HMS Crescent (1779)

HMS ''Crescent'' was a 28-gun ''Enterprise''-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. ''Crescent'' was launched in 1779. The French captured her in 1781. She was wrecked in 1786.

British service

''Crescent'' was first commissioned in about September 1779 under the command of Captain Charles Hope.

On 2 October 1779, captured two French cutters, ''Mutin'' and , each of 14 guns and 120 men. The Royal Navy took both into service essentially under their existing names. ''Jupiter'' shared the prize money with ''Apollo'', ''Crescent'', and .

On 16 March 1781, ''Crescent'', under the command of Captain Thomas Packenham, was one of over 40 warships in a fleet under the command of Admiral John Darby, in , that left Portsmouth that day for Gibraltar. One day later, there arrived at Falmouth a French privateer and a brig, her prize, that ''Crescent'' had sent in. A prize money notice from 31 December 1781 reported that the vessels in Darby's fleet would share in the prize money for ''Duc de Chartres'', brig ''Trois Amis'', and the Spanish frigate ''Leocadia'', which the fleet had captured on its way to Gibraltar.

Less than a month after she had left Portsmouth, on 12 April 1781 ''Crescent'' and , Captain William Peere Williams, left Gibraltar as escorts to 13 vessels sailing to Minorca. They arrived at "Mahone" on 19 April.''Lloyd's List'', no. 127

- Retrieved 18 March 2015. On 3 May ''Flora'', and ''Crescent'' left Port Mahon, intending to pass the Gut of Gibraltar as quickly as possible.

On the morning of 23 May they saw eight Spanish vessels, a Seventy-four (ship), 74-gun ship, four xebecs, an armed ship, and two bomb vessels. The Spanish commodore set his squadron in chase, before sending all but his vessel and two xebecs, each of 36 guns, back to Spain. One of the xebecs caught up with ''Crescent'' and a three-hour running fight ensued during which ''Crescent'' sustained no casualties. ''Flora'' came up and fired some broadsides at the xebec, which fell back to repair damage. ''Flora'' had one man killed and one wounded due to poor gun-handling. The Spaniards resumed their chase in the evening but ''Flora'' and ''Crescent'' were able to elude them in the night. The engagement had driven the British vessels close to Cape Palos so they cruised there for two days in case to ensure that the enemy were not in the vicinity. They then sailed for the North African coast and were off Gibraltar on 29 May.

The next morning they advised General Elliot of the presence of the Spanish squadron, and then sailed towards Ceuta. They sighted two large Dutch frigates, but were unable to bring them to action until the next morning. At daybreak on 31 May ''Flora'' engaged one of the Dutch frigates, and ''Crescent'' the other. After two and a quarter hours, the Dutch frigate struck to ''Flora''. The Dutch frigate was the ''Castor'', of twenty-six 12-pounder guns and ten 6-pounders, and a crew of 230 men under the command of Captain Pieter Melvill.

The action between ''Crescent'' and the Dutch frigate ''Brill'' continued a little longer. She was the same rate as ''Castor'', mounting twenty-six 12-pounder guns, two 6-pounder guns, and four 4-pounder guns. A shot from ''Brill'' brought down ''Crescent''s main and mizzen masts on to her decks, rendering her guns inoperable and the ship unmanageable. Packenham was forced to strike his colours.

''Flora'' came up and recaptured ''Crescent'' before ''Brill'' could take possession. ''Brill'' then left. Captain Williams was unable to pursue as both ''Castor'' and ''Crescent'' were badly holed and taking on water, forcing their crews to man the pumps. At this point Packenham asked Williams to appoint one of his officers to command ''Crescent'' pending Packenham's court-martial for his surrendering his ship. Williams sent over his First Lieutenant, John Bligh, while retaining the rest of ''Crescent''s existing officers.

The battle had been sanguinary. ''Flora'' had nine men killed and 32 wounded, of whom eight died subsequently and at least one more was not expected to live. ''Crescent'' had 26 men killed and 67 wounded, some of whom died later. Lastly, ''Castor'' had lost 22 men killed and 41 wounded, 11 of whom subsequently died.

The three vessels then spent five days effecting repairs, before setting out again. On 19 June ''Flora'' was chasing a privateer brig that had been dogging the British ships when ''Flora'' sighted two larger vessels approaching. ''Flora'' then rejoined her consorts, hoping that the sight of three warships would ward off the approaching vessels. However, the two vessels, seeing the bedraggled state of ''Crescent'' and ''Castor'', continued their approach. Each of the three British ships then set off on a different course. ''Flora'' observed one of the frigates hoist French colours as she captured ''Castor''. The other set off after ''Crescent''. Casualties, and the necessity of putting 38 men from ''Flora'' and a like number from ''Crescent'' on ''Castor'' to man the pumps and serve as a prize crew had left all three too weak to sustain combat.

Capture

The French captured ''Crescent'' on 20 June 1781 off Ushant. At 4am ''Gloire'' and ''Friponne'' caught up with ''Crescent'' and after an exchange of fire, ''Crescent'' struck.

Fate

The French took ''Crescent'' into service. She was wrecked on the reefs off Petit-Goâve, San Domingo, in January 1786.

Notes

Citations

References

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* Gardiner, Robert (1992) ''The First Frigates''.(London: Conway Maritime Press). .
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* Lyon, David (1993) ''The Sailing Navy List''. (London: Conway Maritime Press)..
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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crescent (1779)
1779 ships
Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy
Captured ships
Maritime incidents in 1786
Frigates of the French Navy