HMS Amazon (1795)
 Original profile plan of Amazon and her sister ship, Emerald, built to the same lines and dimensions.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Amazon |
| Namesake | Amazons[1] |
| Ordered | 24 May 1794 |
| Builder | Wells & Co., Rotherhithe |
| Laid down | June 1794 |
| Launched | 4 July 1795 |
| Completed | 25 September 1795 at Deptford Dockyard |
| Commissioned | July 1795 |
| Fate | Wrecked, 14 January 1797 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Amazon-class fifth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen | 933 67⁄94 bm |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 38 ft 4 in (11.68 m) |
| Depth of hold | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Complement | 264 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Amazon, was a 36-gun
Construction and armament
Amazon was a 36-gun,
The original Amazon-class were 32-gun, 12-pounder, frigates of 677 tons (bm), designed by
Amazon and her sister ship
Work began in June at
Amazon was built to carry a main battery of twenty-six 18-pounder (8.2-kilogram)
The
Service
Amazon was first commissioned in July 1795 for service in the English Channel.[6] Launched on 4 July, under Captain Robert Carthew Reynolds, she joined Sir Edward Pellew's frigate squadron, watching the port of Brest for any attempt by the French fleet to put to sea.[6][12]
On 20 March 1796, Amazon and Pellew's ship, the 44-gun
Amazon, Indefatigable, the 44-gun Argo, the 38-gun Révolutionnaire and the 36-gun Concorde[12] were cruising off Ushant, late in the afternoon of 13 April, when a ship was seen to windward. Pellew ordered Révolutionnaire to sail an intercepting course while the rest of the squadron gave chase. Révolutionnaire eventually cut off the quarry, which turned out to be the French 32-gun frigate, Unité, and after a brief exchange of fire, forced her to surrender.[12] A week later, on 20 April, Amazon was again in pursuit of an enemy frigate. With Argo in Plymouth and Révolutionnaire on her way home with her prize, the three remaining British frigates were lying-to off The Lizard, when the 40-gun Virginie was spotted.[14] Indefatigable, being the best sailer, was first to engage, after a 168 nmi (311 km) chase, lasting 15 hours. When Amazon and Concorde caught up, the French ship surrendered.[15] She was taken into Plymouth where Indefatigable and Amazon, having been damaged in the engagement, underwent repairs.[16]
Two French navy corvettes were sighted about eight leagues off Ushant while Indefatigable, Amazon, Concorde, Revolutionaire, and the 36-gun Phoebe, were cruising on 12 June. After a 24-hour chase, the squadron succeeded in capturing both. One was Blonde, of ten guns and 95 men, and the other was Trois Couleurs, of ten guns and 75 men. They were provisioned for a six-week cruise, and two days out of Brest but had captured nothing.[8][17] Amazon shared the prize money with the rest of the squadron. The prize money notice referred to "La Blonde, alias Le Betsey".[18] Amazon, Phoebe, Revolutionaire and Indefatigable, intercepted and detained five Spanish ships in September.[19] The same ships made three more captures at the beginning of October.[20][21]
On 11 December, Amazon was despatched to England with news that seven French
The 74-gun
Pellew was 7 nmi (13 km) ahead of Amazon when he first attacked the Droits de l'Homme. An hour-and-a-half later Amazon came up and poured a broadside into the Frenchman's quarter.[28] The two frigates attacked her from either side yawing to rake her while avoiding much of her return fire.[29] At 04:00 on 14 January, land was suddenly sighted ahead and the frigates broke off the attack and headed in opposite directions. Amazon, going north, and more severely damaged, was unable to wear and ran aground at Audierne Bay, Isle Bas.[30] Three crew had been killed during the battle and six more drowned, but the rest were able to reach shore. There the French captured them.[31] The heavy seas pounding her on the beach destroyed Amazon; the Droits de l'Homme, badly damaged in the battle, was also wrecked, with heavy casualties.[32]
The
Notes
- ^ Originally a series of four, by the time the first one had been launched, Rule had already drawn up plans for Naiad, an expanded version which was larger at 1,013 tons (bm), had a complement of 284 men and carried 38 guns.[6] A third design was unveiled in 1796, also with 38 guns but larger still at 1,038 tons (bm) and with a crew of 300 men. Two were ordered, one in April 1796 and a second in February 1797.[7]
- ^ The gun-rating of a vessel was the number of long guns it was designed to carry and did not always match its actual armament. Before 1817, carronades were not counted at all unless they were direct replacements for long guns.[9][10]
- ^ The second pair of Amazons were named Trent and Glenmore and were launched in 1796 on 24 February and 24 March, respectively.[6]
Citations
- ^ Manning & Walker p. 79
- ^ "Frigate". Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ Gardiner (2004) p. 56
- ^ Winfield (2008), pp. 193–196.
- ^ a b Gardiner (2012) p. 76
- ^ a b c d e f Winfield (2008), p. 148.
- ^ Winfield (2008), pp. 150–151.
- ^ a b c d e Winfield p. 148
- ^ Davies p.24
- ^ Ireland p.42
- ^ Henry pp. 13–17
- ^ a b c James (Vol.I) p. 321
- ^ a b "No. 13884". The London Gazette. 16 April 1796. p. 352.
- ^ James (Vol.I) pp. 324–325
- ^ James (Vol.I) p. 325
- ^ "No. 13887". The London Gazette. 26 April 1796. p. 388.
- ^ "No. 13902". The London Gazette. 18 June 1796. p. 576.
- ^ "No. 14006". The London Gazette. 2 May 1797. p. 402.
- ^ "No. 15119". The London Gazette. 26 March 1799. p. 295.
- ^ a b "No. 14039". The London Gazette. 22 August 1797. p. 815.
- ^ "No. 15349". The London Gazette. 28 March 1801. p. 351.
- ^ Clowes pp. 299-300
- ^ James (Vol.II) p. 6
- ^ Blunt pp. 25-26
- ^ James (Vol.II) pp. 7–8
- ^ James (Vol.II) p. 11
- ^ Clowes p. 302
- ^ a b James (Vol.II) p. 12
- ^ James (Vol.II) p. 13
- ^ James (Vol.II) p. 16
- ^ James (Vol.II) pp. 14 & 16
- ^ James (Vol.II) pp. 17–19
- ^ James (Vol.II) p. 17
References
- Blunt, Humphrey (1860). Perils and Panics of Invasion 1796-7-8. 1804-5, and at the Present Time. Cavendish Square, London.: T. C. Newby. OCLC 1313751819.
- Clowes, William Laird (1997) [1900]. The Royal Navy, A History from the Earliest Times to 1900, Volume IV. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
- Davies, David (1996). Fighting Ships. Fulham Palace Road, London.: Constable and Robinson Limited. ISBN 1-84119-469-7.
- Gardiner, Robert (2004). Warships of the Napoleonic Era: Design, Development and Deployment. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-108-3.
- Gardiner, Robert (2012). The Sailing Frigate: A History in Ship Models. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-295-0.
- Henry, Chris (2004). Napoleonic Naval Armaments 1792-1815. Botley, Oxford.: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-635-5.
- Ireland, Bernard (2000). Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail. Hammersmith, London.: Harper Collins Publishing. ISBN 0-00-762906-0.
- OCLC 634321885.
- James, William (2002) [1827]. The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume II, 1797–1799. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-906-9.
- Manning, T. D.; Walker, C. F. (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam. OCLC 213798232.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.
External links
- HMS Amazon, Naval Database
| Shipwrecks |
|
|---|---|
| Other incidents |
|
