Naval/Maritime History 19th of April - Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1663 – Launch of French La Saint Philippe, a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy


The Saint Philippe was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was built at Brest Dockyard, designed and constructed by Laurent Hubac. She was nominally a three-decker, but in practice the upper deck was divided into armed sections aft and forward of the unarmed waist, making the upper deck equivalent to a quarterdeck and forecastle.



She took part in the Battle of Cherchell on 24 August 1665 (as flagship of François de Bourbon-Vendôme, Duc de Beaufort) and in the Battle of Solebay on 7 June 1672 (as flagship of Jean d'Estrées). After a rebuilding at Toulon between March 1689 and May 1690. she took part in the Battle of Beachy Head on 10 July 1690 (as flagship of Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon) and in the Battle of Barfleur on 29 May 1692. Following the latter battle, she was beached at La Hogue where she was attacked and burnt by the English on 2 June 1692


A ship of about 70-guns, mounting on the broadside fifteen guns on the gun deck, fourteen on the upper deck, three on the forecastle and five on the quarterdeck. It is viewed from slightly before the starboard beam, lying at anchor, saluting with small arms. The decks are crowded with people. There is also a boat on a spar deck in the waist, a lion figurehead, and three fleurs-de-lis on a shield amidst arms and trophies over the quarter gallery. The break of the quarterdeck and the upper works are also covered with fleurs-de-lis. This is one of a group of French ships drawn in the summer of 1673 when van de Velde visited the fleet while it was refitting after the first battle of Schooneveld. Robinson lists possibilities but suggests (based on the early watermark) that it maybe the ‘Saint Philippe’, 78-guns, which fought at Solebay (1672) but did not take part in the battles of 1673. This offset is one of a similar group of four, PAH9359, PAH3897, and PAH1825. It is not rubbed on the back and is inscribed in a later hand ‘Vandervelde’.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Saint_Philippe_(1663)


Vaisseaux de Premier Rang Ordinaire

While the smaller First Rank ships also had three full-length gun decks, the uppermost of these before 1690 generally carried carriage guns only on the forward section and on the after section of that deck, with a section between them in the waist of the ship where no guns were mounted (and no gunports fitted). These ships had no forecastle or poop, so that the two sections of the upper gun deck served the function of forecastle and quarterdeck, while the nominal quarterdeck was short and served in effect the function of a poop.


French ship Saint-Philippe, of 78 guns, at the Battle of Solebay - The painting is by Jan Karel Donatus Van Beeck, was painted in 1672,

All First Rank ships built from 1689 (until 1740) had three full-length gun decks, usually plus a number of smaller carriage guns mounted on the gaillards (i.e. the quarterdeck, forecastle and possibly a poop deck). Some of the earlier ships built before 1689 received extra guns and gunports fitted in the waist section of their upper deck around 1689, to bring them up to 80 guns or more.

• Vendôme 72, later 66 guns (designed and built by Laurent Hubac, launched Spring 1651 at Brest) – classed as First Rank in 1669; renamed Victorieux in June 1671 but hulked in the following month and taken to pieces in 1679. In 1660 the 72-gun Vendôme was the sole ship which met the criteria of carrying more than 70 guns, and she retained this First Rank status in spite of being later reduced to fewer than 70 guns.
• Saint Philippe 78, later 84 guns (designed and built by Rodolphe Gédéon, launched 3 February 1663 at Toulon) – classed as 1st Rank in 1669; burnt by the English in the Battle of La Hogue in June 1692
• Monarque 84 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 28 April 1668 at Toulon) – broken up 1700
• Île de France 74/80 guns (designed and built by Louis Audibert, launched 16 February 1669 at Toulon) – renamed Lys in June 1671 and broken up 1691
• Couronne 80/82 guns (designed and built by Laurent Hubac, launched 18 February 1669 at Brest) – broken up in 1712
• Paris 72/80 guns (designed and built by Jean Serrin, launched 13 March 1669 at Toulon) – renamed Royale Thérèse in June 1671 and broken up in 1692
• Henri 80 guns (designed and built by Jean-Pierre Brun, launched April 1669 at Tonnay-Charente) – renamed Souverain in June 1671, then renamed Admirable in June 1678
• Sceptre 80, later 84 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 11 February 1670 at Toulon) – broken up 1692
• Magnanime 70, later 76/80 guns (designed by Rodolphe Gédéon and built by Charles Audibert, launched 30 August 1673 at Marseille) – driven ashore and burnt in the Battle of Marbella in March 1705
• Admirable 80/84 guns (designed and built by Laurent Hubac, launched 1678 at Brest) – renamed Souverain in June 1678 and broken up 1706
• Grand 84/88 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet, launched October 1680 at Rochefort) – broken up 1716 or 1717. This vessel was originally classed as a Second Rank ship of 80 guns, but was raised to the First Rank in 1690.
• Magnifique 84 guns (designed and built by François Chapelle, launched 12 April 1685 at Toulon) – burnt by the English in the Battle of La Hogue in June 1692. This vessel was originally classed as a Second Rank ship of 72 guns, but was raised to the First Rank in 1690.
• Conquérant 84 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 10 August 1688 at Toulon) – rebuilt 1707. This vessel was originally classed as a Second Rank ship of 74 guns, but was raised to the First Rank in 1687.
• Intrépide 84 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet, launched March 1690 at Rochefort) – broken up 1724.
• Saint Esprit 90 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 24 May 1690 at Brest) – renamed Monarque in June 1690, and broken up 1717
• Victorieux 94, later 88 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet, launched January 1691 at Rochefort) – broken up 1719
• Foudroyant Class, designed and built by Blaise Pangalo.
  • Foudroyant 84/90 (launched 5 March 1691 at Brest) – burnt by the English in the Battle of la Hogue in June 1692
  • Merveilleux 80/90 (launched 19 November 1691 at Brest) – burnt by the English in the Battle of La Hogue in June 1692
• Orgueilleux 88, later 90 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 29 March 1691 at Lorient) – broken up 1716–17
• Admirable 84 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 10 September 1691 at Lorient) – burnt by the English in an action at Cherbourg in June 1692
• Sceptre Class, designed and built by François Coulomb snr.
  • Sceptre 84/88 guns (launched 10 November 1691 at Toulon) – broken up 1718
  • Lis or Lys 84/88 guns (launched 17 December 1691 at Toulon) – driven ashore and burnt in the Battle of Marbella in March 1705
• Formidable 90 guns (designed and built by Étienne Hubac, launched 4 December 1691 at Brest) – broken up 1714
• Fulminant 98 guns (designed and built by Pierre Masson, launched December 1691 at Rochefort) – broken up 1719
• Ambitieux 92 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet, launched December 1691 at Rochefort) – burnt by the English in the Battle of La Hogue in June 1692
• Vainqueur 84 guns (designed and built by Laurent and Pierre Coulomb, launched 24 February 1692 at Lorient) – broken up 1722
• Merveilleux 100, later 98 guns (designed and built by Blaise Pangalo, launched 22 November 1692 at Brest) – broken up 1712
• Magnifique 86 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet, launched 23 November 1692 at Rochefort) – broken up 1716 or 1717
• Ambitieux 92 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet and Jean Guichard, launched 5 December 1692 at Rochefort) – broken up 1713
• Admirable 96/90 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 23 December 1692 at Lorient) – broken up 1716 or 1717
• Tonnant Class, designed and built by François Coulomb snr.
  • Tonnant 90 guns (launched September 1693 at Toulon) – sold to be broken up 1710
  • Saint Philippe 90/92 guns (launched October 1693 at Toulon) – broken up 1714
• Triomphant 94/98 guns (designed and built by Laurent Coulomb, launched 1 October 1693 at Lorient) – broken up 1725 or 1726
• Fier 90/94 guns (designed and built by Honoré Malet and Pierre Masson, launched 1694 at Rochefort) – broken up 1713

Le St-Philippe, à la même époque


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_of_the_line_of_France
https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=1980
http://savart.info/savard/migration/1663/

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1762 - HMS Raisonable (64) lost of Martinique.


Raisonnable was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1755 at Rochefort.

On 29 May 1758, she was captured in the Bay of Biscay by HMS Dorsetshire and HMS Achilles at the Action of 29 April 1758, and commissioned in the Royal Navy as the third rate HMS Raisonnable. She was lost off Martinique on 3 February 1762.




Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board decoration and name, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehad, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Raisonnable' (1758), a captured French Third Rate, prior to being fitted as a 64-gun Third Rate, two-decker.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Raisonnable_(1755)

http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;searchTerm=Raisonnable

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1781 - St. Eustatia taken by Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney.
American Revolutionary War: British forces seize the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.


The Capture of Sint Eustatius took place in February 1781 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War when British army and naval forces under General John Vaughan and Admiral George Rodney seized the Dutch-owned Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius. The capture was controversial in Britain, as it was alleged that Vaughan and Rodney had used the opportunity to enrich themselves and had neglected more important military duties. The island was subsequently taken by Dutch-allied French forces in late 1781, ending the British occupation.


The island of St. Eustatius taken by the English fleet in February 1781. The island was pillaged by the troops of George Rodney.

Background
St. Eustatius, a Dutch-controlled island in the West Indies, was an entrepot that operated as a major trading centre despite its relatively small size. During the American War of Independence it assumed increased importance, because a British blockade made it difficult to transport supplies directly across the Atlantic Ocean to US ports. St. Eustatius became a crucial source of supplies, and its harbour was filled with American trading ships. Its importance increased further following France's entry into the war in 1778 as it was used to help supply the French West Indian islands. It is estimated[by whom?] that one half of all the American Revolutionary military supplies were trans-shipped through St. Eustatius. Its merchant networks - Dutch, but also Jewish, many of whom were St. Eustatius residents - were key to the military supplies and goods being shipped to the revolutionary forces. US-European communications were directed through St. Eustatius. In 1776, St. Eustatius, hence the Dutch, were the first to recognize the American Revolutionary government when the US brig, Andrew Doria, fired thirteen guns announcing their arrival. The Andrew Doria was saluted with an eleven gun response from Fort Orange. The Andrew Doria arrived to purchase military supplies on St. Eustatius and to present to the Dutch governor a copy of the US Declaration of Independence. An earlier copy of the Declaration had been captured by a British naval ship. The British were confused by the papers wrapped around the declaration, which they thought were a secret cypher. The papers were written in Yiddish for a merchant in Holland.

St. Eustatius's role in supplying Britain's enemies provoked anger amongst British leaders. Rodney alleged that goods brought out on British convoys had then been sold, through St. Eustatius, to the rebels.[4] It seems to have fuelled a hatred for this island especially with Rodney who vowed to "bring this Nest of Villains to condign Punishment: they deserve scourging and they shall be scourged." He had alreading singled out several individuals on St. Eustatius who were instrumental in aiding the enemy, such as "... Mr Smith in the House of Jones - they cannot be too soon taken care of - they are notorious in the cause of America and France ..." Following the outbreak of war between the Dutch Republic and Britain in December 1780, orders were sent from London to seize the island. The British were assisted by the fact that the news of the war's outbreak had not yet reached St. Eustatius.

Capture


The looting of the island causing great excitement. Rodney is called Nero and General Vaughan was compared to Caligula. (Dutch engraving)

A British expedition of 3,000 troops sailed from Saint Lucia on 30 January 1781. Rodney left behind ships to monitor the French on Martinique. He also sent Samuel Hood ahead to stop any merchant ships escaping from the harbour. The main force arrived off St. Eustatius on 3 February. Rodney's ships took up position to neutralise any shore batteries. Two or three shots were fired from the only Dutch warship on the roadstead, the frigate Mars under Captain Count Van Bijland. Instead of disembarking the troops and launching an immediate assault, Rodney sent a message to Governor Johannes de Graaff suggesting that he surrender to avoid bloodshed. De Graaff agreed to the proposal and surrendered. De Graaff had ten guns in Fort Orange and sixty soldiers. Rodney had over 1,000 guns on his ships. By the following day the nearby islands of Saint Martin and Saba had also surrendered.

There was a brief exchange of fire when two of the British ships shot at the Mars and Van Bijland answered with his cannons. Rodney reprimanded the captains responsible for this lack of discipline.

The only battle occurred near Sombrero. Rodney found out that a convoy of thirty richly loaded Dutch merchant ships had just sailed off for the motherland less than two days before his arrival, protected only by a single man-of-war. He sent three warships after them, and they quickly caught up with the convoy. The lone Dutch man-of-war was no match for the three British ships and, after a fierce 30 minute pounding, the mortally wounded commander, Rear-Admiral Willem Krul, while dying, ordered his captain to lower the flag. Eight of the Dutch crew were killed. Krul was taken back to St. Eustatius where he was buried with full honours.

The crews of all Dutch ships taken at St. Eustatius and also those of Krul's convoy were stripped of all their possessions and taken to St. Kitts, where they were imprisoned- "with hardly anything more than the most necessary clothes."

Controversy
The wealth Rodney and Vaughan discovered on St. Eustatius exceeded their expectations. There were 130 merchantmen in the bay as well as the Dutch frigate and five smaller American warships. In total the value of goods seized, including the convoy captured off Sombrero, was estimated to be around £3 million. On 5 February 1781, Rodney and Vaughan signed an agreement stating that all goods taken belonged to the Crown. Rodney and Vaughan, by British custom, expected to personally receive a significant share of the captured wealth from the king once it reached England. Instead of delegating the task of sorting through and estimating the value of the confiscated property, Rodney and Vaughan oversaw this themselves. The time spent doing this led to allegations that they had neglected their military duties. In particular, Samuel Hood suggested that Rodney should have sailed to intercept a French fleet under Admiral de Grasse, traveling to Martinique. The French fleet instead turned north and headed for the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia and Maryland. Rodney had further weakened his fleet by sending a strong defending force to Britain to accompany his treasure ships. After months on St. Eustatius, capturing additional merchants and treasure, Rodney was imposed upon to send part of his fleet under Hood north to aid General Cornwallis and British armed forces fighting the Americans, while he took the rest of the fleet back to Britain for some overdue refitting.[citation needed]

Hood arrived at Chesapeake Bay and, finding no French fleet, continued to New York to join forces under Admiral Graves. The French forces under Admiral de Grasse (along with another French squadron from Rhode Island) arrived at the Chesapeake soon after Hood had left. Graves and Hood had been outmaneuvered and, although the resulting Battle of the Chesapeake was a tactical draw, it was a strategic defeat for the British. Cornwallis could not be supplied and was forced to surrender a few weeks later. The Americans had won the war, partially because of Rodney's anti-Semitism and avaricious delays.

After returning home, both officers defended themselves in the House of Commons. As Rodney was a supporter of the government led by Lord North, it approved of his conduct, and he returned to the West Indies for the 1782 campaigning season. When the North government fell and was replaced in 1782, the new government sent orders recalling Rodney. However, before they arrived, he led his fleet to victory at the Battle of the Saintes – ending a Franco-Spanish plan to invade Jamaica – and returned home to be rewarded with a peerage.[citation needed] Rodney survived censure in parliament by a vote strictly along party lines.

At the time, St. Eustatius was home to a significant Jewish community, mainly merchants and a few plantation owners with strong connections to Holland. Ten days after the island surrendered to the British, part of the Jewish community, together with Governor de Graaff, were forcibly deported, being given only 24 hours' notice. Rodney was particularly hard on the Jews. The harshness was reserved for the Jews alone as he did not do the same to French, Dutch, Spanish or American merchants on the island. He even permitted the French to leave with all their possessions. Rodney was concerned that his unprecedented behavior would be repeated upon British islands by French forces when events were different. Rodney imprisoned all the adult Jewish males (101) in the West India Company's weighing house on the Bay. Those who were not immediately shipped to St. Kitts (31 heads of Jewish families) were held there for three days. He looted Jewish personal possessions, even cutting open the lining of their clothing to find money hidden there. When Rodney realized that the Jews might be hiding additional treasure, he dug up fresh graves at the Jewish cemetery. Later, Edmund Burke, upon learning of Rodney's actions, rose to condemn Rodney's anti-Semitic, avaricious vindictiveness in parliament.

British control of St. Eustatius only lasted ten months, and Rodney's work to manage the prizes was in vain. Many of the goods he seized were captured on their way to Britain by a French squadron under Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte. The island was captured by French forces in November 1781, who returned it to the Dutch in 1784. The Jews and other expelled merchants returned, commerce and trade resumed and the island's population reached its all-time high in 1790.

Recapture


Recapture of Sint Eustatius, 1781

On the evening of 26 November 1781, 1500 French troops from Fort Royal, led by Marquis de Bouillé, landed covertly at St. Eustatius to take the island. Opposing them were the battalion companies of the 13th and 15th Regiments of Foot, which numbered 756 men. Unaware that the French were on the island, the British commandant, Lieutenant Colonel James Cockburn, was taking a morning ride when he was captured by troops of the Irish brigade in French service. The Irish and French troops subsequently surprised the British at drill outside the fort and those on guard. The French ran into the fort behind the British and forced the garrison to surrender. Cockburn was afterwards tried by a general court martial and cashiered (forced to retire). There were no significant casualties on either side. Four million livres were taken—170,000 belonging to Admiral Rodney or his troops. These funds were distributed to the French troops and Dutch colonists.





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

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1783 – Launch of French Dryade, a 38-gun Hébé-class frigate of the French Navy


Dryade was a 38-gun Hébé-class frigate of the French Navy.




Saint Remi museum of Reims (Marne, France) ; miltary room, model of the Dryade

In December 1787, Vénus formed a frigate division under Guy Pierre de Kersaint, along with Méduse, and sailed to Cochinchina to ferry Pigneau de Behaine, Ambassador of France.

In 1794, Dryade was at Brest under Ensign Meynene. The next year, under Lieutenant Lafargue, she cruised off Bretagne.

From 1796, she was used as a hulk in Brest harbour, and was eventually scrapped in 1801.

A model of Dryade is on display at the Abbey of Saint-Remi.



Proserpine, sister-ship of Dryade


Hébé class, (36/38-gun design by Jacques-Noël Sané, with 26 x 18-pdr guns initially, although by 1793 carried 28 x 18-pdr guns, plus 10 x 8-pdr guns on the gaillards and 4 obusiers). The name ship of the class. Hébé, was also the basis for the British Leda-class frigates after the ship had been captured.

Hébé, 38 guns (launched 25 June 1782 at Saint-Malo) – captured by British Navy 4 September 1782.
Vénus, 38 guns (launched 14 July 1782 at Brest) – wrecked 31 December 1788 in the Indian Ocean.
Dryade, 40 guns (launched 3 February 1783 at Saint-Malo) – condemned 1801 and BU.
Proserpine, 40 guns (launched 25 June 1785 at Brest) – captured by British Navy 13 June 1796, becoming HMS Amelia.
Sibylle, 40 guns (launched 30 August 1791 at Toulon) – captured by British Navy 17 June 1794.
Carmagnole, 40 guns (launched 22 May 1793 at Brest) – wrecked at Vlissingen 9 November 1800.


Action between Romney and Sibylle off Miconi, Grecian Archipelago, 17 Jun 1794 (see drawings by Pocock) (PAF5826)


Capture of La Proserpine - June 13th 1796 (PAD5501)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Dryade_(1783)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hébé-class_frigate
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-340956;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=P

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1794 – Launch of HMS Hornet, a 16-gun ship-rigged sloop of the Cormorant class


HMS Hornet was a 16-gun ship-rigged sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, ordered 18 February 1793, built by Marmaduke Stalkart and launched 3 February 1794 at Rotherhithe.[Note 1] Hornet saw most of her active duty during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the Napoleonic Wars she served for about six years as a hospital ship before being laid up in 1811 and sold in 1817.




Lines (ZAZ4625)

Service
Hornet was commissioned in March 1794 under Commander Christmas Paul. On 26 June 1794 she fired a salute to the King and Queen while they were visiting Portsmouth. Hornet shared with Bellona, America, Severn, and Carysfort in the capture of the Lust en Vlyt on 22 August.

Hornet was then paid off February 1795 and recommissioned under W. Lakin. In January 1796 Commander Robert Larkan sailed her in Home waters. On 4 February 1796 Hornet was in company with the hired armed cutter Grand Falconer when they recaptured the Portuguese brig Diana. Next, on 17 May, Hornet captured the French transport Emilie. Then in November 1796, Commander John Nash replaced Larkan.

On 10 March 1798 the Admiralty published a list of six vessels that Daedalus, under Captain Henry Lidgbird Ball, and Hornet had captured off Gorée:

• American snow Rebecca, which had sailed from Charlestown. Her cargo included pitch, tar, dry goods, tobacco, molasses and gunpowder. The British took the naval and gunpowder, which they landed, and then released the vessel.
• American ship President, carrying a cargo of salt belonging to English merchants. The French had taken the ship off the Islands de Loss and the British had recaptured her off the mouth of the River Gambia. The British returned the vessel and her cargo to the owner after receiving salvage money.
• Ship Quaker, late of Liverpool, which the British recaptured. She was of 260 tons, 10 guns and a crew of 36. She was trading on the coast and had a cargo of merchandise and 337 slaves.
• Sloop Ocean, which the British recaptured and which had belonged to the Sierra Leone Company. She was carrying cloth, iron, beads and ten slaves.
• French schooner Prosperité, carrying Guinea Corn. She was disposed of at Gorée.
• The British destroyed the armed ship Bell, of 20 guns.

Daedalus and letters of marque Ellis and St Ann shared, by agreement, in the capture of Quaker (December 1797) and Ocean (January 1798).This Ellis was almost surely the ship that received her warrant on 18 September 1797. She was under the command of James Soutar, was of 303 tons burthen, and was armed with sixteen 8, 9, and 12-pounder guns. She is listed as having had only 30 crew. St Ann is in all probability the St Anne that received her warrant on 30 September 1797. She was under the command of Robert James, was of 243 tons burthen, and was armed with sixteen 9-pounders. She too had a crew of 30 men.

Hornet was refitted for £3,554 at Portsmouth in June and July 1799. In August Hornet was part of the British fleet that captured the Dutch fleet in the Vlieter Incident.

Nash then sailed Hornet to the West Indies. In 1800 she accompanied a convoy to the West Indies.

While at Guadeloupe in October, a boat from Hornet attempted to press some men off the New Ceres, whose crew resisted, killing Hornet's second lieutenant, and wounding another crewman. The next day Hornet tried again, this time in force, but all the crew except the chief mate and steward had disappeared. Captain Nash turned the two men over to the civil authorities.

On 27 November 1800, Hornet captured the French privateer Femme Divorcee. On 16 October Hornet captured the French privateer Mahomet.

On 15 January 1801, the 20-gun Daphne, Captain Richard Matson, 18-gun ship-sloops Cyane and Hornet, captains Henry Matson and John Nash, and the Garland (a schooner serving as a tender), were at an anchor in the harbour of the Îles des Saintes. The British observed a convoy of French coasters, with an armed schooner as escort, sailing towards Vieux-Fort, Guadeloupe. At midnight Garland, together with two boats from each of the other three vessels, attempted to cut out the convoy. However, all of the convoy, but one, were able to shelter under the guns of Basse-Terre. The British were able to take the one French vessel that had anchored near Vieux-Fort.

On 17 January, boats from Hornet, together with boats from Daphne, set out to cut out a ship moored under the protection of shore batteries at Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe. This was Eclair, a schooner that had recently sailed from Rochefort. Eclair was of 145 tons, had a crew of 45 men, and was armed with four 4-pounder guns and twenty 1½-pounder brass swivel guns, though she was pierced for 12 guns. A party from Garland succeeded in taking Eclair the next day. Fire from the schooner killed two men and wounded another. The French lost one seaman killed, two drowned, and her captain, first and second lieutenants, and six men wounded. The British took her into service as the 10-gun HMS Eclair.

In March, Hornet participated in Rear Admiral Duckworth's successful attack on the islands of St. Bartholomew and St. Martin. On 23 March, Hornet and the 16-gun hired armed brig Fanny, later joined by 14-gun Drake, attempted to capture two privateers, a brig and a schooner, but were unsuccessful though they chased the privateers for some 24 hours. The 32-gun frigate Proselyte, Hornet, and Drake stayed at St. Martin to secure the island and to embark the garrison on 26 March, while the rest of Duckworth's force went on to St Thomas. The proceeds of the property seized at St. Bartholomew, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and St. Croix between 15 March and 17 April was paid out in January 1804.

At some point thereafter, Hornet was in company with Apollo when they captured the Spanish vessel Aguilla.

In August 1802 Hornet came under the command of Lieutenant Robert Tucker. Next month Commander Peter Hunt replaced Tucker.

In June 1803, Hornet was in Commodore Samuel Hood's squadron at the capture of St. Lucia. The squadron, including Hornet, went on to capture Tobago on 25 June. On 3 September Hornet captured a Dutch ship, whose name was not recorded, that was carrying 410 slaves.

Then in September Hood went on to take the colonies of Demerara and Essequibo from the Batavian Republic. On 20 September Hornet, the schooner Netley, and 200 troops entered the Demerara River and took possession of Fort William Frederick. At the capitulation, the British took over the Batavian Republic's sole warship there, Hippomenes. In 1804 Commander John Lawrence took command of Hornet.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the quarterdeck and forecastle, inboard profile, and upper deck for Hornet (1794), Cormorant (1794), Favourite (1794), Lynx (1794), Hazard (1794), Lark (1794), and Stork (1796), all 16-gun Ship Sloops. The plan was later altered in 1805 and used to build Hyacinth (1806), Herald (1806), Sabrina (1806), Cherub (1806), Minstrel (1807), Blossom (1806), Favourite (1806), Sapphire (1806), Wanderer (1806), Partridge (1809), Tweed (1807), Egeria (1807), Ranger (1807), Anacreon (1813), and Acorn (1807), Rosamond (1807), Fawn (1807), Myrtle (1807), Racoon (1808), and North Star (1810) all modified Cormorant class 16-gun Ship Sloops. The plan was altered again in 1808 while building Hesper (1809). The design for this class is 'similar to the French Ship Amazon' - the French Amazon (captured 1745).

Fate
Paid off in 1804 from active service, Hornet was fitted at Plymouth between September 1804 and July 1805 for the Medical Military Staff, and was commissioned in June 1805 under Lieutenant Charles Williams as a hospital ship in the Isles of Scilly. Charles's brother, Henry Williams, fell overboard in 1810 and was drowned. He was buried in the Tresco Abbey Gardens.

Hornet was paid off from her service as a hospital ship and was laid up at Plymouth Dockyard in May 1811. The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" first offered the "Hornet sloop, of 429 tons", lying at Plymouth, for sale on 30 January 1817.

Hornet finally sold on 30 October 1817 to a Mr Bailey for £920 (equivalent to £66,170 in 2018).

Notable personnel
From November 1795 to September 1797, Richard Spencer, a future hero of the Napoleonic Wars and Australian pioneer, served as a midshipman on Hornet.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the starboard profile for Cormorant (1794), Favourite (1794) and Hornet (1794), 16-gun Ship Sloop (with quarterdeck and forecastle), illustrating the external planking layout.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hornet_(1794)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant-class_ship-sloop
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-319512;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=H

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1805 - HMS Arrow (28), Richard Budd Vincent, and HMS Acheron bomb (8), Cdr. Arthur Farquhar, escorting a convoy of 32 ships taken by French frigates Hortense (40) and Incorruptible (38) off Cape Caxine on the Algerian coast.
Arrow sank and Acheron was burnt as a result of their damage but only 3 of the convoy were taken.
Remark: Arrow was an experimental vessel with very special design!


The French frigates Hortense and Incorruptible were cruising off the coast of Algeria when on 1 February, they engaged a convoy, destroying seven ships. Two days later, they encountered another convoy.


Oil painting by Francis Sartorius, entitled 'Action of HMS ''Arrow'' and ''Acheron'' against the French frigates ''Hortense'' and ''Incorruptible'': beginning of the action, 4 February 1805'. The painting has been signed by the artist and dated, 1805.


This second convoy was the convoy that HMS Arrow and HMS Acheron were escorting. Early on the morning of 3 February the British were off Cap Caxine when they sighted the two French vessels, which the British initially thought might be members of the convoy rejoining. When it became clear that the strange vessels were French frigates, Arrow threw off the tow to the brig Adventure, which had been leaking and which the British destroyed to prevent her falling into enemy hands). Arrow and Acheron then placed themselves between the convoy and the pursuing French. Vincent signaled the vessels of the convoy to make for a pre-designated rendezvous point. The French frigates did not catch up to the Royal Navy vessels until the morning of 4 February. Initially, Hortense engaged Acheron, and Arrow fired a broadside into Hortense as well. About two hours later, Incorruptible joined the action. Vincent signaled to Duchess of Rutland, the most capable, though minimally so, of the merchant vessels, to join the action, a signal Duchess of Rutland ignored. Throughout the action the Royal Navy vessels were at a disadvantage. Not only did the French frigates have more cannons and men, but the French cannons were guns, whereas the British cannons were almost all carronades. The French could therefore stand off and fire their guns while out of the effective range of the carronades. Also, the French were carrying a large number of troops who harassed the British with small arms fire whenever the vessels closed.

After about an hour Vincent had to strike. Arrow's hold was filling with water and four of her cannons were dismounted. She also had heavy casualties. All of Arrow's boats had been destroyed, but boats from Incorruptible took off the survivors, and rescue those men from Arrow that jumped into the water as Arrow turned on her beam ends and sank.

In the battle Arrow lost 13 men killed and 27 wounded, at least two of whom died later, of the 132 men on board. The number included passengers, some 17 of whom were being invalided home. A lady, her infant, and her ladies' maid were also taking passage on board.

Acheron fought on for another quarter of an hour before she too struck. She had lost three or four men killed and eight wounded. She had complement of 67 men, and at least two passengers, a lieutenant of marines and his servant, both of whom were killed. She was so damaged that the French burnt her.[26] Hortense had 10 men killed out of her crew of 300 men and the 350 artillerymen she was carrying.

The French frigates also captured three ships of the convoy; the rest of the convoy escaped. One of the vessels the French captured was Dutchess of Rutland, whose master failed to destroy her convoy signals and instructions; fortunately the French had to return to port to effect repairs and did not take advantage of the opportunity this represented. The French scuttled the three merchant vessels they captured.

After the loss of their escorts, some of the surviving vessels of the convoy fell prey to privateers. Fuerte, of Cadiz, captured Alert, Langley, master, Castle, Anderson, master, a ship, and a brig, and sent them into Malaga. Reportedly, Fuerte had captured a fifth vessel that she sent into Algeciras.

It later turned out that British frigate Fisgard and the sloop Wasp had been at Cape Pallas (37°35′N 0°43′W), a few leagues from the action. However, they were unaware of it and so did not come to the convoy's assistance.



End of the action between HMS Arrow and Acheron and the French frigates Hortense and Incorruptible, Francis Sartorious, Jr., National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Hortense took Farquhar and his men into Malaga, from where they were exchanged relatively quickly. The court martial of Farquhar, his officers, and men, for the loss of their vessel took place on Royal Sovereign in Palma Bay, Sardinia. Farquhar, his officers, and men, were honourably acquitted. Farquahar then received a promotion to post captain for his bravery.

The French held Vincent and his crew as prisoners in Cartagena, Spain, for almost three months from 8 February until early May. Vincent had managed to keep his Turkish sabre when he left Arrow, but a French officer confiscated it and the French refused to return it. Eventually, Admiral Lord Nelson was able to arrange a cartel brig to return the British prisoners to Gibraltar. From there they left for England on 28 May on the storeship Camel, arriving at Saint Helen's on 4 June.

The court martial of Vincent and his crew for the loss of Arrow convened on 17 June aboard Gladiator at Portsmouth. The court martial honourably acquitted all; Vincent received promotion to post captain immediately thereafter.

Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded both Vincent and Farquahar honour swords, each worth ₤100. In addition, the Fund awarded Vincent a piece of plate of the same value. Furthermore, the Fund paid out £545 to the wounded and the families of those who had died. At the request of Lloyd's, the Chairman of the association of Merchants Trading to South of Europe provided Vincent with the sum of £477 10s, and a proportionate amount to Farquhar, for them to procure clothing and necessities for their officers and crew, who had lost everything when they were captured and their vessels were destroyed. Vincent received £50, and each seaman received £2 10s.

On 19 September 1808, the merchants of Malta awarded Farquhar with a piece of plate and a complementary letter. The merchants also presented Vincent with a piece of plate.

In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Arrow 3 Feby. 1805" to the eight surviving claimants from Arrow, and the clasp "Acheron 3 Feby. 1805" to the one surviving claimant from Acheron.


HMS Arrow was a sloop in the Royal Navy that the Admiralty purchased in 1796. during the French Revolutionary Wars she participated in many actions, including one that resulted in her crew qualifying for the Naval General Service Medal. On 3 February 1805 she and Acheron were escorting a convoy from Malta to England when they encountered two French frigates. Arrow and Acheron were able to save the majority of the vessels of the convoy by their resistance before they were compelled to strike. Arrow sank almost immediately after surrendering, and Acheronwas so badly damaged that the French burnt her.


Lines (ZAZ3531)

Design
Arrow and her sister ship Dart were "Two experimental vessels designed by Samuel Bentham, Esq., at that time inspector-general of his majesty's naval works. They were in shape much sharper than vessels of war in general, and projected or raked forward, at each end like a wherry. Their breadth increased from the water-line upwards ; whereby it was considered that they would be stiffer, and less liable to overset than ordinary vessels. The decks were straight fore and aft, and the frames or ribs of less curvature than usual. They were constructed to carry twenty-four 32-pounder carronades upon the main deck, and were afterwards fitted to receive two more carronades of the same nature on each of their two short decks, which we may call the quarterdeck and forecastle. All these carronades were fitted upon the non-recoil principle. It is believed that both the Arrow and Dart subsequently took on board, for their quarterdecks, two additional 32s. They proved to be stiff vessels and swift sailers, but it was found necessary to add some dead wood to their bottoms, in order to make them stay better. Not knowing exactly what characteristic designation to give the Arrow and Dart, we have merely named them: they must be considered, especially when their force is compared with that of the two or three classes next above them, as extraordinary vessels for sloops of war, but as such only they ranked."


Inboard profile plan NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.


bulkhead NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Arrow' arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 28 September 1796 and was docked on 4 October. She sailed having been fitted on 25 February 1797. She was further refitted between January and April 1798. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 656, states that 'Dart; arrived at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 October 1796 and was docked on 20 November. She sailed having been fitted on 27 February 1797. She was further refitted at Portsmouth between June and December 1797.


fittings (ZAZ3540)



Profile (ZAZ5650) of HMS Acheron


Deck (ZAZ5651)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Arrow_(1796)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...9;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=D;start=0
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-289009;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=A

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1810 - HMS Valiant (74), Cptn. John Bligh, captured Confiance (14) off Belleisle.


Minerve was a 40-gun Minerve-class frigate of the French Navy. The British captured her twice and the French recaptured her once. She therefore served under four names before being broken up in 1814:

• Minerve, 1794–1795
• HMS Minerve, 1795–1803
• Canonnière, 1803–1810
• HMS Confiance, 1810–1814

French service as Minerve
Her keel was laid in January 1792, and she was launched in 1794.

On 14 December, off the island of Ivica, she captured the collier Hannibal, which was sailing from Liverpool to Naples. However, eleven days later, HMS Tartar recaptured Hannibal off Toulon and sent her into Corsica.


A painting of an action in 1795, during the French Revolutionary Wars. Almost simultaneously the opposing French and British admirals in the Mediterranean, sent two frigates each to reconnoitre each other’s fleets. Early on the morning of 24 June they sighted each other off Minorca. The British ships were the ‘Dido’ and ‘Lowestoft’ and the French were the ‘Minerve’ and ‘Artemise’. Several hours later the ‘Minerve’ came into close action and attempted to board the ‘Dido’, and each were damaged. The ‘Lowestoft’ then took up the fight and within an hour all the ‘Minerve’s’ topmast went over the side. The ‘Lowestoft’ then engaged the second French frigate, leaving the two damaged ships to make repairs. After a time it became clear that the second French frigate, which had taken flight, had the edge on the ‘Lowestoft’ which was therefore recalled. On her return she placed herself across the stern of the French frigate and raked her, with the result that she struck some time later. She was the ‘Minerve’ a more powerful ship than either of the British frigates. The French ship which escaped was another powerful frigate, the ‘Artemise’. In the left foreground is the ‘Dido’ in action to starboard with the ‘Minerve’ whose bow shows starboard broadside view. The ‘Dido’s’ mizzen mast is shot away and the wreck of it is towing astern of her. She has a red ensign at the main. The ‘Minerve’s’ fore topgallant mast is shot through and hanging and her main mast is in the act of falling. In the right background is the ‘Lowestoft’ port quarter view in action to starboard with the ‘Artemis’, also port quarter view.

Minerve took part in combat off Noli. At the action of 24 June 1795, she and the 36-gun Artémise engaged the frigates HMS Dido and Lowestoffe. Minerve surrendered to the British, Artémise having fled, and was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Minerve.


Capture of Minerve off Toulon - Depicts a confrontation between two British and two French naval ships. Cannon smoke hangs between the vessels. The French La Minerve, in the centre foreground, in port broadside view, has lost the top section of her mainmast and her entire foremast. Her bow is badly damaged with the bowsprit and figurehead gone. Figures can be seen crowding the deck. Behind La Minerve, passing on the opposite tack, the starboard stern quarter of a British naval vessel can be seen through the smoke. This vessel has lost her mizzen mast overboard, but is still carrying three courses of sails on her remaining masts and flying the Red Ensign on her main mast. On the right of the picture, further away, two vessels, one French, one British, both on the same tack, are seen in port stern quarter view exchanging cannon fire. Their sails are intact, but holed; otherwise, both vessels appear to be in better condition than those in the foreground. The scene depicts the capture of La Minerve by the British Dido and Lowestoffe off Toulon on 24th June 1795. The French L'Artemise was also involved in the action.

British service as HMS Minerve
French Revolutionary Wars
On 19 December 1796, Minerve, under the command of Captain George Cockburn, was involved in an action with HMS Blanche against the Spanish frigates Santa Sabina and Ceres. Minerve captured the Santa Sabina, which lost 164 men killed and wounded. Minerve herself lost eight killed, 38 wounded and four missing. Minerve also suffered extensive damage to her masts and rigging. Blanche went off in pursuit of Ceres. Early the next morning a Spanish frigate approached Minerve, which made ready to engage. However, two Spanish ships of the line and two more frigates approached. Skillful sailing enabled Cockburn to escape with Minerve but the Spaniards recaptured Santa Sabina and her prize crew.

On the evening of 1 August 1799, at 9 P.M., Minerve's boats came alongside Peterel. Captain Francis Austen of Peterel sent these boats and his own to cut out some vessels from the Bay of Diano, near Genoa. Firing was heard at around midnight and by morning the boats returned, bringing with them a large settee carrying wine, and the Virginie, a French warship. Virginie was a Turkish-built half-galley that the French had captured at Malta the year before. She had provision for 26 oars and carried six guns. She was under the command of a lieutenant de vaisseau and had a crew of 36 men, 20 of whom had jumped overboard when the British approached, and 16 of whom the British captured. She had brought General Joubert from Toulon and was going on the next day to Genoa where Joubert was to replace General Moreau in command of the French army in Italy. Minerve and Peterel shared the proceeds of the capture of Virginie with Santa Teresa and Vincejo.

Then on 8 November, Minerve and the hired armed brig Louisa captured Mouche.

On 15 May 1800, Minerve and the schooner Netley captured the French privateer cutter Vengeance. Vengeance was armed with 15 guns and had a crew of 132 men.

In September 1801 Minerve was in the Mediterranean protecting Elba. Early on 2 September Minerve alerted Phoenix, which was anchored off Piombino, to the presence of two French frigates nearby. Phoenixand Minerve set out in pursuit and Pomone soon came up and joined them. Pomone re-captured Success, a former British 32-gun fifth-rate frigate now under the command of Monsieur Britel. (The French had captured Success in February, off Toulon.) Minerve also ran onshore the 46-gun French frigate Bravoure, which had a crew of 283 men under the command of Monsieur Dordelin. Bravoure lost her masts and was totally wrecked; she struck without a shot being fired. Minerve took off a number of prisoners, including Dordelin and his officers, in her boats. With enemy fire from the shore and with night coming on, Captain Cockburn of Minerve decided to halt the evacuation of prisoners; he therefore was unwilling to set Bravoure on fire because some of her crew remained on board.

Napoleonic Wars
Shortly after war with France had resumed Minerve was in the Channel and under the command of Captain Jahleel Brenton. On 26 May 1803 she arrested the French exploration ship Naturaliste and brought her into Portsmouth, even though Naturaliste was flying a cartel flag and had passports attesting to her non-combatant character. The British released her and she arrived at Le Havre on 6 June 1803.


Capture of Minerve by Chiffonne and Terrible.

In the evening of 2 July, during a fog, Minerve ran aground near Cherbourg. She had been pursuing some merchant vessels when she hit. The guns of Île Pelée and the gunboats Chiffonne (Captain Lécolier) and Terrible (Captain Petrel) immediately engaged her. Minerve's crew attempted to refloat her, but the fire forced Brenton to surrender at 5:30 in the morning, after she had lost 12 men killed and about 15 men wounded.

Brenton attributed his defeat to fire from Fort Liberté at Île Pelée, although the artillery of the fort comprised only three pieces (its other guns had been moved to the fort on the Îles Saint-Marcouf), fired at extreme range, and had ceased fire during the night; on the other hand, the gunboats fired continuously at half-range.

The French took Minerve back into their service under the name Canonnière.

French service as Canonnière


The Action of 21 April 1806 as depicted by Pierre-Julien Gilbert. In the foreground, HMS Tremendous aborts her attempt at raking Canonnière under the threat of being outmaneuvered and raked herself by her more agile opponent. In the background, the Indiaman Charlton fires her parting broadside at Canonnière. In fact, several hours separated the two events.

In 1806, under Captain César-Joseph Bourayne, she sailed to Isle de France (now Mauritius) to reinforce the frigate squadron under admiral Linois. Failing to find Linois at Isle de France, Canonnière patrolled the Indian Ocean in the hope of making her junction. She fought an inconclusive action on 21 April against the 74-gun HMS Tremendous and the 50-gun HMS Hindostan.

In late 1806, Canonnière was in Manilla, where Bourayne agreed to sail to Acapulco to claim funds on behalf of the Spanish colonies. She arrived at Acapulco in April 1807 and escorted Spanish merchantmen to Luzon. She then returned to Acapulco on 20 July to load three million piastres, ferried them to Manilla, and was back in Isle de France in July 1808.

At that time, the French division of Isle de France, comprising the frigates Manche and Caroline as well as the corvette Iéna, was at sea to conduct commerce raiding. The island was blockaded by the 30-gun HMS Laurel, under Captain John Woolcombe. On 11 September, Canonnière set sail to meet Laurel and force her to retreat or fight. After a day of searching, Canonnière found Laurel and the frigates began exchanging fire around 17:00. Laurel sustained heavy damage to her rigging, hindering her ability to manoeuvers and at 19:00, a gust of wind gave advantage to Canonnière. Laurel struck her colours shortly before 20:00, and Canonnière took her prize in tow back to Port Louis. Her capture strengthened the situation of the island, as Laurel was freshly arrived, provisioned for a five-month cruise, and carried various supplies for the British squadron.

Canonnière returned to Mauritius in late March 1809. As she required repairs beyond those possible in Mauritius, the French sold her in June and she eventually sent off for France en flûte under the name Confiance.

Capture and British service as HMS Confiance
It was during this transit that HMS Valiant, under Captain John Bligh, recaptured her on 3 February 1810 near Belle Île after a six-hour chase. She was armed with only 14 guns and had a crew of 135 men, under the command of Captain Jacques François Perroud. She had been 93 days in transit when she was captured, having eluded British vessels 14 times. She was carrying goods worth £150,000, General Decaen having made her available to the merchants of Île de France to carry home their merchandise. Amongst her passengers was César-Joseph Bourayne.

Confiance then briefly re-entered the Royal Navy as HMS Confiance. She never returned to active service however, and was deleted from navy lists in 1814.



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]

The Minerve class was a type of 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, carrying 18-pounder long guns as their main armament. Six ships of this type were built at Toulon Dockyard, and launched between 1782 and 1794. The frigates served the French Navy briefly during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Royal Navy captured all six between 1793 and 1799 and took them into service, with all but one serving in the Napoleonic Wars, and some thereafter.

The first four frigates were built to a design by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb. Jacques Brune Sainte Catherine modified Coulomb's design for the fifth, lengthening it to permit the addition of a 14th pair of gunports on the upper deck. Catherine further redesigned the class for the sixth, final frigate. The French Navy preferred the designs by Jacques-Noël Sané. However, the more rounded hull form of the Minerve-class vessels' found favour with the Royal Navy, leading it to copy the design.

• Minerve class, (36/38-gun design by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb, the first two with 26 x 18-pdr guns, although by 1793, Impérieuse had two extra gunports cut in the bows and then carried 28 x 18-pdr guns, plus 10 x 8-pdr guns on the gaillards and 4 obusiers).
  • Minerve, 36 guns (launched 31 July 1782 at Toulon) – captured by British Navy February 1794, becoming HMS San Fiorenzo.
  • Junon, 38 guns (launched 14 August 1782 at Toulon) – captured by British Navy June 1799, becoming HMS Princess Charlotte.
  • Impérieuse, 40 guns (launched 11 July 1787 at Toulon – Captured by Britain 1793, becoming HMS Imperieuse, renamed HMS Unité in September 1803.
• modified Minerve class (same dimensions as before, but with an additional gun port in each broadside)
  • Melpomène, 40 guns (launched 6 August 1789 at Toulon) – captured by British Navy February 1794, becoming HMS Melpomene.
  • Perle, 40 guns (launched 27 August 1790 at Toulon) – captured by British Navy in December 1793, becoming HMS Amethyst.
• modified (enlarged) Minerve class (lengthened by 7 pieds (French feet), broadened by 1.5 pieds and with 4 pouces (French inch) more depth in hold)
  • Minerve, 40 (launched 4 September 1794 at Toulon) – Captured by Britain 1795, becoming HMS Minerve, recaptured by France in 1803 and renamed Canonnière, sold for commerce at the Île de France in June 1809, again captured by Britain in February 1810, but not re-enlisted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Minerve_(1794)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerve-class_frigate
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;searchTerm=minerve_1795
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[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1812 - The Action of 3 February 1812 was an unusual minor naval engagement off the western coast of Haiti
HMS Southampton (32), Sir James Yeo, captured Haitian Fifth Rate frigate 'Heureuse Réunion' (1811 - 34)


The Action of 3 February 1812 was an unusual minor naval engagement off the western coast of Haiti between a British frigate and a frigate manned by a loose coalition of Haitian rebels. The battle was fought against the background of the Napoleonic Wars and the collapse of government in Haiti in the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution eight years earlier. After the French had been expelled from Haiti in 1804, the newly independent nation was first ruled by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who was murdered in 1806 and replaced by two of his advisors, Henri Christophe and Alexandre Pétion. These rulers divided the country between them and in the confused political situation that followed a number of minor fiefdoms appeared, including one led by Jérôme Maximilien Borgella in the south-west of the island called Sud. The small Haitian Navy defected to Borgella, who crewed the vessels with a collection of sailors from various countries, led by a notorious privateer named Gaspard.

Stationed off Haiti was the British frigate HMS Southampton under Captain Sir James Lucas Yeo, tasked with observing the political situation but with orders not to interfere in the intermittent conflict between Christophe and Pétion. Yeo's orders did not include Borgella's ships and Yeo reasoned that the Haitian flagship, the large frigate Heureuse Réunion (recently renamed from Améthyste and often reported under its former name), presented a serious threat to international trade in the region.

Sailing to intercept the Haitian ship, Yeo discovered her in the Gulf of Léogane and ordered Gaspard to surrender. The Haitian refused, and the frigates exchanged shots at 06:30. The superior seamanship and discipline on Southampton prevented Gaspard from boarding the British ship with his greater numbers and within half an hour Heureuse Réunion was dismasted and battered. At 07:45 the Haitian ship surrendered, Yeo depositing the crew ashore and bringing Heureuse Réunion to Port Royal, Jamaica. At Jamaica, his actions were approved by his superiors and Heureuse Réunion, renamed Améthyste, was returned to Henri Christophe.



Background
During the Napoleonic Wars, the Caribbean Sea was initially an important theatre of naval conflict, as ships operating from the various French, British, Spanish and Dutch colonies preyed on enemy trade. During 1809 and 1810 however, the Royal Navy launched a series of co-ordinated amphibious operations that eliminated the French and Dutch colonies and brought the conflict in the Caribbean to an end. With the threat of attacks on British trade in the region significantly reduced, the Royal Navy correspondingly reduced their presence in the Caribbean and the remaining British ships were distributed to observe trouble spots in the region, which in 1812 included the independent nation of Haiti.

Haiti had won its independence from France in 1804, the first Caribbean nation to do so. The Haitians had fought a lengthy and bloody war against the French known as the Haitian Revolution, in which armies of former slaves led by Toussaint Louverture and then Jean-Jacques Dessalines succeeded in driving the French into their fortified ports and then systematically eliminating their enclaves. With the start of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, French reinforcements for the garrison on Haiti were delayed and intercepted by the British Royal Navy, who blockaded the island and took the surrenders of the last garrisons in 1804, removing them and their dependents to prevent a massacre. Dessalines rapidly established himself as monarch of Haiti, but his reign was cut short in 1806 when his closest advisors, Henri Christopheand Alexandre Pétion organised his assassination. Assuming control of Haiti, Christophe laid claim to the northern part of the country and Pétion the south, the two sides waging a constant low-level civil war during the next decade. Many minor rulers sprang up during this period, especially in the south, where Pétion gave parcels of land for his followers to establish their own private fiefdoms. One such warlord was Jérôme Maximilien Borgella, who took over command of a small state in the region of Léogane following the death of its ruler, André Rigaud.

In early 1809, the French sent a number of reinforcement convoys to their blockaded colonies in the hope of strengthening the garrisons before the British invasions began. Many ships, including four frigates, were lost in these missions and few reached their destinations successfully. Among these failed attempts was Troude's expedition to the Caribbean, which arrived in April 1809 at the Îles des Saintes. Finding that Guadeloupe was the only surviving colony, Amable Troude intended to anchor at Basse-Terre and unload his supplies, but was blockaded in the Îles des Saintes by a British squadron under Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane. Attempting to break out on 14 April, Troude led his main squadron northwest towards Puerto Rico while two en flûte frigates slipped out northeast to Basse-Terre, arriving safely. Troude's squadron was defeated on 17 April, but the frigates Félicité and Furieuse remained at Basse-Terre until 14 June, when they attempted to break out and return to France, laden with trade goods. The British blockade squadron were soon in pursuit and on 18 June the frigate HMS Latona captured Félicité without a fight. Furieuse was captured a month later in the North Atlantic. Félicité was 24 years old and was therefore considered too antiquated for commissioning in the Royal Navy; instead she was sold to Henri Christophe to form the nucleus of the new Haitian Navy under the name Améthyste.


Lines & Profile (ZAZ3069) of HMS Southhampton

Battle
At some point in January 1812 the Haitian Navy defected, for reasons unknown, from Christophe to Borgella. Borgella placed a noted French privateer named Gaspard in command of the squadron, which included the frigate Améthyste (renamed Heureuse Réunion), a corvette and a brig. Gaspard then armed Heureuse Réunion with 44 cannon, took on board a motley crew of over 600 men, a mixture of Haitian, French, American and other nationalities, and began cruising in the Gulf of Gonâve. The British observer off Haiti at this time was Captain Sir James Lucas Yeo in the frigate HMS Southampton, under strict orders to respect the flags of Christophe and Pétion, but not those of the minor warlords that had emerged along the coast. On 2 January word reached him at Port au Prince of Gaspard's movements and he immediately sailed to intercept him, concerned that if Gaspard was allowed to take his powerful squadron out of Haitian waters he might begin attacks on merchant ships regardless of nationality.

At 06:00 on 3 February, Yeo discovered Gaspard's ships at anchor to the south of the island of Guanaboa and demanded that Gaspard come aboard Southampton with his commissioning papers, to establish under whose authority Gaspard commanded the warship. The Haitian captain refused, but sent aboard his first lieutenant with a note purported to be from Borgella, signed "Borgellat, general in chief of the south of Hayti". As Borgella had no authority to commission warships, Yeo ordered the lieutenant to tell Gaspard that his ships must submit to Southampton and be taken to Port Royal, Jamaica, where their ownership could be established by the naval authorities. He would have five minutes to consider the proposal. A British officer accompanied the Haitian lieutenant back to Heureuse Réunion for Gaspard's answer, and was informed within three minutes that Gaspard had no intention of submitting to the British ship. He was also told that should Yeo be intent on fighting the Haitian ship then he should indicate it with a bow gun fired ahead of Heureuse Réunion. Returning to Southampton at 06:30, the lieutenant relayed the message and the bow gun was fired, followed a few seconds later by a full broadside from Southampton.

Heureuse Réunion responded to the cannonade in kind. During the engagement, Gaspard repeatedly attempted to board Southampton, where his vastly superior numbers could overwhelm the British crew. Yeo was aware of his enemy's intentions, and repeatedly manoeuvered out of the way, his more disciplined and agile vessel easily able to remain out of contact with the overloaded Haitian ship. Within half an hour the highly efficient gunners on Southampton had knocked down the main and mizen masts on Heureuse Réunion, leaving her unable to manoeuvre and vulnerable to repeated pounding at close range. Despite the severe damage the Haitian ship suffered, her crew continued to fire cannon at irregular intervals for 45 minutes, each shot prompting a broadside from the British ship. The two smaller Haitian vessels did not support the frigate, fleeing towards Maraguana near Petit Goâve to shelter under the batteries there. By 07:45, after over an hour of heavy fire, Yeo hailed Heureuse Réunion to discover whether or not she had surrendered. Somebody aboard replied that they had, although Gaspard had been seriously wounded and was no longer in command, so the identity of the person who gave the surrender is not known.

Aftermath
As Southampton stopped firing, the remaining masts of the Haitian ship fell overboard. Casualties on Heureuse Réunion were immense: of the 600–700 crew, 105 were dead and 120 wounded, the latter including Gaspard, who subsequently died of his injuries. Yeo's loss was one man killed and ten wounded, from a crew of 212. Seeking to rid himself of so many prisoners, Yeo landed most of them at Maraguana before sailing to Port au Prince, where the rest were landed and temporary jury masts were fitted to Heureuse Réunion for the journey to Jamaica. The British retained 20 prisoners for trial at Port Royal. Heureuse Réunion was repaired at Jamaica and subsequently restored to Christophe under the name Améthyste, returning to Haitian service. Yeo's action in attacking the Haitian ship, although not officially sanctioned by his commanding officer beforehand, was commended.

The Caribbean rose in importance again later in 1812, with the outbreak of the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. American privateers threatened British trade routes and Royal Navy ships were sent out to defeat them, including Southampton, which was wrecked in the Bahamas during an anti-privateer patrol in November 1812. There were no further significant actions in the region during the Napoleonic Wars, the presence of Royal Navy patrols deterred any large scale French or American operations in the Caribbean.


HMS Southampton was the name ship of the 32-gun Southampton-class fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served for more than half a century until wrecked in 1812.

Félicité was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. Captured by the British Royal Navy and sold to the State of Haiti, she entered Haitian service as Améthyste.

The Félicité class was a type of (12-pounder-armed) 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, designed by Pierre-Alexandre Forfait (as approved by Léon-Michel Guignace). This was the first class of 12-pounder armed frigate to be designed and built in France following the end of the War for American Independence.

• Félicité

Builder: Brest Dockyard
Laid down: 1 January 1785
Launched: 4 August 1785
Completed: 28 August 1785
Fate: captured by British Navy in the Caribbean on 18 June 1809, sold to Haiti and commissioned as the Améthyste, defected 1812 to Haitian rebels and renamed Heureuse Réunion, retaken by British frigate HMS Southampton on 3 February 1812, returned to Haiti, resuming name Améthyste sold 1818.

• Calypso

Builder: Brest Dockyard
Laid down: 4 July 1785
Launched: 2 December 1785
Completed: January 1786
Fate: defected to the Spanish at Trinidad in January 1793.

• Fidèle

Builder: Le Havre
Laid down: October 1788
Launched: 22 July 1789
Completed: September 1789
Fate: condemned October 1802 at Brest and hulked in May 1804, probably demolished 1813.

• Fortunée

Builder: Le Havre
Laid down: 5 December 1789
Launched: 28 September 1791
Completed: May 1792
Fate: burnt in February 1794 at Corsica to avoid capture.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_3_February_1812
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Southampton_(1757)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Félicité_(1785)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-349412;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=S

https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=6788
https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_battle&id=507

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1814 - HMS Majestic (1785 - 54), Cptn. John Hayes, took Terpsichore (44).


HMS Majestic was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line launched on 11 December 1785 at Deptford. She fought at the Battle of the Nile, where she engaged the French ships Tonnant and Heureux, helping to force their surrenders. She was captained by George Blagdon Westcott, who was killed in the battle.


The Tonnant at the Battle of the Nile, by Louis Lebreton. HMS Majestic is seen in the background.

On 22 February 1799, Majestic was in sight when Espoir, under the command of Captain James Sanders, captured the Spanish 14-gun xebec Africa some three leagues from Marbello on the Spanish coast. Captain Cuthbert, of Majestic, transmitted Sanders's letter, adding his own endorsement extolling "the meritorious Conduct of Captain Sanders and his Ship's Company on the Occasion." Espoir and Majestic shared the prize money for the xebec, whose full name was Nostra Senora de Africa.



On 4 April, Majestic and Transfer destroyed a French privateer of unknown name. Head money was paid in 1828, almost 30 years later.

On 11 November 1804, Glatton, together with Eagle, Majestic, Princess of Orange, Raisonable, Africiane, Inspector, Beaver, and the hired armed vesselsSwift and Agnes, shared in the capture of the Upstalsboom, H.L. De Haase, Master.

On 4 September 1807, Majestic, flagship of Admiral Thomas Macnamara Russell anchored off Heligoland, effecting the capitulation of the island to the British.[7]

Majestic was razeed into a 58-gun fourth-rate frigate in 1813.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for Majestic (1785), Orion (1787), and Captain (1787), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. The design for these three ships was taken from the draught of the Canada (1765).


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with sternboard decoration, sheer lines with inboard detail and figurehead, and longitudinal half-breadth for Majestic (1785), a 74-gun Third Rate, two-decker, as built at Deptford by William Barnard. After her launch Majestic went to Deptford Dockyard between 11 and 24 February 1785, and then to Woolwich Dockyard between 24 February and 28 May 1785.


H.M.S. Majestic bearing down to attack the Terpsichore and Atalante 3 Feb 1814 (PAH4081)

On 3 February 1814 Majestic encountered the French frigates Terpsichore and Atalante, a 20-gun ship, and an apparently unarmed brig. Majestic was able to catch up with and engage the stern-most of the French vessels. After an engagement lasting two and a half hours, the frigate struck. She turned out to be the Terpsichore, of 44 guns and 320 men, under the command of "capitaine de frigate Breton Francois de Sire". In the action, Terpsichore lost three men killed, six wounded, and two drowned as the prisoners were being transported to Majestic; British casualties were nil. Because of the weather and the approach of night, Majestic was unable to pursue the other three French vessels, which therefore escaped. The Royal Navy named Terpsichore HMS Modeste, but never commissioned her.

On 22 May 1814 Majestic recaptured the former British naval schooner Dominica, which the American privateer Decatur had captured the year before.[9] At the time of her recapture, Dominica was sailing under a letter of marque, had a crew of 38 men, and was armed with four 6-pounder guns.

Fate
Majestic was broken up in 1816 after a stranding.


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for 'Thunderer' (1783), 'Terrible' (1785), 'Venerable' (1784), 'Victorious' (1785), 'Theseus' (1786), 'Ramillies' (1785), and 'Hannibal' (1786), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. The plan also records alterations dated January 1813 for cutting down 74-gun Third Rates to Frigates, relating specifically to 'Majestic' (1785), 'Resolution' (1770), and 'Culloden' (1783), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. Only the 'Majestic' was cut down to a 58-gun Fourth Rate, as the other two were broken up in 1813.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Majestic_(1785)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-328247;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/144028.html

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1814 - Uranie, a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy and lead ship of her two-vessel class, was Scuttled by fire on 3 February 1814


Uranie was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her two-vessel class.



Career
She served in the Mediterranean, first under captain Maistral, and later under Margollé, operating from Ancona.

On 6 July 1803, HMS Redbridge sailed from Malta carrying some supernumeraries for Admiral Nelson's fleet and escorting the transport Caroline, Dandison, master, which was carrying water. On the evening of 3 August Redbridge encountered the frigate HMS Phoebe. Next morning Phoebe and Redbridge sighted four sail. Phoebe advised that they were probably French and the British ships set sail to escape. Phoebe was able to outpace their pursuers, but Redbridge was not and fell prey to them.

The four sail were a squadron of French frigates, Cornélie, Rhin, Uranie, and Tamise, and possibly some corvettes that had sortied in the night from Toulon. The French also captured the transport. Redbridge's actual captor was Cornélie. Admiral Nelson attempted to send into Toulon a boat under a flag of truce offering the French a prisoner exchange, but the French refused his letter and proposal.

On 29 September 1810, the newly arrived French frigates Favorite, under Bernard Dubourdieu, and Uranie joined the Venetian squadron of Corona, Bellona, and Carolina. The force then sailed from Chiozzo to Ancona, arriving on 6 October, having sighted Hoste's Amphion in the distance during the passage.

On 27 November 1811, HMS Eagle chased the French frigates Uranie and Corcyre (armed en flute), and corvette Scemplone near Fano. Uranie and Scemplone escaped but Eagle was able to overhaul and capture Corceyre.

Fate
Uranie escaped from Ancona on 16 January 1814. She encountered HMS Cerberus and to avoid her took refuge in Brindisi. HMS Apollo and HMS Havannah then arrived at Brindisi and anchored outside the port. Captain John Taylor, of Apollo then sent a message to the authorities at Brindisi that he understood that the Neapolitan Government had joined the Allies and declared war on the French, and why a French vessel was sheltering there. When Apollo appeared on the scene and made signs of being about to enter the port, Uranie's captain removed the powder from his ship and set her on fire


Uranie class, (40-gun design of 1797 by Jean-François Gautier, with 28 x 18-pounder and 12 x 8-pounder guns; both ships built by Pierre Degay and Entreprise Crucy at Basse-Indre, near Nantes).

Uranie, (launched 30 October 1800 at Basse-Indre) – burnt 3 February 1814 at Brindisi to avoid capture by the British Navy.
Clorinde, (launched 31 October 1800 at Basse-Indre) – captured by the British Navy 30 November 1803, becoming HMS Clorinde


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Uranie_(1800)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_frigate_Clorinde_(1801)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1874 – Launch of SS Britannic, passenger ship for White Star Line


SS Britannic was an ocean liner of the White Star Line. It was the first of three ships of the White Star Line to sail with Britannic name.



Britannic was a single-screw passenger steamship equipped with sails built for the White Star Line's North Atlantic run. It was initially to be called Hellenic, but, just prior to her launch, her name was changed to Britannic. Together with her sister Germanic, Britannic sailed for nearly thirty years, primarily carrying immigrant passengers on the highly trafficked Liverpool to New York City route. In 1876 it received the Blue Riband, both westbound and eastbound, by averaging almost 16 knots (30 km/h).



Accommodations
The Britannic and her sister Germanic were both built to carry a total of 1,720 passengers in two classes when fully booked, 220 Saloon Class Passengers (Title of First Class at that time) and 1,500 Steerage Passengers. As the ships were virtually larger versions of the "Oceanic" class ships built in the previous years, their accommodations were very similar, with some variances to give each ship its own character. Britannic's saloon accommodations, consisting of a large, spacious dining saloon and a large number of two- and four-berth cabins were located in the centre of the ship on the main deck, being the upper of the two decks enclosed within the hull above the waterline. The steerage accommodations were located on the two lower decks and consisted of large dormitory-style cabins capable of sleeping up to 20 passengers lined against the hull, with an open space running along the centre line of the ship where passengers could congregate. These accommodations were divided into two main sections at either end of the ship, berths for single men in the bow and berths for single women, married couples and families in the stern.

Engineering
Britannic was rigged as a four masted barque, she was the first White Star ship to sport two funnels. She was powered by inverted compound reciprocating engines, supplied by Messrs Maudslay, Sons & Field of Lambeth. Britannic's hull was subdivided into eight watertight compartments by nine watertight bulkheads.


Drawing of Britannic's engines.

As built the Britannic incorporated a novel system which allowed the single propeller to be raised and lowered while still connected to its shaft and without stopping the engine. This was achieved with a flexible coupling and an elongated aperture in the ship's sternpost. This feature was an attempt to overcome the disadvantage of long-hulled single-screw liners, which pitched in heavy seas. In bad weather the stern could rise enough to lift the propeller partially out of the water, reducing thrust and causing unpleasant vibration. The Britannic's adjustable propeller was angled below the horizontal when in the lowest position, to ensure the entire propeller remained submerged. In shallow water the shaft could be raised to the horizontal or slightly upwards to reduce the ship's draught and prevent a blade striking the seabed. With the propeller fully raised the entire propeller hub and one blade could be accessed without placing the ship in dry dock—it was hoped this would reduce the cost and time required to change any broken propeller blades. The shaft was raised and lowered by a small auxiliar steam engine in the ship's stern, operating rods connected to a bearing collar on the propeller shaft via a worm drive reduction gear. The system proved reliable and effective at its purpose of keeping the propeller submerged in heavy weather but when set at certain angles the flexible coupling caused heavy vibration and the equipment required significantly more maintenance than a standard drive system. It also reduced the efficiency of the propeller in calm weather unless the angle was adjusted to be perfectly parallel to the line of the hull, making Britannic slower than her conventionally-built sistership, the Germanic. In 1875, after less than a year in service, Britannic was taken out of service to be refitted with the same propeller arrangement as her sister - this work required not only removing the propeller mechanism and installing a new drive shaft but also fitting a new bed for the main engine to change its alignment. Once the ship was back in service her performance matched that of the Germanic, allowing the ship to make its own attempts at the Blue Riband.

Career
On 25 June 1874 she made her maiden voyage, from Liverpool to New York. In the autumn of 1876, she captured the westbound Blue Riband and a month later set the eastbound record as well, becoming the only White Star ship ever to hold both records simultaneously. She lost the westbound record to her sister, Germanic, in April 1877 and the eastbound one to the Guion Line's Arizona in July 1879.

On 4 July 1881 Britannic ran aground in fog at Kilmore, County Wexford, Ireland, and remained stuck for two days. All the passengers were safely landed at Waterford. Britannic sprang a leak in her engine room after being re-floated and was beached at Wexford Bay. She had to be patched up and pumped before returning to Liverpool for repairs.

SS Celtic collision
On 19 May 1887, at about 5:25pm, the White Star liner SS Celtic collided with Britannic in thick fog about 350 miles (560 km) east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Celtic, with 870 passengers, had been steaming westbound for New York City, while Britannic, carrying 450 passengers, was on the second day of her eastward journey to Liverpool. The two ships collided at almost right angles, with Celtic burying her prow 10 feet (3 m) in the aft port side of Britannic. Celtic rebounded and hit two more times, before sliding past behind Britannic.

Six steerage passengers were killed outright on board Britannic and another six were later found to be missing, having been washed overboard. There were no deaths on board Celtic. Both ships were badly damaged, but Britannic more so, having a large hole below her waterline. Fearing that she would founder, the passengers on board began to panic and rushed the lifeboats. Britannic's captain, Hugh Hamilton Perry, pistol in hand, was able to restore some semblance of order, and the boats were filled with women and children, although a few men forced their way on board. After the lifeboats had launched, it was realized that Britannic would be able to stay afloat, and the lifeboats within hailing distance were recalled. The rest made their way over to Celtic. The two ships remained together through the night and the next morning were joined by the Wilson Line's Marengo and British Queen of the Inman Line, and the four slowly made their way into New York Harbor. Britannic was repaired at New York and was out of service for nearly a month.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt was on board the Britannic at the time of the collision, with her father Elliott, mother Anna and aunt Tissie. Eleanor was lowered into a lifeboat, screaming and protesting. She and her parents were taken to the Celtic and eventually returned to New York. Eleanor raised a huge protest at the prospect of going back on board a ship to continue the family's trip to Europe. Her parents went on to Europe, leaving the little girl with a maternal aunt. Eleanor had a lifelong fear of water and ships as a result of this incident.

Czarowitz collision
On 2 January 1890, Britannic collided with Czarowitz—a British brigantine bound from Fowey, Cornwall, England, to Runcorn, Cheshire, England, with a cargo of china clay—in the Crosby Channel as Czarowitz was about to enter the River Mersey. Czarowitz sank.

Later career
Britannic continued on the Liverpool–New York run. On one journey in August 1891, the 17-year-old ship recorded her fastest-ever crossing from New York to Queenstown, making the journey in 7 days, 6 hours, and 52 min.

In August 1899 Britannic was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted for use as a troopship to transport soldiers to the Second Boer War in South Africa, becoming known as HMT (Hired Military Transport) #62. During this period, under the command of Bertram Fox Hayes, Britannic transported 37,000 troops to and from the conflict over three years. In November 1900 Britannic sailed to Australia with a Guard of Honour to represent Great Britain at the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth. She took part in the fleet review at Sydney Harbour to mark the occasion.


Britannic laid up, just before being scrapped.

Demise
Following the end of the war in October 1902, Britannic was released from government service and returned to White Star who sent her to her builders in Belfast for a survey, with the intention that she might be refurbished and modernised for further use. The builders report in 1903 concluded that it would not be cost effective to bring the 29 year old ship up to modern standards, instead, she was sold for scrap for £11,500, and on 11 August 1903 she left Belfast under tow to Hamburg, Germany, where she was broken up



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Britannic_(1874)
http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/britannic-i/

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1917 - SS Georgia, a German passenger ship in service from 1890 until 1914. Interned in the United States during World War I she was sold to an American company, converted to a cargo ship, renamed Housatonic, and was sunk by a German submarine in February 1917.


SS Georgia was a German passenger ship in service from 1890 until 1914. Interned in the United States during World War I she was sold to an American company, converted to a cargo ship, renamed Housatonic, and was sunk by a German submarine in February 1917.



Ship history
The ship was built at the Barclay Curle shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland, for the Dampfschiffs-Reederei Hansa ("Hansa Steamship Company", not to be confused with the Hansa Line), and was launched on 13 November 1890 under the name SS Pickhuben. She sailed from Hamburg on 15 April 1891 for her maiden voyage to Quebec and Montreal. In March 1892 DRH was taken over by the Hamburg America Line, but the Pickhuben continued to sail between Hamburg and New York City or Montreal. She was renamed SS Georgia in 1895, and sailed between the then German port of Stettin and New York, transferring to a route between Genoa in northern Italy and New York in 1900. From 1902 she sailed between the Russian Black Sea port of Odessa and New York.

On the outbreak of World War I in 1914 Georgia was interned in the then neutral United States. On 16 April 1915, she was sold for $85,000 to the Housatonic Steamship Corporation, and was used as a freighter. On 23 February 1916, the ship was chartered by Brown, Jenkinson & Company of London, "for the term of the present war".

Sinking
Housatonic sailed from Galveston, Texas, on 6 January 1917 carrying a cargo of 144,200 bushels of wheat, and after calling at Newport , Virginia, she sailed for Liverpool on 16 January. According to a statement by Captain Thomas A. Ensor, at 10.30 a.m on 3 February 1917 Housatonic was stopped by the German submarine U-53, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, when about twenty miles south-west of Bishop Rock off the Isles of Scilly.

An officer and two seamen from U-53 boarded the ship, and sent Ensor over to the submarine, where he was questioned by Rose, who spoke fluent English. After examining the Housatonic's papers Rose told Ensor to return and order the crew to abandon ship. Rose explained that he was sorry, but the ship was "carrying food supplies to the enemy of my country". The crew launched two lifeboats while the Germans helped themselves to the ship's supply of soap (apparently in short supply in Germany) before opening the seacocks. The U-53 then delivered the coup de grace with a single torpedo, and the Housatonic sank.

Ensor persuaded Rose to take the lifeboats in tow toward the English coast. After two hours a vessel was sighted. Ensor was not convinced that they had been seen, so Rose fired his deck gun to attract her attention, then slipped away. The vessel turned out to be the trawler Salvator which took the crew of Housatonic to Penzance. Captain Ensor returned to the United States aboard the SS Orduna, with his crew following aboard the SS Philadelphia.

Consequences of the sinking
The sinking of Housatonic came at a particularly difficult time for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who had been narrowly re-elected the previous year on the platform of keeping the United States out of the war. Germany's announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare commencing on 1 February led to the breaking off of diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States on the same day that the Housatonic was sunk, and this was swiftly followed by the publication of the Zimmermann Telegram. The sinking of the ship provided further ammunition to the pro-war party, and was another step towards to the eventual declaration of war by the United States in April 1917.

Post-war
In 1926 the Housatonic Steamship Company, Inc. sought damages amounting to $839,600 from the German government for the sinking of the Housatonic. The case was heard by Edwin B. Parker on 14 May, who after a long argument as to the actual value of the ship, decided in favour of the Housatonic Steamship Company, but awarded them only $4,500 with 5% annual interest from the date of the sinking.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Georgia_(1890)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 1943 – The SS Dorchester is sunk by a German U-boat. Only 230 of 902 men aboard survive.
The sinking of Dorchester was the worst single loss of American personnel of any American convoy during World War II


Dorchester was a War Shipping Administration troop ship operated by its agent Agwilines allocated to United States Army requirements that was sunk in the Labrador Sea by a torpedo from a German U-boat on February 3, 1943, during World War II. Of the 904 on board, 675 died (674 plus one of the 230 original survivors after being recovered). Dorchester had been sailing to Greenland as part of naval convoy SG 19 when the U-boat attacked.

The loss of the ship became especially famous because of the story of the death of four Army chaplains, known as the "Four Chaplains" or the "Immortal Chaplains," who all gave away their life jackets to save others before they died.



Commercial service
Dorchester, one of three identical ships, the first being Chatham (torpedoed and sunk August 27, 1943) and the last being Fairfax, was built for the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company by the Newport Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Keel laying was September 10, 1925 with launching on March 20, 1926 and delivery on July 17, 1926. The ship was designed for the coastwise trade with a capacity for 302 first class and 12 steerage passengers for a total of 314 with a crew of 90 along the East coast between Miami and Boston. Propulsion was by a 3,000 horsepower, triple expansion steam engine supplied by four oil fired Scotch boilers with steam at 220 pounds pressure driving a single propeller for a speed of 13.5 knots (15.5 mph; 25.0 km/h).

Passengers were provided three decks, two promenade decks and the boat deck, with four suites having private baths and thirty rooms with beds, ninety-eight with double berths and eight with single berths with most opening onto both the corridor and deck and all had "European style" telephones with receiver and transmitter in one handset. Public spaces included a dance pavilion and sun parlor in addition to the typical lounge and smoking rooms. Cargo of about 3,300 tons was all handled through side ports rather than deck hatches. Refrigerated spaces of 1,873 cubic feet (53.0 m3) for provisions, including ice cream storage, was provided to six compartments cooled by a 4-ton Brunswick compressor. A separate chilled pantry had 210 cubic feet (5.9 m3) of storage.

World War II
The ship was delivered by Merchants and Miners Transportation Company to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) at Baltimore on January 24, 1942 for operation by Atlantic, Gulf & West Indies Steamship Lines (Agwilines) as agent for WSA and allocated to United States Army requirements. Dorchester was converted to a troopship by Agwilines in New York, and fitted with additional lifeboats and life rafts, as well as four 20 mm guns, a 3"/50 caliber gun fore, and a 4"/50 caliber gun aft.

Dorchester entered service in February 1942, crewed by many of her former officers, including her master initially, and a contingent of Navy Armed Guardsto man the guns and to handle communications. The ship was neither owned nor bareboat chartered by the Army and thus not officially designated a United States Army Transport (USAT). The allocation to Army requirements, transport of Army personnel and presence of the Army administrative staff under the Transport Commander in command of embarked troops, led some to assume the ship was an Army transport.

Loss


Coast Guard cutter Escanaba rescues Dorchestersurvivors, February 3, 1943.

On January 23, 1943, Dorchester left New York harbor, bound for the Army Command Base at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland. SG-19 consisted of six ships: SS Dorchester, two merchant ships (SS Lutz and SS Biscaya) that were leased by the United States from the Norwegian government-in-exile, and their escorts, the small United States Coast Guard cutters Comanche, Escanaba (both 165 feet), and Tampa (240 feet).

During the early morning hours of February 3, 1943, at 12:55, Dorchester was torpedoed by German submarine U-223. The damage was severe, boiler power was lost, and there was inadequate steam to sound the full 6-whistle signal to abandon ship, and Dorchester sank by the bow in about 20 minutes. Loss of power prevented the crew from sending a radio distress signal, and no rockets or flares were launched to alert the escorts. A severe list prevented launch of some port side lifeboats, and some lifeboats capsized through overcrowding. Survivors in the water were so stiff from cold they could not even grasp the cargo nets on rescue vessels. The crew of Escanaba employed a new "retriever" rescue technique whereby swimmers clad in wet suits swam to victims in the water and secured a line to them so they could be hauled onto the ship. By this method, Escanaba saved 133 men (one died later) and Comanche saved 97 men of the 904 aboard Dorchester. The sinking of Dorchester was the worst single loss of American personnel of any American convoy during World War II.

Life jackets offered little protection from hypothermia, which killed most men in the water. Water temperature was 34 °F (1 °C) and air temperature was 36 °F (2 °C). When additional rescue ships arrived on February 4 "hundreds of dead bodies were seen floating on the water, kept up by their life jackets."

The Four Chaplains
Main article: Four Chaplains
Dorchester is best remembered today for four of the Army officers among the military personnel being transported overseas for duty: the Four Chaplains who died because they gave up their life jackets to save others. These chaplains included Methodist minister George L. Fox, Reformed Church in America minister Clark V. Poling, Catholic Church priest John P. Washington and Rabbi Alexander B. Goode. Congress established February 3 as "Four Chaplains Day" to commemorate this act of heroism, and on July 14, 1960, created the Chaplain's Medal for Heroism, presented posthumously to the next of kin of each of the chaplains by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Fort Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961.



Commemoration on US postage


The Immortal ChaplainsIssue of 1948

In 1948 the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp in honor of the heroism and sacrifice of the chaplains. It was designed by Louis Schwimmer, the head of the Art Department of the New York branch of the Post Office. This stamp was highly unusual, because until 2011, U.S. stamps were not normally issued in honor of someone other than a President of the United States until at least ten years after his or her death.

The stamp went through three revisions before the final design was chosen. None of the names of the chaplains were included on the stamp, nor were their faiths (although the faiths had been listed on one of the earlier designs): instead, the words on the stamp were "These Immortal Chaplains...Interfaith in Action." Another phrase included in an earlier design that was not part of the final stamp was "died to save men of all faiths."[20] By the omission of their names, the stamp commemorated the event, rather than the individuals per se, thus obfuscating the ten-year rule in the same way as later did stamps honoring Neil Armstrong in 1969 and Buzz Aldrin in 1994, both of whom were still alive.

Notable passengers and crew
The American writer Jack Kerouac served on Dorchester, where he befriended an African-American cook named "Old Glory," who died when the ship sank after the torpedo attack. Kerouac would have also been on the ship during the attack, but for a telegram he received from coach Lou Little, asking him to return to Columbia University to play football.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Dorchester
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Chaplains

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 2006 - Egyptian Ro/Ro passenger ferry MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 sank in the Red Sea with 1.414 people on board. Only 387 were rescued


The MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was an Egyptian Ro/Ro passenger ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt.

The ship was carrying about 1400 passengers and crew. The majority are thought to have been Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but they included pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca. The ship was also carrying about 220 vehicles. No Mayday had been heard from the ship and poor weather conditions hampered the search and rescue operation. 388 people were rescued.

The immediate cause of the sinking appears to have been a build-up of sea-water in the hull, when the fire-fighters were trying to extinguish a fire in the engine-room. This was compounded by design faults inherent in Ro/Ro vessels, where minor flooding of the deck can gain rapid momentum due to a mechanism known as the free surface effect. When the captain asked permission to return to port, the ship’s owners ordered him to continue, despite knowing that there had been a fire. The owners were jailed in 2009 after their original acquittal was overturned.


al-Salam Boccaccio 98 in Genoa, 2001

Ship history
The vessel was built by the Italian company Italcantieri in 1970 with IMO number 6921282 and named Boccaccio at Monfalcone, Italy for Tirrenia di Navigazione. She was originally intended for Italian domestic service. Her dimensions were 130.99 m length overall with 23.60 m beam and 5.57 m draft. The main engines were rated at 16,560 kW for a maximum speed of 19 knots. The vessel had an original capacity of 200 automobiles and 1000 passengers. Five sister ships were built.

The vessel was rebuilt in 1991 by INMA at La Spezia, maintaining the same outer dimensions albeit with a higher superstructure, changing the draught to 5.90 m. At the same time her automobile capacity was increased to 320 and the passenger capacity was increased to 1,300. The most recent gross registered tonnage was 11,799.

Boccaccio was purchased in 1999 by El Salam Maritime Transport, headquartered in Cairo, the largest private shipping company in Egypt and the Middle East, and renamed al-Salam Boccaccio 98 (Arabic: عبارة السلام 98‎, Salam سلام means "peace"); the registered owner is Pacific Sunlight Marine Inc. of Panama. She is also referred to as Salam 98.





The sinking
Its last known position was 100 km (62 mi) from Duba, when it lost contact with the shore at about 22:00 EET (20:00 UTC). First reports of statements by survivors indicated that smoke from the engine room was followed by a fire which continued for some time. There were also reports of the ship listing soon after leaving port and that, after continuing for some hours, the list became severe and the ship capsized within 10 minutes as the crew fought the fire. In a BBC radio news broadcast an Egyptian ministerial spokesman said the fire had started in a storage area, was controlled, but started again. The significance of the fire was supported by statements attributed to crew members, who were reported to have claimed that "the firefighters essentially sank the ship when sea water they used to battle the fire collected in the hull because drainage pumps were not working."

Weather conditions
The Red Sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents. The region had been experiencing high winds and dust storms for several days at the time of the sinking. These winds may have contributed to the disaster and may have complicated rescue efforts.

The closest maritime weather report[9] for 3 February 2006 00:00 UTC was from MV Glasgow Maersk, call sign MZGK7. Reporting from 27.00°N 34.40°E, approximately 150 km north-north-west of the sinking, the container ship shows winds of 24.1 kt (13 ms−1) from 320 degrees, with a surface pressure of 1005 hPa. Sea temperature was 25 °C and a significant wave height of only 45 cm. Visibility was good (10 km), with 7/8 cloud cover. There was also an active weather front overlying the area, clearly visible in METEOSAT imagery.

Numbers on board
The ship was carrying 1,312 passengers and 96 crew members, according to Mamdouh Ismail, head of al-Salaam Maritime Transport Company. Earlier an Egyptian official had mentioned 1,310 passengers and 105 crew (however, the Egyptian presidential spokesman mentioned 98 crew, while the Transport Minister said 104).

Possible causes
Several theories have been put forward about possible causes of the sinking.

• Fire: Some survivors reported that there was a large fire on board before the ship sank, and there are eyewitness accounts of thick black smoke coming from the engine rooms.
• Design flaws: al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was a roll on-roll off (ro-ro) ferry. This is a design that allows vehicles to drive on one end and drive off the other. This means that neither the ship nor any of the vehicles need to turn around at any point. It also means that the cargo hold is one long chamber going through the ship. To enable this to work, the vehicle bay doors must be very near the waterline, so unless these are sealed properly, water may leak through. Even a small amount of water moving about inside can gain momentum and capsize a ship, in a way known as the free surface effect.
• Modifications: In the 1980s the ship was reported to have had several modifications, including the addition of two passenger decks and the widening of cargo decks. This would have made the ship less stable than it was designed to be, particularly as its draught was only 5.9m. Combined with high winds, the tall ship could have been toppled easily.
• Vehicle movement: Another theory is that the rolling of the ship caused one or more of the vehicles in its hold to break loose and puncture a hole in the side of the ship.

Search and rescue

An infrared image from a U.S. Navy aircraft showing a rescue vessel alongside a life raft from al-Salam Boccaccio 98

At 23:58 UTC on 2 February 2006 the air-sea rescue control room at RAF Kinloss in Scotland detected an automatic distress signal relayed by satellite from the ship's position. The alert was passed on via France to the Egyptian authorities.

On 3 February 2006 some lifeboats and bodies were seen in the water. At least 314 survivors and around 185 dead bodies were recovered. Reuters reported that "dozens" of bodies were floating in the Red Sea.

Rescue boats and helicopters searched the area, including four Egyptian frigates. Italian Coastal Patrol Unit Ships patrolled for more than 90 hours in severe weather conditions, and eight survivors were rescued by MFO vessels Vedetta and Sentinella. The United Kingdom diverted the warship HMS Bulwark which would have arrived in a day-and-a-half, but reports conflict as to whether or not the ship was recalled. Israeli sources report that an offer of search and rescue assistance from the Israeli Navy was declined. Egyptian authorities accepted a United States offer of a P-3 Orion maritime naval patrol aircraft after initially having said that the help was not needed.

Many survivors reported seeing the captain of the vessel being the first to leave the ship in a lifeboat [AP 2-04-06].

Similar incidents

• In 1915 the SS Eastland was raised from the Chicago River after capsizing earlier the same year when the ship's limit of 2752 passengers was exceeded; a total of 845 passengers and crew were killed.
• The sinking of al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was compared to that of the 1987 MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, which killed 193 passengers.
• In 1991 another Egyptian ferry, Salem Express, sank off the coast of Egypt after hitting a small habili reef. 464 Egyptians lost their lives. The bodies were recovered and buried on land, as Islam forbids burial at sea. The ship is now a landmark shipwreck for scuba divers along with the SS Thistlegorm.
• In 1994, the MS Estonia sank, claiming 852 lives.
• On 26 September 2002 the MV Le Joola, a Senegalese government-owned ferry, capsized off the coast of Gambia killing at least 1,863 people.
• On 17 October 2005, Pride of al Salam 95 also sank in the Red Sea after being struck by the Cypriot-registered cargo ship Jebal Ali. In that accident, two people were killed and another 40 injured, some possibly during a stampede to leave the sinking ship. After evacuating all the ferry passengers and crew, Jebal Ali went astern and Pride of al Salam 95 sank in about 3½ minutes.

Trial of owners
In July, 2008 the owner of al-Salam Boccaccio 98, Mamdouh Ismail, along with his son Amr Ismail and two others were acquitted of wrongdoing in connection with the disaster by an Egyptian court. An earlier parliamentary inquiry blamed Ismail's company for the disaster, saying they had operated the ferry despite serious defects. Also, the recovered data recorder proved that the ferry's owner knew there had been a fire on board but gave orders to continue on instead of returning to port as the captain had requested. Family members of the victims felt the ruling was brought about by corruption as Ismail is a member of Egypt's upper house and is very well connected.

On 11 March 2009, after the initial acquittal was overturned in a hearing presided over by Judge Khaled Badereldin, Mamdouh Ismail was sentenced to seven years in prison. Two other employees of the company were sentenced to three years in prison each



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_al-Salam_Boccaccio_98
http://heiwaco.tripod.com/as98.htm

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
3 February 2017 - The aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65) is decommissioned in a ceremony held in the ship's hangar bay
The ceremony marks the end the ship's nearly 55-year career, and is the first decommissioning of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.


USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned United States Navy aircraft carrier. She was the world's first nuclear-poweredaircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed "Big E". At 1,123 ft (342 m), she is the world's longest naval vessel ever built. Her 93,284-long-ton (94,781 tonnes) displacement ranks her as the 12th-heaviest carrier, after the 10 carriers of the Nimitz class and the USS Gerald R. Ford. Enterprise had a crew of some 4,600 service members.


USS Enterprise underway in the Atlantic Ocean

The only ship of her class, Enterprise was, at the time of inactivation, the third-oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy after the wooden-hulled USS Constitution and USS Pueblo. She was originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2014 or 2015, depending on the life of her reactors and completion of her replacement, USS Gerald R. Ford, but the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 slated the ship's retirement for 2013, when she would have served for 51 consecutive years, longer than any other U.S. aircraft carrier.

Enterprise's home port was Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, as of September 2012. Her second home port was Naval Air Station Alameda until its closure in 1997. When in port at NAS Alameda, she was visible to those crossing the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. She was the flagship of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz while he lived in Berkeley, California, until his death in 1966. Her final deployment before inactivation began on 10 March 2012 and ended 4 November 2012. She was inactivated on 1 December 2012 and underwent the 48-month inactivation process that rendered her unfit for further military service (inactivation removes fuel, fluids, furnishings, tools, fittings and de-energizes the ship's electrical system). Enterprise was officially decommissioned on February 3, 2017, after over 55 years of service, and with the completion of an extensive terminal offload program. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day.

The name has been adopted by the future Gerald R. Ford–class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80)


Having been de-masted, Enterprise is towed from Norfolk to Newport in 2013 for the process of de-fueling, prior to the ship being broken up.


Enterprise at Newport in December 2014


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
Other Events on 3 February


1689 – Birth of Blas de Lezo, Spanish admiral (d. 1741)

Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta, KOGF, OHS (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish officer in the Spanish Navy best remembered for the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741) in modern-day Colombia, where Spanish imperial forces under his command resisted and defeated a large British invasion fleet under Admiral Edward Vernon.



Throughout his naval career, Lezo sustained many severe wounds; he lost his left eye, left hand, complete mobility of the right arm, caught Typhoid feverand had his left leg amputated in situ after being hit by the projectile of a cannon. Such injuries earned him the nicknames Captain Pegleg and Half-man, both referencing his consequential physical attributes. This has led to Lezo being thought of as a model for the stereotypical peglegged pirate common in modern fantasy novels.

Lezo's actions at Cartagena de Indias consolidated his legacy as one of the most heroic figures in the history of Spain and he has thus been promoted as one of the best strategists in naval history.

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


1732 – Launch of Spanish Real Familia 60 at Cadiz - BU 1750

Hércules class, 60 guns
Hércules 60 (launched 14 April 1729 at Cadiz) - Stricken 1749
Real Familia 60 (launched 3 February 1732 at Cadiz) - BU 1750


1735 Dutch frigates Anna Catharina, Cptn. Jacon de Prinseran, and 't Vliegent Hart ran aground on the sandbanks around Duerloo Channel.

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


1798 - HMS Speedy (14), Hugh Downman, engaged Papillon (14) off Vigo


1799 - Commencement of bombardment of Alexandria by HMS Bulldog bomb (16) and HMS Perseus bomb, James Oswald

The second HMS Bull Dog (1782) was a 16-gun sloop launched in 1782 but converted to a Royal Navy bomb vessel in 1798. The French captured her in February 1801 when she unwittingly entered the French-held port of Ancona. Boats from HMS Mercury recaptured her in May, but adverse winds prevented her from escaping and the French recaptured her. In September, HMS Champion recaptured her off Gallipoli, Apulia. Bulldog returned to Portsmouth where she became a powder hulk. She was broken up at Portsmouth in December 1829


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the section through the fore part of the After Bomb Bed, and an inboard profile for Bulldog (1782), a 16-gun Ship Sloop, as proposed to convert her to Bomb Vessel in 1798. The reverse of the plan states that the same conversion in 1798 also relates to Zebra (1780), a 16-gun Ship Sloop.





HMS Perseus (1776) was a 20-gun sixth rate launched in 1776; she was the first vessel of the Royal Navy to be sheathed in copper. She was converted to a bomb vessel in 1799 and was broken up in 1805.
6th rate of 20 guns, built by Randall of Rotherhithe. Commissioned in 1776. In May 1787, under the command of Captain J Gibson, she was stationed in the Irish Sea, probably at Liverpool. In March 1792 she sailed for Jamaica being paid off December 1784. In May 1798 commissioned as a 'bomb' with ten guns. In 1799 joined operations at Naples Bay while commanded by Captain Edward James Foote and Alexandria, commanded by Cdr James Oswald. Broken up at Sheerness in 1805


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for building Perseus (1776) and Unicorn (1776), both 20-gun Sixth Rate Sloops at Rotherhithe by Messrs Randall. Signed by John WIlliams [Surveyor of the Navy, 1765-1784].

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bulldog
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-298767;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=B
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-338493;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=P


1801 - US Senate approves peace treaty with France ending undeclared Quasi War that began 1798


1806 – Launch of French Courageux was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of a two-ship sub-type of the Téméraire class that also comprised Marengo.

Courageux was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of a two-ship sub-type of the Téméraire class that also comprised Marengo.
She was started as Alcide, and renamed in 1802. She was commissioned on 8 April 1806 under Amable Troude. On 16 February 1809, she left Lorient as flagship of a squadron also comprising Polonais and Hautpoult.

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


1863 - The "double-ender" side wheel steam gunboat USS Sonoma captures the blockade running British bark Springbok during the Civil War.

The first USS Sonoma was a sidewheel gunboat that served in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Sonoma Creek in northern California, Sonoma County, California, and the town of Sonoma, California, that in turn were named for one of the chiefs of the Chocuyen Indians of that region.


Sketch signed "W.T. Smith, Havana, March 1863", depicting Sonoma in Bermuda harbor during late 1862 or early 1863. The British sloop Desperate is in the left distance, and the British merchantman (possibly blockade runner?) Gladiator is in the left center.
The original sketch was in colors.

Sonoma was launched by the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine, on 15 April 1862; sponsored by Miss Mary N. Bleecker; and commissioned on 8 July 1862, Commander Thomas H. Stevens, Jr. in command.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sonoma_(1862)
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/sonoma.htm


1917 - President Woodrow Wilson, in an address to Congress, severs diplomatic relations with Germany after the country decides on the first of the month to reintroduce the policy of unrestricted U-boat warfare.


1944 - PBY Catalinas and USAAF B-25s 5th Air Force aircraft attack a Japanese convoy west of New Hanover and sink a cargo ship, Nichiai Maru.


1944 - USS Tambor (SS 198) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks Goyu Maru and merchant tanker Ariake Maru about 200 miles southeast of Shanghai.

USS Tambor (SS-198), the lead ship of her class of submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tambor.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tambor_(SS-198)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
4 February 1779 - John Paul Jones takes command of Bonhomme Richard, from this day a warship of the Continental Navy


Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a warship in the Continental Navy. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray.



Origin
Bonhomme Richard was originally an East Indiaman named Duc de Duras, a merchant ship built at Lorient according to the plan drawn up by the King's Master Shipwright Antoine Groignard for the French East India Company in 1765. Her design allowed her to be quickly transformed into a man-of-war in case of necessity to support the navy. She made two voyages to China, the first in 1766 and the second in 1769. At her return the French East India Company had been dissolved, and all its installations and ships transferred to the French Navy. As a naval ship she made a voyage to Isle de France before being sold to private shipowners in 1771. She sailed in private service until she was purchased by King Louis XVI of France in early 1779 and placed under the command of John Paul Jones on 4 February. The size and armament of Duc de Duras made her roughly equivalent to half of a 64-gun ship of the line.

Jones renamed her Bon Homme Richard (usually rendered in more correct French as Bonhomme Richard) in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the American Commissioner at Paris whose Poor Richard's Almanac was published in France under the title Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard.



First patrols
On 19 June 1779, Bonhomme Richard sailed from Lorient accompanied by USS Alliance, Pallas, Vengeance, and Cerf with troop transports and merchant vessels under convoy to Bordeaux and to cruise against the British in the Bay of Biscay. Forced to return to port for repair, the squadron sailed again 14 August 1779. It went northwest around the west coast of the British Isles into the North Sea and then down the east coast. The squadron took 16 merchant vessels as prizes.

Battle of Flamborough Head
Further information: Battle of Flamborough Head

Bonhomme Richard on fire

On 23 September 1779, the squadron encountered the Baltic Fleet of 41 sail under convoy of HMS Serapis and HM hired armed vessel Countess of Scarborough near Flamborough Head. Bonhomme Richard and Serapis entered a bitter engagement at about 6:00 p.m. The battle continued for the next four hours, costing the lives of nearly half of the American and British crews. British victory seemed inevitable, as the more heavily armed Serapis used its firepower to rake Bonhomme Richard with devastating effect. The commander of Serapis finally called on Jones to surrender. He replied, "Sir, I have not yet begun to fight!" Jones eventually managed to lash the ships together, nullifying his opponent's greater maneuverability and allowing him to take advantage of the larger size and considerably more numerous crew of Bonhomme Richard. An attempt by the Americans to board Serapis was repulsed, as was an attempt by the British to board Bonhomme Richard. Finally, after another of Jones's ships joined the fight, the British captain was forced to surrender at about 10:30 p.m. Bonhomme Richard – shattered, on fire, leaking badly – defied all efforts to save her and sank about 36 hours later at 11:00 a.m. on 25 September 1779. Jones sailed the captured Serapis to the Dutch United Provinces for repairs.

Though Bonhomme Richard sank after the battle, the battle's outcome was one of the factors that convinced the French crown to back the colonies in their fight to become independent of British authority.


by Jean Boudriot

Search for the wreck
Bonhomme Richard's final resting location was the subject of much speculation. A number of unsuccessful efforts had been conducted to locate the wreck. The location was presumed to be in approximately 180 feet (55 m) of water off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, a headland near where her final battle took place. The quantity of other wrecks in the area and a century of fishing trawler operations had complicated all searches.

One season's attempts to locate and retrieve the ship, or some artifacts from her, using USNS Grasp were filmed for the Discovery Channel's Mighty Ships series in 2011. The U.S. Navy's mission was unsuccessful.

In 2018, the remains of the Bonhomme Richard were found off the coast of Filey, North Yorkshire, England, by the Land and Sea search team Merlin Burrows.


This 1/48 scale model of the Bonhomme Richard was constructed by father and son. Mr. Pierre Mailliere had originally started this build. Having passed away before having a chance to finish it, his son completed construction of this exquisit model over a period of 8 years. It is a true testament to fine craftsmanship.

http://modelshipbuilder.com/page.php?37




Planset: "Bonhomme Richard 1779" - scale 1:48
by Jean Boudriot translated by David H. Roberts
published by ancre:
https://ancre.fr/en/monograph/54-monographie-du-bonhomme-richard-1779.html

A detailed Planset / Mongraphie review you can find here:

https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/...-boudriot-translated-by-david-h-roberts.2164/





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Jones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_(1765)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
4 February 1781 - The Action of 4 February 1781


The Action of 4 February 1781 was a minor naval action that took place off the island of Sombero in the Caribbean during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch Warsoon after the British Capture of Sint Eustatius by Admiral George Rodney a day earlier.



St. Eustatius, a Dutch-controlled island in the West Indies, was an entrepot that operated as a major trading centre despite its relatively small size. The island was seized by a British force under Admiral George Rodney along with all the merchants ships in the harbour. Rodney received information that a fleet of about thirty large ships richly laden with sugar and other West India commodities had, just before his arrival, sailed from the island for the Netherlands under convoy of a flag ship of sixty guns. He immediately dispatched two ships of the line, the Monarch and Panther, with the frigate HMS Sybilin pursuit of them.


Stout defence of warship Mars against 3 English warships on 4 February 1781, NMM

The lone Dutch man-of-war Mars was no match for the three British ships and, after a fierce thirty minute pounding, the mortally wounded commander, Rear-Admiral Willem Krul, whilst dying, ordered his Captain Count Van Bijland to lower the flag. Eight of the Dutch crew were killed with another seven wounded which included Krul who was taken back to St. Eustatius where he was buried with full honours.

All thirty ships of the convoy were taken whilst the Mars was taken in under the Royal Navy as HMS Mars".


John May built Mars at the naval dockyard at Amsterdam in 1769 as a fifth rate for the Dutch Navy. The British Royal Navy captured her on 4 February 1781 at Saint Eustatia. The Navy took her into service as HMS Mars, but sold her on 25 March 1784. Richard Bush purchased Mars, retained her name, and had her fitted as an East Indiaman. Adams repaired her and took her measurements in 1786. She sailed to China in April 1786 and was wrecked in December 1787 shortly after her return to Britain.


lines & profile Signed by Nicholas Phillipps [Master Shipwright, Chatham Dockyard, 1779-1790]. NMM, Progress Book, volume 5, folio 262 states that 'Mars' was surveyed in Chatham Dockyard between 1 January 1782 and 12 February 1782.


HMS Monarch was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 July 1765 at Deptford Dockyard.


HMS Monarch in the lead, forcing the Passage of the Sound, 30 March 1801, prior to the Battle of Copenhagen

Monarch had a very active career, fighting in her first battle in 1778 at the First Battle of Ushant and her second under Admiral Rodney at Cape St. Vincentin 1780. She fought in the van of Graves' fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 under Captain Francis Reynolds. In early 1782 was actively engaged at the Capture of Sint Eustatius, Action of 4 February 1781, the Battle of Saint Kitts, the Battle of the Saintes and, the Battle of the Mona Passage. In 1795 she was deployed as part of the small fleet under Admiral George Elphinstone that captured the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch East India Company at the Battle of Muizenberg. In 1797 Monarch was Vice Admiral Richard Onslow's flagship at the Battle of Camperdown, under Captain Edward O'Bryen, and in 1801 she was part of Admiral Nelson's fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen, where her captain, James Robert Mosse was killed and she suffered over 200 casualties including 55 dead, the highest number of casualties of any ship engaged in the battle.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plans, sheer lines with stern quarter decoration, and longitudinal half-breadth proposed (and approved) for 'Monarch' (1765), and later applying to 'Ramilies' (1763), 'Invincible' (1765), 'Robust' (1764), 'Magnificent' (1766), and 'Marlborough' (1767), all 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. Signed by Thomas Slade [Surveyor of the Navy, 1755-1771].

In 1808, she helped escort the Portuguese royal family in its flight from Portugal to Brazil.
Monarch was broken up in 1813.


HMS Panther was a 60-gun fourth rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 June 1758 at Chatham Dockyard.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth for Panther (1758), Firm (1759), and Edgar (1758), all 60-gun Fourth Rate, two-deckers.

She served during the Seven Years' War, sailing for the far east to take part in the expedition against Manila. On 31 October 1761 Panther and Coventry Class 24-gun sixth-rate Argo captured the Spanish Galleon Santísima Trinidad in a two-hour action, loaded with cargo valued at $1.5 million.

Panther was fitted as a prison hulk at Plymouth Dockyard from 1807, and was broken up in 1813.


HMS Sibyl was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Sibyl was first commissioned in October 1778 under the command of Captain Thomas Pasley.


Scale 1:48. Plan showing the inboard profile plan for the Enterprize Class 1770: Enterprize (1774), Siren (1773), Fox (1773), Surprize (1774), Acteon (1775), Medea (1778), Serpine (1777), Andromeda (1777), Aurora (1777), Sibyl (1779), Brilliant (1779), Pomona (1778), Crescent (1779), Nemesis (1780), Resource (1778), Mercury (1779), Cyclops (1779), Vestal (1779), Laurel (1779), Pegasus (1779), and with modifications, written in green ink, for Hussar (1784), Rose (1783), Dido (1784), Thisbe (1783), Alligator (1787), Circe (1783), Lapwing (1785), all 28-gun, Sixth Rate Frigates building at various Royal and private yards. The reverse of the plan shows a section through the deck for the after Bitts as they appear face on, from upper deck to keel.

In 1783 Sibyl, Captain Vashon, was in company with HMS Alarm and Tobago when they encountered the American frigate Alliance, which was escorting USS Duc de Lauzun. An inconclusive engagement developed between Sibyl and Alliance that proved to be the last battle of the American Revolutionary War. Alarm and Tobago neither participated in the engagement nor captured Duc de Lauzun. Sibyl was renamed Garland in 1795.


A painting showing a model of the frigate 'Enterprise' in starboard-quarter view. It has been depicted fixed to a table base, with a label on the side that reads 'Enterprise 28 Guns 200 Men'. The finely detailed painting was part of a commission of twelve perspective paintings, each of a different class, ordered by King George III. Each was accompanied by a memorandum describing the improvements in design that had been introduced since 1745. The work of producing these perspectives from the original Navy Board plans of the ships was divided between two draughtsmen, Joseph Williams and J. Binmer, whilst Joseph Marshall painted all the pictures. Their task was completed in August 1775. The model of the 'Enterprise' is positioned in a corner of a room, implied by the decorated wall behind featuring classical figures, and a wall frieze. The painting is signed and dated 'J Marshall pt. 1777'.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_4_February_1781
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_frigate_Mars_(1769)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-329639;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Monarch_(1765)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-331830;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Panther_(1758)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-337512;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=P
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sibyl_(1779)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-310573;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=E

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
4 February 1783 - The Bourgogne, a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, wrecked


The Bourgogne was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Estates of Bourgogne. She was designed by Noël Pomet, commissioned in 1772, and served in the squadron of the Mediterranean, with a refit in 1775, and another in 1778.



On 4 May 1779, off Gibraltar, she took part in a naval action with Victoire against the 32-gun frigates HMS Thetis and Montreal. Montreal was captured, while Thetis managed to escape.

British records largely agree, though they put the encounter on 1 May. When Thetis and Montreal saw two large ships approaching under Dutch colours, they suspected that the strange ships were French and attempted to sail away. Thetis succeeded, but at 9p.m., Bourgogne and Victoire caught up with Montreal, came alongside, and ordered Douglas to send over a boat. Captain Douglas sent over Lieutenant John Douglas, whom the French ordered to Douglas to hail Montreal and instruct her to strike. Captain Douglas attempted to escape, but after the French had fired several broadsides into Montreal he struck.


Plan d'un vaisseau de 74 canons du même type que le Bourgogne

Bourgogne took part in the American Revolutionary War, most notably at the Battle of the Saintes, where she collided with Duc de Bourgogne

On 11 September 1781 Bourgogne and Aigrette were in the Chesapeake. There they captured the frigate HMS Richmond, which the French Navy took into service as Richemont.

Fate
She was wrecked on 4 February 1783, off Curaçao with the loss of 80 of her 840 crew.


La bataille de la Chesapeake à laquelle a participé le Bourgogne.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Bourgogne_(1766)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgogne_(1766)

 

[Uwek]

Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History
4 February 1804 - Boats of HMS Centaur (1797 - 74), Cpt. Murray Maxwell, cut out French corvette Curieux (16) as she lay under Fort Edward in Port Royal Harbour, Martinique


On 4 February, Centaur sent her boats to cut out the French 18-gun brig-corvette Curieux from the Carénage, under the guns of Fort Edward at Fort-Royal harbour, Martinique. In the fight, the French lost 40 men killed and wounded, and the British had nine men wounded, including all three officers leading the cutting out party. The British took Curieux into the navy as HMS Curieux. Her original commander was Lieutenant Robert Carthew Reynolds, who had led the cutting-out party, but he died of the wounds he had received in the attack. His replacement as her commander was Lieutenant George Bettesworth of Centaur, also a member of the cutting-out party.


Picturesque Views of the Diamond Rock... South East View of the Diamond Rock, with the Cannon being hauled up from the Centaur by the Cable (PAH9544)

HMS Centaur was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 March 1797 at Woolwich. She served as Sir Samuel Hood's flagship in the Leeward Islands and the Channel. During her 22-year career Centaur saw action in the Mediterranean, the Channel, the West Indies, and the Baltic, fighting the French, the Dutch, the Danes and the Russians. She was broken up in 1819.




Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan, sheer lines, and longitudinal half-breadth proposed (and approved) for 'Mars' (1794) and 'Centaur' (1797), both 74-gun Third Rate, two-deckers. While this draught is for one (unnamed) ship, both were ordered on 17 January 1788 to the same design. Signed by John Henslow [Surveyor of the Navy, 1784-1806].


HMS Implacable and Centaur, 27 August 1808 (BHC0587)


The Mars-class ships of the line were a class of two 74-gun third rates of the large class, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Henslow.

The two ships of the Mars class were the first large 74s since the Valiant class of 1759, carrying the heavier armament of 24 pdrs on their upper decks, as opposed to the 18 pdrs of the middling and common classes.

Ships

• HMS Mars

Builder: Deptford Dockyard
Ordered: 17 January 1788
Launched: 25 October 1794
Fate: Broken up, 1823

• HMS Centaur

Builder: Woolwich Dockyard
Ordered: 17 January 1788
Launched: 14 March 1797
Fate: Broken up, 1819


Curieux was a French corvette launched in September 1800 at Saint-Malo to a design by François Pestel, and carrying sixteen 6-pounder guns. She was commissioned under Capitaine de frégate Joseph-Marie-Emmanuel Cordier. The British captured her in 1804 in a cutting-out action at Martinique. In her five-year British career HMS Curieux captured several French privateers and engaged in two notable single-ship actions, also against privateers. In the first she captured Dame Ernouf; in the second, she took heavy casualties in an indecisive action with Revanche. In 1809 Curieux hit a rock; all her crew were saved but they had to set fire to her to prevent her recapture.



Design
Curieux was a prototype, and the only vessel of her class. Construction on the subsequent Curieux-class brigs started in 1803.

Capture
On 4 February 1804, HMS Centaur sent four boats and 72 men under Lieutenant Robert Carthew Reynolds to cut her out at Fort Royal harbour, Martinique. The British suffered nine wounded, two of whom, including Reynolds, later died. The French suffered ten dead and 30 wounded, many mortally. Cordier, wounded, fell into a boat and escaped. The British sent Curieux under a flag of truce to Fort Royal to hand the wounded over to their countrymen.

The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Curieux, a brig-sloop. Reynolds commissioned her but he had been severely wounded in the action and though he lingered for a while, died in September.

Reynold's successor was George Edmund Byron Bettesworth, who had been a lieutenant on Centaur and part of the cutting out expedition. Curieux's first lieutenant was John George Boss who had been a midshipman on Centaur and also in the cutting out expedition.

In June 1804, Curieux recaptured the English brig Albion, which was carrying a cargo of coal. Then, on 15 July, she captured the French privateer schooner Elizabeth of six guns.[4] That same day she captured the schooner Betsey, which was sailing in ballast.

In September Curieux recaptured the English brig Princess Royal, which was carrying government stores. Then in January 1805 Curieuxrecaptured an American ship, from St. Domingo, that was carrying coffee. The American had been the prize of a French privateer.


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the body plan with stern board decoration and name across the counter, the sheer lines with inboard detail and quarter gallery [figurehead missing], and longitudinal half-breadth for Curieux (captured 1804), a captured French Brig as taken off and fitted as an 18-gun Brig Sloop. The ship was at Plymouth to have defects made good between 17 July and 17 October 1805. Signed by Joseph Tucker [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1802-1813]. The top right corner is missing, including the area around the figurehead.

Curieux and Dame Ernouf
Then on 8 February 1805, Curieux chased the French privateer Dame Ernouf (or Madame Ernouf) for twelve hours before she able to bring her to action.[4] After forty minutes of hard fighting Dame Ernouf, which had a crew almost double in size relative to that of Curieux, maneuvered to attempt a boarding. Bettesworth anticipated this and put his helm a-starboard, catching his opponent's jib-boom so that he could rake the French vessel. Unable to fight back, the Dame Ernouff struck. The action cost Curieux five men killed and four wounded, including Bettesworth, who took a hit in his head from a musket ball. Dame Ernouf had 30 men killed and 41 wounded. She carried 16 French long 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 120. This was the same armament as Curieux carried, but in a smaller vessel. Bettesworth opined that she had fought so gallantly because her captain was also a part-owner. She was 20 days out of Guadeloupe and had taken one brig, which, however, Nimrod had recaptured. The British took Dame Ernouf into service as Seaforth, but she capsized and foundered in a gale on 30 September 1805. There were only two survivors.

On 25 February Curieux, under Bettesworth, captured a Spanish launch, name unknown, which she took into Tortola.

Lieutenant Boss was on leave at the time of the action but later took over as acting commander while Bettesworth recuperated. At Cumana Gut, Boss cut out several schooners and later took a brig from St. Eustatia. Curieux and the schooner Tobago cooperated in capturing two merchantmen lying for protection under the batteries at Barcelona, on the coast of Caraccas.

On 7 July, Curieux arrived in Plymouth with dispatches from Lord Nelson. On her way, she had spotted Admiral Villeneuve's Franco-Spanish squadron on its way back to Europe from the West Indies and alerted the Admiralty. Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Calder, with 15 ships of the line, intercepted Villeneuve on 22 July, but the subsequent Battle of Cape Finisterre was indecisive, with the British capturing only two enemy ships.

James Johnstone took command of Curieux in July 1805.[2] After refitting she sailed for the Lisbon station. On 25 November 1805 Curieux captured the Spanish privateer Brilliano, under the command of Don Joseph Advis, some 13 leagues west of Cape Selleiro. She was a lugger of five carriage guns and a crew of 35 men. Brilliano, which had been out five days from Port Carrel and two days before Cureuxcaptured her, had taken the English brig Mary, sailing from Lynn to Lisbon with a cargo of coal. Brilliano had also taken the brig Nymphe, which had been sailing from Newfoundland with a cargo of fish for Viana. The next day Curieux apparently captured San Josef el Brilliant.

On 5 February 1806, two years after her own capture, Curieux captured the 6-gun privateer Baltidore (alias Fenix) and her crew of 47 men. The capture occurred 27 leagues west of Lisbon after a chase of four hours. Baltidore had been out of Ferrol one month, during which time she had captured Good Intent, which had been sailing from Lisbon for London. About a month earlier, on 3 January, Mercury had recaptured Good Intent, which had been part of a convoy that Mercury had been escorting from Newfoundland to Portugal.


HMS 'Curieux' Captures 'Dame Ernouf', 8 February 1805, by Francis Sartorius Jr., National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Curieux and Revanche
In March 1806 John Sheriff took over as captain of Curieux. On 3 December 1807, off Barbados, Curieux, now armed with eight 6-pounders and ten 18-pounder carronades, engaged the 25-gun privateer Revanche, commanded by Captain Vidal. Revanche, which had been the slaver British Tar, was the more heavily armed (chiefly English 9-pounders, and one long French 18-pounder upon a traversing carriage on the forecastle) and had a crew of 200 men. Revanche nearly disabled Curieux, while killing Sheriff. Lieutenant Thomas Muir wanted to board Revanche, but too few crewmen were willing to follow him. The two vessels broke off the action and Revanche escaped. Curieux, whose shrouds and back-stays were shot away, and whose two topmasts and jib-boom had been damaged, was unable to pursue.

In addition to the loss of her captain, Curieux had suffered another seven dead and 14 wounded. Revanche, according to a paragraph in the Moniteur, lost two men killed and 13 wounded. Curieux, as soon as her crew had partially repaired her, made sail and anchored the next day in Carlisle Bay, Barbados. A subsequent court martial into why Muir had not taken or destroyed the enemy vessel mildly rebuked Muir for not having hove-to repair his vessel's damage once it became obvious that Curieux was in no condition to overtake Revanche.

Further service
In February 1808 Commander Thomas Tucker assumed command, to be succeeded by Commander Andrew Hodge. Lieutenant the Honourable Henry George Moysey, possibly acting, then took command. Under his command Curieux was engaged in the blockade of Guadaloupe, where she cut out a privateer from St. Anne's Bay, Jamaica.

On 18 February 1809, Latona captured the French frigate Felicité. Curieux shared in the prize money, together with all the other vessels that been associated in the blockade of the Saintes.

Loss
On 22 September 1809, at about 3:30am, Curieux struck a rock off Petit-Terre off the Îles des Saintes. The rock was 30 yards from the beach in 11 feet of water. At first light, Hazard came to her assistance and her guns and stores were removed. Hazard then winched Curieux off a quarter of a cable but she slipped back and ran directly onto the reef. There she bilged. All her crew was saved but the British burned her to prevent her recapture.[18] A court martial board found Lieutenant John Felton, the officer of the watch, guilty of negligence and dismissed him from the service. Moysey died the next month of yellow fever


Scale: 1:48. Plan showing the upper deck and lower deck with platforms for Curieux (captured 1804), a captured French Brig as taken off and fitted as an 18-gun Brig Sloop. The ship was at Plymouth to have defects made good between 17 July and 17 October 1805. Signed by Joseph Tucker [Master Shipwright, Plymouth Dockyard, 1802-1813].




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Centaur_(1797)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars-class_ship_of_the_line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Curieux_(1804)
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collec...el-300965;browseBy=vessel;vesselFacetLetter=C
http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!csearch;searchTerm=Curieux_(1804