HMS Phoebe (1795) facts for kids
Capture of Néréide by HMS Phoebe, on 20 December 1797, by Thomas Whitcombe, 1816
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Great Britain |
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| Name | HMS Phoebe |
| Ordered | 24 May 1794 |
| Builder | John Dudman, Deptford Wharf |
| Laid down | June 1794 |
| Launched | 24 September 1795 |
| Honours and awards |
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| Fate | Sold 1841 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Phoebe-class frigate |
| Type | 36-gun 18-pounder fifth rate |
| Tons burthen | 9268⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
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| Beam | 38 ft 3 in (11.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 15 ft 5+1⁄2 in (4.7 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Ship rigged |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Complement | 264 |
| Armament |
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HMS Phoebe was a fast 36-gun frigate of the Royal Navy. She served for almost 20 years. During her long career, she fought in three major wars: the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812. Her crews earned six special awards (called clasps) for their bravery in battle. Phoebe sailed to many parts of the world, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and both North and South America. After her active service, she was used as a supply ship and then became a hulk (a ship that floats but cannot sail). She was finally sold in 1841.
Contents
Building a Warship: HMS Phoebe
The Admiralty (the government department in charge of the navy) ordered Phoebe on 24 May 1794. She was one of four new frigates designed to be faster than older ships. John Dudman's shipyard on the River Thames started building her in June 1794.
She was named Phoebe in February 1795 and launched on 24 September 1795. After launching, she moved to Deptford Dockyard to be finished. By December, she was ready for service.
Battles in the French Revolutionary Wars
Phoebe began her service in October 1795 under Captain Robert Barlow. She patrolled the Irish coast and joined a squadron led by Sir Edward Pellew.
Capturing French Ships
On 10 January 1797, Phoebe chased and captured the French 16-gun brig Atalante off the Isles of Scilly. The chase lasted eight hours. The Royal Navy later used Atalante as one of their own ships.
In December 1797, Phoebe was part of a group of frigates watching the French port of Brest. On 22 December, Phoebe spotted the French 36-gun frigate Néréide. Phoebe chased Néréide for almost 12 hours. The ships exchanged cannon fire, and Néréide eventually surrendered. Phoebe had three sailors killed and 10 wounded. Néréide suffered much heavier losses, with 20 killed and 55 wounded. This was partly because Phoebes cannons fired much heavier shots. For this victory, Phoebes crew later received a special medal clasp.
Phoebe continued to capture French ships. On 11 October 1799, she captured the French privateer Grand Ferrailleur. This ship had 16 brass cannons and a crew of 121 men. In February 1800, Phoebe captured another privateer, Bellegarde, which had 14 guns and 114 men.
The Heureux Encounter
On 5 March 1800, Phoebe captured the privateer Heureux in the English Channel. Heureux was a powerful ship with 22 cannons and 220 men. She mistook Phoebe for a merchant ship and came very close. When Heureux realized her mistake, she fired at Phoebe, hoping to damage her masts and sails to escape.
Phoebe fired back, and Heureux was forced to surrender. Phoebe had three sailors killed or badly wounded and three slightly wounded. Heureux suffered 18 killed and 25 wounded. Captain Barlow described Heureux as a very well-built ship. The British Navy took her into service as HMS Heureux.
The Africaine Battle
On 19 February 1801, Phoebe spotted a French ship near Gibraltar. Captain Barlow chased the ship for over two hours. When Phoebe finally caught up, a fierce battle began. After about two hours, the French ship surrendered. She was badly damaged, with water in her lower deck and many of her cannons broken.
The captured ship was the French frigate Africaine. She had 26 large cannons and 18 smaller ones. She was carrying 315 sailors and 400 soldiers to reinforce French forces in Egypt. The French reported very high casualties, with 200 killed and 143 wounded. This was because many French soldiers stayed on the upper deck, making them easy targets.
Phoebe had only one man killed and 12 wounded. Her masts and sails were damaged, but she managed to reach Port Mahon. The British Navy took Africaine into service under her original name. For this victory, Captain Barlow was knighted, and his first officer was promoted. Phoebe's crew also received another medal clasp.
Adventures in the Napoleonic Wars
After a change of captains, Phoebe sailed to the Mediterranean Sea in September 1802. In 1803, while based in Malta, her small boats tried to attack two French privateers, but the British were pushed back, losing eight men.
In 1804, Phoebe joined Admiral Nelson's fleet near Toulon. On 13 June, Phoebe and another British ship prepared to attack two French frigates. However, the French fleet came out of port, and the British ships rejoined their main squadron.
Phoebe also captured several other ships during this time, including Venscab (with HMS Childers), Cacciatore, Paulina, and Sesostris.
The Battle of Trafalgar
In April 1805, Phoebe brought important news to Nelson: the French fleet had escaped from Toulon. Nelson began a long chase across the Atlantic. While Nelson was away, Phoebe was part of a small group of frigates protecting Sicily, Sardinia, and the route to Egypt. Later, Phoebe joined the blockade of Cadiz, a Spanish port.
In October, Phoebe and other frigates were watching the Combined French and Spanish Fleet in Cadiz. On 19 October, Phoebe was the first to spot the enemy fleet leaving port and quickly told Nelson. For the next two days, the frigates followed the enemy, reporting their movements.
During the famous Battle of Trafalgar, Phoebe helped relay Nelson's signals to the rest of the British fleet. She stayed close to the action but did not directly fight the enemy. After the battle, a strong storm hit. Phoebe helped save two captured enemy ships, Swiftsure and Bahama, from being lost in the storm.
North Sea and Baltic Missions
In January 1806, Captain James Oswald took command of Phoebe. She then served in the North Sea and the English Channel. In July, Phoebe was sent to the Shetland Islands to find a French squadron that was attacking British and Russian ships. Although Phoebe didn't find them, another British ship, Blanche, captured a French ship called Guerriere. Phoebe then sailed to the West Indies.
In April 1809, Captain Hassard Stackpoole took command, and Phoebe sailed to the Baltic Sea. There, she captured several Russian vessels. In August, Captain James Hillyar became her new commander. In 1810, Phoebe was in the Gulf of Livonia, where her boats captured many more ships.
After repairs in Plymouth, Phoebe sailed for the East Indies in July 1810.
Indian Ocean Adventures
By November 1810, Phoebe was off the island of Rodrigues, preparing for a joint attack to capture the Île de France (now Mauritius). The expedition arrived on 28 November, and the French forces surrendered on 3 December.
In March 1811, Phoebe survived two powerful hurricanes in the Indian Ocean. She then took part in the Battle of Tamatave. In this battle, Phoebe fought another French frigate named Néréide. The British captured a French ship called Renommée, and Néréide surrendered a few days later. Phoebe had seven sailors killed and 24 wounded. Néréide suffered around 130 casualties. Phoebe's crew received another medal clasp for this battle.
The Java Campaign
On 3 August 1811, Phoebe joined the fleet for the invasion of Java. On 31 August, Phoebe and other frigates were sent to capture Cheribon, a seaport. They arrived on 3 September, and the fort surrendered the next morning without a fight.
On 11 September, Phoebe and HMS Nisus sailed to Taggal, another port. Captain Hillyar, with a landing party of sailors and marines, took control of the fort and its supplies without resistance. On 17 September, the British fleet sailed to Surabaya. They learned that the Dutch and French forces had already surrendered the day before. British troops landed and took control of the area on 20 September.
For their part in the Java campaign, Phoebe's surviving crew members later received a medal clasp. Phoebe returned to Plymouth, England, in January 1812.
The War of 1812
On 9 April 1812, Phoebe sailed with a group of merchant ships (a convoy) to Quebec, Canada. She returned to England in August. After bringing important messages from Halifax, Canada, she underwent repairs.
In late 1812, Phoebe captured two American schooners (small, fast ships). One was the Vengeance, an American armed merchant ship carrying sugar and coffee. The Royal Navy later used Vengeance as HMS Telegraph. The other was Hunter, a privateer (a privately owned armed ship) with 14 guns and 100 men. Hunter had to throw 12 of her guns overboard during the chase.
A few days later, Phoebe, along with HMS Elephant and HMS Hermes, captured the American privateer schooner Swordfish near the Azores islands. Swordfish had 82 men and originally 12 guns, but she threw 10 overboard during the 11-hour chase.
On 18 March 1813, Phoebe left Portsmouth with a convoy for Brazil and the East Indies. In July, Phoebe, along with HMS Cherub and HMS Racoon, sailed around Cape Horn to the Juan Fernández Islands. Phoebe and Cherub stayed there to search for the American frigate USS Essex. Captain Hillyar had strict orders to capture Essex "at all costs."
The Battle with USS Essex
On 8 February 1814, Phoebe and Cherub found USS Essex in Valparaíso, a neutral port. Captain Hillyar trapped Essex in the harbor for six weeks, preventing her captain, David Porter, from escaping.
Finally, on 28 March, Captain Porter tried to break out of the harbor. A sudden strong wind (a squall) broke Essexs main mast. Porter tried to return to the harbor, but Phoebe and Cherub forced Essex into a nearby bay. A short but fierce battle followed, and Phoebe and Cherub defeated Essex. They also captured Essexs smaller support ship, Essex Junior.
In the battle with Essex, Phoebe had four men killed and seven wounded. Cherub had one killed and three wounded. The British reported that Essex had 24 killed and 45 wounded. For this important victory, the surviving crew members of Phoebe and Cherub received another medal clasp.
On 31 May, Phoebe and the captured Essex sailed for England. The British Navy repaired Essex and took her into service as HMS Essex.
End of Service
Phoebe was taken out of active service in 1814 and stored at Plymouth in August 1815. For a few years, from 1823 to 1826, she served as a receiving ship and a supply ship. In 1826, she became a hulk at Plymouth, meaning she was no longer able to sail and was used for storage or as a floating barracks. Phoebe was finally sold for breaking up (dismantling) in 1841.
Images for kids
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The Phoebe captures the Essex (I).
