The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797, by Thomas Whitcombe. The Vrijheid is being dismasted during the battle. | |
History | |
---|---|
Dutch Republic | |
Name | Vrijheid |
Launched | 1782 |
Commissioned | 1782 |
Decommissioned | 1795 |
Batavian Republic | |
Name | Vrijheid |
Commissioned | 1795 |
In service | 1795 |
Out of service | 1797 |
Captured | 11 October 1797 |
Fate | Captured |
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Vryheid |
Acquired | 1797 |
Commissioned | 1797 |
Decommissioned | 1811 |
Reclassified |
|
Fate | Disposed in 1811 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type |
|
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
Armament | 74 Guns |
Vrijheid was a Dutch 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the navy of the Dutch Republic, the Batavian Republic, and the Royal Navy. The order to construct the ship was given by the Admiralty of Amsterdam. The ship was commissioned in 1782.
In 1783, a squadron consisting of the ships Vrijheid, Noordholland , Hercules , Drenthe , Prins Willem and Harlingen was dispatched to the Mediterranean to deal with differences that had arisen with Venice. On 2 February 1784, the squadron docked at the coast near the island of Menorca. In the night between 3 and 4 February, a storm struck which lasted for 48 hours. Vrijheid was almost smashed on the rocks and only just managed to stay afloat, while Drenthe keeled over and sank. [1]
In 1795, the ship was commissioned in the Batavian Navy.
On 11 October 1797, Vrijheid took part in the Battle of Camperdown as the flagship of Admiral Jan Willem de Winter. At a certain point, Vrijheid was engaged by four British ships, and after heavy fighting the ship surrendered. [2]
The ship was renamed HMS Vryheid, and from 1798 she served as a prison ship. In 1802, she became a powder hulk until she was sold in 1811. [3]
William V was Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. He went into exile to London in 1795. He was furthermore ruler of the Principality of Orange-Nassau until his death in 1806. In that capacity he was succeeded by his son William.
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The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797, between the British North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Batavian Navy (Dutch) fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter. The battle, the most significant action between British and Dutch forces during the French Revolutionary Wars, resulted in a complete victory for the British, who captured eleven Dutch ships without losing any of their own.
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