''HMS Andromache'' 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 ...

. She was launched in 1781 and served for 29 years until she was broken up in 1811.

Construction

''Andromache'' was ordered on 1 February 1780 and was laid down on June 1780 by William Barnard of

Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and man ...

. She was launched on 17 November 1781 and was completed by February of the following year. The ship is named after

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; , ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means "man battler", "fighter of men" or "m ...

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

Career

West Indies

In 1782 under the command of Captain George Anson Byron, ''Andromache'' headed a look-out squadron during the

Battle of Saintes The Battle of Saintes was fought on 1 April 1351 during the Hundred Years' War between French and English forces. The French were besieging the town of Saint-Jean-d'Angély when an English relief force arrived. The English force was victorious ...

. Alongside and , they provided vital information to Admiral Sir

George Rodney Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, Order of the Bath, KB (baptism, bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands ...

by reporting all of Comte de Grasse's movements at Fort Royal. On 17 October, 1793, under command of Capt. Jones, she was impressing American sailors off merchantmen in the

Bay of Cádiz The Bay of Cádiz is a body of water in the province of Cádiz, Spain, adjacent to the southwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The Bay of Cádiz adjoins the Gulf of Cádiz, a larger body of water which is in the same area but further offsh ...

. In 1795, ''Andromache'' sailed through a hurricane off

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

where she was completely dismasted and suffered severe damage.

Mediterranean

In 1796 under the command of Charles Manfield, ''Andromache'' engaged a 24-gun Algerine corsair after it mistook her for a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. The corsair lost 64 crew before the vessel surrendered.

North America

In 1799, ''Andromache'' sailed to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

where she would patrol the coast. Two years later in 1801, ''Andromache'' and another , , carried out an attack on a 30-ship

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

convoy in the Bay of Levita,

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. On approach, both vessels were heavily damaged by

grapeshot In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of a collection of smaller-caliber round shots packed tightly in a canvas bag and separated from the gunpowder charge by a metal wadding, rather than being a single solid projectile ...

but they were able to successfully capture a single Spanish

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

Fate

After serving for nearly 30 years, ''Andromache'' was broken up in 1811 at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andromache, HMS Ships built in London 1781 ships Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy