HMS Frolic (1806)
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HMS ''Frolic'' was an 18-gun 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 built by Boole, of
Bridport Bridport is a market town and civil parish in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the River Asker, Asker. Its origins are Anglo-Saxons, Saxon and it has a long history as a ...
and was launched on 9 February 1806. Although she took part in the capture of Martinique, Guadaloupe, and Saint Martin, she appears to have had an uneventful career until 8 October 1812, when the American
sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...
captured her after a fierce fight. Later that day the British recaptured ''Frolic'' and captured ''Wasp''. ''Frolic'' was broken up in 1813.


Career

On 26 October 1807, Tsar
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...
declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. ''Frolic'' was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian
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 ...
''Speshnoy'' (''Speshnyy''), then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship ''Wilhelmina'' (''Vilghemina'') at the same time. The Russian vessels were carrying the payroll for Vice-Admiral
Dmitry Senyavin Dmitry Nikolayevich Senyavin or Seniavin (; – ) was a Russian admiral during the Russo-Turkish and Napoleonic wars. He was the successor of F. F. Ushakov: in the Battle of Athos, D. N. Senyavin developed the tactics used by Ushakov †...
’s squadron in the Mediterranean. ''Frolic'', under Commander Thomas Whinyates, sailed for the West Indies on 21 February 1808. There she participated in the Invasion of Martinique in February 1809, and then in the invasion of Guadeloupe. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasps "Martinique" and "Guadaloupe". On 17 February 1810 ''Frolic'', , and joined Captain
William Charles Fahie Vice-Admiral Sir William Charles Fahie KCB (1763 – 11 January 1833) was a prominent British Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Unusually, Fahie's service was almost ...
of and his force at the surrender of
Saint Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (c. 595–655), bishop of R ...
. On 14 June 1810, ''Frolic'' and (or ''Freija'') arrived at
Sombrero Island Sombrero, also known as Hat Island, is part of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla and is the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. It lies north-west of Anguilla across the Dog and Prickly Pear Passage. The distance to Dog Isla ...
in the West Indies. The Admiralty had sent them there to assess separately and independently the survival prospects for someone landed at this place without food and water. Captain
Warwick Lake Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
of had marooned an impressed seaman, Robert Jeffrey, there on 13 December 1807, and was now the subject of an Admiralty investigation. They reported back that survival prospects were poor. As it turned out, Jeffrey was alive, a passing American vessel having rescued him. Still, a court-martial dismissed Lake from the Royal Navy.


''Frolic'' vs. ''Wasp''

In October 1812 the ''Frolic'' was serving on the North American station, protecting a convoy of six merchantmen off
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. On a passage from the Bay of Honduras, a gale dispersed the convoy and carried away ''Frolic''s main top yard and sprung her main top mast. On 18 October, while the convoy was reassembling and ''Frolic'' was working on the damage, a strange sail was spotted. ''Frolic'' sent the convoy on its way and hoisted a Spanish ensign as a ruse to buy time. The strange sail turned out to be the , of 18 guns, commanded by Jacob Jones. The ships closed. Initially ''Frolic'' fired more rapidly but less accurately, but the gale damage had rendered her unmanageable. Within 40 minutes ''Wasp'' had repeatedly raked ''Frolic'', killing 15 and wounding 43 out of the 120 seamen and boys aboard, including Whinyates. The Americans boarded ''Frolic'' and all resistance stopped. The Americans had 5 killed and 5 wounded. ''Frolic'' was only temporarily in American hands. Later that day the British 74-gun captured both ships. Captain John Poo Beresford of ''Poictiers'' restored Whinyates to command of ''Frolic''. The subsequent court martial for the loss of the ship honorably acquitted Whinyates, his officers and his men.


Fate

''Frolic'' was recommissioned later in October under Lieutenant Andrew Mitchell (acting). His commission as commander was confirmed on 24 August 1813. Earlier, on 20 July 1813, ''Frolic'' was one of four British vessels sharing in the capture of the American ship ''Fame''. ''Frolic'' continued in service until being broken up at Portsmouth in November 1813. Her captured ensign was on display at Mahan Hall at the
U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the sec ...
, but was removed on 27 February 2018 for preservation.


See also

*
List of ships captured in the 19th century Throughout naval history during times of war, battles, blockades, and other patrol missions would often result in the capture of enemy ships or those of a neutral country. If a ship proved to be a valuable prize, efforts would sometimes be made ...
* Bibliography of 18th-19th century Royal Naval history


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References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frolic (1806) Cruizer-class brig-sloops Ships built in England 1806 ships Captured ships Vessels captured by the United States Navy War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom Ships in art