Design of HMS Artois | |
History | |
---|---|
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Artois |
Ordered | 28 March 1793 |
Cost | £20,757 [1] |
Laid down | March 1793 |
Launched | 3 January 1794 |
Commissioned | December 1793 |
Fate | Wrecked off Île de Ré, 31 July 1797 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Artois-class fifth-rate frigate |
Tons burthen | 9965⁄94 (bm) |
Length |
|
Beam | 39 ft 2+1⁄2 in (12 m) |
Draught |
|
Depth of hold | 13 ft 9 in (4.2 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Complement | 270 |
Armament |
|
HMS Artois was a fifth-rate Artois-class frigate of the Royal Navy, designed by Sir John Henslow and launched in 1794 at Rotherhithe as the lead ship of her class. She served for the majority of her career in the English Channel under the command of Edmund Nagle in the squadrons of Edward Pellew and John Borlase Warren, notably taking part in the action of 21 October 1794 where she captured the 44-gun frigate La Révolutionnaire almost singlehandedly. She participated in a number of other actions and events including the attempted invasion of France in 1795. Artois continued to serve actively on the coast of France in blockade and patrolling roles, taking a large number of ships as prizes, until she was wrecked with no loss of life off Île de Ré on 31 July 1797 while attempting to reconnoitre the harbour of La Rochelle.
Artois was a 38-gun, 18-pounder, fifth-rate Artois-class frigate designed by Sir John Henslow. [1] She and her class were ordered soon after the start of the French Revolutionary War to provide an influx of modern warships for the Royal Navy. [2] Artois was the name-ship of her class and the first to be laid down; of the nine ships of the class seven, including Artois, were built of oak while the final two were built of fir. [2] Artois was an improvement on the 18-pounder frigates of the American Revolutionary War which were found to be too small and that their battery placement made them unstable at sea. [1] To counter this, Artois and her contemporaries built in the 1790s were lengthened forwards to make them faster and more stable. [1] The extra space provided by this expansion made the ships faster but did not stop the issue of violent pitching, which would not be fixed until HMS Active was launched as an improvement to the Artois-class in 1799. [3] Despite this, the class would go on to gain a reputation as 'crack frigates'. [4] They were perfect for their assigned role as frigates on blockade duties, being large enough to fight any French frigate sent to attack them while on station but also fast enough and weatherly enough to be able to stay at their posts no matter the weather type. [5]
Artois was ordered on 28 March 1793 to be built at Rotherhithe by John and William Wells of Wells & Co. [1] She was laid down in the same month and launched on 3 January 1794 with the following dimensions: 146 feet 3 inches (44.6 m) along the gun deck, 121 feet 9+3⁄4 inches (37.1 m) at the keel, with a beam of 39 feet 2+1⁄2 inches (12 m) and a depth in the hold of 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m). She measured 9965⁄94 tons burthen. [1] The fitting out process for Artois was completed at Deptford on 30 March. [1] In January 1794 Captain Lord Charles Fitzgerald of Artois requested to the Admiralty that a bridle port, a square porthole in the bow that a gun could be placed in, be fitted to assist in chasing ships, however it was deemed unfeasible to fit one on a ship designed without it. [6] On 19 November eight 32-pound carronades were added to the Artois-class ships by Admiralty Order, leading some to describe them as 44-gun frigates in the future. [7] On 20 June 1796 another Admiralty Order saw the ship's crew complement increase from 270 to 284. [7]
Artois was commissioned under Captain Lord Charles Fitzgerald in December 1793 to serve on the Cork Station. [1] After this Captain Edmund Nagle took command of Artois, but was absent at the beginning of her service, with two temporary captains standing in for him. [4] In April 1794 Artois served at the siege of Bastia under the command of Captain Thomas Byam Martin, where the ships of Admiral Lord Hood's Mediterranean Fleet starved the French garrison out of Bastia. [8] Artois then moved to the English Channel where she was to serve in the Brest blockade squadron of Commodore John Borlase Warren; for a brief period of time she was then commanded by Commander George Byng before Nagle returned to take command of Artois. [Note 1] [1] [10] [11] She would spend the majority of her career stationed with the squadron in and around Audierne Bay. [12]
'If they run, why we'll follow, and run them ashore,
And if they won't fight us, what can we do more?'
Ballad relating to the destruction of Le Volontaire. [13]
On 23 August Artois took part in the destruction of the 36-gun frigate Le Volontaire on the Penmarks. [1] [14] The frigate was discovered early in the morning by Warren's squadron comprising Artois and the frigates HMS Arethusa, HMS Diamond, HMS Flora, HMS Diana, and HMS Santa Margarita. [Note 2] [16] The British ships had left Falmouth on 7 August with the intent of hunting a squadron of French frigates known to be around the Isles of Scilly, but found Le Volontaire off Brittany instead. [17] Le Volontaire was forced by the squadron to anchor off the coast to avoid wrecking, and the British ships attacked her to such a degree that she was forced to cut her cables in an attempt to change her positioning. [16] In doing so La Volontaire was driven ashore and after her pumps failed to remove the incoming water her crew abandoned her. [16] The frigate was unrecoverable and stayed there in its disabled state. [17] The same British ships then discovered the 12-gun brig L'Alerte and 18-gun corvette Espion in the nearby Audierne Bay. [1] [16] The two French ships ran themselves aground under the cover of three batteries of guns. [17] They were then boarded by boats from the squadron and fifty-two prisoners were brought off them; the ships also had a large number of men with injuries that made them unmovable, which meant that the British were not able to destroy the ships, instead leaving them and the wounded where they had grounded. [18] The following night the French succeeded in rescuing Espion, but L'Alerte was lost. [19] On 26 August the ships Queen and Donna Maria were recaptured by the squadron in the same area. [20] The squadron continued its patrols, taking the cutter La Quartidi on 7 September and recapturing the Swedish brig Haesingeland on 16 September. [21]
By October Artois was serving in the squadron of Edward Pellew. [9] [22] On 21 October the squadron, comprising Artois, Arethusa, Diamond, and the frigate HMS Galatea, encountered the French 44-gun frigate La Révolutionnaire sailing off Ushant. [Note 3] [1] [9] [23] The squadron chased La Révolutionnaire which looked to avoid the force, but the superior sailing qualities of Artois allowed her to sail ahead of the rest of the squadron and come up with La Révolutionnaire before she could escape. [9] [24] The squadron then cut La Révolutionnaire off from the coast which she might have sailed towards for assistance, forcing the French frigate to engage Artois. [25] The two frigates fought an engagement of forty minutes in which eight Frenchmen and three Britons were killed, including the lieutenant of marines. [9] Diamond approached the action next and came up behind La Révolutionnaire, threatening to fire into her stern. [19] [25] La Révolutionnaire surrendered to Artois upon the approach of the rest of Pellew's squadron, as the frigate had been launched only a few weeks previously; the raw crew refused to continue fighting and forced the captain to surrender. [Note 4] [9] [19] [26] [27] Pellew reported that the intervention of the rest of the squadron had been unnecessary, and that Artois would have succeeded even if she had been completely unsupported. [25] The French frigate was bought into the navy as HMS Révolutionnaire; Captain Nagle was knighted for his conduct against her and his first lieutenant, Robert Dudley Oliver, was promoted to commander. [9] [28] [22] [29]
After this Artois returned to the command of Commodore Warren and his squadron. [9] On 18 February 1795 the squadron of Artois, Galatea, Arethusa, and Warren's frigate HMS Pomone encountered a French convoy of twenty ships protected by the frigate Néréide off Oléron. [30] The squadron pursued the convoy up the Pertuis d'Antioche towards Île-d'Aix; while the tide forced the British to halt the attack before they reached Aix, they captured one ship, three brigs, two luggers, one sloop, and an 8-gun schooner. [30] As well as this ten brigs and a lugger were destroyed; the convoy had been carrying food and clothing for the French military. [30] [31] The squadron was very busy in February and March, and including those taken on 18 February the squadron took the ships Le Pierre, Le Petit Jean, Le Deux Freres, La Liberte, Le Adelaide, L'Aimable, La Coureause, L'Aimable Madelaine, La Pacquebot de Cayenne, and La Biche between 13 February and 2 March. [21] [32] A strange sail was sighted on 15 April by the squadron, and the signal to give chase given; Artois caught her first, proving it to be the 26-gun corvette Le Jean Bart. [33] On 16 April Artois and Galatea similarly took the 16-gun sloop Expedition, which had previously been a British packet ship, and the ship Maria Francis Fidilla off Rochefort, and Artois on her own captured two sloops with cargoes of fish. [10] [33] [34]
Between June and October she participated in the failed French émigré invasion of France at Quiberon. [1] [9] As such Artois was present in the fleet at the Battle of Groix on 23 June, where she shared in the capture of the three French ships-of-the-line Alexander, Formidable, and Tigre, despite not participating directly in the action that occurred when the British and French fleets came upon one another while on separate missions. [35] The British fleet under Lord Bridport had been convoying the invasion force to France, and Artois was part of a force of three ships-of-the-line and six frigates under Warren guarding the fifty-ship convoy conveying the Comte de Puisaye's émigré force of 2,500 men. [36] [37] The troops were successfully landed on 27 June and Warren's squadron went on to occupy Île d'Yeu, but after a series of reversals against French revolutionary soldiers the entire force was evacuated to England, with Artois and the other ships providing covering fire to the escaping Royalists. [38] [39]
After the failure of this enterprise, Artois returned to her usual duties of blockade and patrols; on 6 March 1796 the ship Sultana was captured, and a day later Nancy also. [40] On 20 March she was sailing with the frigates HMS Anson, Pomone, and Galatea off Pointe du Raz when they discovered a French convoy of seventy ships. [41] [42] The convoy was guarded by the frigates Prosperine, Unite, Coquille, and Tamise, and the corvette Cigogne. [41] Artois and Pomone quickly took four of the convoy ships; one ship and three brigs. [43] These were Illier, Don de Dieu, Paul Edward, and Felicite. [40] The convoy turned away from the squadron, and as the British ships drew closer the French brought their warships together and passed the British in line as they went in the other direction, exchanging fire and heavily damaging Galatea. [43] The British then began a concerted effort to follow the convoy and break through its ranks in a line of battle as it fled towards Brest but failed to bring it to action again, only taking the 28-gun armed store ship Etoile which had been at the rear of the convoy. [Note 5] [41] [1] [43] The four French frigates and the corvette all escaped under the cover of night, while the majority of the convoy took shelter under the protection of some coastal gun batteries. [44] Commodore Warren in Pomone was criticised for not doing more to press his advantage against the convoy, in all taking only six of the ships. [41] The squadron took the ships La Marie, L'Union, La Bonne, and a brig between 7 and 13 April. [40] Finding continued success, Artois took Pacific on 14 May, Lodoiska on 22 May, and Fantasie on 25 May, and the chasse-marées Charlotte and Veronique on 16 August. [45]
On 22 August Artois was in company with the same squadron of ships and the brig-sloop HMS Sylph off the mouth of the river Gironde, when the French frigate Andromaque came into sight attempting to enter the river. [46] Andromaque had been cruising in a squadron with two other frigates and a corvette, but had left their company after springing a leak. [47] Galatea was closest to the enemy and began a chase of it, followed by Pomone and Anson, while Artois and Sylph were sent to investigate the appearance of two other strange sails. [48] The chase continued through the night, and by 4 a.m. on 23 August Galatea and Andromaque were only one mile offshore. [48] At day break Artois and Sylph came into sight, having ascertained that the strange sails were neutral American merchants, and at 5:30 a.m. Andromaque attempted to make her escape from the squadron, but at 6 a.m. she ran herself aground close to Arcachon, losing all her masts. [48] Artois, Galatea, and Sylph sent their boats in to take control of the unresisting frigate; before they reached it many of the ship's crew jumped into the rough seas rather than be captured, while the rest were able to walk from the stranded frigate to the coast once the tide had gone out. [49] In the evening of 23 August boats from Sylph set fire to Andromaque which then exploded. [49]
On 2 November Artois and Warren's squadron were in company with the fleet of Lord Bridport when she took the 12-gun privateer Le Franklin off Ushant after a chase alongside the frigate HMS Thalia. [1] [50] [51] In December Artois began a string of successes, taking a brig and the chasse-marées Le Providence and La Maria Theresa on 11 December, a Spanish brig on 14 December, and another Spanish brig Divina Pastora on 17 December. [45]
The activity of Artois's squadron continued into 1797, taking Le Jean Amie on 15 February, Nordzee on 16 March, and recapturing the whaler Mary on 25 April. [45] On 16 July a French convoy of fourteen ships guarded by the frigate La Calliope and two corvettes was discovered and chased by Warren's squadron, comprising the same ships as last noted and the cutter Dolly. [52] [53] The corvettes succeeded in escaping into Audierne Bay, but La Calliope was unable to run from the squadron and was made to engage it. [52] In order to escape destruction La Calliope cut away her masts and ran herself aground on the Penmarks early in the morning of 17 July. [53] To stop the French from removing the stores from La Calliope, Anson and Sylph bombarded the stranded ship while Artois and Pomone watched from further out to sea. [52] [53] La Calliope broke up on the rocks on 18 July. [52]
On 31 July 1797 Artois was wrecked on a sandbank near the Ballieu rocks on the north-west coast of Île de Ré. [54] She had been attempting to reconnoitre the harbour of La Rochelle; the entire crew was saved by Sylph. [Note 6] [1] [10] [9] The pilot and master of Artois were condemned for their negligence in causing the wreck. [56]
Vessels captured or destroyed for which Artois's crew received full or partial credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Ship | Nationality | Type | Fate | Ref. |
23 August 1794 | Le Volontaire | French | 36-gun frigate | Destroyed | [1] |
23 August 1794 | L'Alerte | French | 12-gun brig | Destroyed | [1] |
26 August 1794 | Queen | British | Merchant vessel | Recaptured | [20] |
26 August 1794 | Donna Maria | Spanish | Merchant vessel | Recaptured | [20] |
7 September 1794 | Le Quartidi | French | Cutter | Captured | [21] |
16 September 1794 | Haesingeland | Swedish | Merchant vessel | Recaptured | [21] |
21 October 1794 | La Révolutionnaire | French | 44-gun frigate | Captured | [1] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Destroyed | [31] |
18 February 1795 | Not recorded | French | Lugger | Destroyed | [31] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | Le Pierre | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | Le Petit Jean | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | Le Deux Freres | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | La Liberte | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | Le Adelaide | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | L'Aimable | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | La Coureause | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | L'Aimable Madelaine | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | La Pacquebot de Cayenne | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
13 February-2 March 1795 | La Biche | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [32] |
15 April 1795 | Le Jean Bart | French | 26-gun corvette | Captured | [32] |
16 April 1795 | Expedition | French | 16-gun sloop | Captured | [10] |
16 April 1795 | Maria Francis Fidilla | Spanish | Merchant vessel | Captured | [33] |
16 April 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant sloop | Captured | [34] |
16 April 1795 | Not recorded | French | Merchant sloop | Captured | [34] |
23 June 1795 | Alexander | French | 74-gun ship-of-the-line | Captured | [35] |
23 June 1795 | Tigre | French | 74-gun ship-of-the-line | Captured | [35] |
23 June 1795 | Formidable | French | 74-gun ship-of-the-line | Captured | [35] |
6 March 1796 | Sultana | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [40] |
7 March 1796 | Nancy | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [40] |
20 March 1796 | L'Etoile | French | 28-gun armed store ship | Captured | [1] |
20 March 1796 | Illier | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [43] |
20 March 1796 | Don de Dieu | French | Merchant brig | Captured | [43] |
20 March 1796 | Paul Edward | French | Merchant brig | Captured | [43] |
20 March 1796 | Felicite | French | Merchant brig | Captured | [43] |
20 March 1796 | Not recorded | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [41] |
7–13 April 1796 | La Marie | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [40] |
7–13 April 1796 | L'Union | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [40] |
7–13 April 1796 | La Bonne | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [40] |
7–13 April 1796 | Not recorded | French | Merchant brig | Captured | [40] |
14 May 1796 | Pacific | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [45] |
22 May 1796 | Lodoiska | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [45] |
25 May 1796 | Fantasie | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [45] |
16 August 1796 | Charlotte | French | Chasse-marée | Captured | [45] |
16 August 1796 | Veronique | French | Chasse-marée | Captured | [45] |
23 August 1796 | Andromaque | French | 32-gun frigate | Destroyed | [49] |
2 November 1796 | Le Franklin | French | 12-gun privateer | Captured | [1] |
11 December 1796 | Le Providence | French | Chasse-marée | Captured | [45] |
11 December 1796 | La Maria Theresa | French | Chasse-marée | Captured | [45] |
14 December 1796 | Not recorded | Spanish | Merchant brig | Captured | [45] |
17 December 1796 | Divina Pastora | Spanish | Merchant brig | Captured | [45] |
15 February 1797 | Le Jean Amie | French | Merchant vessel | Captured | [45] |
16 March 1797 | Nordzee | Dutch | Merchant vessel | Captured | [45] |
25 April 1797 | Mary | British | Whaler | Recaptured | [45] |
17 July 1797 | La Calliope | French | 28-gun frigate | Destroyed | [1] |
HMS Galatea was a fifth-rate 32-gun sailing frigate of the British Royal Navy that George Parsons built at Bursledon and launched in 1794. Before she was broken up in 1809 she captured numerous prizes and participated in a number of actions, first in the Channel and off Ireland (1794–1803), and then in the Caribbean (1802–1809), including one that earned her crew the Naval General Service Medal.
HMS Arethusa was a 38-gun Minerva-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy built at Bristol in 1781. She served in three wars and made a number of notable captures before she was broken up in 1815.
HMS Pomone was a 38-gun Leda-class fifth rate of the Royal Navy launched in 1805. She saw action during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily in the Mediterranean while under the command of Captain Robert Barrie. She was wrecked off The Needles, part of the Isle of Wight, in 1811. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.
Astrée was a 44-gun Pallas-class frigate of the French Navy, launched at Cherbourg in 1809. In December of the next year she captured HMS Africaine. The Royal Navy captured Astrée in 1810 and took her into service under her French name, rating her as a 38-gun frigate, but then in 1811 recommissioned her as HMS Pomone. She served during the War of 1812 and was broken up in 1816.
HMS Latona was a 36-gun, fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy that served during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. Shortly after her launch in 1781, she participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank against a Dutch squadron in the North Sea. In September 1782, Latona took part in the relief of Gibraltar and was the first ship in the convoy to pass through the Straits, when Richard Howe sent her ahead, to spy on the condition of the Franco-Spanish fleet in Algeciras Bay.
Révolutionnaire, was a 40-gun Seine-class frigate of the French Navy, launched in May 1794. The British captured her in October 1794 and she went on to serve with the Royal Navy until she was broken up in 1822. During this service Revolutionnaire took part in numerous actions, including three for which the Admiralty would in 1847 award clasps to the Naval General Service Medal, and captured several privateers and merchant vessels.
HMS Phoenix was a 36-gun Perseverance-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The shipbuilder George Parsons built her at Bursledon and launched her on 15 July 1783. She served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and was instrumental in the events leading up to the battle of Trafalgar. Phoenix was involved in several single-ship actions, the most notable occurring on 10 August 1805 when she captured the French frigate Didon, which was more heavily armed than her. She was wrecked, without loss of life, off Smyrna in 1816.
Coquille was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class, and launched in 1794. The Royal Navy captured her in October 1798 and took her into service as HMS Coquille, but an accidental fire destroyed her in December 1798.
Pomone was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, launched in 1785. The British captured her off the Île de Batz in April 1794 and incorporated her into the Royal Navy. Pomone subsequently had a relatively brief but active career in the British Navy off the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of France before suffering sufficient damage from hitting a rock to warrant being taken out of service and then broken up in 1803.
Admiral Sir Lawrence William Halsted GCB was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
His Majesty's Hired armed lugger Duke of York served the Royal Navy from 14 October 1794 to 2 January 1799 when she foundered in the North Sea. She was of 5744⁄94 tons (bm) and was armed with eight 4-pounder guns.
Gracieuse was a 32-gun Charmante-class frigate of the French Navy. Renamed to Unité in 1793, she took part in the French Revolutionary Wars. The Royal Navy captured her in 1796 off Île d'Yeu and brought her into British service as HMS Unite. She was sold in 1802
The action of 21 October 1794 was a minor naval engagement between Great Britain and France fought off the Breton coast of France during the second year of the French Revolutionary Wars. French frigates had been raiding British Atlantic trade routes with considerable success since the outbreak of the war, and in response the Admiralty had formed a frigate squadron to patrol the French Channel and Atlantic coasts in search of French raiders. On 13 October 1794, the large, modern and powerful 40-gun French frigate Révolutionnaire under the command of Captain Antoine René Thévenard sailed from Le Havre for a raiding cruise against British trade routes in the Atlantic. Eight days later, while rounding the Breton headland of Ushant about 25–30 nautical miles (56 km) out to sea, Révolutionnaire encountered the British frigate squadron, commanded by Commodore Sir Edward Pellew, which had secured a number of victories over French raiding frigates during the previous two years.
The action of 12 May 1796 was a minor naval engagement during the French Revolutionary Wars between a squadron of British Royal Navy frigates and a frigate and four smaller ships of the Batavian Navy. The British squadron had been detached on the previous day from the British North Sea fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan, which was cruising off the Batavian fleet anchorage at the Texel, while the Batavian squadron was returning to the Netherlands from the Norwegian coast where it had been sheltering since suffering defeat at the action of 22 August 1795 the previous year. As the Batavian squadron neared the Batavian coast, the British squadron under Captain Lawrence Halstead attacked.
Andromaque was a 32-gun Nymphe-class frigate of the French Navy.
His Majesty's hired armed lugger Valiant served the Royal Navy on a contract from 5 May 1794 to 10 November 1801. She was of 109 90⁄94 tons (bm), and was armed with eleven 3-pounder guns.
HMS Janus was the Dutch fifth-rate Argo, built at the dockyard of the Amsterdam Admiralty, and launched in 1790. HMS Phoenix captured her on 12 May 1796. The British Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Janus. She was a receiving ship by 1798 and in Ordinary by 1807. The Navy sold her in 1811.
HMS Pearl was a fifth-rate, 32-gun British Royal Navy frigate of the Niger-class. Launched at Chatham Dockyard in 1762, she served in British North America until January 1773, when she sailed to England for repairs. Returning to North America in March 1776, to fight in the American Revolutionary War, Pearl escorted the transports which landed troops in Kip's Bay that September. Much of the following year was spent on the Delaware River where she took part in the Battle of Red Bank in October. Towards the end of 1777, Pearl joined Vice-Admiral Richard Howe's fleet in Narragansett Bay and was still there when the French fleet arrived and began an attack on British positions. Both fleets were forced to retire due to bad weather and the action was inconclusive. Pearl was then despatched to keep an eye on the French fleet, which had been driven into Boston.
HMS Triton was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy designed by James Gambier and launched in 1796 at Deptford. Triton was an experimental ship and the only one built to that design; she was constructed out of fir due to wartime supply shortages of more traditional materials and had some unusual features such as no tumblehome. Her namesake was the Greek god Triton, a god of the sea. She was commissioned in June 1796 under Captain John Gore, with whom she would spend the majority of her active service, to serve in the Channel in the squadron of Sir John Warren.
HMS Sylph was a 16-gun Albatross-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy designed by William Rule and launched in 1795 at Deptford Dockyard. Her namesake was the air spirit sylph. She commissioned in August 1795 under Commander John Chambers White, who would have her until the end of 1799. She was later commanded by Charles Dashwood.