HMS ''Emerald'' was a 36-gun ''Amazon''-class

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 ...

that Sir

William Rule (Surveyor of the Navy) Sir William Rule (–1816) was a shipbuilder and designer to the Royal Navy who rose to be Surveyor of the Navy. Designing during the Napoleonic Wars, many of his ships took place in the critical battles: Battle of the Nile, Nile, Battle ...

designed in 1794 for 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 ...

. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

ordered her construction towards the end of May 1794 and work began the following month at

Northfleet Northfleet is a town in the borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. It is located immediately west of Gravesend, and on the border with the Borough of Dartford. Northfleet has its own railway station on the North Kent Line, just east of Ebbsf ...

dockyard. She was completed on 12 October 1795 and joined

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

John Jervis's fleet in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. In 1797, ''Emerald'' was one of several vessels sent to hunt down and capture the crippled Santisima Trinidad, which had escaped from the British at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. ''Emerald'' was supposed to have been present at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...

but in May 1798 a storm separated her from

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's squadron and she arrived in

Aboukir Bay The Abū Qīr Bay (sometimes transliterated Abukir Bay or Aboukir Bay) (; transliterated: Khalīj Abū Qīr) is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria in Egypt, lying between the Rosetta mouth of the Nile and the town of Abu Qir ...

nine days too late. She was part of Rear-Admiral

John Thomas Duckworth Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB (9 February 1748 – 31 August 1817) was an English Royal Navy officer, colonial administrator and politician who served in the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence, French Revolutio ...

's squadron during the action of 7 April 1800 off

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. ''Emerald'' served in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

throughout 1803 in Samuel Hood's fleet, then took part in the invasion of

St Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

in July, and of Surinam the following spring. Returning to home waters for repairs in 1806, she served in the

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

before joining a fleet under Admiral

James Gambier Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw act ...

in 1809, and taking part in the

Battle of the Basque Roads The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads ( French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in ...

. In November 1811 she sailed to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

where she was

laid up in ordinary Laid may refer to: *"Get laid", a slang term for sexual intercourse Geography *Laid, Sutherland, a township in Scotland People *Laid Saidi, an Algerian that claimed he was imprisoned in a CIA black site in Afghanistan *Laid Belhamel, an Algeria ...

. Fitted out as a

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. 'Hulk' may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or a ship whose propulsion system is no longer maintained or has been r ...

in 1822, she was eventually

broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...

in January 1836.

Construction and armament

''Emerald'' was a 36-gun, 18-pounder, ''Amazon''-class frigate built to William Rule's design. She and her sister ship, , were ordered on 24 May 1794 and were built to the same dimensions: along the

gun deck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical prope ...

, at the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

, with a beam of and a depth in the hold of . They measured 933

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 ...

. Completed at Thomas Pitcher's dockyard in Northfleet at a cost of £14,419, ''Emerald'' was launched on 31 July 1795, twenty-seven days after ''Amazon''. Her

coppering Copper sheathing is a method for protecting the hull of a wooden vessel from attack by shipworm, barnacles and other marine growth through the use of copper plates affixed to the surface of the hull, below the waterline. It was pioneered and de ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

was finished on 12 October 1795, and she was

fitted-out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

at a further cost of £9,390. ''Emerald'' was built to carry a

main battery A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a naval gun or group of guns used in volleys, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, th ...

of twenty-six long guns on her gun deck, eight on the

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 two on the

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 ...

. She additionally carried eight

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...

s, six on the quarterdeck and two on the forecastle. When fully manned, Amazon-class frigates had a complement of 264. The Admiralty ordered a second pair of ''Amazon''-class ships on 24 January 1795. They were marginally smaller at 925 tons (bm) and were built from

pitch pine ''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...

Service

Mediterranean

''Emerald'' was first commissioned in August 1795, under Captain

Velters Cornewall Berkeley Velters Cornewall Berkeley (c. 1754–1804) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He served in both the American and French Revolutionary Wars but never rose above the rank of Captain. He died at his home in Oxford in 1804, aged 50. Family Velters ...

and following her fitting out, joined the

Western Squadron The Western Squadron was a squadron or formation of the Royal Navy based at Plymouth Dockyard. It operated in waters of the English Channel, the Western Approaches, and the North Atlantic. It defended British trade sea lanes from 1650 to 1814 an ...

.Slope p. 44: While on a cruise in February 1796, she lost her mainmast in a storm off

Ushant Ushant (; , ; , ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and in medieval times, Léon. In lower tiers of government, it is a commune in t ...

but was able to limp home for repairs. In April, she took a convoy to the

River Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name The ...

and continued to perform escort duties for some months after, before sailing to the

in January 1797 and joining Admiral John Jervis's fleet at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

Battle of Cape St Vincent

Spain had become allied to France and declared war on Britain in October 1796. Early in 1797, a Spanish fleet of 27

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

was at Cartagena with orders to join the French fleet at Brest. A storm blew the Spanish fleet off course, enabling Jervis's fleet of 15 ships of the line to intercept it off

Cape St Vincent Cape St. Vincent (, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacred ground in Neolithic ...

on 14 February. Although attached to the British fleet at the time, ''Emerald'' was not present at the battle; kept away by contrary wind. After making several attempts to join the action, she retired to nearby Lagos Bay with other vessels. Consequently, the crew was denied a share of the prize money. On 16 February, the victorious British fleet and its

prizes A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

entered the bay. Jervis ordered the three frigates—''Emerald'', and , of 40 and 32 guns, respectively—to search for the disabled flagship, ''Santisima Trinidad'', which had been towed from the battle. Two smaller craft— ''Bonne-Citoyenne'', a

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 ...

of 20 guns, and the 14-gun sloop —joined the frigates. The British squadron on 20 February sighted ''Santisima Trinidad'' under tow by a large frigate and in the company of a

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 ...

. Berkeley, considering the small squadron under his command insufficient, declined to engage and eventually the Spanish ships sailed from sight.

Action of 26 April 1797

Following the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the British pursued the remainder of the Spanish fleet to

, where Jervis began a long-running blockade of the port. On 26 April, while cruising in the company of the 74-gun , ''Emerald'' helped to capture a 34-gun Spanish ship and to destroy another. The Spanish vessels were close to the coast when Jervis's fleet sighted them. Sent to investigate, ''Emerald'' and ''Irresistible'', under Captain

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

, discovered the ships were the frigates and Clowes (Vol. IV) p. 507—the Spanish ships had been carrying silver from

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Conil Bay, the entrance to which was protected by a large rocky ledge. ''Irresistible'' and ''Emerald'' negotiated this obstacle at around 14:30 and engaged the Spanish ships, which were anchored in the Bay.James (Vol. II) p. 82 The Spanish ships surrendered at approximately 16:00. Eighteen Spaniards were killed and 30 wounded during the fighting; one Briton was killed and one wounded. The remaining crew of ''Santa Elena'' avoided capture by cutting her

cables Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a he ...

and drifting her on shore so they could flee on foot. The British managed to drag ''Santa Elena'' off the beach but, badly damaged, she sank at sea. The British took ''Ninfa'' into service as HMS ''Hamadryad'', a 36-gun frigate with a main

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

of 12-pounders,James (Vol. II) p. 83 but were unable to retrieve the cargo of silver, which later arrived safely in Cádiz.

Second bombardment of Cádiz

Captain Thomas Waller took command of ''Emerald'' in mid-1797, and was stationed with Admiral Jervis's fleet off Cádiz. On 3July, Jervis attempted to end the protracted blockade by ordering a bombardment of the town. A first attempt resulted in the capture of two Spanish mortar boats but achieved little else. During a second bombardment on the night of 5July, ''Emerald'', in the company of ''Terpsichore'' and the 74-gun , provided a protective escort for three bomb vessels, , and . This attack caused considerable damage; the next morning, the Spanish hurriedly moved ten of their line-of-battle ships out of range.James (Vol. II) p. 54 The British cancelled a third bombardment, planned for 8July, when the weather became unfavourable.

Attack on Santa Cruz

Later in July 1797, ''Emerald'' took part in an unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz. A planned attack in April, proposed by

Admiral Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

, had been aborted as the troops required to execute it were unavailable. When Jervis was subsequently advised that the Spanish treasure fleet was anchored there, he revived Nelson's idea.Heathcote p. 181 For the new attack, Nelson was to take three ships of the line, three frigates, including ''Emerald'', and 200

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, for an amphibious landing outside the Spanish stronghold. The frigates would then engage the batteries to the north-east of Santa Cruz while the marines stormed the town. However, a combination of strong currents and heavy Spanish fire forced the British to abandon the attack. Several further attempts were made between 22 and 25 July; although the British were able to land troops, Spanish resistance was too strong and the British had to ask for an honourable withdrawal.Heathcote p. 182 About 90 of ''Emerald's'' crew, including Waller, fought their way into the town alongside

Thomas Troubridge Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet (22 June 17571 February 1807) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he saw action at the Battle of Sadras in February 1782 during the American Revolutionary War and the Battle of Trincom ...

; 17 died in the assault. Another 10 died before the landing; drowned when the hired-armed vessel, ''Fox'', was sunk by a cannonball.Slope p. 40 After the attack, Nelson sent ''Emerald'' with his report to Jervis, who in turn sent her on to England with dispatches. Waller arrived at the

on 1September, with the news of the failed attacks.

Alexandria

While serving with Jervis on the

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

station in December 1797, ''Emerald'', under the temporary command of Lord William Proby, captured the 8-gun

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 ...

, ''Chasseur Basque''. Waller returned as captain in April 1798. In May, Jervis dispatched a squadron of five ships, including ''Emerald'' and commanded by Nelson in the 74-gun , to locate a large invasion fleet that had left

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

.James (Vol. II) p. 148 After receiving intelligence on 22 May, Nelson correctly predicted the French fleet's destination and set course for

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

James (Vol. II) p. 154 where the British captured or destroyed all but two of the French ships at the

, which occurred between 1–3 August 1798. ''Emerald'' missed the battle; having previously become separated from the rest of the squadron in a storm on 21 May, she arrived at

on 12 August.James (Vol. II) p. 183 When Nelson left for Naples on 19 August 1798, he left behind a squadron—comprising three 74s , , , three frigates ''Emerald'', and , and the corvette ''Bonne Citoyenne''—under Samuel Hood to patrol the waters around the port and along the coast. On 2 September, it encountered and destroyed the French

aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an ...

''Anémone''. ''Emerald'' and ''Seahorse'' chased ''Anemone'' inshore, where she anchored in shallow water out of their reach. When they launched their boats to cut-out ''Anėmone'', her crew cut the anchor cable and their ship drifted on to the shore; as the Frenchmen were attempting to escape along the coast, hostile Arabs captured them and stripped them of their clothes, shooting those who resisted. A heavy surf prevented the British boats from landing, so a midshipman from ''Emerald'', the young Francis Fane, swam ashore with a line and empty cask to rescue the commander and seven others who had escaped naked to the beach. ''Anėmone'' had a crew of 60 men under the command of ''Enseigne de Vaisseau'' (Ensign) Garibou, and was also carrying General Camin and Citoyen Valette, aide-de-camp to General

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Bonaparte, with dispatches from Toulon. Camin and Valette were among those the Arabs killed. ''Emerald'' remained stationed off Alexandria for the rest of the year.

Action on 18 June 1799

''Emerald'' and ''Minerve'', while cruising together on 2June, took ''Caroline'', a 16-gun French privateer, off the south-east coast of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

. Later, ''Emerald'' assisted in the capture of , , , Spanish brig Infante (1787), ''Salamine'' and in the action of 18 June 1799. The British fleet under George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, George Elphinstone was some 69 miles off Cape Sicié when three French frigates and two brigs were spotted. Elphinstone engaged them with three seventy-fours, , and , and two frigates, ''Emerald'' and .James (Vol. II) p. 262 The next evening, after a 28-hour chase, the French ships were forced into an action. The French squadron had scattered, enabling the British to attack it piecemeal. ''Bellona'' fired the first shots at 19:00 as she, ''Captain'', and the two frigates closed with ''Junon'' and ''Alceste'', both of which striking the colors, struck their colours immediately. ''Bellona'' then joined ''Centaur'' in chasing ''Courageuse''. Faced with overwhelming odds, ''Courageuse'' also surrendered. ''Emerald'' then overhauled ''Salamine'', and ''Captain'' took ''Alerte'' at around 23:30.Troude (1867), Vol. III, p. 164.

Action on 7 April 1800

''Emerald'' returned to blockade duty at Cádiz in April 1800, joining a squadron under Rear-Admiral

that included the 74-gun ships and ''Swiftsure'', and the fire ship . The squadron sighted a Spanish convoy on 5April, which comprised 13 merchant vessels and three accompanying frigates, and at once gave chase.James (Vol. III) p. 37 At 03:00 the following day, ''Emerald'' managed to overhaul and cross the bow of a 10-gun merchantman, which, having nowhere to go, immediately surrendered. By daybreak, the remainder of the Spanish convoy had scattered and the only ship visible was a 14-gun brig, ''Los Anglese''. The absence of wind prevented the becalmed British vessels approaching her. Instead, ''Leviathan'' and ''Emerald'' lowered boats that rowed towards the brig, which they captured after a short exchange of fire. Other sails were now spotted in the east, west and south, forcing the British to divide their force: ''Swiftsure'' went south, ''Emerald'' east, and ''Leviathan'' west. At midday, ''Emerald'' signalled that there were six vessels to the north-east, and ''Leviathan'' Jibe, wore round to pursue. By dusk, the two British ships had nine Spanish craft in sight. Three ships were seen at midnight to the north-north-west, and by 02:00 the following morning, two had been identified as the enemy frigates and . Duckworth ordered ''Emerald'' to take a parallel course to the enemy frigates in anticipation of a dawn attack, and at first light, the British closed with their opponents. The Spaniards had assumed the approaching vessels were part of their convoy, but by daybreak they had realised their error and vainly set more sail to escape. Being close enough to hail the Spanish crews, Duckworth ordered them to surrender. When the Spaniards ignored the demand, he ordered ''Leviathan'' and ''Emerald'' to open fire on the rigging of the Spanish vessels in order to disable them. Both Spanish frigates quickly surrendered.James (Vol. III) p. 38 ''Carmen'' had had 11 men killed and 16 wounded; ''Florentina'' 12 killed and 10 wounded, including her first and second captains. The two Spanish frigates were each carrying 1,500 quintals of mercury. A third frigate was visible on the horizon. ''Emerald'' immediately set off in pursuit but Duckworth recalled her and instead ordered her to locate the merchant ships; she secured four of the largest vessels by nightfall. The need to make the two captured frigates ready to sail delayed ''Leviathan'', and by the time this was completed the third frigate had made her escape. ''Leviathan'' then returned to rendezvous with ''Emerald'', managing to take a further enemy brig before night fell. The following day, both British vessels sailed for Gibraltar with their prizes. On arrival, they encountered ''Incendiary'', which had made port the previous day with two captured vessels of its own. The small British squadron managed to secure nine merchant vessels and two frigates in total. In October 1800, ''Emerald'' returned to Portsmouth for repairs.Slope p. 45

Caribbean

''Emerald'' was recommissioned in December 1800 under Captain James O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, James O'Bryen and early in 1801, escorted a convoy of 110 ships to the West Indies Station, where she continued in service during the short-lived Peace of Amiens.O'Byrne p. 1171 The ship struck a submerged reef in August. ''Emerald'', flying a distress signal and firing her guns to attract attention was noticed by who sailed to her aid. In the meantime, in an attempt to lighten the load and float her off, O'Bryen had the ballast jettisoned and the cannons loaded into one of the ship's boats. Holed below the water line and taking on water at the rate of per hour, ''Emerald'' was able to make it into English Harbour for repairs. The work took 3 months to complete. O'Bryen was court-martial, court-martialled over the affair in January 1802 and found not guilty of negligence. In April 1802, ''Emerald'' transported Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington, Lord Lavington, the governor general from Antigua to Bermuda. The following month, she intercepted a schooner carrying refugees from Guadeloupe, who were taken on board and delivered to Antigua.Slope p. 37 War broke out again in May 1803, by which time ''Emerald'' had joined Samuel Hood's squadron in Barbados for an attack on

. Prior to the invasion on 21 June, she harassed enemy shipping, disrupting supplies to the island. The invasion force left on 20 June. It comprised Hood's 74-gun flagship ''Centaur'', the 74-gun , the frigates and , and the Sloop-of-war, sloops and . The following morning, ''Emerald'' and the 18-gun sloop had joined them. By 11:00, the squadron was anchored in Choc Bay. The troops were landed by 17:00 and half an hour later the town of Castries was in British hands. In the island's main fortress, Morne-Fortunée, the French troops refused to surrender; the British stormed it at 04:00 on 22 June, and by 04:30 St Lucia was in British hands. Following this easy victory, the British sent a force to Tobago, which capitulated on 1July.James (Vol. III) p. 207 ''Emerald'' was between St Lucia and Martinique on 24 June, when she captured the 16-gun French privateer HMS Saint Lucia (1803), ''Enfant Prodigue'' after a 72-hour chase. The French vessel was under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Victor Lefbru and was carrying dispatches for Martinique. The Royal Navy took ''Enfant Prodigue'' into service as HMS ''St Lucia''. While in the company of the 22-gun brig , ''Emerald'' intercepted and captured a Dutch merchant vessel travelling between Surinam (Dutch colony), Surinam and Amsterdam on 10 August. On 5September, she captured two French schooners, and later that month took part in attacks on Berbice, Essequibo (colony), Essequibo and Demarara. In November 1803, ''Emerald'' ran aground again, this time off the north-east corner of English Harbour. Nearly 300 slaves from the local plantations and the 64th Regiment of Foot, were sent on board to supplement the crew at the pumps. After 6 days of continual pumping, the ship was able to get off and return to harbour, where she remained for several months while the necessary repairs were carried out.Slope p. 46

Fort Diamond

''Emerald''s first lieutenant, Thomas Forest, commanded the 6-gun Cutter (boat), cutter on 13 March 1804 when, with 30 of ''Emerald''s crew aboard, she captured a French privateer off Saint-Pierre, Martinique. Contrary winds prevented the privateer, ''Mosambique'', from entering St Pierre and she had sought shelter beneath the batteries at Seron.James (Vol. III) p. 253 Because ''Emerald'' was too far downwind, Captain O'Bryen used boats and crew from ''Emerald'' to create a diversion and draw fire from the battery while ''Fort Diamond'' approached from the opposite direction, rounded Pearl Rock (some two miles off the coast), and bore down on ''Mosambique''. Forest put the cutter alongside, with such force that a chain securing the privateer to the shore snapped. The 60-man French crew abandoned their vessel and swam ashore. The Royal Navy took into service.

Capture of Surinam

In the spring of 1804, ''Emerald'' and her crew took part in an invasion of Surinam. The invasion force consisted of Hood's flagship ''Centaur'', ''Emerald'', the 44-gun heavy frigates Hector (1784 ship), ''Pandour'' and , the 28-gun sixth-rate , the 12-gun schooner , the 12-gun corvette , and the 8-gun Earl of Mornington (1799 ship), ''Drake'', together with 2,000 troops under Brigadier-General Sir Charles Green. The force arrived from Barbados on 25 April after a twenty-two-day journey. The sloop ''Hippomenes'', a transport and a further three armed vessels, landed Brigadier-General Frederick Maitland and 700 troops at Warapee Creek on the night of 30 April. The following night, O'Bryen was ordered to assist Brigadier-General Hughes in the taking of Braam's Point. A sandbar initially prevented ''Emerald'' from entering the Surinam River but O'Bryen forced her across on the rising tide, with ''Pandour'' and ''Drake'' following. Anchoring close by, the three British ships quickly put the Dutch battery of 18-pounders out of action and captured the fort without loss of life.James (Vol. III) p. 289 ''Emerald'', ''Pandour'', and ''Drake'' then pushed up the river, sometimes in less water than the frigates required to float properly, until on 5May they arrived close to the forts Leyden and Frederici. The British landed a detachment of troops under Hughes some distance away, which marching under the cover of the forests and swamps, launched an attack that resulted in the swift capture of the two forts. By this time, most of the squadron had managed to work its way up the river as far as Frederici, Maitland was advancing along the Commewijne River, Commewine River, and with troops poised to attack the fort of New Amsterdam, the Batavian commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Batenburg, duly surrendered.James (Vol. III) p. 290 ''Emerald'' captured the vessel ''Augusta'', which was under American colours, on 22 August and sent her into Antigua with the cargo of wine that she had been carrying from Livorno, Leghorn to Guadeloupe. ''Emerald'' left Tortola on 26 October as escort to a convoy of 50 vessels but a few days later on 29 October, she ran into trouble in a storm. At 06:00 the top section of the rudder snapped off and at 09:15 ''Emerald'' sent a signal of distress to the convoy when further damage forced the crew to cut the rudder away in its entirety.Slope p. 36 The signal was ignored but ''Emerald's'' carpenters were able to construct a replacement, row it into position and fit it.Slope p. 37 They reached the stopping off point, Madeira, in December and while moored in Funchal Bay, a merchant ship collided with ''Emerald'', taking out the quarter gallery on the left-hand side and carrying away the Cutter (boat)#Ship's boat, cutter. A few days later, a similar accident resulted in the loss of her starboard quarter gallery. In order to finish the required repairs, O'Bryen had to put in to the Tagus and did not arrive home until 16 March 1805, when the ship paid off.Slope p. 46

Service on the Home Station

Between February and June 1806, ''Emerald'' underwent a refurbishment at Deptford dockyard and was recommissioned under Captain John Armour on 6 June with Frederick Lewis Maitland assuming command on 28 November.Marshall p. 394 ''Emerald'' spent much of her time under Maitland cruising in the

and in the Bay of Biscay, off the Atlantic coast of France, where she preyed on enemy shipping.Slope p. 47 In January 1807, she was in the company of the 74-gun and the 36-gun , when two French vessels were seen off the Groix, Ile de Groix. One, a lugger, was driven on to the shore and the other, a ketch, captured.Slope p. 48 In April, ''Emerald's'' crew boarded a ship off Cape Finisterre. Formally the American vessel, ''Zulema'', she had been captured by a French privateer ten days earlier while sailing from Philadelphia to Liverpool. She was sent into Plymouth, arriving under her master, Mr Howard, on 4 May.Slope p. 34''Lloyd's List'', n° 415

– accessed 12 July 2016. While in the Basque Roads in April, ''Emerald'' captured the 14-gun privateer ''Austerlitz'', a brig from Nantes under the command of Captain Gatien Lafont. ''Emerald'', while escorting a Spanish Xebec, polacca that she had taken, spotted and captured the privateer on 14 April after a ten-hour chase. ''Austerlitz'' had been out of port two days but had made no captures; the polacca was the Spanish ship ''Prince of Asturias'', which had sailed from La Guaira, La Guayra with a cargo of cocoa, bark and indigo. ''Emerald'' sent both prizes into Plymouth, where they arrived on 22 April. ''Emerald'' herself set off in pursuit of another vessel from La Guayra. During December, Plymouth received more of ''Emerald'' captures. At the beginning of the month, ''Young Elias'' was detained. Her master, Monsieur Delance, had been sailing from Philadelphia to Bordeaux. On 26 December, Mr Seaton's vessel, ''Friendship'' was caught returning from France.

''Apropos''

''Emerald''s boats participated in a Naval boarding, cutting-out expedition in Viveiro harbour on 13 March 1808. While cruising inshore at around 17:00, ''Emerald'' spotted a large French schooner, ''Apropos'', of 250 tons (bm), anchored in the bay. ''Apropos'' was armed with twelve 8-pounder guns, though pierced for 16, and had a crew of more than 70 men under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Lagary. The crews of the schooner and of the two batteries guarding the harbour had seen ''Emerald'' but Maitland still made plans to attack ''Apropos''. He soon discovered it was not possible to place ''Emerald'' so as to engage both enemy batteries simultaneously, and instead sent landing parties to silence the guns, which had been firing on his ship since 17:30. The first landing party, led by Lieutenant Bertram and accompanied by two marine lieutenants and two master mates, stormed the outer fort. Maitland then positioned ''Emerald'' close to the second battery while a boat under the command of his third lieutenant, Smith, landed about a mile along the shore. This second landing party encountered Spanish soldiers, but drove them off and pursued them inland. By the time Smith's party returned to the beach, ''Emerald'' had already silenced the battery. In the darkness, Smith subsequently failed to locate the fort. The crew of ''Apropos'' had run her ashore soon after ''Emerald'' had entered the harbour. The harbour batteries having been destroyed, Captain Maitland sent a further force under Midshipman Baird to secure and refloat the French ship. The original landing party under Lieutenant Bertram, which had already encountered and dispersed 60 members of the schooner's crew, met Baird's party on the beach. The British made several unsuccessful attempts to re-float the schooner before being forced to set her afire and depart. British casualties were heavy. ''Emerald'' had nine men killed, and 16 wounded, including Lieutenant Bertram. Maitland estimated that French casualties too had been heavy. In 1847 the Admiralty issued the clasp "Emerald 13 March 1808" to the Naval General Service Medal (1847), Naval General Service Medal to the ten surviving claimants from the action. Between May and August 1808, ''Emerald'' was employed as a Auxiliary ship#Replenishment, supply ship, running provisions from Plymouth to the fleet blockading the French coast. A French schooner ''Amadea'' arrived in Plymouth on 15 December 1808 having previously been captured and sent in by ''Emerald''.

Back in the Basque Roads

Back in the Basque Roads on 23 February 1809, ''Emerald'' was this time part of a squadron under Robert Stopford (Royal Navy officer), Robert Stopford. Stopford's flagship, the 80-gun , was also accompanied by the seventy-fours and , and the 36-gun frigates and . At 20:00, Stopford's squadron was anchored off the Chassiron Lighthouse, to the north-west of Ile d'Oléron, when the sighting of several rockets prompted him to investigate. About an hour later, sails were seen to the east which the British followed until daylight the following morning. The sails belonged to a French squadron that Stopford deduced to be out of Brest, France, Brest and which Heave to, heaved to in the Pertuis d'Antioche. The French force comprised eight ships of the line and two frigates, and Stopford immediately sent ''Naiad'' to apprise James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Admiral James Gambier of the situation. ''Naiad'' had not gone too far however when she signalled that there were three other vessels to the north-west. Stopford ordered ''Amethyst'' and ''Emerald'' to remain while he and the rest of the squadron set off in pursuit. The British frigate and the sloop also joined the chase. ''Caesar'', ''Donegal'', ''Defiance'', and ''Amelia'' eventually drove the three French frigates ashore and destroyed them. ''Emerald'' and ''Amethyst'' had more success in the spring of 1809 when on 23 March they captured the brigs ''Caroline'' and ''Serpent''. In April, ''Emerald'' assisted ''Amethyst'' in the chase of a large 44-gun frigate off Ushant. ''Emerald'' sighted , with a main battery of 18-pounders and under the command of Captain Dupoter, at 11:00 on 5April and immediately signalled ''Amethyst'' for assistance. ''Amethyst'' caught a glimpse of the French forty-four just as she turned away to the south-east and gave chase but by 19:20 had lost sight of both ''Niemen'' and ''Emerald''. ''Amethyst'' fell in with ''Niemen'' again at around 21:30 and engaged her. ''Niemen'' was forced to strike when a second British frigate, came into view and fired a broadside. The Royal Navy took ''Niemen'' into service under her existing name. On 26 March, ''Enfant de Patria'' arrived at Plymouth. ''Patria'', of 500 tons (bm), 10 guns, and 60 men, had sailed from France for Isle de France (Mauritius), Île de France when ''Emerald'' and ''Amethyst'' captured her. Two days later ''Emerald'' captured a second letter of marque, the 4-gun ''Aventurier'', bound for the relief of Guadeloupe. She had a crew of 30 men.

Battle of the Basque Roads

''Emerald'' was part of the fleet under Admiral Lord Gambier that fought the

in April 1809. The French ships were anchored under the protection of the powerful batteries on the Isle d'Aix when on 11 April Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Lord Cochrane attacked them with fireships and explosive vessels.James (Vol. V) p. 105 ''Emerald'' provided a diversion to the east of the island with the brigs , ''Doterel'', , and ''Growler''. The fireships met with only partial success; the French, having anticipated such an attack, had rigged a boom across the channel.James (Vol. V) p. 104 One of the explosive vessels breached the boom, leading the French to cut their cables and drift on to the shoals. The following day, after much delay, Gambier ordered a battle squadron to reinforce Cochrane in the Basque Roads. The British ships anchored, with springs, in a crescent around some of the stranded French ships, and exchanged fire. ''Emerald'' took up position ahead of ''Indefatigable'' and behind ''Aigle'' and ''Unicorn'', and directed her fire mainly towards the French ships of the line, French ship Ville de Varsovie (1808), ''Varsovie'' and French ship Nestor (1793), ''Aquilon'', both of which struck at around 17:30.James (Vol. V) p. 114. At 20:00, ''Emerald'', along with the other British frigates and brigs, weighed and anchored with the 74-gun in the Maumusson passage to the south of Oléron while a second fireship attack was under preparation. Although the fireships were ready in the early hours on the 13th, contrary winds prevented their deployment. The British instead set ''Varsovie'' and ''Aquilon'' alight just after 03:00, on the orders of Captain John Bligh (Royal Navy officer), John Bligh, after removing their crews.James (Vol. V) p. 117. ''Emerald'', and the other vessels moored with her, were recalled at 05:00 but owing to the lack of water, only the brigs were able to pass further up the river. ''Emerald'' therefore took no further part in the attack, which continued until 29 April when the last French ship was able to free herself from the mud and escape up the river to Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort.

Later service

Gambier received much disapproval for his inaction at Basque Roads and on 26 July 1809 was court-martialled. Maitland, who had been one of his critics, was by then serving with ''Emerald'' on the Irish station and did not attend the hearing. That same month, ''Emerald'' captured two French sloops. ''Deux Freres'', en route for Guadeloupe from Rochelle when captured, arrived in Plymouth on 26 July. A week later, ''Emerald'' captured the French schooner ''Balance'', which had been sailing to France from Guadeloupe. Both captures carried letters of marque. The first, of four guns, was carrying a small reinforcement for Guadeloupe's garrison. The second, also of four guns, was carrying a cargo of coffee and other colonial produce. While off the coast of Ireland on 8 October, ''Emerald'' rescued a British brig by capturing ''Incomparable'', an 8-gun French privateer. The Frenchman was about to take the British vessel when ''Emerald'' intervened. ''Incomparable'' had a crew of 63 men and was four days out of Saint-Malo, but had not yet captured any other vessel. Still in Irish waters on 6 November, ''Emerald'' took the 16-gun French brig , two days out of Brest and bound for Guadeloupe. After an all-night chase, ''Emerald'' caught up. ''Capitaine de fregate'' Croquet Deschateurs of ''Fanfaron'' resisted, firing several broadsides and a final double-shotted broadside. Unable to escape, Deschateurs prepared to board but ''Emerald'' evaded the manoeuvre and fired a broadside that dismasted ''Fanfaron'', leaving Deschateurs no option but to surrender his vessel. The subsequent French court-martial not only absolved Deschateurs of any liability for the loss but also commended him for his conduct. Four days later ''Emerald'' arrived at Cork with ''Fanfaron'' and ''Luna''. ''Fanfaron'', with a crew of 113, had been carrying a cargo of flour, salt and other provisions, as well as iron, lead and nails, all for Guadeloupe. At the beginning of February 1810, ''Emerald'' captured and sent into Plymouth, ''Commerce'', Hanson, master, which had been sailing from Drontheim to Bordeaux. Then on 22 March, ''Emerald'' captured the 350-ton (bm) ''Belle Etoile'' in the Bay of Biscay. Caught after a twelve-hour chase during which she jettisoned much of her cargo; ''Belle Etoile'', out of Bayonne, was pierced for 20 guns but only carried eight. Carrying a cargo of wine, flour, oil, and other merchandise to Île de France, she was sent into Cork with her 56-man crew. ''Emerald'' captured an American ship, ''Wasp'', in July 1810. ''Wasp'' was carrying 91 passengers from New York to Bordeaux; they arrived at Plymouth on 30 July. ''Emerald'' was still serving on the Irish Station on 11 April 1811 when she sent into Cork a French privateer.''Lloyd's List'', n° 455

– accessed 12 July 2016. This was the 18-gun (or ''Augusta''), which had been taken on 6 April. Shortly after this however, ''Emerald'' put into Portsmouth for a two-month refit prior to escorting a convoy to the Cape of Good Hope. The newly appointed governor of the colony, John Cradock, 1st Baron Howden, Lieutenant-General Sir John Craddock, his family and servants, joined ''Emerald'' for the journey.Slope p. 50 Following a stop-over at Madeira, ''Emerald'' left on 5July, reportedly in the company of five East Indiamen and was spotted by a transport ship on 18 July, escorting thirteen vessels off the coast of West Africa.

Fate

The journey to the Cape Colony, proved to be ''Emerald's'' last duty of note; she returned home in November 1811, and after transporting the captain's wine to the custom house in Portsmouth, was laid up reserve fleet, in ordinary. She was fitted out as a

in 1822 but was eventually