HMS ''Inconstant'' was a 36-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 ...

frigate of the

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. She had a successful career serving in the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic War The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

s, capturing three French warships during the French Revolutionary naval campaigns, ''Curieux'', ''Unité'', and the former British ship .

Construction and commissioning

''Inconstant'' was ordered on 8 December 1781 and laid down at the yards of William Barnard,

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, in December 1782. She was launched on 28 October 1783, and was immediately fitted out for

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, a process completed by 22 March 1784. She was moved to

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in 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 maintained thro ...

in October 1788 and there fitted out for sea between June and November 1790. She had cost a total of £16,226.0.1d (including the work to fit her for ordinary, with a further £6,627 spent in 1790 to prepare her for sea.

Career

''Inconstant'' was commissioned in August 1790 under Captain

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. Wilson commanded her for just over a year before she was

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 September 1791.

French Revolutionary wars

''Inconstant'' returned to Woolwich and was fitted out again between January and February 1793 at a cost of £7,239. She was recommissioned under Captain Augustus Montgomery and joined the fleet under Richard Howe. She sailed to the

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in April, and captured the 14-gun ''Curieux'' there on 3 June 1793. ''Inconstant'' returned to England in July that year, sailing again in November bound for

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...

to join Samuel Hood's fleet. She was briefly commanded by Captain

George Cockburn Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a British Royal Navy officer. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars an ...

in 1794, who was succeeded by Thomas Fremantle in January 1795. Under Fremantle, and as part of the fleet under Admiral William Hotham, she fought against the 80-gun

ship 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 depended on the two colu ...

on 10 March 1795. ''Ça Ira''s superiority in firepower soon forced Fremantle to fall back. As he did so, , commanded by Captain

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought ...

, surged past to continue the fight. This was a prelude to the Naval Battle of Genoa, fought over the next few days. On 25 March ''Inconstant'' recaptured from the French, and went on to form part of Nelson's squadron in August. On 20 April 1796 she captured the French ''Unité''. ''Unité'' was taken into service as . ''Inconstant'' was then present at the evacuation of Leghorn on 26 June 1796. After an active period in the Mediterranean, she was paid off in September 1797. She was refitted at Woolwich between March and June 1798, returning to service as a 20-gun

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

. She was commanded by Commander Milham Ponsonby until being paid off in October 1799, after which she was refitted and recommissioned as a fifth-rate under Commander John Ayscough. ''Inconstant'' was initially operating in the North Sea, before receiving orders to move to support operations in Egypt in 1801. Because ''Inconstant'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorised in 1850 for all surviving claimants. She came under the command of captain Richard Byron in October 1802, who was succeeded by Captain Edward Dickson by December.

Napoleonic Wars

''Inconstant'' was fitted out as a troopship again in late 1803, and was present at the capture of

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in March 1804. She was restored to a frigate between 1805 and 1806, and spent the period between 1806 and 1808 as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

of Vice-Admiral James Saumarez. On 6 May 1807 the boats of ''Inconstant'' captured the French ship ''Julia''. and ''Jamaica'' shared in the proceeds of the capture. ''Inconstant'' underwent a large repair between 1808 and 1809, after which she sailed to the

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. She was paid off in 1810, and refitted at

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. She recommissioned again in October that year, under the command of Captain John Quilliam, who was succeeded by Captain Edward Owen by December. Owen remained in command until 1812, and was succeeded by Sir Edward Tucker. On 19 December 1812 recaptured the

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. ''Rolla'' shared the salvage money for ''Frederick'' with and ''Inconstant''. Tucker sailed ''Inconstant'' to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. On 18 March 1815, ''Inconstant'' and ''Albacore'' recaptured ''Acorn'' and her cargo. In August 1815 ''Inconstant'' was serving as Captain James Lucas Yeo's flagship.

Construction and commissioning

Career

French Revolutionary wars

Napoleonic Wars

Fate

Notes

Citations

References