HMS Ulysses (1779)

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Representation of the Distressed Situation of His majesty's Ship Ulysses - when Dismasted in the Hurricane August 1st 1781, and narrowly escaped being Wrecked on the South side of Jamaica RMG PY0735.jpg
Distressed Situation of Ulysses - when dismasted in the Hurricane of 1 August 1781, and narrowly escaping being wrecked on the south side of Jamaica
History
Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg Great Britain
NameHMS Ulysses
Ordered16 April 1777
BuilderJohn Fisher, Liverpool
Laid down28 June 1777
Launched14 July 1779
Completed
CommissionedMay 1779
In service
  • 1780–1783
  • 1790, 1791
  • 1793–1794
  • 1795–1802
  • 1802–1804
  • 1807–1815
FateSold at Sheerness Dockyard, 1815
General characteristics
Class and type44-gun Roebuck-class fifth-rate frigate
Tons burthen887 894 bm
Length
  • 140 ft 0 in (42.7 m) (gundeck)
  • 115 ft 3 in (35.1 m) (keel)
Beam38 ft 0 in (11.6 m)
Depth of hold16 ft 4.75 in (5.00 m)
Sail plan Full-rigged ship
Complement280 (320 from 1783)
Armament
  • 44 guns comprising:
  • Upper deck: 22 × 9-pounder guns
  • Lower deck: 20 × 18-pounder guns
  • Forecastle: 2 x 6-pounder guns

HMS Ulysses was a 48-gun Roebuck-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. Commissioned in 1779, her principal active service was in the Caribbean, interspersed with periods as a troopship and storeship. She was decommissioned and sold at Sheerness Dockyard in 1815. [1]

Career

Pomona and Ulysses when dismasted in the Great Hurricane on 6 October 1780 in the Mona Passage To Sir Peter Parker Bart - Pomona and Ulysses when dismasted in the Great Hurricane Oct 6th 1780 in the Mona Passage RMG PW7958.tiff
Pomona and Ulysses when dismasted in the Great Hurricane on 6 October 1780 in the Mona Passage

On 2 June 1781, Ulysses encountered the 32-gun Fée, under Captain de Boubée. The ships broke contact after a brief battle. [2]

On 5 June, Ulysses chased the 32-gun Surveillante, under Jean-Marie de Villeneuve Cillart, off Saint-Domingue. Around 2130, Ulysses caught up with Surveillante, and a 2-hour and a half-battle ensued, after which the frigates broke contact. [3]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

    Citations

    1. Winfield 2007, pp. 176178
    2. Troude (1867), p. 118.
    3. Troude (1867), p. 119.

    Bibliography

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