In sailing qualities Milford was broadly comparable with French frigates of equivalent size, but with a shorter and sturdier hull and greater weight in her broadside guns. She was also comparatively broad-beamed with ample space for provisions and the ship's mess, and incorporating a large magazine for powder and round shot.[lower-alpha 1] Taken together, these characteristics would enable Milford to remain at sea for long periods without resupply.[2][3] She was also built with broad and heavy masts, which balanced the weight of her hull, improved stability in rough weather and made her capable of carrying a greater quantity of sail. The disadvantages of this comparatively heavy design were a decline in manoeuvrability and slower speed when sailing in light winds.[4]
Following Spain's declaration of war, joining the French against Great Britain in the Seven Years' War, Milford fell in with an aviso carrying orders from Spain to its forces in Havana. The ships met off Cape Tiburon, the westernmost point of St Domingo and after fighting all day the aviso was forced to strike. The aviso's commander sank his despatches and the only document received in Havana was a copy of the Madrid Gazette containing the Spanish declaration of war.
On 6 June 1776, Milford captured the American privateer Yankee Hero, a 14-gun, single-deck sloop, after a two-hour battle. The Americans had believed they were chasing a merchantman, but reversed course when they came close enough to recognize the British ship of war. Milford gave chase and caught up to the much smaller ship after about an hour, firing only bow chasers until she was able to come along and give a full broadside. Yankee Hero's sails were shredded and almost half her crew incapacitated. Her commander, Captain James Tracy ordered the surrender when they were no longer able to either fight or flee. Four or five of Yankee Hero's crew were killed and twelve or thirteen wounded, including the captain.[6]
Milford stands out as the British vessel that engaged the first American armed vessel, USSCabot. In the Battle of Yarmouth, under the command of Captain Joseph Olney, Cabot stood out of Boston weeks before on 23 March 1777 the vessel encountered Milford. The vastly more powerful British ship chased Cabot and forced her ashore in Nova Scotia.[7][8] While Cabot's captain and crew escaped into the woods unharmed, the British were later able to get the brig off, and refitted her for service in the Royal Navy. On 14 June, 1777 she captured "Little John" in the Bay of Fundy. Sometime in May, 1777 she captured "Revenge". On 14 July, 1777 she captured "Expidition", and "Elizabeth" on 3 August.[9] On 1 September, 1777 she captured "Topinambou" off Isle Holt.[10] On 4 October, 1777 she captured Massachusetts privateer schooner "Dolphin" off the coast of Nova Scotia.[11] On 4 December, 1777 she captured "Industry" and on 5 December captured "Betsy" in Boston Bay.[12]
In December, 1777 she was driven ashore in a gale at Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was refloated 3 days later, while her hull was in good shape her upper works were badly damaged and she was sent back to the U. K. for repairs, leaving by mid-January.[13] On 3 February, 1778 she captured Massachusetts State Govt. trading vessel "Gruel" 208 leagues from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[14] On 15 March 1779, the British warships Apollo, Porcupine, and Milford captured the French privateer cutterTapageur.[15] The Royal Navy took her into service under her existing name.
On 2 October 1779, Jupiter captured two French cutters, Mutin and Pilote, each of 14 guns and 120 men. The Royal Navy took both into service essentially under their existing names. Jupiter shared the prize money with Apollo,[16]Crescent,[17] and Milford.[18]
Notes
↑ Milford's dimensional ratios 3.57:1 in length to breadth, and 3.3:1 in breadth to depth, compare with standard French equivalents of up to 3.8:1 and 3:1 respectively. Royal Navy vessels of equivalent size and design to Milford were capable of carrying up to 20 tons of powder and shot, compared with a standard French capacity of around 10 tons. They also carried greater stores of rigging, spars, sails and cables, but had fewer ship's boats and less space for the possessions of the crew.[2]
↑ The 29 servants and other ranks provided for in the ship's complement consisted of 20 personal servants and clerical staff, four assistant carpenters an assistant sailmaker and four widow's men. Unlike naval ratings, servants and other ranks took no part in the sailing or handling of the ship.[5]
Related Research Articles
The second USS Revenge was a cutter in the Continental Navy and later a privateer.
HMS Orpheus was a British Modified Lowestoffe-class fifth-rate frigate, ordered on 25 December 1770, as one of five fifth-rate frigates of 32 guns each contained in the emergency frigate-building programme inaugurated when the likelihood of war with Spain arose over the ownership of the Falkland Islands. Sir Thomas Slade's design for Lowestoffe was approved, but was revised to produce a more rounded midships section; the amended design was approved on 3 January 1771 by Edward Hawke's outgoing Admiralty Board, just before it was replaced. The contract to build the Orpheus was awarded to John Barnard at Harwich, the keel being laid in May 1771, and the frigate was launched 7 May 1773, at a cost of £12,654.16.11d. She sailed from Harwich on 24 May for Sheerness Dockyard, where she was completed and fitted out to the Navy Board's needs by 11 June.
HMS Badger was a brig rigged Sloop-of-War in service with the Royal Navy in the late eighteenth century. She was the first Royal Navy ship to be commanded by Horatio Nelson.
HMS Antigua was a 14-gun sloop that served in the British Royal Navy from 1779 to 1792. In contemporary records she is sometimes referred to as "His Majesty's armed brig Antigua".
HMS Ambuscade was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built in the Grove Street shipyard of Adams & Barnard at Depford in 1773. The French captured her in 1798 but the British recaptured her in 1803. She was broken up in 1810.
HMS Carysfort was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned over forty years.
HMS Siren was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Siren was first commissioned in August 1775 under the command of Captain Tobias Furneaux, her only commanding officer.
HMS Mermaid was a Mermaid-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was first commissioned in April 1761 under Captain George Watson and built in Blaydes Yard in Kingston-Upon-Hull.
HMS Lizard was a 28-gun Coventry-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, in service from 1757 to 1828. Named after the Lizard, a peninsula in southern Cornwall, she was a broad-beamed and sturdy vessel designed for lengthy periods at sea. Her crewing complement was 200 and, when fully equipped, she was armed with 24 nine-pounder cannons, supported by four three-pounders and twelve 1⁄2-pounder swivel guns. Despite her sturdy build, she was plagued with maintenance problems and had to be repeatedly removed from service for repair.
HMS Solebay was a Mermaid-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy which saw active service between 1766 and 1782, during the latter part of the Seven Years' War and throughout the American Revolutionary War. After a successful career in which she captured seven enemy vessels, she was wrecked ashore on the Caribbean Island of Nevis.
HMS Greyhound was a modified Royal Navy Mermaid-class sixth-rate frigate. She was first commissioned in October 1775 under Captain Archibald Dickson.
HMS Juno was a 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1757 and served throughout the American Revolutionary War until scuttled in 1778 to avoid capture. On 5 June, 1777 she, HMS Juno, and HMS Orpheus recaptured privateer brig "Lucy" 15 Leagues off Nantucket. On 9 July, 1777 she captured Betsy in Boston Bay. On 9 January, 1778 she captured French snow David 3-4 miles off the north east tip of Block Island. She engaged USS Providence during Providence's escape from Providence, Rhode Island 30 April 1778.
HMS Galatea was a 20-gun Sphinx-class sixth-rate post-ship of the Royal Navy. She was designed by John Williams and built by Adam Hayes in Deptford Dockyard being launched on 21 March 1776. She served during the American War of Independence.
HMS Thetis was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built by Wyatt & Co. at Buckler's Hard shipyard in 1773.
Experiment was a 50-gun ship of the line of the British Royal Navy. Captured by Sagittaire during the War of American Independence, she was recommissioned in the French Navy, where she served into the 1800s.
HMS Scarborough was a 20-gun ship built in 1756 which served the Royal Navy until 1780. She had a crew of 160 men.
HMS Glory was a 32-gun fifth-rate Niger-class frigate of the Royal Navy, and was the second Royal Navy ship to bear this name.
HMS Aeolus (1758) was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. In 1800, she renamed as HMS Guernsey.
Gardiner, Robert (1992). The First Frigates: Nine-Pounder and Twelve-Pounder Frigates, 1748–1815. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0851776019.
Rodger, N. A. M. (1986). The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0870219871.
Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Barnsley, United Kingdom: Seaforth. ISBN9781844157006.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Great Britain
