French Frigate Rhin (1802)

''Rhin'' was a 40-gun of the French Navy launched in 1802. She was present at two major battles while in French service. The Royal Navy captured her in 1806. Thereafter ''Rhin'' served until 1815 capturing numerous vessels. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars she was laid up and then served as a hospital for many years. She was finally broken up in 1884.

French service

''Rhin'' took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre and in the Battle of Trafalgar.

captured ''Rhin'' on 28 July 1806, after a chase of 26 hours and 150 miles. Her commander, M. Chesneau, struck just before ''Mars'' was about to fire her first broadside. was present or in sight at the capture of ''Rhin''.

''Rhin'' arrived at Plymouth on 8 August. She was repaired and fitted there from March through August 1809. The Royal Navy commissioned her in June 1809 as HMS ''Rhin'' under Captain Frederick Aylmer for the Channel. Captain Charles Malcolm replaced Aylmer in July 1809, and would remain her captain until ''Rhin'' paid off in 1815.

British service: Napoleonic Wars

On 16 November 1809, ''Rhin'' was in company with when ''Pheasant'' recaptured the brig ''Trust''.

On 22 March 1810 ''Rhin'' captured the French privateer ''Navarrois''. ''Navarrois'' was four days out of Bayonne, was armed with 16 guns and carried a crew of 132 men.

On 27 September had been in pursuit of a French brig when ''Rhin'' joined the chase and after two and a half hours captured the quarry off the Lizard. The French vessel was the privateer ''San Joseph'', of Saint Malo, under the command of a Joseph Wittevronghel, a Dane. ''San Joseph'' was one year old, about 100 tons burthen (bm), and armed with 14 guns though she was pierced for 16. She had only been out one day when the British captured her and had taken nothing. had been in company with ''Wolverine'' at the time.

On 9 October ''Rhin'' captured the French privateer brig ''Comtesse de Montalivet'', of Saint Malo. The capture followed a chase of two and a half hours and only ended when the brig lost her maintop-mast. ''Comtesse de Montalivet'' was pierced for 16 guns but only mounted 14. She had a crew of 57 men but only 40 were on board as 17 were in prize crews. She was a new vessel on her first cruise and had taken two prizes, one a Portuguese ship and the other an American brig.

On 14 October ''Rhin'' recaptured the ship ''Fama''. ''Fama'', which had been sailing from Lisbon to London when she was captured, arrived in Plymouth on 18 October.

On 2 February 1811 ''Rhin'' captured the French privateer brig ''Brocanteur''.

On 5 April ''Rhin'' captured the schooner ''Bonne Jeanette''. Six days later ''Rhin'' captured the American ship ''Projector''. Almost two months later, on 27 May, ''Rhin'' was in company with the ''Princess Charlotte'' when they captured the American ship ''Fox''. Then on 12 December ''Rhin'' captured the French chasse maree ''Dorade''.

On 27 March 1812 ''Rhin'' captured the American brig ''Eclipse''. ''Eclipse''. off 300 tons, was armed with six guns and had a crew of 28 men. She had been sailing from Baltimore to Bordeaux when ''Rhin'' captured her, and arrived at Plymouth on 2 April.

On 21 June ''Rhin'' and supported an attack by Spanish guerrillas on French forces Lequitio and the nearby island of San Nicholas. landed a gun whose fire enabled the guerrillas to capture the fort above the town. ''Medusa'' and ''Rhin'' landed a carronade each to support their marines and those from , who captured the island. Although the guerrillas suffered losses, British casualties were nil. On 24 June, landing parties from ''Rhin'' and ''Medusa'' destroyed fortified works at Plencia.

On 8 November ''Rhin'' was in company with the sloop when they captured the French privateer ''Courageuse''. The capture took place off the Eddystone after a four-hour chase during which the privateer schooner threw overboard her 14 guns, her anchors and part of her provisions. ''Courageuse'' was of 90 tons and carried a crew of 70 men.

British service: War of 1812

On 5 January 1813 ''Rhin'', and the brig captured the American ship ''Dolphin''. A little over a month later, on 11 February, ''Rhin'' and ''Colossus'' captured the American ship ''Print''.

On 24 February 1814, ''Rhin'' recaptured the ''Robert''. Then on 11 March ''Rhin'' captured the American letter of marque brig ''Rattlesnake''.

A satisfying capture occurred on 5 June when ''Rhin'' sighted and gave chase to an American privateer schooner. After an eleven-hour chase ''Rhin'' captured in the Mona Passage about from Cape Engaño. Her captain was Dominique Diron, who had also commanded ''Decatur'' when she had captured the schooner in 1813. ''Decatur'' had sailed from Charleston on 30 March and had made no captures.

On 27 June 1815 ''Rhin'' captured French transport No. 749, ''Leon'', and ''Marie Joseph''. Then on 19 July, ''Rhin'' was in company with , , , ''Ferret'' and when they captured the French vessels ''Fortune'', ''Papillon'', ''Marie Graty'', ''Marie Victorine'', ''Cannoniere'', and ''Printemis''. The attack took place at Corrijou (Koréjou, east of Abervrach on the coast of Brittany), and during the action ''Ferret'' was able to prevent the escape of a French man-of-war brig that she force ashore. Apparently, this cutting out expedition was the last of the war.

Later career

''Rhin'' underwent a large repair at Sheerness between May 1817 and August 1820. She was then laid up (roofed over).

In 1822 ''Rhin'' was among the many vessels that had served on the north coast of Spain and the coast of France in the years 1812, 1813 and 1814 that received their respective proportions of the sum reserved to answer disputed claims from the Parliamentary grant for services during those years.

From May to October 1838 she was fitted at Chatham as a lazaretto for Sheerness.

Fate

The Admiralty lent ''Rhin'' to the Sub-committee for the Inspection of Shipping on the Thames as a smallpox hospital ship on 9 September 1871. She was sold to Charlton & Sons, Charlton on 26 May 1884 for £1,250.Winfield (2008), p.176.

Notes

Citations

References

*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhin (1802), French frigate
Virginie-class frigates
Ships built in France
1802 ships