| Melpomene | 5349 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal Guns | 38 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Nationality | Great Britain | BWAS-1793 | |
| Operator | The Royal Navy | BWAS-1793 | |
| Previously | French fifth rate frigate 'Le Melpomène' (1789) | BWAS-1793 | |
| Captured | 1794/08/10 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Shipyard | Unknown | BWAS-1793 | |
| Category | Fifth Rate | BWAS-1793 | |
| Ship Type | Frigate | BWAS-1793 | |
| Sold | 1815/12/14 | BWAS-1793 | |
Dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension | Measurement | Type | Metric Equivalent | BWAS-1793 |
| Length of Gundeck | 148' 2" | Imperial Feet | 45.1612 | Length of Keel | 123' 8 ¼" | Imperial Feet | 37.7 | Breadth | 39' 3" | Imperial Feet | 11.9634 | Depth in Hold | 13' 6" | Imperial Feet | 4.1148 | Burthen | 1,013 52⁄94 | Tons BM |
Armament | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1795/04 | Broadside Weight = 425 Imperial Pound ( 192.7375 kg) | BWAS-1793 | ||
| Upper Gun Deck | 28 | British 18-Pounder | ||
| Quarterdeck | 6 | British 32-Pounder | ||
| Quarterdeck | 8 | British 9-Pounder | ||
| Forecastle | 2 | British 9-Pounder | ||
| Forecastle | 2 | British 32-Pounder | ||
| Crew Complement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | # of Men | Notes | Source |
| 1795/04 | 284 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Commanders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1794/08/10 | 1795 | Captain | Charles William Paterson | BWAS-1793 |
| 1795/04 | 1802 | Captain | Charles Hamilton | BWAS-1793 |
| 1803/03 | 1805 | Captain | Robert Dudley Oliver | BWAS-1793 |
| 1805 | 1805/12 | Captain | Christopher Laroche | BWAS-1793 |
| 1805/12 | 1809 | Captain | Peter Parker | BWAS-1793 |
| 1810/06/22 | 1811/03/08 | Commander | William Waldegrave | BWAS-1793 |
| 1812 | 1813/10/29 | Commander | Gordon Falcon | BWAS-1793 |
| 1813/10 | 1814 | Commander | Robert Rowley | BWAS-1793 |
| Warrant Officers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1794/08/19 | 1803/03/29 | Gunner | William Shepherd | NAO |
| Petty Officers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1803/05 | 1806/09 | Midshipman | Whitwell Butler | NBD1849 |
| 1804 | 1805 | Midshipman | Richard Bastard | NBD1849 |
| 1804/01 | 1808/01/04 | Midshipman | Henry Bourne | NBD1849 |
| 1804/12 | 1805/10 | Midshipman | Nicholas Atkin | NBD1849 |
| 1809/04 | 1809/10 | Midshipman | John Bowerbank | NBD1849 |
| Service History | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1794/12/15 | Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard | BWAS-1793 |
| 1795/03/30 | Registered | BWAS-1793 |
| 1795/06/01 | Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard at a cost of £6534.0.0d | BWAS-1793 |
| 1796/07/11 | Took the Privateer La Revanche off Brest | |
| 1797/05/15 | Took the Privateer L'Espiègle off the Isle of Wight | |
| 1797/12 | Took the Privateer Le Triton in the Channel | |
| 1798/08/03 | Present at the Capture of the Aventurier | |
| 1798/08/04 | Took the Unrated Brig L'Aventurier at Correjou by boat attack | |
| 1798/11/17 | Took the Privateer Brig Le Tigre in the Bay of Biscay | |
| 1799/02/28 | Took the Privateer La Zélé in the Bay of Biscay | |
| 1799/08 | In the Helder | BWAS-1793 |
| 1800/04 | At Santiago, West Africa | BWAS-1793 |
| 1801/01/03 | Her boats destroyed the Senegal in the River Senegal | BWAS-1793 |
| 1801/06/17 | Took the Privateer L'Auguste on the French Coast | |
| 1803/02 | Began very small repair at Deptford Dockyard | BWAS-1793 |
| 1803/03 | Completed very small repair at Deptford Dockyard | BWAS-1793 |
| 1807 | Sailed to the Mediterranean | BWAS-1793 |
| 1808/04/20 | Sailed for Jamaica | BWAS-1793 |
| 1809 | In the Baltic | BWAS-1793 |
| 1810/05 | Began fitting as a Troopship at Chatham Dockyard | BWAS-1793 |
| 1810/08 | Re-classed as a 22 gun UnratedTroop Ship | |
| 1810/08 | Completed fitting as a Troopship at Chatham Dockyard | BWAS-1793 |
| 1814/03/16 | Sailed for North America | BWAS-1793 |
| 1815/12/14 | Sold for £2,590 at Sheerness | BWAS-1793 |
| Sources | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Description | Author | Type |
| BWAS-1793 | British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 - 1817 | Rif Winfield | Book |
| NAO | The National Archive - Trafalgar Ancestors | Various | Web Site |
| NBD1849 | A Naval Biographical Dictionary 1849 | O'Brien | Digital Book |