| Mermaid | 5385 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal Guns | 32 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Nationality | Great Britain | BWAS-1793 | |
| Operator | The Royal Navy | BWAS-1793 | |
| Ordered | 1782/03/21 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Keel Laid Down | 1782/07/29 | BWAS-1793 | |
| Launched | 1784/11/29 | BWAS-1793 | |
| First Commissioned | 1790/06 | ||
| How acquired | Purpose built | BWAS-1793 | |
| Shipyard | Sheerness Dockyard | BWAS-1793 | |
| Ship Class | Active Class | BWAS-1793 | |
| Designed by | Edward Hunt | BWAS-1793 | |
| Constructor | Thomas Pollard | BWAS-1793 | |
| Category | Fifth Rate | BWAS-1793 | |
| Ship Type | Frigate | BWAS-1793 | |
| Broken Up | 1815/11 | BWAS-1793 | |
Dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension | Measurement | Type | Metric Equivalent | BWAS-1793 |
| Length of Gundeck | 126' 2 ½" | Imperial Feet | 38.4683 | Length of Keel | 103' 9 ¾" | Imperial Feet | 31.6421 | Breadth | 35' 5" | Imperial Feet | 10.795 | Depth in Hold | 11' 11" | Imperial Feet | 3.6322 | Draught Forward | 8' 8" | Imperial Feet | 2.6416 | Draught Aft | 13' 2" | Imperial Feet | 4.0132 | Burthen | 692 59⁄94 | Tons BM |
Armament | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790/06 | Broadside Weight = 246 Imperial Pound ( 111.561 kg) | BWAS-1793 | ||
| Gun Deck | 26 | British 12-Pounder | ||
| Quarterdeck | 4 | British 6-Pounder | ||
| Quarterdeck | 4 | British 24-Pound Carronade | ||
| Forecastle | 2 | British 6-Pounder | ||
| Forecastle | 2 | British 24-Pound Carronade | ||
| Crew Complement | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | # of Men | Notes | Source |
| 1790/06 | 250 | Establishment | BWAS-1793 |
| Commanders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | Rank | Name | Source |
| 1790/06 | 1791/04 | Captain | Cuthbert Collingwood | BWAS-1793 |
| 1793/02 | 1794/06 | Captain | John Trigge | BWAS-1793 |
| 1794/06 | 1796/02 | Captain | Henry Warre | BWAS-1793 |
| 1796/02 | 1796/04 | Captain | Charles Sydney Davers | BWAS-1793 |
| 1796/04 | 1797 | Captain | Robert Waller Otway | BWAS-1793 |
| 1797 | 1799/04 | Captain | James Newman | BWAS-1793 |
| 1799/04 | 1802/08 | Captain | Robert Dudley Oliver | BWAS-1793 |
| 1803/08 | 1808/09 | Captain | Askew Hollis | BWAS-1793 |
| 1809/02 | 1809 | Captain | Major Jacob Henniker | BWAS-1793 |
| 1811 | 1812/04 | Commander | William Henry Percy | BWAS-1793 |
| 1812/04 | 1814 | Captain | David Dunn | BWAS-1793 |
| Service History | Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1784/11/29 | building at Sheerness Dockyard at a cost of £12854.0.0d | BWAS-1714 |
| 1784/12 | Began fitting at Sheerness Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1784/12/30 | Completed fitting at Sheerness Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1790/06 | Commissioned for the Spanish armament and then to the West Indies | BWAS-1793 |
| 1790/06 | Began fitting at Sheerness Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1790/08 | Completed fitting at Sheerness Dockyard at a cost of £2539.0.0d | BWAS-1714 |
| 1791/04 | Returned to England and paid off | BWAS-1793 |
| 1793/02 | Recommissioned | BWAS-1793 |
| 1793/02 | Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1793/05 | Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard at a cost of £3446.0.0d | BWAS-1714 |
| 1793/05/22 | Sailed for the Mediterranean | BWAS-1793 |
| 1793/05/27 | Took the Privateer Le Général Washington | |
| 1793/05/30 | Took the Privateer L'Angélique | |
| 1793/06 | Took a 14-gun privateer | BWAS-1714 |
| 1793/08 | In Hood's fleet in the attack on Toulon | BWAS-1793 |
| 1795/05/05 | Sailed for the Leeward Islands | BWAS-1793 |
| 1795/10/10 | Took the Unrated le Brutus | |
| 1795/10/14 | Took the Unrated Lugger Républicain in the West Indies | |
| 1796/08/08 | Present at the Action of 1796-08-08 | |
| 1796/12/10 | Took the Unrated Le Général Leveau off San Domingo | |
| 1797/03/07 | Took the Privateer La Liberté Générale | |
| 1797/04/20 | The Mermaid's boats attacked shipping in Jean Rabal | |
| 1798/01/01 | Took the Privateer Aventure off Belleisle | |
| 1798/06/29 | Present at the Capture of the Seine | |
| 1799/03/24 | Took the Unrated Packet Boat Golondrevia off Corunna | |
| 1799/06/01 | Sailed for the Mediterranean | BWAS-1793 |
| 1800/06/01 | Took the Unrated La Cruelle off Toulon | |
| 1801/01 | Re-classed as a 18 gun UnratedTroop Ship | |
| 1802/08 | Paid off into ordinary at Woolwich | BWAS-1793 |
| 1803/06 | Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1803/08 | Recommissioned | BWAS-1793 |
| 1803/09 | Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1804 | On the Jamaica station, remaining until 1807 | BWAS-1793 |
| 1807/08 | Paid off | BWAS-1793 |
| 1808/09 | Began middling repair at Woolwich Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1809/03 | Completed middling repair at Woolwich Dockyard | BWAS-1714 |
| 1809/06/12 | Sailed with a troop convoy for Portugal | BWAS-1793 |
| 1815/11 | Broken up at Plymouth | BWAS-1793 |
| Notes on Ship | |
|---|---|
| BWAS-1714 | |
| Originally ordered to be built at Woolwich Dockyard on 1778/08/21 and the keel laid down in September 1778. The ship was named 1778/12/01 and re-ordered at Sheerness Dockyard on March 21st 1782. | |
| Sources | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Description | Author | Type |
| BWAS-1793 | British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793 - 1817 | Rif Winfield | Book |
| BWAS-1714 | British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714 - 1792 | Rif Winfield | Book |