HMS Ariel (1777) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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 Great Britain |
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| Name | HMS Ariel |
| Ordered | 3 July 1776 |
| Builder | John Perry & Co, Blackwall Yard |
| Laid down | July 1776 |
| Launched | 7 July 1777 |
| Completed | 12 August 1777 |
| Commissioned | July 1777 |
| Captured | By the French Navy on 10 September 1779 |
.svg){kind=small}  France & US |
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| Name | Ariel |
| Acquired | Captured on 10 September 1779 |
| Out of service | Lent to the Continental Navy between October 1780 and June 1781 |
| Fate | Burnt in March 1793 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 20-gun Sphinx-class sixth-rate post ship |
| Displacement | 650 tons (French) |
| Tons burthen | 43519⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
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| Beam | 30 ft 3 in (9.2 m) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 7+1⁄2 in (2.9 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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HMS Ariel was a British warship from the 1700s. She was a 20-gun Sphinx-class post ship, which was a type of smaller warship in the Royal Navy. In 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, the French captured her. She then served for the French Navy and later for the American Continental Navy. Eventually, she went back to French control. In 1793, her French crew sank Ariel to stop the British from taking her back.
Contents
HMS Ariel: British Service
The British Navy ordered Ariel on July 3, 1776. She was built by John Perry & Co. at Blackwall Yard. Her construction started in July 1776, and she was launched on July 7, 1777.
Early Missions and Captures
Ariel began her service in July 1777 under Captain John Jackson. She patrolled the North Sea in August 1777 and then sailed to North America on November 7.
In 1778, Ariel captured several American ships. On March 31, while commanded by John Becher, she helped capture the frigate USS Virginia . The British Navy later used this ship as HMS Virginia.
On May 25, 1778, under Captain Charles Phipps, Ariel captured the schooner General Scott. A few days later, on May 31, she chased a sloop until it got stuck near Currituck, North Carolina. Bad weather stopped the crew from boarding it.
Ariel also captured the sloop Fanny on June 4. Later, on August 27, 1778, she captured the 16-gun American brig Resistance. This brig had left Boston ready for battle. Ariel then burned Resistance.
Ariel also shared in the money from capturing other ships between January 2 and September 14. These included several sloops, brigs, and schooners. On May 12, Ariel chased a French ship called Gaston until its crew ran it aground near Cape Hatteras. The crew sank and left Gaston. Ariel saved some of Gaston's cargo before burning the rest.
More Captures and New Commanders
Ariel then chased two schooners, one named Trader's Increase, ashore and burned them. On May 14, Ariel chased the schooner Two Friends ashore, captured it, and got it floating again.
Captain Charles Phipps took command of Ariel. On October 22, 1778, Phipps and Ariel captured the American privateer New Broom. They also captured the schooners Lark and Three Friends. New Broom had 16 guns and sailed from New London. The British Navy later used New Broom as Keppel.
In February of the next year, Captain Thomas Mackenzie became the new commander of Ariel.
Ariel Captured by the French
On September 11, 1779, Ariel was sailing near Charleston, South Carolina. She saw another ship and went to investigate. Captain Mackenzie did not know that a large French fleet, led by Admiral d'Estaing, was in the area. As Mackenzie got closer, he realized the ship was a frigate, with two smaller ships. It was not responding to his signals.
Mackenzie decided to sail towards the Georgia shore. But the frigate slowly caught up to Ariel. Mackenzie had no choice but to fight. The enemy ship was the 32-gun French frigate Amazone, commanded by Lieutenant Lapérouse. After about 90 minutes of fighting, Ariel lost her main mast and all her ropes. Four men died, and 20 were wounded. Mackenzie then surrendered Ariel.
Admiral d'Estaing immediately exchanged the crews of Ariel and HMS Experiment (which he had captured earlier) for French prisoners. The French Navy then took the captured ship into their service, also naming her Ariel.
USS Ariel: American Service
Ariel was repaired and refitted in France between March and October 1780. The French then lent her to the American Continental Navy in October. She served briefly as USS Ariel.
John Paul Jones's Command
John Paul Jones took command of Ariel in France. He changed her rigging to make her sail better. He also removed 10 of her 26 guns to make space for more cargo. However, loading the ship and getting other vessels to carry the extra cargo caused delays.
Ariel, along with two merchant ships, Luke and Duke of Leinster, left L'Orient on September 5. These ships were carrying important supplies for the American forces. But strong winds kept them in Groix Roads for over a month. They finally sailed on October 7.
The Great Storm
The very next day, one of the worst storms in French history hit the coast. Many ships were destroyed. Ariel lost all her masts, started leaking, and was badly damaged. Only Captain Jones's excellent sailing skills kept her afloat. She managed to limp back to Groix Roads on October 12.
Luke also made it back to port, but sailed away before Ariel was repaired. A British warship then captured Luke. There is no record of Duke of Leinster after October 7, so she likely sank during the hurricane.
Ariel's Journey to America
It took more than two months for Ariel to be ready to sail again. She finally left on October 18. Jones left much of Ariel's weapons in France. He chose a southern route, hoping to avoid meeting the British Navy.
Still, when Ariel was about 200 miles north of the Leeward Islands, a lookout spotted a large ship approaching. Jones did not want to risk his partly armed ship and the vital cargo it carried. He reluctantly tried to escape. Jones hoped to lose the other ship during the night. But the next morning, the ship was still there and even closer.
Jones then decided to pretend Ariel was a British warship. When the other ship was close enough to talk, Jones demanded that its captain identify himself. The ship was the 20-gun British privateer Triumph, commanded by John Pindar. Jones ordered Pindar to come aboard Ariel with his papers. When Pindar refused, Jones opened fire. His surprised enemy quickly surrendered after a short fight.
However, after Triumph had given up, Pindar quickly moved his ship away while Ariel was lowering a boat to send a crew over. Triumph then escaped.
Arrival in Philadelphia
This was John Paul Jones's last battle for American freedom. Soon after, he had to stop a small plot by some English sailors he had hired. These sailors, who were former British prisoners of war, planned to take over Ariel. Jones put the troublemakers in chains.
The rest of the trip was calm. Ariel finally reached Philadelphia on February 18, 1781. She carried much-needed military supplies. These included 437 barrels of gunpowder, 146 chests of weapons, and a lot of medicine.
In early March, Ariel was still in port unloading her cargo. She fired a salute to celebrate Maryland joining the Articles of Confederation. This created the new nation's first central government.
In early June 1781, Jones gave Ariel to Anne-César, Chevalier de la Luzerne, who was the French minister to the United States. He put a French crew on board for the trip back to France.
Ariel: Back in French Service
In May, Latouche-Tréville put sailors from the French cutter Guêpe on Ariel. Guêpe had been wrecked in February 1781. The frigate Hermione then escorted Ariel to Newport. This is where the French squadron, led by Barras, was anchored.
In September 1782, Ariel and Surveillante captured the merchant ship Grand Duc off the coast of Spain. The French navy briefly used Grand Duc. Then, they sold her in 1783 at Brest.
Ariel's Final Fate
After the French lost the Battle of Neerwinden, her crew sank Ariel in the Scheldt River in March 1793. They did this to prevent the British from capturing her again. The people of Bruges then took her weapons and supplies.
