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Amphion3041
Nominal Guns32BWAS-1793
NationalityGreat BritainBWAS-1793
OperatorThe Royal NavyBWAS-1793
Ordered1796/06/11BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down1796/07BWAS-1793
Named1796/12/16BWAS-1793
Launched1798/03/19BWAS-1793
How acquiredBuilt by ContractBWAS-1793
ShipyardMistleythorne BWAS-1793
Ship ClassAmphion ClassBWAS-1793
Designed byWilliam Rule BWAS-1793
ConstructorJames Betts BWAS-1793
CategoryFifth RateBWAS-1793
Ship TypeFrigate BWAS-1793
Sunk as Breakwater1820/11BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck144' 0 ½"Imperial Feet43.9039
Length of Keel121' 6 ⅞"Imperial Feet37.0554
Breadth37' 7 ¼"Imperial Feet11.4618
Depth in Hold12' 6"Imperial Feet3.81
Burthen914 4094Tons BM 

Armament

1798/05Broadside Weight = 324 Imperial Pound ( 146.934 kg) BWAS-1793
Gun Deck26British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck4British 6-Pounder
Quarterdeck4British 24-Pounder
Forecastle2British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2British 24-Pound Carronade
1802Broadside Weight = 24 Imperial Pound ( 10.884 kg) BWAS-1793
Forecastle2British 24-Pound Carronade
1802/05Broadside Weight = 360 Imperial Pound ( 163.26 kg) BWAS-1793
Gun Deck26British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck8British 24-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck2British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2British 24-Pounder
Crew Complement
Date# of MenNotesSource
1798/05254EstablishmentBWAS-1793
Flag Officers
FromToRankNameSource
1803/05/231803/07/30Vice-Admiral of the BlueLord Horatio NelsonBWAS-1793
Commanders
FromToRankNameSource
1798/051801CaptainRichard Henry Alexander BennetBWAS-1793
1802/051802/09CaptainAlexander FraserBWAS-1793
1802/10/011803/07/30CaptainThomas Masterman HardyBWAS-1793
1803/07/301805/10/13CaptainSamuel SuttonBWAS-1793
1803/10/131812/04CaptainWilliam HosteBWAS-1793
1813/051815CaptainJames Pattison StewartBWAS-1793
18151815/10CaptainJohn Brett PurvisBWAS-1793
1815/101818/10CaptainWilliam BowlesBWAS-1793
1818/10/211819CaptainWilliam Bateman DashwoodBWAS-1793
Commissioned Officers
FromToRankNameSource
1813/051814/03LieutenantWilliam Bridges ChampionBWAS-1793
1815/10/031816/04LieutenantWilliam Bohun BowyerNBD1849
Petty Officers
FromToRankNameSource
1798/031801MidshipmanThomas BennettNBD1849
18031803MidshipmanJohn BinghamNBD1849
1803/081805MidshipmanBenjamin BayntonNBD1849
18041807MidshipmanWilliam BranderNBD1849
1805/101811/01/10MidshipmanThomas BoardmanNBD1849
Service History
DateEvent Source
1798/03/19Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard BWAS-1793
1798/07/06Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard at a cost of £7709.0.0dBWAS-1793
1798/12/20Sailed for Africa and thence to JamaicaBWAS-1793
1799/11/25Took with Alarm the Spanish Privateer **Astuzzana** 
1799/11/25Took the Privateer Asturias  
1799/11/25Took the Privateer Astuzzana  
1801/11Began refitting at Chatham Dockyard BWAS-1793
1802/01Completed refitting at Chatham Dockyard at a cost of £8091.0.0dBWAS-1793
1802/05RecommissionedBWAS-1793
1802/10/01Appointed to take Lord Fitzgerald as Ambassador to PortugalBWAS-1793
1802/10/25Sailed for LisbonBWAS-1793
1802/11/25Arrived in LisbonBWAS-1793
1803/01/23Ordered to be paid off and recommissionedW004
1803/03/11Sailed for Cork to obtain more seamenW004
1803/05/23Sailed for the Mediterranean as flagship of Lord Horatio Nelson 
1803/06/03Arrived in GibraltarW004
1803/06/15Arrived at MaltaW004
1803/06/20Passed the Faro of MessinaW004
1803/07/07Joined the Mediterranean fleet off ToulonW004
1803/07/30 Victory arrived and Nelson transfered to her, taking captain Thomas Masterman Hardy with him 
1804/10/05In company with Indefatigable , Lively engaged and took four Spanish frigates at the 3rd Battle of Cape St Vincent 
1804/10/05Present at the Battle of Cape St Maria 
1805/10/13Joined the fleet at Lisbon where captain Samuel Sutton was replaced due to ill health 
1805/10/15Sailed to transfer bullion from the Royal Sovereign to the Aurora at Gibraltar, then sailed on a diplomatic mission to Algiers 
1805/10/25Arrived off AlgiersW004
1805/10/28Left Algiers after delivering letters from Horatio Nelson and taking some live bullocks on board 
1805/11/09Arrived at GibraltarW004
1806/03Detached to join Sir Sidney Smith's squadron guarding Sicily 
1806/05Arrived off SicilyW004
1806/06Amphion's boats stormed a castle at Cirello in CalbriaW004
1806/07/01Covered the British landings that lead to the battle of Maida on the 4th JulyW004
1806/07/14In company with Crafty landed troops of the 78th Regiment to attack two French bases at Cantazaro and Crotone 
1806/07/26Amphion fired on French reinforcments marching on the coast road from CantazaroW004
1806/08/04Returned to PalermoW004
1808/05/12Attacked and drove ashore the Storeship Baleine in the Bay of Rosas on the Franco - Spanish borderTODO
1808/11/07Joined the blockade of TriesteW004
1808/11/08Rescued two British naval officers who had escaped imprisonment in FranceW004
1809/02Returned to the Adriatic after a refit at MaltaW004
1809/02/08Boats landed on the island of Meleda and destroyed storesW004
1809/02/08Boats landed on the island of Meleda and destroyed stores, Cutting out a Brig and a TrabaccolaBWAS-1793
1809/04/23Present at the Bombardment of Pesaro 
1809/08/27Boats from the Amphion stormed a fort at the mouth of the Piave river, and took prize 6 gunboats (See notes)BWAS-1793
1810Returned to Malta for a refitW004
1810/03Left Malta as flagship of a squadron to be based at Lissa 
1810/06/28Boats from the squadron attacked the forts defending the harbour of Grao, taking fourteen merchant vessels prize and burning a further elevenBWAS-1793
1810/06/28Boats from the squadron attacked the forts defending the harbour of Grao, taking five merchant vesselsW004
1810/10/06Sighted a Franco-Venetian squadron and were pursued near AnconaW004
1810/10/20Returned to Ancona with the full squadron, but the harbour was emptyW004
1810/10/30Aphion was in collision with Volage , both ships returned to Malta for repairs 
1811/02Returned to the AdriaticW004
1811/03/13British flagship at the Battle of LissaTRN5
1811/03/13Present at the Battle of Lissa 
1811/03/25The squadron and their prizes left Lissa for MaltaW004
1811/03/31Arrived at MaltaW004
1811/04/02Sailed for England in company with Volage and the prize shipsTRN5
1811/07/11Arrived off the Needles, then sailed to Greenwich, paid off and laid up for repairsW004
1812/04Began large repair at Deptford Dockyard BWAS-1793
1813/05Recommissioned for the North SeaBWAS-1793
1813/06Completed large repair at Deptford Dockyard BWAS-1793
1813/12/08Amphion's crew occupied the island of SchowenW004
1813/12/09Boats from the Amphion captured a Frnech battery on TholenW004
1814/03/16Amphion's boat attacked some vessels in the West Scheldt. Lieutenant William Brydges Champion was mortally woundedTODO
1815/10Part of a convoy escort from Cork to BermudaW004
1818Part of a convoy escort In the BrazilsW004
1818/10/21William Bateman Dashwood was posted out of the Creole to return Amphion to EnglandTRN5
1819Paid off (early in the year)BWAS-1793
1820/11Sunk as Breakwater at WoolwichBWAS-1793
1822/10Fitted for distressed seamen at Deptford (is date meant ot by 1820/10?)BWAS-1793
1823/09Remains sold to Joliffe and Banks for £168BWAS-1793

Notes on Ship
 
The prizes taken on the 27 August 1809 were the Venetian gunboats **Surveillante** and **Vedette**, mounting one long 26-pounder in the bow, one long 12-pounder in the stern and four swivels. as well as gunboats numbered 64, 76, 77 and 78 all mounting a single 12-pounder. In addition two Trabaccolos were taken and five burnt. First Lieutenant [Charles George Phillot|Phillott] was promoted to commander dated from the day of the action, Lieutenant [George Matttew Jones|Jones] being promoted to first lieutenant.

At the [Battle of Lissa] the **Amphion** had 15 killed, including midshipmen Spearman and Hayes and the boatswain, Richard Unthank and 47 wounded, including captain [William Hoste|Hoste] and the first lieutenant [David Dunn]

An Epitaph to [William Brydges Champion] was rasied in the Scheld, the text reads

Here lies the body of William Brydges Champion
first lieutenant of His Britannic Majesty’s frigate Amphion
(commanded by captain James Pattison Stewart)
one of th
 
Sources
IDDescriptionAuthorType
BWAS-1793 British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 - 1817Rif WinfieldBook
NBD1849 A Naval Biographical Dictionary 1849O'BrienDigital Book
W004 Ships of the Old NavyMichael PhilipsWeb Site
TODO Todo a BaborUnknownWeb Site
TRN5 The Royal Navy : a history from the earliest times to the present Vol VWilliam Laid ClowesDigital Book
 
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