HMS Eurydice (1781) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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 Great Britain |
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| Name | HMS Eurydice |
| Ordered | 24 July 1776 |
| Builder | Portsmouth Dockyard |
| Laid down | February 1777 |
| Launched | 26 March 1781 |
| Completed | 3 June 1781 |
| Honours and awards |
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" |
| Fate | Broken up in March 1834 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 24-gun Porcupine-class post ship |
| Tons burthen | 521.3 (bm) |
| Length |
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| Beam | 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m) |
| Draught |
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| Depth of hold | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 160 (140 by 1815) |
| Armament |
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HMS Eurydice was a 24-gun sailing ship of the Royal Navy. It was built in 1781 and served for a long time, until 1834. During its career, the ship took part in several major conflicts. These included the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. Eurydice captured many enemy privateers (ships used by private citizens to attack enemy shipping). It sailed in different parts of the world, like the East and West Indies, the Mediterranean Sea, and near Britain and America.
Contents
Building and Starting Service
The order to build Eurydice was given on July 24, 1776, at Portsmouth Dockyard. Construction began in February 1777. The ship was officially launched on March 26, 1781. It was ready for service by June 3, 1781. Building and fitting out the ship cost about £12,391. Its first captain was George Wilson, who took command in March 1781.
Ship's Adventures
Serving in the American War of Independence
Captain Wilson first sailed Eurydice to the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. The ship arrived at Frigate Bay, St Kitts, in January 1782. Eurydice was present at the important Battle of the Saintes on April 12, 1782. After the battle, it returned to Britain carrying important messages.
In April 1782, Captain George Courtnay took command. The ship then served in the English Channel and near the Channel Islands. In October 1782, Eurydice captured a French ship called Amis near Île de Batz.
Eurydice was taken out of service for a short time between 1782 and 1783. It was put back into service in April 1783. An 18-year-old sailor named Fletcher Christian joined the ship on April 25, 1783. He later became famous for leading the mutiny on the Bounty. Eurydice was the first Royal Navy ship Christian served on.
The ship's next journey was to the East Indies, sailing there on April 10, 1783. In Madras (now Chennai, India) on May 24, 1784, Christian was promoted to Acting Lieutenant.
Eurydice returned to Britain and was taken out of service again in July 1785. It then had some repairs and was prepared for sea again. In June 1788, Captain George Lumsdaine took command.
Fighting in the French Revolutionary Wars
Captain Lumsdaine sailed Eurydice to the Mediterranean Sea in November 1788. As war with Revolutionary France seemed likely, the ship was prepared for battle in 1793. Captain Francis Cole took command in April 1793.
On June 8, 1794, Eurydice was part of a group of British ships near Guernsey. They met a larger French fleet. The British commander, Sir James Saumarez, cleverly ordered Eurydice (his slowest ship) to safety. He then tricked the French ships into coming close to Guernsey's shore guns. Saumarez then sailed his ships through a narrow, rocky passage, escaping the French fleet. There is a memorial plaque at Castle Cornet in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, that shows this event.
In January 1795, Eurydice was in Plymouth when war broke out between Britain and the Netherlands. The ship shared in the money from the Dutch ships that were held in port at that time.
Captain Thomas Twysden took command in 1795, followed by Captain Richard Bennet in 1796. During this time, Eurydice protected convoys of merchant ships and patrolled the seas. Some of the crew were unhappy with how they were treated. In April, they sent a petition to the Admiralty (the Navy's leaders), complaining about some officers. Captain Bennett was later removed from his command, and the ship was taken out of service until a new captain was found.
Back in Action
Eurydice was put back into service in August 1796 under Captain John Talbot. It was sent to the North Sea. The ship captured several French privateers: Sphinx in December 1796, Flibustier in February 1797, and Voligeur in March 1797.
On November 10, 1799, Eurydice chased and captured the French privateer Hirondelle near Beachy Head. This privateer had attacked a British coal ship called Diana. Eurydice rescued the Diana and helped its wounded crew member.
In April 1800, Eurydice helped recapture another ship, the brig Adventure, which had been taken by an enemy.
After repairs, Captain Walter Bathurst took command in January 1801. In May 1801, Bathurst captured the privateer Bougainville in the Atlantic Ocean. This ship was from Saint Malo and had 14 guns and a crew of 67.
Eurydice sailed for the East Indies in October 1801. After returning to Britain, it was repaired again in 1803. In September 1803, Captain John Nicholas took command. Under him, the ship escorted a group of merchant ships to Quebec, leaving Britain in May 1804.
Napoleonic Wars
Captain William Hoste took command in November 1804. Eurydice served under him in the Mediterranean Sea throughout 1805.
In November 1804, Eurydice helped recapture a British ship called Lord Eldon that had been taken by Spanish gunboats.
Eurydice captured another privateer, Mestuo La Solidade, in October 1805. Then, Captain Sir William Bolton took command in December. The ship spent 1806 and 1807 in the English Channel. Acting-Captain David Ramsey took over in August 1808.
Later, under Captain James Bradshaw, Eurydice was part of the British forces that captured Martinique in February 1809. Years later, in 1847, sailors who were there received a special medal called the "Naval General Service Medal" with a "Martinique" clasp.
From 1809 to 1811, Eurydice was stationed in North America and the West Indies. It made many patrols from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship then returned to Britain and was kept in storage at Deptford from 1812 to 1814. It had temporary repairs and was prepared for sea again in 1814.
After the Wars and Final Days
Eurydice was put back into service in August 1814 under Captain Valentine Gardner. By June 1815, Captain Robert Spencer was in command, and the ship was serving near Ireland. Its last time at sea was off St Helena under Captain Robert Wauchope, who took command in April 1816.
In February 1818, a merchant ship called Atlas found a Portuguese ship carrying 360 enslaved people from Mozambique. Atlas sent the ship to the Cape of Good Hope, where Eurydice stopped it.
In January 1819, while the ship Hibernia was transporting people from England to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), some of its crew caused problems. The captain of Hibernia asked Captain Wauchope of Eurydice for help. Twelve men from Hibernia joined Eurydice's crew, and Eurydice sent three men to Hibernia. This helped solve the crew shortage on Hibernia.
Eurydice was stored at Deptford in December 1819 and moved to Woolwich in 1821. It was then set up as a receiving ship (a ship used as a floating barracks or base) from August 1823 to January 1824. It served in this role for the rest of its career. Finally, HMS Eurydice was taken apart (broken up) at Deptford in March 1834.
