HMS Vestal (1779)
History | |
---|---|
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Vestal |
Ordered | 18 March 1778 |
Builder | Robert & John Batson, Limehouse |
Laid down | 1 May 1778 |
Launched | 24 December 1779 |
Completed | 25 February 1780 (at Deptford Dockyard) |
Commissioned | November 1779 |
Honours and awards | Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt"[1] |
Fate | Sold February 1816 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate |
Tons burthen | 601 35⁄94 (bm) |
Length |
|
Beam | 33 ft 8+1⁄2 in (10.3 m) |
Depth of hold | 11 ft 0.5 in (3.366 m) |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Complement | 200 officers and men |
Armament |
|
HMS Vestal was a 28-gun
American Revolutionary War
Vestal was first commissioned in November 1779 under the command of Captain George Keppel.
On 3 September 1780, she captured Mercury which was transporting Henry Laurens, the United States' minister to Holland.[2]
On 15 March 1783, the Vestal along with British frigates Astraea and Duc de Chartres captured the Massachusetts letter of marque the Julius Caesar.[3] Julius Caesar was a privateer of eighteen 9-pounder guns and carried a crew of 100 men under the command of Captain Thomas Benson, of Salem. Her captors sent Julius Caesar to New York City where the Vice admiralty court condemned her.[4] The Vestal also captured the ship Tyger, taken to the Court of Vice-Admiralty in Bermuda.[5]
French Revolutionary Wars
Vestal took part in the action of 22 August 1795 between British and Dutch frigate squadrons off the Norwegian coast.
On 14 April 1797, Vestal, under the command of Captain Charles White, captured the French privateer schooner Voltiguer, formerly the lugger Venguer, some seven leagues off Flamborough Head. Voltiguer was armed with eight 3-pounder guns and eight swivel guns, and had a crew of 40 men, 14 of whom were away on prizes. She was 12 days out of Calais and had captured a brig and two sloops. White took Voltiguer into the Humber.[6]
Next, Vestal captured
Because Vestal served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 2 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the
Notes and citations
- Notes
- d; a fifth-class share, that of a seaman, was worth 3s 11½d. The amount was small as the total had to be shared between 79 vessels and the entire army contingent.[8]
- Citations
- ^ "No. 21077". The London Gazette. 15 March 1850. pp. 791–792.
- ^ Tuchman, Barbara (9 March 1988). First Salute: A View of the American Revolution. Random House LLC.
- ^ "No. 12804". The London Gazette. 14 November 1786. p. 553.
- ^ American War of Independence at Sea: Julius Caesar. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ John Lenis (?), Registrar of the Court of Vice-Admiralty (4 April 1783). A List of Prizes Captured and brought into the Port of Bermuda between the 4th day of April 1782 and the 4th day of April 1783 (Report). British Government National Archives at Kew. p. 27 (back).
National Archives reference: CO 37/39/14; Number of prize: 96
- ^ "No. 14001". The London Gazette. 11 April 1797. p. 338.
- ^ "No. 14010". The London Gazette. 16 May 1797. p. 447.
- ^ "No. 17915". The London Gazette. 3 April 1823. p. 633.
References
- Robert Gardiner, The First Frigates, Conway Maritime Press, London 1992. ISBN 0-85177-601-9.
- David Lyon, The Sailing Navy List, Conway Maritime Press, London 1993. ISBN 0-85177-617-5.
- Rif Winfield, ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.