HMS ''Speedy'' was a 14-gun ''Speedy''-class

brig sloop 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 ...

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 ...

. Built during the last years of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, she served with distinction during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. Built at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, ''Speedy'' spent most of the interwar years serving off the British coast. Transferred to 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 ...

after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, she spent the rest of her career there under a number of notable commanders, winning fame for herself in various engagements and often against heavy odds. Her first commander in the Mediterranean,

Charles Cunningham Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Cunningham KCH (175511 March 1834) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napo ...

, served with distinction with several squadrons, assisting in the capture of several

war prize A prize of war (also called spoils of war, bounty or booty) is a piece of enemy property or land seized by a belligerent party during or after a war or battle. This term was used nearly exclusively in terms of captured ships during the 18th and 1 ...

s, such as the French frigates and ''Impérieuse''. His successor,

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

, impressed his superiors with his dogged devotion to duty. ''Speedy''s next commander, George Eyre, had the misfortune to lose her to a superior

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

force on 9 June 1794. She was soon retaken, and re-entered service under

Hugh Downman Hugh Downman (c. 1765 – 4 January 1858) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of admiral. Downman spent m ...

, who captured a number of

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 ...

s between 1795 and 1799 and fought off an attack by the large French privateer ''Papillon'' on 3 February 1798. His successor, Jahleel Brenton, fought a number of actions against

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

forces off

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 ...

. Her last captain, Lord Cochrane, forced the surrender of the much larger . A powerful French squadron captured her again in 1801 and

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 ...

donated her to the

Papal Navy The Papal Navy (, "Pontifical Navy"; ) was the navy, maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely constituted, it was sporadically extant from approximately the Battle of Ostia (849) during the pontificate of Pope Leo IV, Leo IV until the ascension ...

the following year. She spent five years with the Papal Navy under the name ''San Paolo''; she was struck around 1806.

Design and construction

''Speedy'' was one of two brig-sloops built to the same design by Thomas King of

, Kent. She and her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

were constructed to provide small, fast escort vessels with hulls shaped like a

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...

, rather than the more seaworthy but slower

ship-sloop 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 ...

. King had for some time specialised in these types of vessels, and the design capitalised on that experience. ''Speedy'' was so named to symbolise this new approach. Ordered on 23 March 1781, she was laid down at King's yard in June that year and launched on 29 June 1782. She moved to

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

, Kent, to be

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 ...

and have her hull covered with copper plates between 16 July and 25 October 1782; at her completion she had cost £4,200 7 s 3 d to build.

Early career

''Speedy'' was commissioned under

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Josias Rogers in May 1783 and was assigned to serve in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, operating out of the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

estuary. After four years on this station 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 ...

(placed in reserve) in January 1787 and began a refit at

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 ...

in April that year. This work was completed by July at a cost of and she was recommissioned in May that year under Commander John Maude, still on the Humber station. From November 1790 she was under Commander Richard Lane, who was her captain until she was paid off in October 1791. ''Speedy'' then underwent another refit, this time at Deptford between June and December 1792, at a cost of , and was recommissioned in November 1792 under Commander

French Revolutionary Wars

Cunningham had previously been serving in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

in command of the 16-gun sloop . By the time he returned to take up his new command the

had broken out and he was sent to join Lord Hood fleet in the Mediterranean, arriving there in April 1793. He was largely employed in carrying despatches and maintaining communications with other ships scattered throughout the Mediterranean ports. On 5 October 1793 ''Speedy'' accompanied and into

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, where they captured a French

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 ...

, , and two armed

tartane A tartane (also tartan, tartana) was a small ship used both as a fishing ship and for coastal trading in the Mediterranean. They were in use for over 300 years until the late 19th century. A tartane had a single mast on which was rigged a large ...

s in the

Raid on Genoa The Raid on Genoa was a minor naval engagement fought in the harbour of the Italian city of Genoa during the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars. French Republican forces in the Mediterranean, under pressure from Austrian and Spanish a ...

. In this action, ''Speedy'' sent two boats to board the tartanes while ''Bedford'' bombarded ''Modeste''. The French crews of the tartanes attempted to resist and two of their crewmembers were wounded, but the British did not suffer any casualties. ''Captain'' and ''Speedy'' then sailed to the Gulf of Spezia where they caught another French frigate, ''Imperieuse'', at anchor. ''Imperieuse'' was

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

by her crew, but was subsequently salvaged and recommissioned as HMS ''Imperieuse''. Cunningham was promoted to captain and given command of the

prize 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.

, with his commission backdated to the day of the capture, 12 October 1793. Cunningham was replaced by Commander

in the command of ''Speedy'', which remained in the Mediterranean. His first duties were limited to carrying despatches and passengers between

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 ...

and Genoa, after which he was ordered to join Captain Sutherland of , who was commanding a squadron blockading Genoa. The small fleet was caught in winter storms and several ships were badly damaged, forcing Sutherland and his squadron to seek shelter in nearby ports and to make repairs, with the exception of ''Speedy'', which remained on station. Sutherland put into

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

Bay and reported the dispersal of his squadron to Lord Hood, also noting that nothing had been heard of ''Speedy'' since the gales. Once ''Diadem'' had been repaired Sutherland returned to Genoa, and was surprised to discover ''Speedy'' still there patrolling the port, not once having left her task. While single-handedly maintaining the blockade, she had managed to capture several vessels. Sutherland ordered ''Speedy'', which was by now running desperately short of water, to Hyères to refit. At the same time, Sutherland sent a complimentary report of Cockburn to Lord Hood. On 20 January 1794, Cockburn was rewarded with an acting commission as

post-captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to dis ...

of the frigate , followed a month later by a permanent command of the frigate . Commander George Eyre took over command of ''Speedy'' in February 1794. ''Speedy'' supported the siege and capture of

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

, after which Eyre was ordered to join ''Diadem'' off

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionPierre Martin, which had sailed from Toulon several days earlier. Eyre attempted to escape, but the wind and sea favoured the larger vessels, and ''Speedy'' was chased down and captured. Eyre was brought aboard Admiral Martin's flagship and was told that the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

had recently ordered that no quarter should be given to the English or

Hanoverians The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

, and that had Martin's ship been first alongside, he would have sunk ''Speedy''. The sudden appearance of a British fleet curtailed the interview, and the French hurried back to Gourjean

roadstead A roadstead or road is a sheltered body of water where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.United States Army technical manual, TM 5-360. Port Construction and Rehabilitation'. Washington: United States. Gove ...

outside Toulon, taking ''Speedy'' and the captured British crew with them.

Recapture

''Speedy'' spent only a brief time sailing under the French flag. On 25 March 1795 her captain mistook Captain Thomas Fremantle's ''Inconstant'' for a French ship and she was recaptured and taken back into British service. In early March the following year, ''Speedy'', under the command of Thomas Elphinstone, joined a squadron cruising off Oneglia, Italy, under Commodore

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 ...

, consisting of the 64-gun ships and HMS ''Diadem'', the 32-gun frigates and and the ship-sloop . On 25 April the squadron steered for Laöna bay, the commodore having received intelligence that a large convoy, laden with stores for the French army, had anchored off the town of Finale. When the squadron arrived, however, they found only four vessels moored under the guns of some batteries. The shore batteries opened fire on ''Peterel'' as she led the boats of the squadron to the attack. Despite the fire, the British were able to capture the four vessels and suffered only three men wounded. In an action on 31 May the squadron chased the French

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch f ...

''Genie'', a gunboat of one gun, and five merchant ships, which took refuge near the guns of a shore battery. At 3p.m. ''Agamemnon'', ''Blanche'', ''Peterel'' and ''Speedy'' approached them and anchored in of water. The four British ships fired their cannons, which disabled the shore battery, and then sent in several boats under heavy fire from the guns of ''Genie'' and the gunboat; the British successfully boarded and captured both ships. In the meantime, the merchant ships had beached themselves to avoid capture. Under heavy

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

fire from the beach, the British captured and re-floated the four merchant vessels, and destroyed one. Among the British, one man was killed and three were wounded in the operation.

Downman and Brenton

Elphinstone was succeeded in August 1797 by Commander

, who made several cruises with ''Speedy''. During his time in command of ''Speedy'', Downman captured five privateers, altogether mounting 17 guns and 28 swivels, and carrying 162 men. These five were: ''Domine Lucas'' on 1 August, ''Palma'' on 13 September, ''Peregrino''on 21 December, ''Virgen de los Remedios'' (alias ''Olivia'') on 1 January 1798, and ''San José'' (alias ''Garalin'') on 15 March. Head money was finally paid in June 1829. On 3 February 1798 ''Speedy'' encountered the large

''Papillon'', mounting 18 guns and carrying 160 men, while sailing off

Vigo Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...

. ''Papillon'' attacked ''Speedy'', which had a reduced crew; her

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

Mr Marshall and 12 men were aboard a Spanish prize ''Speedy'' had taken earlier. The two ships fought each other for two days; by the second day Downman had exhausted his supply of shot, and resorted to firing nails and pieces of iron hoop at his opponent. Having observed his captain's predicament, Marshall secured the Spanish crew below deck and took the prize crew off in a small boat to go to Downman's assistance. After a fierce fight ''Speedy'' succeeded in driving off ''Papillon''; ''Speedy'' suffered losses of five killed and four wounded. Downman then recaptured his prize and returned to

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 ...

to carry out repairs. For his efforts in protecting British trade out of

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, the merchants there presented him with a letter of thanks, and a piece of plate valued at £50. As a reward for his good service, Downman was advanced to

on 26 December 1798 and appointed commander of the 32-gun , a frigate that had recently been captured from the Spanish in the

action of 15 July 1798 The action of 15 July 1798 was a minor naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought off the Spanish Mediterranean coast by the Royal Navy ship of the line HMS ''Lion'' under Captain Manley Dixon and a squadron of four Spanish Navy f ...

. Downman was succeeded in January of the following year by Commander Jahleel Brenton, who was based at

. While sailing off Gibraltar in company with the British privateer ''Defender'' on 9 August 1799, Brenton came across three small Spanish warships, mounting twenty 6-pounders in total. The Spanish

ran RAN may refer to: * Radio access network, a part of a mobile telecommunication system * Rainforest Action Network * Ran (gene) (RAs-related Nuclear protein), also known as GTP-binding nuclear protein Ran, a protein that in humans is encoded by t ...

into a small sandy bay and anchored in a line so as to bring their guns to bear simultaneously on the British ships. ''Speedy'' and ''Defender'' sailed up and down for two hours firing broadsides, but without much effect. ''Defender'' only had 22 men on board and decided to sail further out to sea to meet one of her boats. Brenton thought the effort of keeping under sail was aiding the enemy, and anchored ''Speedy'' within of the middle ship. The two exchanged a fierce cannonade for three-quarters of an hour, after which the Spanish abandoned their ships and made for the shore. Two of the ships ran ashore and the third was immediately captured. ''Speedy'' launched her boats to recover the other two, coming under musket fire from the Spanish on the hillside as they did so. The British got both vessels off and took them into Gibraltar, along with two men wounded during the operation. HMS Speedy gunboats

On 3 October ''Speedy'', while sailing once again off Gibraltar, spotted ten small ships coming out of

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

, gunboats apparently attempting to attack a British convoy that was then passing. Brenton identified the ships as merchantmen, attempting to evade the British at Gibraltar in the bad weather. On ''Speedy''s approach, they scattered, four sheltering under a fort. ''Speedy'' approached and fired on them, causing their crews to abandon their ships. They were driven ashore by the wind, and despite sending boats out, it was impossible to get them off, so they were left to be reduced to wrecks. Three days later, ''Speedy'' was standing off

Europa Point Europa Point ( Spanish and Llanito: Punta de Europa or Punta Europa) is the southernmost point of Gibraltar. Although not the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, Europa Point defines the boundary between the Straits of Gibraltar in th ...

when twelve gunboats were sighted coming out of Algeciras to attack two merchant ships making their way past Gibraltar. One, the ''Unity'', was carrying wine and spirits for the fleet. Their combined firepower far outweighed that of ''Speedy'', but Brenton turned his ship towards them, covering the escape of one of the merchantmen with his fire. The gunboats were attempting to catch the ''Unity'' when Brenton took his ship through the flotilla, close enough to break many of their oars, maintaining a constant fire from his guns and with every spare member of the crew firing muskets. The Spanish flotilla broke and fled. ''Speedy'' suffered two men killed and one wounded, and sustained considerable damage to her rigging and below her waterline. She was unable to return to Gibraltar in the rising wind, and was forced to run along the coast to

Tétouan Tétouan (, or ) is a city in northern Morocco. It lies along the Martil Valley and is one of the two major ports of Morocco on the Mediterranean Sea, a few miles south of the Strait of Gibraltar, and about E.S.E. of Tangier. In the 2014 Morocc ...

Bay, where her shot-holes were plugged to allow her to make her way back. During the engagement with the gunboats, the guns in the fortress of Gibraltar had not fired in support of ''Speedy''. When Brenton asked why, the Governor of Gibraltar, General

Charles O'Hara General Charles O'Hara (1740 – 25 February 1802) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary War and later served as governor of Gibraltar. He served with d ...

, replied that he had arranged with the Governor of Algeciras for the guns never to be fired at the gunboats so as not to annoy the inhabitants of the town.

Cochrane

Brenton was promoted to

, and in March 1800 Commander Lord Cochrane took over. Cochrane was less than impressed with his new command, declaring that ''Speedy'' was "little more than a burlesque of a vessel of war". His cabin had only of headroom; when Cochrane wished to shave he had to open a skylight and set his shaving equipment out on the quarterdeck. On another occasion he walked the quarterdeck with ''Speedy''s entire broadside, seven pieces of four-pounder shot, in his pockets. In an attempt to increase the firepower of his new command he asked for and was given two 12-pounder long guns to use as bow and stern chasers, but the

scantling Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas. When used in regard to timber, the scantling is (also "the scantlings are") the thickness and breadth, the sectional dimensions; in the case of stone it refers t ...

s could not support them and they had to be removed. He then requested his 4-pounders be upgraded to 6-pounders, but his gunports were not big enough. He had better luck with his mast, taking a spar from HMS ''Genereux'' that was considered too large for ''Speedy'', but which Cochrane felt improved her speed. In early May Cochrane was escorting a convoy from

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

to Leghorn. On 11 May a ship which turned out to be the 6-gun privateer ''Intrépide'' was spotted capturing one of the merchant ships in the convoy, at which point Cochrane chased the ''Intrépide'' and forced her to surrender. Three days later, as the convoy passed the island of

Montecristo Montecristo, also Monte Cristo (, ) and formerly Oglasa (), is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to the comune, municipality of Portoferraio in the province of Livorno, Italy. The isl ...

, five rowing boats emerged from one of the island's coves and captured two of the rearmost merchant ships. Cochrane immediately gave chase, and recaptured them early the next morning. He was then given a free hand to raid enemy shipping in the area, and captured seven or eight vessels that June and July, including the 10-gun privateer ''Asuncion'' off Bastia on 25 June and the privateer ''Constitution'' off Caprea on 19 July. On 22 September he captured a large Neapolitan vessel and, on bringing her into

Port Mahon A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manches ...

, discovered that the Spanish had taken notice of his depredations and were preparing a frigate to capture ''Speedy''. Cochrane prepared for an encounter with this Spanish vessel by painting ''Speedy'' to resemble the Danish brig ''Clomer'', then in the Mediterranean. He also appointed a Dane as quartermaster and found him a Danish naval officer's uniform. While cruising off

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

on 21 December, ''Speedy'' encountered an enemy frigate, but tricked her into thinking she was a neutral vessel. Cochrane again used this false flag technique to his advantage; on 22 January he was sailing with a convoy of Danish merchantmen under a Danish flag, pretending to escort them. When a 10-gun French ship and 8-gun Spanish brig approached, Cochrane hoisted British colours and attacked, capturing both of them. Then on 24 February Cochrane captured the French naval brig ''Caroline'', of four guns, which had been carrying ordnance stores from Genoa to Alexandria.

''Speedy'' and ''Gamo''

''Speedy'' was cruising off

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

at dawn on 6 May 1801 when she sighted a large

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

warship, which turned out to be the

xebec A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that originated in the barbary states (Algeria), it was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a ...

'' El Gamo'', carrying 319 men and armed with 8- and 12-pounder guns and 24-pounder

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. This amounted to a total broadside of 190 pounds, more than seven times that of ''Speedy''. Furthermore, Cochrane had only 54 men on board; the rest were serving as prize crews. Instead of evading the frigate, Cochrane closed on her, and at 9:30 a.m. ''Gamo'' fired a gun and hoisted Spanish colours. In return Cochrane hoisted American colours. The Spanish hesitated, allowing Cochrane to get closer, hoist British colours, and evade the first broadside. ''Gamo'' fired another, which Cochrane again evaded, holding fire until ''Speedy'' ran alongside and locked her

yards The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...

in ''Gamo'' rigging. ''Gamo'' attempted to fire upon her smaller opponent, but her guns were mounted too high and could not be depressed sufficiently, causing their shot to pass through ''Speedy''s sails and rigging. Cochrane on the other hand had mounted the front of his guns on blocks so they could fire upward through ''Gamo''s sides. Cochrane then opened fire with his 4-pounders double- and treble-shotted, their shots passing up through the sides and decks; the first broadside killed the Spanish captain and boatswain. Seeing their disadvantage the Spanish second-in-command assembled a boarding party, at which Cochrane drew off and pounded their massed ranks with shot and musket fire before drawing in close again. After having their attempts to board frustrated three times, the Spanish returned to their guns. Cochrane then decided to board the ''Gamo'', and assembled his entire crew into two parties, leaving only the ship's doctor aboard. The British rushed ''Gamo'', some boarding from the bow with faces blackened to look like pirates, the rest boarding from the

waist The waist is the part of the Human abdomen, abdomen between the rib cage and Hip (anatomy), hips. Normally, it is the narrowest part of the torso. ''Waistline'' refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appe ...

. There was a hard-fought battle between the two crews, until Cochrane called down to the doctor, at the time the only person on ''Speedy'', ordering him to send another 50 men over. At the same time he ordered the Spanish colours to be torn down. Thinking that their officers had surrendered the ship, the remaining Spanish seamen stopped fighting. The British had lost three men killed and nine wounded, while the Spanish had lost 14 killed and 41 wounded, a casualty list exceeding ''Speedy''s entire complement. The British then secured the Spanish prisoners below deck and made their way back to Port Mahon. Stung that he had been beaten by such an inferior foe, the Spanish second-in-command asked Cochrane for a certificate assuring him that he had done all he could to defend his ship. Cochrane obliged, with the equivocal wording that he had "conducted himself like a true Spaniard". Cochrane was amused to learn that this certificate had later secured the Spanish officer further advancement. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Speedy 6 May 1801" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Later actions and capture

Cochrane returned to the coast off Barcelona in June 1801, and joined the 16-gun in attacking a Spanish convoy of 12 merchant ships and five armed vessels anchored under the guns of a large tower. After a sharp action fought between the afternoon of 9 June and the morning of 10 June, the two ships sank or drove ashore all of the ships with the exception of three brigs, which they captured. Three weeks later he was cruising off Alicante when he encountered several merchant vessels, which ran ashore. Rather than wasting time trying to get them off, he burnt them, but in doing so attracted the attention of a foe vastly more powerful than the ''Gamo''. A formidable French squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral

Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois Counter-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, comte de Linois (27 January 1761 – 2 December 1848) was a French Navy officer and colonial administrator who served in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic ...

had left Toulon bound for Cadiz to collect reinforcements for Napoleon's army in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. On 3 July they sighted and chased ''Speedy'', and Cochrane ordered the guns, boats, and provisions thrown overboard to lighten the ship. The French caught up nonetheless, and after narrowly avoiding the broadside of ''Desaix'', Cochrane struck his colours. The French squadron also captured vessel "Mahon Packet" at this time. He was taken aboard ''Desaix'', where her captain, Christy-Pallière, recognised Cochrane's accomplishments by refusing to accept his sword. Cochrane was taken along with the fleet and watched the Battle of Algeciras Bay from ''Desaix''. He and the crew of ''Speedy'' were later exchanged after the battle. On returning to Gibraltar he was court-martialled for the loss of his ship, and honourably acquitted.

French and Papal career

The French took ''Speedy'' to Toulon with the fleet, where she became a pawn in

's efforts at diplomacy with

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

, whose presence he wanted at his coronation as emperor. ''Speedy'', by now named ''Saint Paul'' and inscribed with the words "Donné par le premier consul Bonaparte au Pape Pie VII" ("Given by the

First Consul The Consulate () was the top-level government of the First French Republic from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 9 November 1799 until the start of the French Empire on 18 May 1804. During this period, Napoleon Bonap ...

Bonaparte to Pope Pius VII") in gilt letters on her poop cabin, sailed with an escort from Toulon on 14 December 1802 bound for

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (, meaning "ancient town") is a city and major Port, sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea west-northwest of Rome. Its legal status is a ''comune'' (municipality) of Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Rome, Lazio. The harbour is formed by ...

as a present to the Pope. She arrived there on 16 December where the

took her into service under the name ''San Paolo''. She remained there until being struck c.1806.

HMS ''Sophie''

Some of ''Speedy''s later exploits under Cochrane were used in the plot of the novel '' Master and Commander'', the first of

Patrick O'Brian Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and ...

Aubrey–Maturin series The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of nautical historical novels—20 completed and one unfinished—by English author Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centring on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the R ...

, though the ship described by O'Brian matches only ''Speedy'' spar dimensions and armament, and is named HMS ''Sophie''. Cochrane is replaced in the book by the fictional

Jack Aubrey John "Jack" Aubrey , is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series of novels portrays his rise from lieutenant to rear admiral in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The twenty (and o ...

, who repeats many of Cochrane's real-life exploits including the defence of a convoy and the recapture of one of its merchants from a privateer, and the capture of a large Spanish frigate, based on the ''Gamo'', but renamed ''Cacafuego'' for the novel.

In popular culture

HMS ''Speedy'' was digitally reconstructed and is featured as one of the sailable ships in the video game ''Ahoy''.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Speedy (1782) 1782 ships Brigs of the French Navy Brigs of the Royal Navy Captured ships Ships built in Kent San Pietro Ships in art