HMS ''Ambuscade'' was a 32-gun

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...

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 ...

of 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 ...

, built in the Grove Street shipyard of Adams & Barnard at Deptford in 1773. The French captured her in 1798 but the British recaptured her in 1803. She was broken up in 1810.

American Revolution

Sometime in June, 177 she captured the sloops ''2 Brothers'' and ''Succsess'' in

Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its northern and sout ...

. On 3 June she captured ''Swallow'' in

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an bay, open bay of the Gulf of Maine on the coast of Maine in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chart for Casco Bay marks the dividing line between the bay and the Gulf of Maine as running from ...

, Massachusetts. On 18 June, 1777 she captured ''Hope'' in Boston Bay. Sometime in September, 1777 she recaptured ''Restoration'' in Boston Bay. On 1 October, 1777 she captured ''S. W. Erskine''. On 19 May 1778 she recaptured the brig Mary. On 31 May 1778 she captured the American brig ''Charming Sally'' near Cape Sambro. On 22 June 1779, after a short action, ''Ambuscade'' captured the French

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, 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 l ...

''Hélene'', which was the former Royal Navy 14-gun sloop . The Royal Navy took her back into service under her original name. Six days later ''Ambuscade'' captured the French

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

''Prince de Montbray''. The privateer was possibly out of Granville and under the command of Captain Boisnard-Maisonneuve. captured the private man of war ''Américaine'' on 26 January 1781. She was armed with 32 guns and carried a crew of 245. ''Ambuscade'' shared in the proceeds of the capture.

French Revolutionary Wars

Circa June 1797, in the Caribbean, ''Ambuscade'' captured the 32-ton, 3-gun privateer cutter ''Buonaparte'', from Saint-Malo. She had a crew of 32 men under Captain F. Roussel. In August 1798 ''Ambuscade'', commanded by Captain Henry Jenkins, with and the hired armed

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 the

chasse maree A chasse, châsse or box reliquary is a shape commonly used in medieval metalwork for reliquaries and other containers. To the modern eye the form resembles a house, though a tomb or church was more the intention,Distelberger, 21 with an oblo ...

''Francine'' . Then ''Ambuscade'' shared with and ''Stag'', in the capture on 20 November of the ''Hirondelle''. On 13 December 1798, ''Ambuscade'' captured a French merchantman, ''Faucon'', with a cargo of sugar and coffee bound for Bordeaux. Disaster struck the following day. ''Ambuscade'' was blockading Rochefort, when the smaller French

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

captured her at the action of 14 December 1798. The court martial exonerated Captain Henry Jenkins of ''Ambuscade'', though a good case could be made that he exhibited poor leadership and ship handling. The French brought her into service as ''Embuscade''.

Napoleonic Wars

On 28 May 1803, recaptured her. She had a crew of 187 men under the command of ''capitaine de vaisseau'' Fradin, and was 30 days out of

Cap Francais A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

, bound for Rochefort. The Royal Navy took her back into service as ''Ambuscade''. In March 1805, she was attached to Sir James Craig's military expedition to Italy. Along with , Craig'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 ...

, and , ''Ambuscade'' escorted a fleet of transports to Malta.von Pivka, ''Navies''. On 4 March 1807, ''Ambuscade'' captured the ship ''Istria''. ''Unité'', , and (or ''Weazle'') were in company and shared in the prize money.

Fate

''Ambuscade'' was broken up in 1810.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * Wareham, Tom (2001) ''The star captains: frigate command in the Napoleonic Wars''. (Annapolis, Md. Naval Inst. Press).
Michael Phillips' ships of the old Navy

, by

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ambuscade (1773), HMS Frigates of the Royal Navy Age of Sail frigates of France Ships built in Deptford 1773 ships Frigates of the French Navy Captured ships