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HMS Armada (1810)
Encyclopedia
HMS Armada was a Royal Navy
74-gun third-rate
ship of the line
. She was launched on 23 March 1810 by Mrs Pridham, the wife of the Mayor of Plymouth, Mr Joseph Pridham. After a relatively undistinguished career, Armada was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth
. She was the first ship to carry the name.
commissioned her. On 9 Nov 1810, Armada was among the vessels in sight when the 36-gun fifth rate Curacoa captured the French privateer Venus. Then on 22 November, Armada was in the company of the 74-gun Northumberland
when Northumberland captured the 14-gun French privateer ketch
Glaneuse of Saint Maloes
, under the command of a Dane, Mr. Anthe Haste. Glaneuse was only six months old and was six weeks into her first cruise, having made no captures. An able seaman's share of the prize money was 14s
3¾d.
On 1 February 1811 Armada was one of a number of vessels that were in company when Hero captured the American schooner
Beauty.
On 23 July 1813, the seas pushed Armada into range of French batteries at Borgidhero. The batteries opened fire but the shots went over Armada. Armada landed her marines
who captured the eastern battery and then entered the battery on the point of Borgidhero after the French had tried to blow it up. The marines spiked the guns
. The landing party took fire from the nearby town so the frigates accompanying Armada fired on the town while the landing party burnt some vessels on the shore. Armada suffered two men wounded in the engagement.
On 4 November 1813 Armada arrived off Cap Sicié and the next day was involved in a skirmish with a French squadron off Toulon
. Admiral Sir Edward Pellew's inshore squadron consisted of the 74-gun third rates Scipion, Mulgrave
, Pembroke
, and Armada, Captains Henry Heathcote, Thomas James Maling, James Brisbane
, and Charles Grant. The 74-gun third rate Pompée
, Captain Sir James Athol Wood
, joined them. These vessels opened fire on the French fleet consisting of 14 sail of the line and seven frigates, which had sortied from Toulon on a training exercise. Pellew and the main body of his force soon arrived to join the fray. Neither side accomplished much as the French rapidly returned to port. Armada had no casualties though one shot did hit her, and in all the British suffered 12 men wounded by enemy fire and one man killed and two wounded in an accident. Pellew mentioned in his letter that the only reason he had reported the incident was to provide an accurate account to counteract French propaganda. The French suffered 17 wounded.
On 9 December Armada was with a squadron under Captain Josiah Rowley of America
and assisted in supporting the landing of troops at Via Reggio
. Armada had met up with the squadron, which had sailed up from Palermo, off Corsica a few days earlier. The troops, 1000 men of the Italian Levy under the command of Lieut-Colonel Catanelli, marched inland and captured Lucca
. They then returned to Via Reggio. There was further fighting around Pisa and Via Reggio before the expedition re-embarked aboard the British warships.
In November and December Berwick
and Euryalus
made a number of captures. Armada shared in the prize money by agreement with Berwick. Armada benefited from for the St Anne and two French ships taken on 13 and 16 November, the schooner Air taken on 11 December, and the Antoine Camille and
Resurrection taken on 17 December. The prize money was denominated in "Dollars", "R." and "Dbles.", with Grant receiving over 2205 dollars. An ordinary seaman received over 10 dollars.
On 12 February 1814 Armada was a part of the fleet off Toulon that chased a French squadron into that port. Armada herself did not take part in any action.
On 23 April, Armada and Curacoa, together with 12 Sicilian gunboats, arrived at Savona
to support a British and Sicilian force beseiging the fortress there. When the French commander declined to surrender, the British warships, the gunboats and a battery commenced a cannonade. After an hour the French capitulated. Under the terms of surrender they were permitted to march out and return to Italy. The British and Sicilian force captured 110 cannon.
On 1 September Armada was escorting ten merchant vessels to Gibraltar. Some 200 miles west of Ushant
, they encountered the sloop USS Wasp
, which was operating out of L'Orient. Wasp made for the convoy and singled out the brig Mary, laden with iron and brass cannon and other military stores, which she quickly captured, carrying off Marys crew as prisoners before burning her. Wasp then attempted to take another ship in the convoy, but Armada was able to chase her off.
, and remained so for the rest of her life. The Armada was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth
.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
74-gun third-rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
. She was launched on 23 March 1810 by Mrs Pridham, the wife of the Mayor of Plymouth, Mr Joseph Pridham. After a relatively undistinguished career, Armada was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. She was the first ship to carry the name.
Service
Captain Adam MackenzieAdam Mackenzie
Adam Mackenzie was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 13 March 1790, to Commander on 22 June 1796, and to Captain on 2 September 1799. He died on 13 November 1823.-HMS Pylades:...
commissioned her. On 9 Nov 1810, Armada was among the vessels in sight when the 36-gun fifth rate Curacoa captured the French privateer Venus. Then on 22 November, Armada was in the company of the 74-gun Northumberland
HMS Northumberland (1798)
HMS Northumberland was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at the yards of Barnard, Deptford and launched on 2 February 1798....
when Northumberland captured the 14-gun French privateer ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
Glaneuse of Saint Maloes
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
, under the command of a Dane, Mr. Anthe Haste. Glaneuse was only six months old and was six weeks into her first cruise, having made no captures. An able seaman's share of the prize money was 14s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
3¾d.
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Beauty.
On 23 July 1813, the seas pushed Armada into range of French batteries at Borgidhero. The batteries opened fire but the shots went over Armada. Armada landed her marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
who captured the eastern battery and then entered the battery on the point of Borgidhero after the French had tried to blow it up. The marines spiked the guns
Touch hole
A touch hole is a small hole, through which the propellant charge of a cannon or muzzleloading gun is ignited. In small arms, the flash from a charge of priming held in the flash pan is enough to ignite the charge within...
. The landing party took fire from the nearby town so the frigates accompanying Armada fired on the town while the landing party burnt some vessels on the shore. Armada suffered two men wounded in the engagement.
On 4 November 1813 Armada arrived off Cap Sicié and the next day was involved in a skirmish with a French squadron off Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. Admiral Sir Edward Pellew's inshore squadron consisted of the 74-gun third rates Scipion, Mulgrave
HMS Mulgrave (1812)
HMS Mulgrave was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 1 January 1812 at Upnor.Mulgrave was hulked in 1836, and broken up in 1854....
, Pembroke
HMS Pembroke (1812)
HMS Pembroke was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 27 June 1812 at Blackwall Yard.She was fitted with screw propulsion in 1855, transferred to the Coastguard in 1858, and used as a base ship from 1887....
, and Armada, Captains Henry Heathcote, Thomas James Maling, James Brisbane
James Brisbane
Captain Sir James Brisbane, CB was a British Royal Navy officer of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Although never engaged in any major actions, Brisbane served under both Lord Howe and Horatio Nelson and performed important work at the Cape of Good Hope, prior to the Battle of...
, and Charles Grant. The 74-gun third rate Pompée
French ship Pompée (1793)
Pompée was a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the Siege of Toulon, Captain Poulain, her commanding officer, joined the British. She fled Toulon when the city fell to the French Republicans and sailed to Britain....
, Captain Sir James Athol Wood
James Athol Wood
Sir James Athol Wood , British rear-admiral. Younger brother of Sir Sir Mark Wood, 1st Baronet. After serving on merchant ships for the East India Company from a young age, he entered the Royal Navy in 1774. Wood served in the navy for almost his whole life, and took part in several of the wars...
, joined them. These vessels opened fire on the French fleet consisting of 14 sail of the line and seven frigates, which had sortied from Toulon on a training exercise. Pellew and the main body of his force soon arrived to join the fray. Neither side accomplished much as the French rapidly returned to port. Armada had no casualties though one shot did hit her, and in all the British suffered 12 men wounded by enemy fire and one man killed and two wounded in an accident. Pellew mentioned in his letter that the only reason he had reported the incident was to provide an accurate account to counteract French propaganda. The French suffered 17 wounded.
On 9 December Armada was with a squadron under Captain Josiah Rowley of America
HMS America (1810)
HMS America was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 21 April 1810 at Blackwall Yard.In 1827 America was cut down into a fourth rate, and was broken up in 1867....
and assisted in supporting the landing of troops at Via Reggio
Viareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
. Armada had met up with the squadron, which had sailed up from Palermo, off Corsica a few days earlier. The troops, 1000 men of the Italian Levy under the command of Lieut-Colonel Catanelli, marched inland and captured Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
. They then returned to Via Reggio. There was further fighting around Pisa and Via Reggio before the expedition re-embarked aboard the British warships.
In November and December Berwick
HMS Berwick (1809)
HMS Berwick was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 11 September 1809 at Blackwall.Berwick was broken up in 1821....
and Euryalus
HMS Euryalus (1803)
HMS Euryalus was a Royal Navy Apollo Class frigate of 36 guns, which saw service in the Battle of Trafalgar and the War of 1812. During her career she was commanded by three prominent naval personalities of the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic period, Henry Blackwood, George Heneage Dundas and...
made a number of captures. Armada shared in the prize money by agreement with Berwick. Armada benefited from for the St Anne and two French ships taken on 13 and 16 November, the schooner Air taken on 11 December, and the Antoine Camille and
Resurrection taken on 17 December. The prize money was denominated in "Dollars", "R." and "Dbles.", with Grant receiving over 2205 dollars. An ordinary seaman received over 10 dollars.
On 12 February 1814 Armada was a part of the fleet off Toulon that chased a French squadron into that port. Armada herself did not take part in any action.
On 23 April, Armada and Curacoa, together with 12 Sicilian gunboats, arrived at Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
to support a British and Sicilian force beseiging the fortress there. When the French commander declined to surrender, the British warships, the gunboats and a battery commenced a cannonade. After an hour the French capitulated. Under the terms of surrender they were permitted to march out and return to Italy. The British and Sicilian force captured 110 cannon.
On 1 September Armada was escorting ten merchant vessels to Gibraltar. Some 200 miles west of Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
, they encountered the sloop USS Wasp
USS Wasp (1814)
USS Wasp was a sloop-of-war that served in the U.S. Navy in 1814 during the War of 1812. She was the fifth US Navy ship to carry that name....
, which was operating out of L'Orient. Wasp made for the convoy and singled out the brig Mary, laden with iron and brass cannon and other military stores, which she quickly captured, carrying off Marys crew as prisoners before burning her. Wasp then attempted to take another ship in the convoy, but Armada was able to chase her off.
Fate
By 1815 the Armada was out of commission at PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, and remained so for the rest of her life. The Armada was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
.