British Sixth Rate frigate 'Mercury' (1779)

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Mercury	5363
Nominal Guns	28	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	22.1.1778	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	25.3.1778	BWAS-1714
Launched	9.12.1779	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	King and Queen Dock - Rotherhithe	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Enterprise Class	BWAS-1714
Designed by	John WilliamsBritish Designer Ship Builder Service 1762-1765	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Peter Everitt MestaerBritish Ship Owner Ship Builder Service 1800-1801	BWAS-1714
Category	Sixth Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Frigate	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Broken Up	1.1814	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck120' 9 ¾"Imperial Feet36.5951
Length of Keel99' 10 ½"Imperial Feet30.1879
Breadth33' 9"Imperial Feet10.1346
Depth in Hold11' 0 ½"Imperial Feet3.3655
Burthen605 ¹²⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

9.12.1779Broadside Weight = 177 Imperial Pound ( 80.2698 kg)BWAS-1714
Upper Gun Deck24 British 9-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck12 British 1/2-Pound Swivel
Quarterdeck4 British 18-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 18-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
3.1.1771200Design Complement

16 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
27.10.1779 - 1.1.1780Captain Transfered ADM 6/22/41ADM 1041.1.1780 - 16.5.1782Captain ADM 6/22/74BWAS-171424.5.1782 - 24.9.1782Captain Transfered ADM 6/22/472BWAS-171424.9.1782 - 10.4.1783Captain ADM 6/22/520BWAS-171410.4.1783 - 11.7.1786Captain ADM 6/23/47ADM 6/2323.5.1788 - 6.5.1791Captain ADM 6/23/463BWAS-171410.1795 - 4.1797CaptainBWAS-17144.1797 - 1801CaptainBWAS-17141.4.1803 - 8.1805CaptainBWAS-17148.1805 - 6.1807CaptainBWAS-17146.1807 - 11.1808CaptainBWAS-171411.1808 - 3.1810CaptainBWAS-17145.1810 - 6.1810LieutenantBWAS-17146.1810 - 11.1811CommanderBWAS-171411.1811 - 8.1813CommanderBWAS-17148.1813 - 1814CommanderBWAS-1714

6 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
19.4.1783 - 21.4.1785Second Lieutenant ADM 6/23/52ADM 6/2321.4.1783 - 11.7.1786First Lieutenant ADM 6/23/53ADM 6/239.1.1791 - 9.8.1791Acting LieutenantNBD18491798 - 11.9.1798Lieutenant†TNC1809LieutenantTRN51809LieutenantTRN5

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
22.8.1805 - 16.3.1806MasterADM 29-1

2 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
12.7.1803 - 1804MidshipmanNBD184910.1809 - 3.1810MidshipmanNBD1849

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1.4.1800 - 6.18031st Class VolunteerNBD18499.5.1803 - 12.7.18031st Class VolunteerNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
9.12.1779building at Rotherhithe - London - Surrey at a cost of £6805.7.0dBWAS-1714
9.12.1779Began fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
24.2.1780Completed fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £6797.19.0dBWAS-1714
6.4.1780Sailed for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
12.1782Paid offBWAS-1714
4.1783RecommissionedBWAS-1714
27.6.1783Sailed for Nova ScotiaBWAS-1714
11.7.1786

Paid off

BWAS-1714
8.1787Began small repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
1.1788Completed small repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £5361.0.0dBWAS-1714
5.1788RecommissionedBWAS-1714
5.1788Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
7.1788Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £3463.0.0dBWAS-1714
12.9.1788Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
6.5.1791

Paid off

ADM 51
7.1795Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
10.1795RecommissionedBWAS-1714
2.1796Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £6151.0.0dBWAS-1714
1798On the Lisbon StationBWAS-1714
5.1.1798Took the Privateer on the Lisbon Station
15.1.1798Took the Brig on the Lisbon Station
17.1.1798Took the Brig
25.1.1798Took the Privateer on the Lisbon Stationref:692
6.1798Sailed to NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
2.1799Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
5.1799Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £6973.0.0dBWAS-1714
6.1799Sailed to NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
5.2.1800Took the Privateer off the Isle of Wight
5.5.1800Sailed to the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
31.7.1800Arrived off AlexandriaBWAS-1714
20.1.1801Took the Corvette in the Mediterranean
27.6.1801Took the Privateer by boat off Venice
4.1803Refitted as a 28 gun Sixth Rate Floating Battery
5.1803fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
4.2.1805Took the Unrated
12.5.1806Sailed for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
9.1807Sailed with a convoy for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
6.3.1808Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
4.4.1808Action off Rota
4.5.1808In action with gunboats off CadizBWAS-1714
1.4.1809The boats of the Mercury, under Lieutenant , rowed into the port of Rovigno under a heavy fire, and boarded and carried the French gunboat Leda, with a loss of 5 killed and woundedTRN5
1.4.1809Took the Gunboat port of Rovigno
23.4.1809Bombardment of Pesaro
2.5.1809In company with , landed men at Cesenatico, seized the town and captured twelve coasters without lossTRN5
15.5.1809A party under Lieutenant , destroyed seven coasters in the Italian harbour of RodiTRN5
7.9.1809Took the Schooner cut out from Barletta
3.1810Paid offBWAS-1714
5.1810RecommissionedBWAS-1714
5.1810Refitted as a 16 gun Unrated Troop Ship
1811On the Lisbon StationBWAS-1714
11.1811Commissioned for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
8.1813Commissioned in the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
1.1814Broken up at WoolwichBWAS-1714

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