HMS Danae (1779)
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HMS ''Danae'' was a 32-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 ...
built for the French Navy in 1763 and captured by the British in the action of 13 May 1779, during the Anglo-French War. Following her capture she was commissioned into 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 ...
as a
convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
escort for merchant vessels sailing between England and
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
.
Paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...
in 1783, she was retained for harbour service in England until 1797 when she was sold into private hands.


French service

''Danae'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
in September 1762 at the naval foundry in Indret, later known as
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
. Her design followed a standard architectural plan for 8-pounder frigates pioneered by shipwright Antoine Groignard, including increased stowage and a strengthened frame for longer service at sea. Despite being intended for use during the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
against England, delays in construction meant she was not ready for launch until October 1763 eight months after the war itself had concluded with the Treaty of Paris.Winfield, p.216 As built, ''Danae'' was long with a keel, a beam of , and a
hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (compartment), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called ...
depth of . Her armament comprised 32 8-pounder guns located along her gun deck,
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
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 ...
. Her crew numbered 250 men. Placed back in active service for the Anglo-French War in 1779, she was selected to lead the naval escort for 1500 French troops in an attempted invasion of Jersey.Clowes, p.25 For this purpose she was put to sea in late April 1779, in the company of the 26-gun frigate ''Diane'' and four smaller gunships. On 1 May a landing at
Saint Ouen, Jersey St Ouen (Jèrriais: ''Saint Ouën'', ) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is around north-west of St Helier. It has a population of 4,097. The parish is the largest parish by surface area, covering 8,525 vergées ...
was thwarted by local militia and a detachment of
Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...
, and the decision was made to return the fleet to
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
. However, word of the French landing had reached Portsmouth and a small British fleet was put to sea to cut off its withdrawal. The French and British fleets met at
Coutances Coutances () is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. History The capital of the Unelli, a Gaulish tribe, the town was given the name of ''Constantia'' in 298 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius ...
on 13 May in the action of 13 May 1779. The French vessels had anchored under the protection of a small artillery battery on the coast, but chose not to give battle as the British approached. The frigate ''Diane'' raised sail escaped into the port but ''Danae'' and the four small craft were run aground, with their crews then fleeing overland. The British, commanded by Sir James Wallace in the 50-gun
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 ...
vessel HMS ''Experiment'', silenced the battery and then went ashore to refloat ''Danae'' and three other craft. The captured vessels were all brought to
Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...
as prizes.


British service

''Danae'' remained at anchor for the next six months while Admiralty contemplated her potential reuse. There were obstacles to returning her to service. First, her 8-pounder guns were considered a relic of previous wars in an era where 12- and 18-pounder naval cannons were common. Second, recent advances in frigate design had left ''Danae'' slower and less seaworthy than her contemporaries in British service, being more than 100
tons burthen 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 ...
larger than similar vessels without notable improvements in durability. Eventually she was recommissioned for convoy escort duties to British Quebec, making her first voyage as a
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 ...
vessel in May 1780 and remaining in active convoy service between England, Newfoundland and the West Indies, until the end of the war three years later. In late 1780 she overhauled and captured ''The Jack'', a 14-gun American
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 ...
which was brought into port in Quebec as a prize.
Paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...
in February 1783, ''Danae'' returned to England via
Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich - originally in north-west Kent, now in southeast London - whe ...
to undergo minor repairs. There she was left at anchor with a skeleton crew as part of a nominal harbour service fleet. Never refitted for sea, the ageing vessel was finally decommissioned and sold at auction in October 1797.


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See also

* List of ships captured in the 18th century {{DEFAULTSORT:Danae (1779) Sixth rates of the Royal Navy Ships built in France Captured ships 1763 ships Frigates of the French Navy