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 Williams (1700-?)	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Peter Everitt Mestaer (d.1819)	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 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
27.10.1779 - 1.1.1780Captain John Colpoys (1742-1821) ADM 6/22/41ADM1041.1.1780 - 16.5.1782Captain Isaac Prescott (c.1737-1830) ADM 6/22/74BWAS-171424.5.1782 - 24.9.1782Captain William Carlyon (c.1750-?) ADM 6/22/472BWAS-171424.9.1782 - 10.4.1783CaptainSir Henry Edwin Stanhope (1754-1814) ADM 6/22/520BWAS-171410.4.1783 - 11.7.1786CaptainSir Henry Edwin Stanhope (1754-1814) ADM 6/23/47ADM 6/2323.5.1788 - 6.5.1791Captain Augustus Montgomery (d.1797) ADM 6/23/463BWAS-171410.1795 - 4.1797Captain George ByngBWAS-17144.1797 - 1801Captain Thomas RogersBWAS-17141.4.1803 - 8.1805Captain Duncombe Pleydall Bouverie (1780-?)BWAS-17148.1805 - 6.1807Captain Charles PellyBWAS-17146.1807 - 11.1808Captain James Alexander Gordon (1782-1869)BWAS-171411.1808 - 3.1810Captain Henry Duncan (1786-1835)BWAS-17145.1810 - 6.1810Lieutenant William WebbBWAS-17146.1810 - 11.1811Commander John TancockBWAS-171411.1811 - 8.1813Commander Clement Milward (1776-1857)BWAS-17148.1813 - 1814CommanderSir John Charles RichardsonBWAS-1714

6 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
19.4.1783 - 21.4.1785Second LieutenantThe Hon. John Curzon ADM 6/23/52ADM 6/2321.4.1783 - 11.7.1786First Lieutenant Richard Nash ADM 6/23/53ADM 6/239.1.1791 - 9.8.1791Acting Lieutenant Charles Bullen (1768-1853)NBD18491798 - 11.9.1798Lieutenant Robert Baylis (d.1798)†TNC1809Lieutenant Robert James GordonTRN51809Lieutenant Watkin Owen Pell (1788-1869)TRN5

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRatingNameSource
22.8.1805 - 16.3.1806Master Edward BrownADM29-1

2 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
12.7.1803 - 1804Midshipman William Bohun Bowyer (1789-?)NBD184910.1809 - 3.1810Midshipman Edward Blanckley (d.1845)NBD1849

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1.4.1800 - 6.18031st Class Volunteer John Willison (1789-1847)NBD18499.5.1803 - 12.7.18031st Class Volunteer William Bohun Bowyer (1789-?)NBD1849

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 Le Benjamin (16) on the Lisbon Station
15.1.1798Took the Brig Les Trois Soeurs (16) on the Lisbon Station
17.1.1798Took the Brig L'Aigle (16)
25.1.1798Took the Privateer La Constance (12) 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 L'Egyptienne (15) off the Isle of Wight
5.5.1800Sailed to the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
31.7.1800Arrived off AlexandriaBWAS-1714
20.1.1801Took the Corvette La Sans Pareille (18) in the Mediterranean
27.6.1801Took the Privateer Le Tigre (8) 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 Fuerte de Gibraltar (4)
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 Watkin Owen Pell (1788-1869), 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 Leda (1) port of Rovigno
23.4.1809Bombardment of Pesaro
2.5.1809In company with Spartan (38) , landed men at Cesenatico, seized the town and captured twelve coasters without lossTRN5
15.5.1809A party under Lieutenant Robert James Gordon, destroyed seven coasters in the Italian harbour of RodiTRN5
7.9.1809Took the Schooner Pugliese 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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