HMS Caroline (1795) facts for kids

Caroline off Shakespeare Head by Thomas Buttersworth
Quick facts for kids History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Caroline
Ordered	24 May 1794
Cost	£24,560
Laid down	June 1794
Launched	17 June 1795
Completed	25 September 1795
Commissioned	July 1795
Fate	Broken up September 1815
General characteristics
Class and type	Phoebe-class fifth-rate frigate
Tons burthen	924 44⁄94 (bm)
Length	142 ft 6 in (43.4 m) (gundeck) 118 ft 9+1⁄2 in (36.2 m) (keel)
Beam	38 ft 3 in (11.7 m)
Depth of hold	13 ft 5+1⁄2 in (4.1 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Complement	264
Armament	Gundeck: 26 × 18-pounder guns QD: 8 × 9-pounder guns + 6 × 32-pounder carronades Fc: 2 × 9-pounder guns + 4 × 32-pounder carronades

HMS Caroline was a fast frigate of the Royal Navy with 36 guns. She was built in 1795 and played a big role in the Napoleonic Wars. A frigate is a type of warship that was smaller and faster than a ship of the line, used for scouting, protecting convoys, and raiding enemy ships.

Caroline was designed by Sir John Henslow. She was known for her speed, even though she could be a bit wobbly in the water. For most of her life, she served far from home in the East Indies. There, she helped capture important islands and fought against French and Dutch forces. Her last captain, Sir Christopher Cole, was very successful. Caroline was taken apart in 1815 after a long and busy career.

Building a Warship: HMS Caroline's Design

A drawing of the Caroline design.

Caroline was a 36-gun frigate. She was designed to be a longer version of an older ship called HMS Inconstant. The goal was to make her faster and better at sailing.

The designers made the spaces between the guns wider. This meant some guns had to be placed at the very ends of the ship. Because of this, the ship would sometimes pitch (rock back and forth) quite a lot in rough seas.

Speed and Protection Features

Caroline could sail at about 13 knots, which was fast for her time. However, this speed came with a trade-off: she was not as stable as some other ships. Like many ships built in the 1790s, Caroline had strong walls on her upper decks. These walls protected the crew and provided more places for guns.

Originally, smaller 6-pounder guns were planned for these new spots. But before she was even launched, these were upgraded to 9-pounders. She also got ten powerful 32-pounder carronades, which were short-range cannons.

Building and Armament Details

Caroline was ordered on 24 May 1794 and built in Rotherhithe. Her construction started in June 1794, and she was launched on 17 June 1795. She was 142 feet (43.4 meters) long on her main gun deck. Her widest point, called the beam, was 38 feet (11.6 meters).

The ship was finished and ready for duty on 25 September 1795. Her design and guns did not change much during her service. She carried twenty-six 18-pounder guns on her main deck. On her upper decks, she had eight 9-pounders and six 32-pound carronades. She also had two 9-pounders and four 32-pound carronades on her front deck.

Early Service: From North Sea to Lisbon

Caroline began her service in July 1795 under Captain William Luke. Her first job was with the North Sea Fleet. She worked closely with Admiral Adam Duncan.

In December 1795, she chased and captured a French 14-gun brig called Le Pandore. After less than a year, Caroline moved to the Lisbon Station. This meant she patrolled the waters from Cape Finisterre to the Spanish and Portuguese borders. Her job was to find and stop French ships and protect British merchant ships.

Patrolling and Captures (1796–1797)

In April 1796, Caroline captured an 18-gun French warship. On 23 May, she took a 10-gun French privateer, La Zenodene. A privateer was a private ship allowed by a government to attack enemy shipping.

In August 1796, she sailed into the Mediterranean Sea. There, she helped capture another French privateer, Rochellaire. In November, she captured the Spanish merchant ship Adriana. Her busy schedule continued into 1797. She captured two more Spanish merchant brigs, San Joseph and San Luis. In September, she sailed to the Cape of Good Hope.

Cadiz and More Captures (1798–1799)

Caroline continued her patrols around Cadiz and the Mediterranean. In 1798, she shared in the capture of several merchant ships. She also captured French privateers like Le Francois, Le Fortune, and Le Vainqueur.

On 29 June, she recaptured a British East India Company ship called Crescent. This ship had been taken by a French privateer. On 4 October, while patrolling with another frigate, HMS Flora, Caroline captured the French privateer Le President Parker. This led to a series of successes for Caroline. Her boats destroyed a 1-gun privateer, L'Esperance, and she captured the 10-gun privateer Le Baret.

In November, Captain Lord Henry Paulet briefly took command. Caroline and Flora captured a Spanish merchant ship and a French privateer, La Garonne. Captain William Bowen then replaced Paulet. On 4 December, Caroline captured the 12-gun privateer brig Le Ferailleur by tricking her.

Caroline stayed off Lisbon in 1799. She recaptured the British ship Jane and two other merchant vessels. She also captured French privateers L'Aventure and La Legere. On 24 June, she tracked a French fleet and reported its position. This helped the British chase the French fleet from Brest to the Mediterranean.

Blockade Duty (1800–1801)

On 15 January 1800, Caroline captured the 22-gun privateer Vulture without firing a shot. Vulture had been chasing a merchant brig. The frigate then captured a Danish merchant ship in April.

In late 1800, Caroline joined a squadron blockading Cadiz. A blockade means surrounding a port to stop ships from entering or leaving. On Christmas Day, she captured a French brig carrying cannons. In January 1801, she captured a French privateer. She also stopped a Swedish merchant brig. Caroline continued her duties off Cadiz until December 1801, when she returned to Portsmouth.

Journey to the East Indies

Benjamin William Page, captain of Caroline from 1802 to 1805.

In early 1802, Caroline was taken out of service at Portsmouth. She was repaired and updated at Woolwich until February 1803. She was put back into service on 9 November 1802 under Captain Benjamin William Page.

Caroline was quickly ordered to sail to the East Indies. Her mission was to deliver the news that Britain had declared war on France. She also had orders to stop all Dutch ships. Captain Page had to leave so fast that the ship was not fully ready for such a long journey.

Long Voyage and First Captures (1803)

On 28 May, Caroline saw HMS Victory capture a French frigate. Caroline shared in the prize money from this capture. A day later, she captured a French merchant brig.

On 2 August, off the Cape of Good Hope, Caroline captured a 6-gun Dutch privateer called Haasje. This ship was carrying secret messages from Napoleon to India. The news of war from Haasje caused Dutch ships to be seized and British merchant ships to travel in convoys.

The journey to the East Indies took 103 days, covering 13,000 miles. Caroline only stopped briefly for supplies. Amazingly, no men were lost to sickness on this long voyage. This showed how well-disciplined and clean the ship was. She arrived in the East Indies on 6 September and captured a French merchant ship the next day.

Protecting Convoys (1804)

For several months in early 1804, Caroline escorted convoys through the Bay of Bengal. Convoys are groups of merchant ships traveling together for protection. On 5 January, she captured an 8-gun French privateer called Les Frères Unis.

On 4 February, Caroline found a 26-gun privateer, Le Général du Caen. After a long chase, Caroline used her speed to get close enough to fire. The privateer then surrendered. These captures were important because they stopped these privateers from attacking British merchant ships. Captain Page received valuable swords as a reward from merchant communities in Bombay and Madras.

In March, Caroline became the lead escort for a valuable convoy sailing to and from China. In October, Caroline and the convoy survived a typhoon. During the storm, a sailor fell from the masts. After a dramatic rescue, he and six other men who went to save him all survived. The convoy reached Canton safely and returned in January 1805.

Java Campaign: A Major Battle

The capture of Maria Reijersbergen by Caroline on 18 October 1806.

In April 1805, Captain Peter Rainier took command of Caroline. She captured a French 14-gun privateer brig that same month.

In October 1806, Caroline was part of a squadron blocking the port of Batavia. A large Dutch fleet there was threatening British merchant ships. On 18 October, Caroline captured a small brig. The crew of this brig told Captain Rainier that a Dutch frigate, Phoenix, was being repaired nearby. Caroline set off to find her.

While searching, Caroline found two Dutch brigs. She captured the 14-gun brig Zeerob. The other brig escaped into Batavia, where it joined Phoenix and other Dutch warships. Phoenix tried to escape, but Caroline entered the harbor. She sailed straight for the 36-gun frigate Maria Reijersbergen, seeing her as the biggest threat.

Caroline fired at Maria Reijersbergen from very close range. After about 30 minutes of intense firing, the Dutch frigate surrendered. The other Dutch ships did not join the fight, making it a fair one-on-one battle. Maria Reijersbergen had 270 men, but Caroline was short 57 men because some were on other ships or in the hospital.

Caroline had three sailors killed and eighteen wounded. The Dutch ship had about 50 men killed or wounded and was badly damaged. Caroline fought in very shallow water, surrounded by dangerous sandbanks. Even though she couldn't chase the other ships, the Dutch ships, including six merchant vessels, ran themselves aground to avoid being captured.

On 27 November, a larger British squadron arrived to finish the job Caroline had started. They couldn't enter the shallow harbor, so they sent boats to attack the beached Dutch ships. The crew of Phoenix sank their own ship, and the British burned all the ships that had escaped Caroline. Maria Reijersbergen was taken into the Royal Navy and renamed HMS Java.

Hunting Dutch Warships (1807)

On 27 January 1807, Caroline was sailing near the Philippines. She spotted a strange ship and chased it. When Caroline got close enough, the ship raised Spanish flags. The enemy ship, though smaller, began to fire. Caroline returned fire, and the ship surrendered after 27 of its crew were killed or wounded.

The captured ship was the 16-gun St. Raphael, sailing as Pallas. She was carrying a huge treasure: 500,000 dollars in silver and 1,700 quintals (about 170,000 pounds) of copper. Caroline had only seven men wounded in this capture. However, many of her crew were sick, so she returned to port with only a small number of healthy sailors.

By June, Caroline was with Admiral Edward Pellew's squadron. She was sent with another frigate to find two Dutch warships that had escaped from Batavia. On 29 August, they found out the Dutch ships were in bad shape in the port of Gresik.

On 31 August, Caroline shared in the capture of the Dutch corvette Scipio. In September, Commander Henry Hart became Caroline's acting captain. On 20 October, the squadron left for Gresik.

Attack on Gresik (1807)

The squadron arrived on 5 December and attacked the port on 11 December. Caroline became Admiral Pellew's temporary flagship when his own ship got stuck. Caroline was right behind his ship and almost crashed into it. But quick thinking with an extra anchor saved Caroline from hitting the flagship.

The squadron then burned three Dutch warships and a large merchant ship, all of which the Dutch had sunk to prevent capture. They also destroyed the fort, its gun batteries, and the dockyard. Commander Hart led the landing party and the attack on the port's buildings.

This action meant the Dutch no longer had an active navy in the East Indies. The local leaders agreed to help the British with supplies to stop further destruction. After getting supplies and making repairs, the ships left Gresik on 17 December. Caroline then fought against shore batteries and gunboats at the entrance of Manila Bay. Even after four years in the hot climate, the crew still struggled with the heat and diseases.

Persian Gulf and Spice Islands

Ras-al-Khyma burns during the assault on 13 November 1809.

In early 1808, Caroline captured two merchant ships. On 21 December, Captain Charles Gordon took command. The frigate moved to the Persian Gulf in November 1809 to fight pirates.

That same month, Caroline helped destroy over eighty pirate ships at Ras-al-Khyma. This was a well-known pirate base. Caroline sailed with another frigate and several ships from the Bombay Marine. The smaller ships bombarded the coast on 12 November. Then, troops, including Captain Gordon and marines from Caroline, landed on 13 November.

By 10 a.m., the town was captured. By 4 p.m., all the pirate ships and naval storehouses were burned and destroyed. The troops left on 14 November. Caroline had only one man injured in this attack. One of her lieutenants later died from an illness caught during the fighting.

Capturing Banda Neira (1810)

The capture of Banda Neira on 9 August 1810. Caroline is the middle ship.

In early 1810, Captain Christopher Cole took command of Caroline. She briefly served as the flagship for Admiral William O'Bryen Drury. On 10 May, Caroline became the lead ship of a squadron. This group included another frigate, a brig-sloop, and a gun-brig.

The gun-brig carried 100 soldiers, money, and supplies for a recently captured island. On the way, the squadron stopped to pick up artillerymen, two field guns, and twenty scaling ladders. Their goal was to attack Banda Neira, a heavily guarded island.

The squadron reached Banda Neira on 8 August. They tried to enter the harbor at night but were fired upon and had to retreat. Instead, small boats were launched with soldiers and sailors. The weather turned bad with rain and thunder, scattering many boats. Only 200 men, with just 40 soldiers, were left for the attack.

A full-scale attack was impossible, so the boats aimed for two gun batteries. The Dutch expected a landing in a different spot, so the attackers had the element of surprise. They landed in the rain and quickly took a 10-gun battery without any losses. Twenty minutes later, they attacked Fort Belgica, a major fort with 52 cannons.

The attack was successful when they scaled the outer walls. The rain made it hard for the Dutch to fire their cannons. The attackers rushed the main gate, which had been opened for Dutch officers. The fort's commander and ten Dutch soldiers were killed, and many others were captured.

Map of Fort Belgica, captured by Caroline and her squadron.

In the morning, the ships entered Banda Neira's harbor with Caroline in the lead. The remaining batteries fired, but shots from the captured Fort Belgica and a threat to storm Fort Nassau ended the island's defense. The British captured 120 guns and 700 Dutch soldiers without losing a single man.

Caroline's first lieutenant, John Gilmour, commanded the frigate while Captain Cole was ashore, even though he was very ill. He later took the captured flags to Admiral Drury. Captain Cole received a silver cup and two swords as gifts for this victory. The capture was worth a lot of money, especially from the valuable spices found there. Caroline sailed for Madras on 15 August for repairs. In September, she brought the new governor to Banda Neira.

Invasion of Java and Return Home

Christopher Cole, the last captain of Caroline.

In 1811, Caroline joined Admiral Drury's forces to prepare for an attack on Java. On 6 March, Admiral Drury suddenly died. Captain Cole continued the preparations until other senior officers arrived later that year. By the time they arrived, Cole had almost finished getting everything ready for the invasion.

On 4 August, a large force arrived at Chillingching Bay, east of Batavia. Caroline was the lead frigate, tasked with covering the landing of the invasion forces on the beaches. They found no enemy forces defending the landing site. Two gun batteries meant to guard the area were unfinished. So, Captain Cole ordered 8,000 men to land immediately from the frigates' boats. They landed successfully before the Dutch could respond. Caroline did not take part in further fighting during the invasion.

Captain Cole was personally thanked for his actions by the Governor-General of India Lord Minto. The invasion was a success. Caroline was chosen to take the news of the victory back to Britain. She arrived on 15 December, completing the voyage in 94 days. This was one of the fastest trips from the East Indies at that time. Captain Cole was knighted in 1812 for his service. The crew of Caroline gave him a sword and a letter thanking him for his kindness and bravery.

End of Service

After her long service, Caroline was taken out of active duty at Portsmouth in January 1812. In November 1813, she was used as a salvage ship. Her job was to help lift the wreck of a large 100-gun warship, HMS Queen Charlotte, which had exploded in 1800. Caroline was finally taken apart at Deptford in September 1815.

Prizes Captured by Caroline

Ships captured or destroyed by Caroline
Date	Ship	Nationality	Type	Fate	Ref.
1 December 1795	Le Pandore	French	14-gun brig	Captured
April 1796	Not recorded	French	18-gun corvette	Captured
23 May 1796	La Zenodene	French	10-gun privateer polacre	Captured
20 August 1796	Rochellaire	French	Privateer	Captured
5 November 1796	Adriana	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
16 February 1797	San Joseph	Spanish	Merchant brig	Captured
5 July 1797	San Luis	Spanish	Merchant brig	Captured
18 February 1798	Umbarca Souda	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
27 February 1798	El Carmen	Spanish	Privateer	Captured
26 April 1798	Constanza	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
19 March - 26 April 1798	Le Francois	French	Privateer	Captured
19 March - 26 April 1798	Le Fortune	French	Privateer	Captured
19 March - 26 April 1798	Le Vainqueur	French	Privateer	Captured
9 May 1798	Strella de Mare	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
29 June 1798	Crescent	British	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
21 July 1798	Il Terrice	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
18 September 1798	Virgin d'Idra	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
4 October 1798	Bird	British	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
4 October 1798	Le President Parker	French	12-gun privateer	Captured
16 October 1798	L'Esperance	French	1-gun privateer	Destroyed
20 October 1798	Le Baret	French	10-gun privateer	Captured
20 October 1798	Nostra Senora de Misericordia	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
20 October 1798	San Joseph	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
21 November 1798	El Bolante	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
23 November 1798	La Garonne	French	10-gun privateer	Captured
4 December 1798	Le Ferailleur	French	12-gun privateer brig	Captured
25 January 1799	L'Intrepide	French	Privateer	Captured
27 January 1799	Jane	British	Letter of marque	Recaptured
January 1799	Drie Vrienden Hoy	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
January 1799	Nymph	British	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
14 February 1799	L'Aventure	French	Privateer	Captured
February 1799	Six Sisters	British	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
19 April 1799	La Legere	French	Privateer	Captured
31 August 1799	La Resolve	French	Privateer	Captured
26 December 1799	El Fleche	French	Privateer	Captured
26 December 1799	La Voiture	French	Privateer	Captured
15 January 1800	La Ventour	French	22-gun privateer	Captured
8 April 1800	Young Johannes	Danish	Merchant vessel	Captured
25 December 1800	Good Friends	French	Merchant brig	Captured
21 January 1801	Le Regulus	French	4-gun privateer xebec	Captured
1 February 1801	Active	Swedish	Merchant brig	Detained
5 October 1801	Prince of Wales	British	Merchant vessel	Recaptured
January–February 1802	Tito	Spanish	Merchant vessel	Captured
28 May 1803	L'Ambuscade	French	32-gun frigate	Captured
29 May 1803	La Bonne Mere	French	Merchant brig	Captured
2 August 1803	Haasje	Dutch	6-gun privateer	Captured
3 August 1803	Henrica Johanna	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Detained
7 September 1803	Petite Africaine	French	Merchant vessel	Captured
5 January 1804	Les Frères Unis	French	8-gun privateer	Captured
4 February 1804	Le Général du Caen	French	26-gun privateer	Captured
April 1805	Gautavie	French	14-gun privateer brig	Captured
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant brig	Captured
18 October 1806	Zeerob	Dutch	14-gun brig	Captured
18 October 1806	Maria Reijersbergen	Dutch	36-gun frigate	Captured
18 October 1806	Phoenix	Dutch	36-gun frigate	Destroyed
18 October 1806	William	Dutch	20-gun gun-sloop	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Patriot	Dutch	18-gun sloop	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Zeeplong	Dutch	14-gun brig	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
18 October 1806	Not recorded	Dutch	Merchant vessel	Destroyed
27 January 1807	St Raphael	Spanish	16-gun treasure ship	Captured
31 August 1807	Scipio	Dutch	18-gun corvette	Captured
11 December 1807	Revolutie	Dutch	68-gun ship-of-the-line	Destroyed
11 December 1807	Pluto	Dutch	68-gun ship-of-the-line	Destroyed
11 December 1807	Kortenaar	Dutch	68-gun sheer hulk	Destroyed
11 December 1807	Ruttkoff	Dutch	40-gun merchant vessel	Destroyed