The ''Amazon''-class frigates of 1795 were a set of four 36-gun sailing

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and designed by William Rule. The first pair were constructed from

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and launched in July 1795. A second pair had already been ordered in January that year, to be made from

pitch pine ''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...

, one launched in February and the other in March of 1796. All four of the new class carried a

main battery A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a naval gun or group of guns used in volleys, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, th ...

of twenty-six long guns supplemented with eight

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...

s and ten long guns, for the first pair, for the second batch, on the upperworks. They served during the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

although the first of the class, , only lasted until 1796, wrecked following an action on 13 January with a French

ship-of-the-line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

. on the other hand was not

broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...

until 1836. Her long and eventful career included a part in the 1804 invasions of

St Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

and Surinam. The two fir-built frigates; and remained in use until 1823 and 1814 respectively, although both ended up on harbour duty, as

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. 'Hulk' may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or a ship whose propulsion system is no longer maintained or has been r ...

s. All of the class saw action, capturing and destroying enemy ships. Notable engagements include ''Emerald’s'' chase of a Spanish convoy in the action of 7 April 1800, ''Trent’s'' cutting out of a Spanish ship and schooner off Puerto Rico in 1799 and ''Glenmore’s'' capture of the

East Indiaman East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...

in the same year.

Design, construction and armament

The ''Amazon''-class frigates of 1795 were a set of four 36-gun sailing

s built for the

and designed by William Rule. Frigates of the period were three-masted,

full-rigged ship A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing ship, sailing vessel with a sail plan of three or more mast (sailing), masts, all of them square rig, square-rigged. Such a vessel is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged, with each mas ...

s that carried their

on a single, continuous

gun deck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical prope ...

. They were smaller and faster than

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

and primarily intended for raiding, reconnaissance and messaging. Since late 1778, those of 36 or 38 guns with a main armament of long guns, had become the standard in the Royal Navy and by 1793, when the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

began, it was not unusual for them to be close to 1000 tons burthen (bm).Gardiner (2012) p. 76 Rule's original ''Amazon'' class were 32-gun, 12-pounder, frigates of 677 tons

builder's old measurement Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship b ...

(bm), built between 1771 and 1782. In need of a larger frigate, in 1794, the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

asked for a 36-gun, 18-pounder version. The new class of ship was to be along the

gundeck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. The term is generally applied to decks enclosed under a roof; smaller and unrated vessels carried their guns ...

, at the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of and a depth in hold of ; making it 925 bm.Winfield p. 148 The main battery comprised twenty-six long guns on the gundeck with a secondary armament on the upperworks which included ten smaller calibre guns; eight on the

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

and two on the

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck (ship), deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is t ...

. These were for the first pair of Amazon’s but Trent and Glenmore were given instead. The new vessels would also have eight

; two on the forecastle and six on the quarterdeck. Carronades were lighter so could be manoeuvred with fewer men, and had a faster rate of fire but had a much shorter range than the long gun. The new frigates would have a complement of 264 when fully manned. TRENT 1796 RMG J5676

The first two, and were ordered on 24 May 1794, and were to be built of

. The second pair, and were ordered on 24 January 1795 but these were to be constructed of

. The shortage of timber, and in particular oak, was a constant problem for the Royal Navy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Softwoods were easier to work and did not require as much

seasoning Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, and/or salts, intended to enhance a particular flavour. General meaning Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". Salt may ...

so fir-built frigates could be produced quicker.Gardiner (2004) p. 66 They were not as strong however, and did not last as long as their oak-built counterparts. Being lighter, they floated higher in the water, unless additional

ballast Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within ...

was added, and this made them faster, although with a tendency to fall to

leeward In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point o ...

.Gardiner (2004) p. 66 The ''Trent'' and ''Glenmore'' were identical in design to the hardwood ships except for the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

which was built with a square tuck. Originally intended as a series of four, by the time the first of the 1795 class had been launched on 4 July, Rule had already drawn up plans for , an expanded version which was larger at 1,013 tons (bm), had a complement of 284 men and carried 38 guns.

Ships of the class

In service

HMS ''Amazon''

''Amazon'' had a short but eventful career during the French Revolutionary War, which she spent in

the Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

and

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

, part of a frigate squadron under

Sir Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

. She was actively involved in the capture of seven enemy

brigs A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part o ...

, two chasse-marees, two corvettes the 32-gun frigate, ''Unité''James (Vol.I) p. 321 and the 40-gun ''Virginie'',James (Vol.I) p. 325 before she was wrecked following an engagement with a French

. The 74-gun French ship ''Droits de l'Homme'', was returning from the failed expedition to Ireland, and in the ensuing

action of 13 January 1797 The action of 13 January 1797 (known by the French as the Naufrage du ''Droits de l'Homme''; "shipwreck r sinkingof the ''Droits de l'Homme''") was a minor naval battle fought between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the c ...

, ''Amazon'', in company with Pellew's ship ''Indefatigable'', encountered her off the coast of

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

.James (Vol.II) p. 11 Pellew was ahead of ''Amazon'' when he first attacked the ''Droits de l'Homme''. An hour-and-a-half later ''Amazon'' came up and poured a broadside into the Frenchman's quarter.James (Vol.II) p. 12 The two frigates attacked her from either side.James (Vol.II) p. 13 When land was suddenly sighted at 04:00 on 14 January, the frigates broke off their attack and headed in opposite directions. ''Amazon'', going north, and more severely damaged, was unable to

wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in ...

and ran aground at

Audierne Audierne (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016 the former commune of Esquibien merged into Audierne.Isle Bas.James (Vol.II) p. 16 Three crew had been killed during the battle and six more drowned, but the rest were able to reach shore. There the French captured them. The heavy seas pounding her on the beach destroyed ''Amazon''; the ''Droits de l'Homme'', badly damaged in the battle, was also wrecked, with heavy casualties.

HMS ''Emerald''

First commissioned for

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

John Jervis's fleet in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. In 1797, ''Emerald'' was one of several vessels sent to hunt down and capture the Spanish flagship Santisima Trinidad, which had escaped from the British at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. A four-decker, carrying 130 guns, the ''Santisima Trinidad'' was the world's largest warship of the time. Crippled during the battle, she had been towed to safety. ''Emerald'' was supposed to have been present at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...

but in May 1798 a storm separated her from

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's squadron and she arrived in

Aboukir Bay The Abū Qīr Bay (sometimes transliterated Abukir Bay or Aboukir Bay) (; transliterated: Khalīj Abū Qīr) is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria in Egypt, lying between the Rosetta mouth of the Nile and the town of Abu Qir ...

nine days too late. She was part of Rear-Admiral

John Thomas Duckworth Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB (9 February 1748 – 31 August 1817) was an English Royal Navy officer, colonial administrator and politician who served in the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence, French Revolutio ...

's squadron during the action of 7 April 1800 off

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. ''Emerald'' served in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

throughout 1803 in Admiral Samuel Hood's fleet, then took part in the invasion of

in July, and of Surinam the following spring. Returning to home waters for repairs in 1806, she served in the

before joining a fleet under Admiral

James Gambier Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw act ...

in 1809, and taking part in the

Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in ...

. In November 1811 she sailed to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

where she was

laid up in ordinary Laid may refer to: *"Get laid", a slang term for sexual intercourse Geography *Laid, Sutherland, a township in Scotland People *Laid Saidi, an Algerian that claimed he was imprisoned in a CIA black site in Afghanistan *Laid Belhamel, an Algeria ...

. Fitted out as a

in 1822, she was eventually

in January 1836.

HMS ''Trent''

First commissioned in March 1796 for service in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, ''Trent'' was briefly involved in the fleet mutinies of 1797, when her crew refused to set sail from

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

on 22 May. They returned to duty when Admiral Adam Duncan's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

came alongside and threatened to open fire. When Duncan sailed to meet the Dutch fleet, ''Trent'' was one of only four loyal ships that went with him, and kept the enemy in port by making signals to a fleet that did not exist.Coates, McDougal p. 227 In November, ''Trent'' sailed for the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

where, on 30 March 1799, she and the 10-gun

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...

captured a Spanish ship and

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

in a cutting out expedition off

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Two other schooners were scuttled by their Spanish crews during the battle. In October 1800, while serving in the Channel, ''Trent''s crew took part in another boat action when they boarded a cutter and a

lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or more masts. Luggers were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...

off the Ile de Brehat. ''Trent'' spent her last years as a fifth rate, in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. She returned home in June 1803, to be fitted as a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

. Stationed at

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, she served as flagship to the Commanders-in-chief on the

Coast of Ireland Station The Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland was both an admiral's post and a naval formation of the Royal Navy. It was based at Queenstown, now Cobh, in Ireland from 1793 to 1919. The admiral's headquarters was at Admiralty House, Cobh. History ...

. In November 1815, she was converted to a receiving ship. She remained at Cork until February 1823, when she was taken to

Haulbowline Haulbowline (; ) is an island in Cork Harbour off the coast of Ireland. The world's first yacht club was founded on Haulbowline in 1720. The western side of the island is the main naval base and headquarters for the Irish Naval Service, with t ...

and broken up.

HMS ''Glenmore''

Captain

George Duff Captain George Duff (c. 1 February 1764 – 21 October 1805) was a Scottish officer in the Royal Navy during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, who was killed by a cannonball at the Battle ...

was first to commission ''Glenmore'' in April 1796. She served initially in the North Sea, joining Admiral Adam Duncan's fleet in July.Slope p. 50 In May 1797, she left Duncan for service in the Channel. On arrival at

Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...

, the ship's crew revolted in support of the fleet mutiny which was already in progress there.Slope p. 51 The dispute was resolved on 16 May and ''Glenmore'' was reassigned to the Irish station. While there, ''Glenmore'' played a part in suppressing the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...

; her crew taking part in a boat action against rebel outposts near

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

. While escorting a large convoy to the West Indies in December 1799, ''Glenmore'' and another frigate, , encountered two French vessels, and , and the recently captured

. After a 35-minute engagement, ''Amiable'' had driven off the French warships while ''Glenmore'' recaptured ''Calcutta''. During a refit at Plymouth in March 1800, the

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture by occupation Design occupations Occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's rol ...

Robert Seppings Sir Robert Seppings, FRS (11 December 176725 April 1840) was an English naval architect. His experiments with diagonal trusses in the construction of ships led to his appointment as Surveyor of the Navy in 1813, a position he held until 1835. ...

introduced, as an experiment, diagonal

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

es that reduced hogging.Stephen pp. 249-250 ''Glenmore'' was subjected to another mutiny in May 1801, precipitated by a change of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. The new commander was not popular, a much stricter disciplinarian who ordered up to five times as many floggings as his predecessor, and the crew felt that most of the punishments were excessive or unwarranted.Slope p. 55 Two of the ringleaders were

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

led and hanged the following October.Slope p. 55 Three others stood trial but were released after the charge was not proven.Slope p. 58 ''Glenmore'' continued to serve on the Irish Station until the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it set t ...

was ratified in March 1802, after which she served as a

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

for soldiers returning from the continent. She was later fitted as a receiving ship at Plymouth and remained there

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

until sold in 1814.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Amazon-class frigate (1795) Frigate classes Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Ship classes of the Royal Navy Sailing ships of the United Kingdom