pushing for a quick drive to Rome. In another stopover in Porto Venere they learned of the union between the Sicilian fleet and that of the Pisan fleet and thus now had an enemy between them and their destination. They managed to sail past Pisa but not unnoticed since the Imperial fleet was already emerging between the islands of Montecristo and Giglio. Of the battle Matthew Paris recorded:

A most bloody fight then ensued at sea between the Pisans . . . and the Genoese in which the Genoese were defeated, and the prelates and legates were made prisoners, with the exception of some who were slain or drowned
In the now following engagement the Imperial fleet proved superior over that of the Genoese, especially the numerous passengers and their luggage disabled the Genoese in the adequate defense of their ships, which could therefore provide only weak resistance to escape the threat of sinking. The Imperial side succeeded in sinking 3 and hijacking 22 galleys killing 2,000 soldiers, sailors and priests and capturing the notable prelates as well as the treasuries and correspondence.

Aftermath
The hijacking of the Genoese fleet was a great success for the Emperor Frederick II. Almost all the high dignitaries of the council got into his captivity. These included the three Papal legates; the Archbishops of Rouen, Bordeaux and Auch, the Bishops of Carcassonne, Agde, Nîmes, Tortona, Asti and Pavia; the Abbots of Citeaux, Clairvaux, Cluny, Fécamp, Mercy-Dieu and Foix; They were first brought to Pisa and San Miniato, and were then transferred to custody in Naples and other fortresses in the south. On the ships that saved themselves and were able to escape capture were mainly the prelates of the Spain and Arles. Emperor Frederick II proclaimed his victory to be God's judgment and a symbol against the illegality of his persecution by the Pope Gregory IX. The comune of Pisa was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX and the interdict lasted until 1257.

Only with the surprisingly fast death of Pope Gregory IX in August 1241 did the situation seemed to relax at first. As a sign of good will Frederick II had the legates released in order to make way for the election of a new Pope. The newly elected Pope Innocent IV, however, should prove to be an equally intransigent opponent as his predecessor. In 1244 he took his exile seat in safe Lyon, where this time the convocation of the First Council of Lyons was achieved, which formally deposed the Emperor.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Giglio_(1241)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1704 – Launch of French 54-gun Auguste, built in Brest in 1704 that the British captured in 1705.


HMS Auguste
was the French 54-gun Auguste built in Brest in 1704 that the British captured in 1705. In her brief French service she captured two British men-of-war. She was wrecked in 1716

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French service
While a naval vessel, Auguste was designed by Étienne Hubac specifically to be employed as a privateer by René Duguay-Trouin, in whose service she was employed as part of a squadron of four vessels. Together with the 54-gun Jason (1704), she captured HMS Coventry in September 1704. Then, on 12 November, together with Jason and the 26-gun frigate Valeur (1704), she captured the third rate Elizabeth 30 miles south of the Isles of Scilly. In February 1705 Auguste and the 44-gun Fourth Rank Thétis were escorting Gloutonne, Élephant, and Jean et Jacques (which were armed en flute), when the convoy ran into a squadron under Admiral George Byng off Cape Finisterre. Only the Auguste escaped.

Chatham, together with Medway and {{HMS}Tryton|1702|2}}, captured Auguste on 8 August 1705 (Old Style Calendar) - 19 August (New Calendar).

j3420.jpg
Scale:1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for August (captured 1705), a captured French Fourth Rate, converted to a 60-gun two-decker. Note that the lower deck includes fittings for rowing


British service
Auguste was registered for Royal Navy service from 28 August 1705 and fitted out for service in the English Channel. Commissioned for active service by Captain Robert Bokenham, she proved her worth by capturing the French privateers La Marie-Madeleine on 13 September 1706, and L'Hirondelle on 30 September 1706.

Bokenham died in 1707 and Captain Thomas Scott replaced him. The next year, Auguste was joined to the fleet of Admiral George Byng, which was in need of reinforcement after the Scilly naval disaster of 1707. The fleet patrolled the Channel and the North Sea throughout 1708. In 1709, Lord Duffus replaced Scott. From 1710 to 1713, she was under the command of Captain Robert Thompson in the Dunkirk squadron (1710), the Mediterranean (1711), and the West Indies (1712).

Loss
In 1716, while under the command of Captain Robert Johnson, Auguste was in the Baltic. She had sailed from Nore on 18 May with a squadron under Sir John Norris to join a combined English-Dutch-Danish-Russian fleet in a demonstration to Sweden that Britain and her allies would resist Swedish interference with trade.

In November she was returning to England from Copenhagen with a convoy. As the weather worsened, the convoy took shelter on the evening of 9 November at Læsø island. During the night Auguste's cables broke and she sailed out to sea to avoid being driven on shore. On the night of 10 November a gale drove her ashore on the nearby island of Anholt. Captain Johnson, his officers, and at least 250 of his men were saved. Another 40 may have landed in Sweden. In all, most of her people were saved



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Auguste_(1705)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1710 - HMS Suffolk (1678 - 70) captured Gaillard (1693 - 54)


HMS Suffolk
was a 70-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by contract of 20 February 1678 by Sir Henry Johnson at his Blackwall Yard and launched in May 1680. Suffolk was commanded by Captain Wolfran Cornwall at the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, and by Captain Christopher Billopp at the Battle of Barfleur in 1692.

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She was rebuilt by Johnson at Blackwall in 1699, and took part in the Battle of Vélez-Málaga in 1704. She was rebuilt for a second time at Chatham Dockyard, from where she was relaunched on 13 November 1718 as a 70-gun third rate to the 1706 Establishment.

On 3 December 1735 she was ordered to be taken to pieces for her final rebuild, which was carried out at Woolwich Dockyard. She was reconstructed as a 70-gun third rate according to the 1733 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and relaunched on 5 March 1739. The Suffolk was part of Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon's fleet and took part in the expedition to Cartagena de Indias and the attacks to La Guayra and Puerto Cabelloduring the War of Jenkins' Ear. Suffolk was broken up in 1765.

1680

py9365.jpg
Possibly a portrait of the ‘Suffolk’, viewed from the port beam. She was built in 1680 and rebuilt in 1699. At her launching, the Admiralty flag is forward and there are no staff amidships but there is a royal standard on a staff by the break of the poop. The ship has wreathed ports and only some parts of the lion figurehead can be seen. The ‘Suffolk’ was one of the 70-gun ships built as a result of the Defence Act of 1676. This particular ship bears a close resemblance to the one identified from a cut inscription as being probably the ‘Suffolk’, starboard broadside view (in the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam). It is apparently not based on an offset, but is rapidly and accurately drawn at her launching

py1890.jpg
This is one of two drawings (along with PAH1889) of ship decoration. Both works are executed in very brisk pencil and wash. They have been approximately dated by their subject. This is a starboard quarter-gallery view of a vessel from slightly before the beam. There are five small windows with the cross of St George above and below. Above, there is a lion and a unicorn, which both face the same direction. On the quarter is a figure holding a shield and wearing a sword over the right shoulder. On the top right is a series of small annotated sketches. They are numbered although they seem to be unrelated to the drawing of the quarter-gallery. There is a drawing in the Boymans Museum, Rotterdam, which is also a study for the quarter-gallery of the same ship (MB1866/ T 366). The ship in the Boymans Museum drawing was previously thought to be the ‘Suffolk’ although it is now catalogued as the ‘Elizabeth.’


Gaillard 54 guns (designed and built by Félix Arnaud, launched 13 October 1693 at Bayonne) – captured by the British in 1710


j4014.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for Superb (captured 1710), a captured French Fourth Rate, as taken off at Woolwich Dockyard prior too undergoing her 'Grand Repair'. The beakhead does not survive on the plan. NMM, Progress Book, volume 1, folio 245, states that 'Superb' arrived at Woolwich Dockyard on 24 February 1720 and was docked on 27 April 1720. She was undocked on 10 November 1721 and sailed on 10 March 1722 having undergone a Great Repair

j4012.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, stern board outline, inboard profile with figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth with lower deck details, for Superb (captured 1710), a captured French Fourth Rate. The plan may be Superb after her 'Great Repair' between 1720 and 1722, as a 56-gun Fourth Rate, two-decker. NMM, Progress Book, volume 1, folio 245, states that 'Superb' arrived at Plymouth Dockyard on 13 November 1713 and docked on 8 December 1713. She was undocked on 9 December 1713. 'Superb' was docked again on 7 January 1714 and undocked on 3 February 1714. She later arrived at Woolwich Dockyard on 24 February 1720 and was docked on 27 April 1720. 'Superb' was undocked on 10 November 1721 and sailed on 10 March 1722 having undergone a Great Repair

j8279.jpg
No scale. A plan showing the body plan, sheer lines with framing detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for an unnamed French 60-gun Fourth Rate, two-decker. The shape of the hull, as illustrated by the body plan, and the rake of the stem post are all indications of the ship having been French. Note that the dimensions are not a clear match for 'Superb' (captured 1710), or 'August' (captured 1708), but the draught style and composition reflects this period


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Suffolk_(1680)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-351297;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=S
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;searchTerm=captured_1710;start=0
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1740 – Launch of HMS Winchelsea, a 20-gun sixth-rate launched in 1740 and in service during the War of the Austrian Succession in Mediterranean, Atlantic and home waters. She was captured by the French in 1758, but was retaken two weeks later.


HMS Winchelsea
was a 20-gun sixth-rate launched in 1740 and in service during the War of the Austrian Succession in Mediterranean, Atlantic and home waters. She was captured by the French in 1758, but was retaken two weeks later. She was broken up in 1761.

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Career
In 1741 Winchelsea, commanded by Capt. Holcombe, sailed with Commodore Richard Lestock's squadron to join Admiral Haddock's Mediterranean fleet. At that time she was listed as having 20 guns and a complement of 150 men. While on station, pretending to be a merchant ship, she lured two Spanish privateers to chase her; when they realised their mistake they took off in opposite directions, but Winchelsea captured one of them, a small brig with a crew of 46, which she carried to Gibraltar. She returned to Britain from the Mediterranean at the end of 1742, taking eight days to make the passage.

The ship's barge attempted to press gang sailors from the merchant ship Tarleton on the River Mersey off of Liverpool in 1744. The crew of Tarleton exchanged shots with Winchelsea and evaded capture by docking the ship and dispersing into the town.

The ship was recommissioned at the outbreak of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1745. Winchelsea took the 26-gun French warship Subtile on 19 November 1746.

In 1747 Winchelsea was listed as having 16 guns and, under the command of Captain Dyves, was sailing with Admiral Byng in convoy for Gibraltar.

In March 1756, Winchelsea transported South Carolina's governor Henry William Littleton across the Atlantic from Portsmouth to his colony. The ship finally arrived at Charleston on 1 June. The Winchelsea, based in Charleston, was active in Caribbean waters in December 1756. Under Captain Hale, the ship took two French prizes, and chased a 12-gun French vessel into Cap‑Français. On 10 October, 1758, the ship was sailing off of Ireland when it was captured by the 60-gun French ship Bizarre and the 28-gun Mignonne. The ship was renamed Le Winchelsea under the French but was soon retaken on 27 October by the British privateer Duke of Cornwall.


 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1744 – Launch of HMS Winchester, a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Rotherhithe to the dimensions prescribed by the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment,


HMS Winchester
was a 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Rotherhithe to the dimensions prescribed by the 1741 proposals of the 1719 Establishment, and launched on 3 May 1744.

Winchester was sold out of the navy in 1769.

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j3580.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth for Falkland (1744), a 1741 Establishment 50-gun Fourth Rate, two-decker. The plan was later used for Portland (1744), and Harwich (1743), Colchester (1744), Chester (1744), Winchester (1744),Gloucester (1745), Maidstone (1744), Advice (1746), Norwich (1745), Ruby (1745), Salisbury (1746). The body plan and longitudinal half-breadth was later altered for Litchfield (1746) and Colchester (1746)



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Winchester_(1744)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1777 - During the American Revolution, the Continental lugger USS Surprise, led by Capt. Gustavus Conyngham, captures the British mail packet Prince of Orange and the brig Joseph in the North Sea.


Surprise, the first American naval ship of the name, was a sloop that the Continental Navy purchased in 1777. The Royal Navy had purchased a vessel named Hercules in 1776 and renamed her HMS Racehorse. Andrew Doria captured Racehorse in 1776 and the Americans took her into service as Surprise. Her crew destroyed Surprise on 15 December 1777 to prevent the Royal Navy from recapturing her.

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HMS Race Horse
The Royal Navy purchased the sloop Hercules in June 1776 at Jamaica in the British West Indies. The Navy renamed her Race Horse and commissioned her under Lieutenant Charles Everitt. In August, Commander James Jones replaced Everitt.

On 6 December Racehorse was off Puerto Rico where she encountered Andrew Doria. After a two-hour single-ship engagement Racehorse struck.

US service
The US Navy commissioned Race Horse as Surprise under Captain Benjamin Dunn.

Surprise was ordered in April 1777 to join the brigantine USS Andrew Doria and sloop Fly in clearing the Cape May channel of British ships.

On May 2nd, the Harwich packet Prince of Orange was taken in the English Channel by the USS Surprise, Captain Gustavus Conyngham. The latter vessel had been bought at Folkestone, and, with glaring disregard of French neutrality, had been equipped at Dunkirk. On the Surprise's return to Dunkirk, the prize was seized and restored to Britain, though it was believed at the time, not without some reason, that the British Government, anxious to avoid a dispute with France, had purchased from Conyngham his capture.
Scuttling
Surprise was stationed in the Delaware River through the spring and summer of 1777. After Vice Admiral Lord Howe brought his British fleet into the river in September 1777, Surprise was part of the forces charged with defending Philadelphia. Following the British occupation of Fort Mifflin on 16 November, Surprise, with the remaining ships of the Continental Navy, including Andrew Doria, sought shelter under the guns of Fort Mercer at Red Bank, New Jersey. With the evacuation of Fort Mercer on 20 November, Captain Isaiah Robinson of Andrew Doria gave orders the next day for the crews to burn their ships to prevent their capture. This was done shortly thereafter.




 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1780 - Launch of French Northumberland, a 74-gun Annibal class ship of the line of the French Navy

Northumberland was a 74-gun Annibal class ship of the line of the French Navy.

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She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake (5 September 1781), a crucial naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War (Captain Bon-Chrétien, Marquis de Bricqueville), as well as the Battle of the Saintesseven months later, under Captain Saint Cézaire, who was killed in the action. In 1782, she captured the 14-gun sloop HMS Allegiance.

Northumberland was captured during the Glorious First of June in 1794, where she was captained by François-Pierre Étienne. She was recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Northumberland, and was broken up the next year in December 1795.

j2685.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board detail, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Northumberland' (1794), a captured French 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, prior to being broken up at Plymouth Dockyard in November 1795. Signed by John Marshall [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1795-circa 1802]


The Annibal class was a class of two 74-gun ships of the French Navy. The type was one of the first achievements of Jacques-Noël Sané. His first design - on 24 November 1777 - was for a ship of 166 pieds (176 feet 11 inches) length, but he produced an amended design on 10 January 1779 for the Annibal, and a further amended design on 3 March 1780 for her near-sister Northumberland. Both ships were captured during the Third Battle of Ushant ("Bataille du 13 prairial an II" or "Glorious First of June") on 1 June 1794 off Ushant, and were added to but never commissioned into the British Navy.

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Builder: Brest Dockyard
Ordered: 20 February 1778
Launched: 5 October 1778
Fate: Captured by the Royal Navy on 1 June 1794 and renamed HMS Achille, but broken up at Plymouth in February 1796.
Builder: Brest Dockyard
Launched: 3 May 1780
Fate: Captured by the Royal Navy on 1 June 1794 and named HMS Northumberland, but broken up at Plymouth in November 1795.


j2684.jpg
Scale: 1:96. Plan showing the quarterdeck, forecastle, upper deck, lower deck, and orlop deck with fore and aft platforms for 'Northumberland' (1794), a captured French 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, prior to being broken up at Plymouth Dockyard in November 1795. Signed by John Marshall [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1795-circa 1802]

j2641.jpg
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]


Glorieux_combats_de_juin_1794.jpg
a2655.jpg
The French 74-gun AchIlle is pictured on the left, engaging the Brunswick in the Battle of the First of June, 1794, the first naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars. To the right of the Brunswick is the Vengeur, which was sunk during this engagement. The Achille, having been disabled by the Brunswick, was captured by the British and eventually broken up in 1796. Pocock was present at the battle and witnessed the engagement pictured from on board the frigate Pegasus.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Northumberland_(1780)
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-335278;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=N
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-289041;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=A
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1790 - Launch of HMS Windsor Castle, a 98-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, at Deptford Dockyard.


HMS Windsor Castle was a 98-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 May 1790 at Deptford Dockyard

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j1883.jpg
Scale 1:48. A plan showing the outboard sheer (no water lines) with figurehead for 'Windsor Castle' (1790), a 90-gun Second Rate, three-decker, as cut down to a 74-gun, Third Rate, two-decker. Signed by Thomas Roberts [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1813-1815]


Dardanelles
Windsor Castle was part of Robert Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805. She shared in the prize and head money for the San Rafael and Firme captured on that day.

On 25 September a French squadron of five frigates and two corvettes under Commodore Eleonore-Jean-Nicolas Soleil was escorting a convoy ferrying supplies and troops to the French West Indies. A British squadron intercepted the convoy, which led to the Action of 25 September 1806, where the British captured four of the frigates: Armeide, Minerva, Indefatigable, and Gloire. The frigate Thétis and the corvette Sylphe escaped, with the Lynx managing to outrun Windsor Castle.

Duckworth's_Squadron_forcing_the_Dardanelles.jpg
Duckworth's squadron forcing the Dardanelles

While in the Mediterranean she served during Vice Admiral Sir John Duckworth's unsuccessful 1807 Dardanelles Operation. On 19 February, Windsor Castle suffered seven men wounded while forcing the Dardanelles. Near a redoubt on Point Pesquies the British encountered a Turkish squadron of one ship of 64 guns, four frigates and eight other vessels, most of which they ran aground. Marines from Pompee spiked the 31 guns on the redoubt. On 27 February Windsor Castle had one man killed assisting a Royal Marine landing party on the island of Prota.

On the way out, the Turkish castle at Abydos fired on the British squadron. Granite cannonballs weighing 7-800 pounds and measuring 6'6" in circumference hit Windsor Castle, Standard and Active. Windsor Castle was badly damaged when an 800-pound stone shot from a Turkish cannon sheared off her main mast. Windsor Castle had four men killed and 20 wounded in the withdrawal. In all, the British lost 29 killed and 138 wounded. No ship was lost.

Windsor Castle accompanied Duckworth on the Alexandria expedition of 1807, and in May left Alexandria and sailed to Malta.

Fate
She was reduced to a 74-gun ship in 1814, and was eventually broken up in 1839.

j1882.jpg
Scale 1:48. A plan showing the midship section for 'Windsor Castle' (1790), a 90-gun Second Rate, three-decker, illustrating the proposed (and approved) introduction of a rider in place of a standard knee


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Windsor Castle Engaging the Combined Fleet (PAD5690)


The London class ships of the line were a class of four second rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.

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Design
The first ship of the class, London, was a 90-gun ship. When the second batch of three ships was ordered several years later, they were specified as being 98-gun ships. This was achievable without significant modifications to the design thanks to the earlier practice of not arming the quarterdecks of second rates, thus allowing for the addition of 4 guns per side.

Ships
Builder: Chatham Dockyard
Ordered: 28 September 1759
Launched: 24 May 1766
Fate: Broken up, 1811
Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 9 December 1779
Launched: 4 July 1788
Fate: Broken up, 1837
Builder: Deptford Dockyard
Ordered: 13 September 1780
Launched: 15 April 1786
Fate: Wrecked, 1799
Builder: Deptford Dockyard
Ordered: 10 December 1782
Launched: 3 May 1790
Fate: Broken up, 1839



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Windsor_Castle_(1790)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London-class_ship_of_the_line
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-364332;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=W
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1812 - HMS Skylark (16), James Boxer, grounded to the west of Boulogne and was burnt to avoid capture


HMS
Skylark
was a British Royal Navy 16-gun brig-sloop of the Seagull class launched in February 1806. She served primarily in the Channel, capturing several vessels including a privateer, and taking part in one notable engagement. She grounded in May 1812 and her crew burnt her to prevent the French from capturing her.

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Career
Commander Henry Evelyn Pitfield Sturt commissioned Skylark in May 1805. On 19 May she captured Anna Sophia, Diercks, master.

Skylark's baptism of fire came on 7 November 1807 when she captured a French privateer lugger. When Skylark approached, the French privateer abandoned the collier brig she had been taking possession off, and fled. Skylark gave chase for almost two hours before she succeeded in capturing Renarde (or Renard, Lennel, captain), of 14 guns and 39 men. Renarde did not surrender until Skylark had fired on her, severely wounding the captain and bringing down the mainmast, and after having tried to board Skylark. Skylark shared the capture with Trompeuse and the hired armed cutter Countess of Elgin, with whom she was in company.

The next day Skylark recaptured Dolphin, Westlake, master, though this may have been the collier brig she had saved the previous day.

On 28 February 1808 Skylark recaptured Peggy, John Scotland, master.

Two months later, on 25 April 1808, Skylark captured the French privateer Furet, which was pierced for 14 guns but only had six on board. Furet and her crew of 48 men were two days out from Boulogne and had not made any captures.[8] Cracker was in company with Skylark.

Skylark was in company with the gun-brig Richmond and the hired armed cutter Princess Augusta when on 20 August they captured the Dutch fishing vessels Meermia (or Mermoné), Johanna and Stadt Oldenberg.

Commander James Boxer recommissioned Skylark in December 1808.

Julia participated in the unsuccessful Walcheren Expedition, which took place between 30 July and 9 August 1809. Prior to the expedition, on 2 January 1809, Boxer reconnoitered Flushing in advance of the expedition, reporting on the number of Dutch vessels there. However, he did so on the hired armed cutter Idas, rather than on Skylark, as he thought that he could get closer in Idas.

On 13 August she was part of a squadron under Sir Home Riggs Popham that pushed up the West Scheld, but saw no action. The squadron's task was to sound the river and emplace buoys to permit the larger vessels to navigate the river safely. She was among the myriad vessels listed as qualifying for the prize money from the campaign.

Skylark and the hired armed cutter Gambier were in sight on 31 December when Royalist captured François. They therefore shared in the prize money.

On 27 February 1810, Skylark recaptured the ship Ann. When Cordelia recaptured the brig Enterprize, of Newcastle, on 13 December, Skylark shared in the prize money by agreement. That same day Skylark recaptured Iris, and Cordelia shared in the prize money by agreement.

Skylark supported the boats of Theban on 2 February 1811 when they cut out a merchant bring from on shore under the guns of two French batteries near Dieppe. Two days later Theban (in company with Skylark), recaptured Athill (or Atherid). Five days after that, Skylark and captured the Pietre and Amelia.

On 10 November, Skylark and Locust engaged the Boulogne flotilla. Skylark was seven miles NNE of Cape Gris Nez when Boxer sighted twelve French gun-brigs to his east, sailing along the coast. He gave chase and during the morning Locust appeared and joined in. Together, the two British vessels forced the French flotilla to shelter in the Calais roads. The British succeeded in cutting out gun-brig No. 26, which was armed with four 24-pounder guns and which had a crew of 60 men under the command of Enseigne de vaisseauBoucher, despite small-arms fire from the beach and cannon fire from shore batteries. The British also succeeded in driving the commodore of the flotilla on shore but Boxer called off his attempt to capture the commodore and his vessel when Boxer saw that a great number of troops from Calais had boarded the French vessel. Boxer credited Lieutenant John Gedge, captain of Locust, with being the principal cause of the British success. A prize money notice credited Skylark and Locust with capturing the French privateer Cannoniere the next day. However, this may have been gun-brig No. 26 given a generic name and mis-identified as a privateer. For his conduct, Gedge received promotion to the rank of Commander. Furthermore, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the surviving claimants from Skylark and Locust the Naval General Service Medal with clasps "Skylark 11 Novr. 1811" and "Locust 11 Novr. 1811".

Skylark was then in company with Rosario and Royalist when Royalist captured the French privateer Rondeur on 19 December. Royalist captured her quarry after a two-hour chase in the Dover straits. Rodeur, of 14 guns and 60 men, resisted capture, suffering one man killed and 11 wounded, and killing one man and wounding seven on Royalist, before she surrendered.

On 28 March 1812 Skylark seized Ann of Weymouth.

j4422.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board outline, sheer lines with midship framing and scroll figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Seagull (1805), Nightingale (1805), Oberon (1805), Imogen (1805), Savage (1805), Electra (1806), Paulina (1805), Delight (1806), Satellite (1806), Sheldrake (1806), Skylark (1806), Orestes (1805) and Julia (1806), all 14 (later 16) gun Brigs. Signed by John Henslow [Surveyor of the Navy, 1784-1806] and William Rule [Surveyor of the Navy, 1793-1813]

Fate
Skylark and Apelles were blockading the French coast between Cape Gris Nez and Étaples when at 3am on the morning of 3 May a thick fog descended. Within 45 minutes Skylark was aground. The subsequent court-martial blamed the master and the pilot for having sailed too close to the shore, for not having used the lead, and for having failed to notify the captain of the onset of the fog. The court-martial disrated the master, William Turner, for neglect and inattention; it sentenced the pilot, John Norris, to the loss of all back pay and to three months imprisonment in the Marshalsea Prison.

All efforts to free Skylark failed and in the morning shore batteries started firing on her as French troops started to gather. Boxer ordered all his men into the boats and set fire to Skylark as he left.

Apelles too had run aground in the fog at about 4am, and within sight of Skylark. Shore batteries fired on Apelles too, and troops gathered. All efforts to free her failed and by 6am Commander Frederick Hoffman ordered the crew into the boats. Unfortunately there was not enough room for all, so Hoffman and 19 of his men stayed behind. Boxer came alongside in a boat and urged Hoffman to leave, but Hoffman refused to do so as long as some of his men were still on board. As more French troops arrived with field artillery, Hoffman raised a white flag at about 6:30am.

The French took Hoffman and his men prisoner and refloated Apelles. However, the next day Bermuda and Rinaldo arrived and were able to drive Apelles on shore. Then Castillian and Phipps arrived. Gunfire from the British squadron drove the French off, permitting boats from Bermuda to recapture Apelles.


j4421.jpg
Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile, upper deck, and lower deck with hold for Seagull (1805), Nightingale (1805), Oberon (1805), Imogen (1805), Savage (1805), Electra (1806), Paulina (1805), Delight (1806), Satellite (1806), Sheldrake (1806), Skylark (1806), Orestes (1805) and Julia (1806), all 14 (later 16) gun Brigs being built in private yards by contract. The riders on the inboard profile were omitted for Electra, Paulina and Delight


The Seagull class were built as a class of thirteen 16-gun brig-sloops for the Royal Navy, although an extra 2 carronades were added soon after completion. The class was designed by one of the Surveyors of the Navy - Sir William Rule - and approved on 4 January 1805. Five vessels to this design were ordered in December 1804; eight more were ordered in the summer.

Armament
Unlike the larger Cruiser-class brig-sloops, whose main battery was composed of 32-pounder carronades, the Seagull class (and the similar Fly-class brig-sloops designed by Rule's co-surveyor - Sir John Henslow) were armed with a main battery of 24-pounder slide-mounted carronades.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagull-class_brig-sloop
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/colle...el-348893;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=S
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1819 – Launch of French Thétis, a 44-gun Pallas-class frigate of the French Navy


Thétis was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy.

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Career
Commissioned in Toulon on 8 March 1822, Thétis crossed to Brest in late 1822. From December 1822 to October 1823, she cruised the Caribbean before circumnavigating the planet, under Captain Hyacinthe de Bougainville. From 1824 to 1826, she served in the Indian Ocean along with Espérance, again sailing around the globe.

Thétis took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830. From 1832 to 1847, she was in various states of commission, and from 1851 she was used as a schoolship for cabin boys. In 1865, she was renamed to Laninon (to free up the name for the armoured corvette Thétis) and used as a coal depot.

1280px-La_Thetis_1813_model.jpg
Model of Thétis on display at the Musée de la Marine de Rochefort



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Thétis_(1819)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas-class_frigate_(1808)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1827 – Launch of French frigate Iphigénie, a first rank frigate of the French Navy, in Toulon


The French frigate Iphigénie was a first rank frigate of the French Navy. Launched in Toulon in 1827, she took part in the Battle of Veracruz, and was eventually broken up in 1900.

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Career
Launched in Toulon on 3 May 1827, Iphigénie was commissioned on 27 September.

In 1838, under Captain Alexandre Ferdinand Parseval-Deschenes, she was part of a frigate squadron under Charles Baudin and took part in the Battle of Veracruz, where she was the third ship in the French line of battle.

Between 1844 and 1850, Iphigénie was used as a schoolship in Toulon. She was decommissioned on 1 July 1872 and used as a mooring hulk.

Renamed to Druide in 1877, she was struck in 1891, and broken up in 1900.

Bombardement_de_St_Jean_d_Ulloa_en_1838_devant_Veracruz.jpg
Bombardment of San Juan de Ulúa off Vera Cruz. From left to right, the corvette Créole, and the frigates Gloire, Néréide and Iphigénie.


Iphigénie class
(60-gun first rate type, 1823 design by Jean-François-Henry De la Morinière, with 30 x 30-pounder guns, 28 x 30-pounder carronades and 2 x 18-pounder guns):

Iphigénie,
(launched 3 May 1827 at Toulon) – deleted 1 July 1872.


 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1860 - Launch of french Guerrière, a sail and steam frigate of the French Navy.
She is known as the flagship of Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze during the French campaign against Korea in 1866.



Guerrière was a sail and steam frigate of the French Navy. She is known as the flagship of Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze during the French campaign against Korea in 1866.

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1024px-LaGuerriere.jpg
Guerrière in Nagasaki harbour, 1865.

Career
Built as a 56-gun sail frigate on a design by Boucher and Masson, Guerrière was transformed by Jumboisation of steam engine section in October 1866. As such, under Captain Olivier, she became Pierre-Gustave Roze's flagship during the French campaign against Korea in 1866.

In 1869, she was transformed into a troopship by addition of a second covered deck. In 1871, she was used to ferry German was prisoners after the Franco-Prussian War. The next year, under Commander Charles Boucarut, she transported prisoners of the Paris Commune sentenced to deportation to New Caledonia.

In the following years, she shuttled between France and Algeria before being hulked in 1889 and broken up around 1913.

A model of Guerrière is on display at the Musée national de la Marine, inside a dry dock.

  • Guerrière-Marius_Bar.jpg
    Guerrière as a hulk, photographed by Marius Bar around 1900

  • 1280px-Dry_dock_1_Toulon_img_0458.jpg
    1/48th scale model of dry dock n°1 of Toulon harbour, with the model of Guerrière placed inside by order of Admiral Pâris.


The Dryade Class was a type of 60-gun frigate of the French Navy, designed in 1823 by Paul-Marie Leroux.

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Builder: Rochefort
Launched: 12 July 1827
Fate: deleted 9 May 1838.
Builder: Toulon
Launched: 15 July 1828
Fate: deleted 28 March 1867.
Builder: Rochefort
Launched: 28 July 1847
Fate: fitted as steam-assisted frigate 1858 – deleted 15 November 1878.
Builder: Brest
Launched: 3 May 1860
Fate: deleted 28 May 1888.
Builder: Rochefort
Launched: 8 August 1861
Fate: deleted 3 May 1877.

Didon_1828.jpg
Portrait of Didon by François Roux



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Guerrière_(1860)
 
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 May 1866 - Hornet, an 1851 extreme clipper in the San Francisco trade, famous for its race with Flying Cloud, burned and sank


Hornet was an 1851 extreme clipper in the San Francisco trade, famous for its race with Flying Cloud.

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Race with Flying Cloud
Hornet had a two-day head start on Flying Cloud in their famous 1853 race. She left New York City for San Francisco, California on April 26, 1853, with Flying Cloud departing two days later.

After the roughly 15,000-nautical mile (27,780-km) voyage around Cape Horn, both ships arrived in San Francisco harbor 106 days later at almost the same time, with Hornet sailing in just 45 minutes ahead of Flying Cloud.

Loss

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In 1866, Hornet New York City bound for San Francisco under Captain Josiah A. Mitchell with a cargo of candles, case oil, and oil in barrels. During the voyage, she caught fire and sank in the Pacific Ocean on May 3, 1866. The crew left the ship in three open lifeboats. The captain′s boat reached Hawaii after 43 days at sea on June 15, 1866, with 14 survivors aboard, but the two other boats disappeared. Mark Twain, on the islands as a special correspondent from the Sacramento Daily Union, interviewed several of the survivors and filed the first extensive report.

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