''Hector'' was a Dutch 44-gun frigate launched in 1784, that the British captured in 1799. They fitted her out and transferred her to the Transport Board in 1800, under the name ''Pandour''. She then transported troops to and from Egypt. 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 ...
commissioned her in 1803, as HMS ''Pandour''; she then sailed to the Leeward Islands, where she participated in the capture of Surinam. The Navy converted her to a floating battery in 1804, and transferred her to Customs as a store hulk in 1805. She was sold in 1814.
Career
The British captured ''Hector'', and a number of other vessels, at the Nieuwe Diep during the
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland
The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland (or Anglo-Russian expedition to Holland, or Helder Expedition) was a military campaign from 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and ...
. The actual captor was , which took possession of 13 men-of-war in all, ranging in size from 66 guns to 24, and three
Indiamen
East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European Trading company, trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belon ...
. She also took possession of the Naval Arsenal and its 95 pieces of ordnance.
''Hector'' arrived at Sheerness on 30 April 1800. The Admiralty transferred her to the Transport Board on 26 May 1801, which had her fitted
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at Woolwich between May and July to serve as a troopship. Commander
John Shortland
John Shortland (5 September 1769 – 21 January 1810) was an officer of the Royal Navy, the eldest son of John Shortland.Siege of Alexandria, which was fought between 17 August and 2 September 1801. ''Pandour'' was still or again there in early February 1803, as the British troops were preparing to leave in March.
In 1803, after her return from Egypt, ''Pandour'' paid off. Then the Admiralty had her fitted for the defense of the Thames. On 15 September, she was at Portsmouth for the visit of the Prince of Wales and performed a maneuver. She then was commissioned in October under Captain John Nash. At the time the British were concerned about a French invasion and were making anti-invasion preparations. Still, Nash sailed ''Pandour'' for the Leeward Islands immediately after commissioning her.
On the morning of 13 March 1804, ''Fort Diamond'', the tender to ''Diamond Rock'', captured the French 10-gun privateer schooner , which had anchored close to the shore under a battery at Ceron, outside the port of
Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre (, ; ; Martinican Creole: ) is a town and commune of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique, founded in 1635 by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Before the total destruction of Saint-Pierre by a volcanic eruption in 1902, it ...
. The capture took place with the cooperation of and ''Pandour'', which sent two boats each that created a diversion. The Navy took ''Mosambique'' into service under her existing name.
On 24 April, Commodore Samuel Hood's squadron captured the Dutch colony at Surinam River. The squadron consisted of Hood's flagship , ''Emerald'', ''Pandour'', , , , , and ''Drake'', and was transporting 2000 troops under Brigadier-General Sir Charles Green. Both British and Dutch casualties were light, with ''Pandour'' suffering one man wounded.
''Pandour'' returned to Britain in October 1804. There she was fitted as a floating battery. However she was paid off in February 1805.
Fate
The Admiralty transferred ''Pandour'' to the Customs for service as a store hulk. At some point the Admiralty regained control and offered her for sale at Portsmouth on 13 May 1814, though the vessel was lying at
Scilly
The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the British mainland at Lizard Point, and has the souther ...