British Fifth Rate frigate 'Mermaid' (1784)

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Mermaid	5385
Nominal Guns	32	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	21.3.1782	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	29.7.1782	BWAS-1793
Launched	29.11.1784	BWAS-1793
First Commissioned	6.1790	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness	BWAS-1793
Ship Class	Active Class	BWAS-1793
Designed by	Edward Hunt (d.bef.1740)	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Thomas Pollard	BWAS-1793
Category	Fifth Rate	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Frigate	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
Broken Up	11.1815	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck126' 2 ½"Imperial Feet38.4175
Length of Keel103' 9 ¾"Imperial Feet31.4135
Breadth35' 5"Imperial Feet10.6934
Depth in Hold11' 11"Imperial Feet3.3782
Draught Forward8' 8"Imperial Feet2.6416
Draught Aft13' 2"Imperial Feet3.9793
Burthen692 ⁵⁹⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

6.1790Broadside Weight = 246 Imperial Pound ( 111.561 kg)BWAS-1793
Gun Deck26 British 12-Pounder
Quarterdeck4 British 24-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 24-Pound Carronade
Forecastle2 British 6-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
6.1790250EstablishmentBWAS-1793

11 Commanding Officers

DatesRankNameSource
25.6.1790 - 12.2.1793CaptainCuthbert Collingwood (1750-1810) ADM 6/24/44BWAS-179312.2.1793 - 8.5.1794CaptainJohn Trigge ADM 6/24/208BWAS-17938.5.1794 - 2.1796CaptainHenry Warre ADM 6/25/40BWAS-17932.1796 - 4.1796CaptainCharles Sydney DaversBWAS-17934.1796 - 1797CaptainRobert Waller Otway (1770-1846)BWAS-17931797 - 4.1799CaptainJames Newman (d.1811)BWAS-17934.1799 - 8.1802CaptainRobert Dudley OliverBWAS-17938.1803 - 9.1808CaptainAskew Pafford Hollis (1766-1844)BWAS-17932.1809 - 1809CaptainMajor Jacob HennikerBWAS-17931811 - 4.1812CommanderWilliam Henry PercyBWAS-17934.1812 - 1814CaptainDavid Dunn (d.1859)BWAS-1793

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRatingNameSource
15.8.1803 - 28.10.1805MasterWilliam WattADM29-1

1 Petty Officer

DatesRatingNameSource
9.1803 - 12.1806MidshipmanThe Hon. Arthur Richard Turnour (1787-1853)NBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
29.11.1784building at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness at a cost of £12854.0.0dBWAS-1714
12.1784Began fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
30.12.1784Completed fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
6.1790Commissioned for the Spanish armament and then to the West IndiesBWAS-1793
6.1790Began fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness BWAS-1714
8.1790Completed fitting at Sheerness Dockyard - Sheerness at a cost of £2539.0.0dBWAS-1714
4.1791Returned to England and paid offBWAS-1793
2.1793RecommissionedBWAS-1793
2.1793Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
5.1793Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £3446.0.0dBWAS-1714
22.5.1793Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1793
27.5.1793Took the Privateer Le Général Washington (20)
30.5.1793Took the Brigantine L'Angélique (16)
6.1793Took a 14-gun privateerBWAS-1714
8.1793In Hood's fleet in the attack on ToulonBWAS-1793
5.5.1795Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1793
10.10.1795Took the Unrated le Brutus (10)
14.10.1795Took the Lugger Républicain (18) in the West Indies
8.8.1796Action of 1796-08-08
8.8.1796Mermaid vs Vengeance
10.12.1796Took the Unrated Le Général Leveau (16) off San Domingo
7.3.1797Took the Privateer La Liberté Générale
20.4.1797The Mermaid's boats attacked shipping in Jean Rabal
1.1.1798Took the Privateer L'Aventure (12) off Belleisle
29.6.1798Capture of the Seine
16.10.1798Capture of the Loire
25.1.1799

In Plymouth Sound

TNC
24.3.1799Took the Packet Golondrevia off Corunna
9.4.1799

Arrived at Plymouth

TNC
1.6.1799Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1793
1.6.1800Took the Gunboat La Cruelle (4) off Toulon
1.1801Refitted as a 18 gun Unrated Troop Ship
8.1802Paid off into ordinary at WoolwichBWAS-1793
6.1803Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
8.1803RecommissionedBWAS-1793
9.1803Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
1804On the Jamaica station, remaining until 1807BWAS-1793
8.1807Paid offBWAS-1793
9.1808Began middling repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
3.1809Completed middling repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
12.6.1809Sailed with a troop convoy for PortugalBWAS-1793
5.10.1813Siege of Trieste
11.1815Broken up at PlymouthBWAS-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

IDDescriptionAuthorType

BWAS-1793Rif WinfieldBook

ADM29-1 Document

NBD1849O'BrienDigital Book

BWAS-1714Rif WinfieldBook

TNCVariousPeriodical

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Tim Oakley on Thursday 5th of May 2016 04:48

Sorry date on the last post can not be correct as the Spanish declared war in May 1804 and even at 6 knots an hour news would only take 4 weeks!

Posted by Tim Oakley on Wednesday 4th of May 2016 06:29

15/11/1805 Mermaid 32 Captain Askew Hollis at Havana when a message from Ad Duckworth arrived informing him of the war with Spain. All British merchant ships were immediately put to sea to prevent their capture. ref letter from General Prevost

Posted by Tim Oakley on Friday 20th of July 2012 20:52

4 Oct 1790 Mermaid 32 Captain Cuthbert Collingwood at Portsmouth
Nov./Dec 1790 Mermaid 32 cap Collingwood sent to the West Indies with R-Ad Samuel Pitchford Cornish [possibly in Marlborough 74]

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