HMS Hussar (1784)

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The Capture of La Prevoyante and La Raison May 17th 1795 Thomas Sutherland, after Thomas Whitcombe.jpg
Capture of La Prevoyante and La Raison by Thetis and Hussar, by Thomas Whitcombe
History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Great Britain
NameHMS Hussar
Ordered26 March 1782
BuilderFabian, Clayton & Willson, Sandgate
Laid downJune 1782
Launched1 September 1784
Completed7 April 1785
CommissionedMay 1790
FateWrecked off Brittany 27 December 1796
General characteristics
Class and type28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate
Tons burthen59679⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 120 ft 6 in (36.7 m) (overall)
  • 99 ft 0 in (30.2 m) (keel)
Beam33 ft 8 in (10.3 m)
Depth of hold11 ft 0 in (3.4 m)
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Complement200 officers and men
Armament
  • Upper deck: 24 × 9-pounder guns
  • QD: 4 x 6-pounder guns + 4 x 18-pounder carronades
  • Fc: 2 x 18-pounder carronades
  • 12 × swivel guns

HMS Hussar was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Hussar was first commissioned in May 1790 under the command of Captain Eliab Harvey.

Contents

Career

From 1792-1794, Captain Sir Rupert George used the Hussar as his flagship when he was the Commodore of the North America Station. [1]

On 2 May 1795 Rear Admiral George Murray sent Captain Alexander Cochrane in Thetis, together with Hussar, to intercept three French supply ships reported at Hampton Roads. [2] At daybreak on 17 May the British came upon five ships 20 leagues (97 km) west by south from Cape Henry. The French made a line of battle to receive the British frigates. An action commenced, with three of the French vessels eventually striking their colours. Thetis took possession of the largest, which turned out to be Prévoyante, pierced for 36 guns but only mounting 24. Hussar captured a second, Raison, pierced for 24 guns but only mounting 18. One of the vessels that had struck nonetheless sailed off. Two of the five had broken off the fight and sailed off earlier. (The three that escaped were Normand, Trajan, and Hernoux.) An hour after she had struck, Prévoyante's main and foremasts fell over the side. In the battle, Thetis had lost eight men killed and 9 wounded; Hussar had only two men wounded. [2]

Four of the French ships had escaped from Guadeloupe on 25 April. They had sailed to American ports to gather provisions and naval stores to bring back to France.

Cochrane had intended to leave the prizes in charge of the cutter Prince Edward after repairing the damage to his vessel during the night. However, a breeze picked up and by morning the escaping French vessels were out of sight. The British sailed with their prizes to Halifax. [2] The British took Prévoyante into the Royal Navy as HMS Prevoyante.

On 20 July, Hussar was in company with Thetis and HMS Esperance when they intercepted the American vessel Cincinnatus, of Wilmington, sailing from Ireland to Wilmington. They pressed many men on board, narrowly exempting the Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone, who was going to Philadelphia. [3]

Citations

  1. ↑ "Women's Canadian historical society of Toronto. Transaction no. 1-10". Women's CanadianHistorical Society ofToronto. 1905.
  2. 1 2 3 "No. 13790". The London Gazette . 23 June 1795. pp. 656–657.
  3. ↑ New Monthly Magazine , Volume 19, p. 487.

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References

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