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The ''Narcissus''-class frigate was a 32-gun,
18-pounder The Ordnance QF 18-pounder,British military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately or simply 18-pounder gun, was the standard British Empire field gun of the First World War ...
fifth-rate
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
class of five ships of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. Designed by Surveyor of the Navy Sir John Henslow, the class was created to make use of
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
s that could not construct larger frigates. They were similar in design to the preceding 32-gun frigate class, the ''Amphion'' class, but were slightly shorter. Two ships were initially constructed, with a later batch of three being ordered in response to an
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, Tr ...
request for the resumption of production of proven frigate designs. The final two ships of the class were cancelled when the shipyard they were being constructed at went bankrupt. Unlike her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same 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 often share a ...
s, the
name ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...
of the class ''Narcissus'' was armed with experimental short 24 pounders rather than 18 pounders. The ships of the class were not especially fast, slower than the ''Amphion'' class, but were well-liked because of their easy sailing qualities and manoeuvrability. The three completed vessels all saw service during the period of the
Napoleonic Wars 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 ...
, with key actions including ''Narcissus'' at the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806 and
cutting out Naval boarding action is an offensive tactic used in naval warfare to come up against (or alongside) an enemy marine vessel and attack by inserting combatants aboard that vessel. The goal of boarding is to invade and overrun the enemy perso ...
USRC ''Surveyor'' in 1813, ''Tartar'' at the
Battle of Alvøen The Battle of Alvøen was a naval battle of the Gunboat War between Denmark-Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was fought on 16 May 1808 in Vatlestraumen, outside Bergen in Norway, between the British frigate HMS ''T ...
in 1808, and ''Cornelia'' at the invasions of Isle de France and
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
in 1810–1811. Of the three, ''Narcissus'' survived until 1837 serving as a hospital ship, while ''Tartar'' was wrecked in 1811 and ''Cornelia'' broken up in 1814.


Design

The ''Narcissus'' class of 32-gun fifth-rate
frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s was designed by the Surveyor of the Navy Sir John Henslow and approved by 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, Tr ...
on 13 January 1798. By this time the 32-gun frigate had been overtaken in popularity by larger and stronger 36- and 38-gun frigates. 32-gun frigates were however still designed and built in certain situations, and Henslow created the ''Narcissus'' class in response to a need to use up smaller timbers available at Deptford Dockyard. The particular slipway earmarked for this first ship fed into a basin with an entrance that was too narrow for large frigates to sail through, necessitating that the design be for a smaller 32-gun frigate. The Admiralty preferred to construct these slightly inferior ships rather than leave shipyard capacity unfilled. Henslow based the class on the ''Amphion'' class, another 32-gun frigate design that had been created by the other Surveyor of the Navy, William Rule, for a shipyard on the River Stour that was too shallow for larger vessels. The ''Narcissus'' class was similar, but slightly shorter and such would prove to be the slower of the two classes.


Construction and armament

The first ship of the class, HMS ''Narcissus'', is recorded by naval historian Rif Winfield as being ordered on 23 November 1797, before the approval, but Robert Gardiner dates the order to the day of the design approval. A second vessel, HMS ''Tartar'', was ordered on 28 January 1800 just as ''Narcissus'' was being
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
. With both these vessels in service from July 1801, a break ensued in construction. Three further ships were ordered in 1805 and 1806 when the Admiralty requested that the Navy Board submit proven frigate designs for further construction, of which the ''Narcissus'' class was one of three chosen. Of these new ships only the first ( HMS ''Cornelia'') was completed, as the final two ships of the class were cancelled on 24 June 1806, when the shipyard they were being constructed at went bankrupt. All ships of the class were constructed to the following dimensions: along the gun deck, at the
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
, with a
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of and a depth in the
hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
of . They were to measure 885
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 bas ...
, with a crew of 254 men. This made them, along with the ''Amphion'' class, the largest ships of their type. On the gun deck the frigates were armed with twenty-six
18-pounder The Ordnance QF 18-pounder,British military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately or simply 18-pounder gun, was the standard British Empire field gun of the First World War ...
and two 9-pounder guns. Henslow's original design called for four 6 pounders and six 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 mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...
s to be placed 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 ...
, with a further two 6 pounders and two 24-pounder carronades on the
forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper 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 the phrase " be ...
. An Admiralty Order on 20 June 1801 changed this, with the new supplementary armament being two 9 pounders and eight 24-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck, and two each of 9 pounders and 24-pounder carronades on the forecastle. The class would in later years be recorded as 38-gun frigates. ''Narcissus''s armament was expected to differ from her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same 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 often share a ...
s. Soon after her launch she was selected to test a new type of short
24 pounder A 24-pounder is a gun firing a shot of 24 pounds weight, a mass of . Examples include: *24-pounder long gun, including various designs of artillery used during the Age of Sail *M1841 24-pounder howitzer, used by the United States Army from 1841 to ...
in place of her 18 pounders, but it was found that the gun ports were too small to allow the 24 pounders to elevate properly on their unique
gun carriage A gun carriage is a frame and mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also used ...
. They were ordered to be replaced by the original armament on 24 July 1801, before ''Narcissus'' began cruising with the experimental guns. However, with the
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ending the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...
in March 1802, it was not considered important to quickly make the change, and eventually ''Narcissus'' was instead fully adapted to fit the 24 pounders. ''Narcissus'' was the only ship of the class to serve with an armament different to that laid out in the 20 June 1801 Admiralty Order. The ''Narcissus''-class frigates were never among the fastest ships of their type in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, but were still generally well-regarded at sea. They were recorded as being both weatherly and manoeuvrable. Sailing reports based on ''Narcissus''s performances on 14 January and 12 March 1812 recorded the ship as capable of reaching between and depending on conditions, which was deemed above average, and noted that at sea the ship was especially comfortable to sail. While no sailing reports survive for the later vessels of the class, they probably performed very similarly.


Ships


''Narcissus''

''Narcissus'', named after the mytholical Greek beauty
Narcissus Narcissus may refer to: Biology * ''Narcissus'' (plant), a genus containing daffodils and others People * Narcissus (mythology), Greek mythological character * Narcissus (wrestler) (2nd century), assassin of the Roman emperor Commodus * Tiberiu ...
, was commissioned by Captain Percy Fraser in January 1801. In October Fraser was replaced by Captain
Ross Donnelly Admiral Sir Ross Donnelly, KCB (1764 – 30 September 1840) was an Irish Royal Navy officer who is known for his service during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars. He was first lieutenant on HM ...
, under whom the ship sailed to the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
in February 1802. For the majority of the year she participated in the blockade of
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 th ...
. On 8 July 1803 ''Narcissus'' captured the French 16-gun
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 ...
''Alcion'' off
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, and continued to serve off Toulon. Then on 11 April 1804 her boats combined with those of HMS ''Seahorse'' and HMS ''Maidstone'' to destroy a convoy in Hyères Bay. ''Narcissus'' joined the Cape of Good Hope Station in April 1805, capturing the French 4-gun
privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare 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 or deleg ...
''Prudent'' on 29 October, and destroying the French 32-gun privateer ''Napoleon'' on 24 December. The ship was then present at the Battle of Blaauwberg in January 1806, and served at the invasion of the River Plate from June. When
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was captured on 2 July, ''Narcissus'' was sent home with the captured specie. Captain
Charles Malcolm Sir Charles Malcolm (1782–1851) was a Scottish Royal Navy officer, who reached the rank of vice-admiral. Naval life He was the tenth son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, youngest brother of Sir Pulteney Malcolm and Sir John Malcolm, and was ...
replaced Donnelly in August. The ship was subsequently sent to serve in the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
, where she captured the Spanish 12-gun
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
''Cautela'' on 18 August 1807. From March the following year she was on the blockade of Lorient, and with HMS ''Naiad'' she captured the French 16-gun privateer ''Fanny'' and French 4-gun privateer ''Superbe'' on 16 December. Captain Frederick Aylmer assumed command in July 1809. ''Narcissus'' then captured two French 14-gun privateers, ''Duguay Trouin'' on 19 January 1810 and ''Aimable Josephine'' on 5 February, before being
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 in ...
on March 1812. After repairs she was recommissioned under Captain John Lumley and sailed to North America on 29 September. Serving on the Jamaica Station, ''Narcissus'' captured the 12-gun brig USS ''Viper'' on 17 January 1813, and the American 12-gun privateer ''Revenge'' on 30 March. ''Narcissus'' boats then cut out USRC ''Surveyor'' from the York River on 12 June. Captain Alexander Gordon took command in 1814, and was in turn replaced by Captain George Crofton in March 1815. ''Narcissus'' was
laid up A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...
at Deptford Dockyard in June 1816, where she became 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 to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...
from 1822. In late 1823 she moved to
Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 1 ...
to serve as a convict hospital ship. She continued there until she was sold to J. Levy in January 1837.


''Tartar''

''Tartar'', named after the Tartars, was commissioned by Captain James Walker in July 1801, sailing to join the Jamaica Station in October. Captain Charles Inglis replaced Walker in June 1802, and in 1803 he handed over to Captain John Perkins. Serving at the blockade of Saint-Domingue, on 25 July ''Tartar'' was one of several ships to assist in the capture of the French 74-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 ...
''Duquesne'' and French 16-gun ship ''Oiseau''. Captain Keith Maxwell assumed command in 1804, with ''Tartar''s boats capturing the French 10-gun privateer ''Hirondelle'' off
San Domingo Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and t ...
on 31 July. In March 1805 Maxwell was replaced by Captain
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, under whom ''Tartar'' captured the French 18-gun brig ''Observateur'' on 9 June 1806. In the following year Captain Stephen Poyntz took command, and the ship was paid off in around October. After a series of repairs ending in April 1808, ''Tartar'' was recommissioned under Captain George Bettesworth. Serving off Denmark, the ship fought the
Battle of Alvøen The Battle of Alvøen was a naval battle of the Gunboat War between Denmark-Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was fought on 16 May 1808 in Vatlestraumen, outside Bergen in Norway, between the British frigate HMS ''T ...
against a Danish schooner and five gunboats on 15 May; ''Tartar'' sank one of the gunboats but Bettesworth and one other man were killed. Later in the month Captain Joseph Baker filled Bettesworth's place, and on 3 November he captured the Danish 7-gun privateer ''Naargske Gutten''. ''Tartar'' then captured a Danish 4-gun privateer off
Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
with her boats on 15 May 1809 and served impactfully at the
Battle of Anholt The Battle of Anholt (25–27 March 1811) was a successful British military operation under the command of James Wilkes Maurice against the Danish-held island of Anholt under the command of Jørgen Conrad de Falsen, taking place during the Gun ...
on 27 March 1811, after which she captured several transport ships. On 18 August ''Tartar'' ran aground on Dago Island; the crew re-floated her but she had sprung a leak that they were unable to fix. Baker beached the ship at Kahar Inlet on 21 August and burned her two days later. The crew was picked up by HMS ''Ethalion''.


''Cornelia''

''Cornelia'', named after the mother of the
Gracchi brothers The Gracchi brothers were two Roman brothers, sons of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus who was consul in 177 BC. Tiberius, the elder brother, was tribune of the plebs in 133 BC and Gaius, the younger brother, was tribune a decade later in ...
Cornelia, was commissioned by Captain Henry Edgell in November 1808, and on 30 December sailed for the East Indies Station. As part of such the frigate was present at the
invasion of Isle de France The Invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful British amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial military force was landed by the Royal N ...
in November and December 1810, and participated in the invasion of Java in the following year. After this, in August or September Edgell was replaced by Captain
William Fitzwilliam Owen Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen (17 September 1774 – 3 November 1857), was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Sea ...
; ''Cornelia'' was paid off in 1813 and went into ordinary at Woolwich Dockyard. She was broken up at Sheerness Dockyard in June 1814.


''Siren'' and ''Doris''

''Siren'' and ''Doris'', the latter named after the sea-goddess Doris, were planned as the fourth and fifth frigates of the ''Narcissus'' class. Ordered to William Record at
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, both ships were cancelled on 24 June 1806 when the shipyard failed. ''Siren'' was laid down towards the end of 1805 and the frame had been completed at the time of cancellation, but construction on ''Doris'' was never begun.


Notes and citations


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * {{Narcissus class frigate Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Ship classes of the Royal Navy