HMS Orpheus was a 32–gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1780, and served for more than a quarter of a century, before she was wrecked in 1807.[1][2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Orpheus |
| Ordered | 2 October 1778 |
| Builder | Adams & Barnard, Deptford |
| Laid down | 7 July 1779 |
| Launched | 3 June 1780 |
| Completed | By 15 July 1780 |
| Fate | Wrecked on 23 January 1807 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 32-gun fifth-rate Amazon-class frigate (1773) frigate |
| Tons burthen | 68866⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 35 ft 2+1⁄4 in (10.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 220 |
| Armament |
|
American War of Independence
editOn 14 April 1781, Orpheus and HMS Roebuck captured the USS Confederacy off the Delaware. The Royal Navy briefly took her into service as HMS Confederate.[3]
In March 1782, Orpheus captured the American letter of marque Navarro. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Polecat.
French Revolutionary Wars
edit1792 Orpheus sailed to the leeward Island under the command of Captain Henry Newcombe, 1793 sailed to the East Indies. On 5 May 1794, Orpheus captured the French frigate Duguay Trouin, the former East Indiaman Princess Royal, which the French had captured on 27 September 1793.
On 22 June 1796 Orpheus was in the Straits of Banca, where she captured the Dutch brig Harlingen. The British took Harlingen into service as HMS Amboyna.
In August 1797 Orpheus was reported as being in Madras and Captain William Hill was appointed commander.
On 7 May, 1800 she was anchored in the Sunda Strait.[4]
Napoleonic Wars
editOn 16 April 1806, Orpheus, Captain Thomas Briggs, was in company with the revenue cutter Badger. They shared in the proceeds of the capture of two merchant vessels, Vrou Fingina and Vyf Gesusters.[Note 1]
Fate
editOrpheus, under the command of Captain Thomas Briggs, arrived off Jamaica from England in the evening of 22 January 1807. Being short of water, Briggs decided to try to sail her into Port Royal, rather than wait for a pilot. Around midnight Orpheus grounded on a reef that was not accurately marked on her charts. Efforts to lighten her failed and she took on water. When the water reached her main deck, the crew took to the boats, abandoning her.[6]
Notes
editCitations
edit- ^ Winfield. British Warships in the Age of Sail. p. 203.
- ^ Colledge. Ships of the Royal Navy. p. 252.
- ^ Winfield p. 218
- ^ "Naval Documents related to the Quasi-War Between the United States and France Volume Part 3 of 4 Naval Operations January to May, 1800, April 1800-May 1800 Pg. 486" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "No. 17020". The London Gazette. 6 June 1815. p. 1081.
- ^ Hepper (1994), p. 116.
References
edit- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
- Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-86176-295-5.