HMS ''Adamant'' was a 50-gun ''Portland''-class

fourth rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...

warship of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. She served during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

, and the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

in a career that spanned thirty years. Built during the American War of Independence she spent the last three years of the war off the American coast, and saw action at the

Battle of Cape Henry The Battle of Cape Henry was a naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between a British squadron led by Vice Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot and a French fleet under Admiral ...

and at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

. The years of peace were spent either in the Caribbean or off

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars saw her commissioned for service in the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

and off the British coast. It was while serving in British waters that she became caught up in the

mutiny at the Nore The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. They were the first in an increasing series of outbreaks of maritime radicalism in the Atlantic World. Despite their temporal proximity, the mutinies d ...

. As one of only two two-decker ships to remain in action during the mutiny she had to maintain the Dutch blockade by creating the illusion of being part of a larger fleet, which she managed successfully. ''Adamant'' then went on to fight at the

Battle of Camperdown The Battle of Camperdown (known in Dutch as the ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') 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 ...

, after which she moved to the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, and then the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

via the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

. Here she took part in the destruction of the French

commerce raider Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...

''Preneuse'', and in her later years captured a number of

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. She became a

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...

and

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of a port admiral during the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, until being broken up in June 1814.

Design and construction

''Adamant'' was one of eleven ships built to a 1767 design by John Williams, and one of five ordered between 1775-6. She was ordered from Peter Baker, of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, on 13 November 1776, and laid down on 6 September 1777. The ship was launched on 24 January 1780, and completed between 13 June and 12 August 1780 at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. Her initial cost was £16,313.13.10d, rising to £27,497.3.0d when the cost of fitting her out was included.

Career

North America

''Adamant'' was commissioned in November 1779 under the command of Captain Gideon Johnstone, and sailed for North America on 13 August 1780. She was with Vice-Admiral

Mariot Arbuthnot Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot (1711 – 31 January 1794) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British admiral, who commanded the Royal Navy's North American station during the American War for Independence. Early life A native of Wey ...

's squadron at the

on 16 March 1781, and then at the

on 5 September 1781. Johnstone was succeeded by Captain David Graves in February 1782, while ''Adamant'' was still in North America, after which she returned to Britain as a convoy escort in December 1782. The ship was then paid off in April 1783 and refitted for foreign service between May and September that year. ''Adamant'' recommissioned in June 1783 under Captain William Kelly, and on the completion of her refit, sailed to the

in November, where she spent the next three years as the

of Admiral Sir Richard Hughes. She was paid off again in September 1786 and underwent a great repair, followed by being fitted out as the flagship at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

from August 1787 to May 1789. ''Adamant'' was recommissioned in February 1789 by Captain David Knox, after which Admiral Hughes again hoisted his flag in her and sailed her to

in June. From January 1792 the ship was under Captain Charles Hope, until returning to Britain in June that year and being paid off.

French Revolutionary Wars

''Adamant'' was at first fitted for reserve duty in July 1792, but with the outbreak of war with

Revolutionary France The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

in April 1793 she was hurriedly recommissioned, at first under Captain William Bentinck and at some point in 1794

William Mitchell William Mitchell may refer to: People Media and the arts * William Mitchell (sculptor) (1925–2020), English sculptor and muralist * William Frederick Mitchell (1845–1914), British naval artist * William M. Mitchell, American writer, minister ...

was her acting-captain. From June 1794 she was under Captain

Henry D'Esterre Darby Admiral Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby, (9 April 1749 – 30 March 1823) was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the third son of Jonathan and Susannah Darby of Leap Castle, in King's County, Ireland. He was the nephew of Vice Admiral George Darby ...

. Darby took ''Adamant'' back to the Leeward Islands in September 1794, and by April 1796 ''Adamant'' was serving with

George Vandeput Admiral of the Blue George Vandeput (died 14 March 1800) was an English naval officer, the illegitimate son of Sir George Vandeput, 2nd Baronet ( – 17 June 1784) and an unknown mother. Naval career He was a midshipman on board HMS ''Neptune'' ...

's squadron. Captain Henry Warre took command in November 1796, and was succeeded by Captain William Hotham on 11 January 1797.

Mutiny at the Nore, and Camperdown

''Adamant'' was based at the

Nore The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...

, operating in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and blockading the Dutch fleet at the

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of De ...

with Admiral Adam Duncan's fleet. In May 1797 mutiny broke out among the ships at the Nore, following on from one at

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

earlier in the year. Of the two-decker ships of the fleet, only the crews of Duncan's flagship , and Hotham's crew aboard ''Adamant'' remained loyal. With only two ships available to blockade the Dutch, Duncan and Hotham took their ships out to sea, remaining in sight of the Dutch coast and for several weeks implied by false signals and manoeuvres, that the rest of the fleet was just over the horizon. Convinced by the impersonation that the blockade was still in force, the Dutch remained in port. Duncan and Hotham were later reinforced by the Russian squadron based at

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

, and then by ships deserting the mutiny one by one. Preneuse-lhermitte5

''Adamant'' then fought as part of Duncan's fleet at the

on 11 October 1797. The battle was a decisive victory for the British over the Dutch, led by Admiral

Jan Willem de Winter Jan Willem de Winter (French: Jean Guillaume de Winter, 23 March 1761 – 2 June 1812) was a Dutch admiral during the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Early life De Winter was born in Kampen and entered naval service at a young age. He disting ...

, with ''Adamant'' escaping sustaining any casualties. ''Adamant'' was then attached to Sir Richard Strachan's squadron patrolling off

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

. During this period, some of her crew were court-martialed for

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

. Adamant and Hotham were then sent with a convoy to the

in October 1798.

Indian Ocean

While operating in the

, on 25 April 1799 ''Adamant'', , and recaptured as she lay at anchor under the guns of the battery at Connonies-Point, Île de France. The French frigate had captured ''Chance'' in

Balasore Roads Balasore Roads is a roadstead (a sheltered anchorage), on the Indian coast near Balasore. It was the location of the Bengal Pilot Service pilot boarding station (see chart). It was considered to be a generally safe anchorage, with depths varying ...

. She was carrying a cargo of rice. The squadron also recaptured another ship that a French privateer had captured in the Bay of Bengal. Lastly, after the French had driven the American ship ''Pacific'' onshore at River Noir, the British sent in their boats and removed much of her cargo of bale goods and sugar. The British then set ''Pacific'' on fire. Then ''Adamant'' and ''Tremendous'', under Captain John Osborn. encountered the French

''Preneuse'', under Captain Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite, off

Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ec ...

, Île de France on 11 December 1799. In the ensuing

Battle of Port Louis The Battle of Port Louis was a minor naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 11 December 1799 at the mouth of the Tombeau River near Port Louis on the French Indian Ocean island of Île de France, later known as Mauritius. ...

they chased her, forcing her to run ashore three miles from Port Louis, but under the cover of French shore batteries. Hotham took ''Adamant'' in close, and tried to work up to the grounded frigate, coming under heavy fire from the batteries and ''Preneuse'' as he did so. After a period of exchanging fire, ''Adamant'' forced ''Preneuse'' to strike. That evening three boats carrying men from ''Adamant'' and ''Tremendous'' boarded ''Preneuse'', despite coming under heavy fire from the batteries. They captured the remaining French crew, including Captain l'Hermite, and removed as much of their captives' private property as they could. They then set fire to ''Preneuse'' and returned to their ships without the loss of a single man. In July 1800, Curtis sent ''Adamant'', , , and to blockade Isle de France and

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

. They remained until October and during this period shared in the proceeds of several captures.Government of the Cape Colony (1899), Vol. 3, p.317. *Spanish ship ''Edouard''(August). This vessel may actually have been a French ship of 300 tons (bm), carrying naval stores, wine, brandy, and the like from Bordeaux to Isle de France. *French brig ''Paquebot'' (August). She had been sailing from Isle de France to

with a cargo of wine and goods from India. *Spanish brig ''Numero Sete'' (August). ''Numero Septo'' had been sailing from Montevideo to Isle de France with a cargo of soap, tallow, candles, and provisions. *French brig ''Mouche'' and part of the cargo and materials from the wreck of the brig ''Uranie'' (September). Hotham remained off South Africa and in the Indian Ocean until being recalled to Britain. ''Adamant'' escorted a convoy in September 1801, arriving in Britain on 14 December 1801.

Napoleonic Wars

''Adamant'' spent between May 1803 and August 1804 under repair at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

, before recommissioning in June under Captain

George Burlton Rear-Admiral Sir George Burlton KCB (died 21 September 1815) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Naval career Burlton was commissioned as a Lieutenant on 15 September 1777David Bonner Smith, The Commissioned Sea Offic ...

. On 13 April 1805 ''Adamant'' and captured the 4-gun

''Alert'', and in October 1805 command passed to Captain John Stiles. Stiles escorted a convoy of

East Indiamen East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

in 1806, and on 6 May captured the Spanish 26-gun privateer ''Nuestra Señora de los Dolores'' off the Cape of Good Hope. On 17 June 1807 he added another prize to his total, capturing the 1-gun privateer ''Bueno Union'' while serving on the

Jamaica station Jamaica station is a major train station of the Long Island Rail Road located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. With weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 passengers, it is the largest transit hub on Long Island, the fourth-busiest rail station ...

. Stiles was succeeded by Captain Micaiah Macbon in October 1807, and ''Adamant'' returned to the Jamaica station the following year. By early 1809 she was back in Britain, and spent the period between April and July 1809 being fitted at Chatham for service as a

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

. She was recommissioned in May 1809 under Captain John Sykes and in August took part in the Scheldt operations. Captain Matthew Buckle took command in August 1810, and remained ''Adamant''s captain for the next three years, which she spent as flagship of Rear-Admiral

Robert Otway Admiral Sir Robert Waller Otway, 1st Baronet, GCB (26 April 1770 – 12 May 1846) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who served extensively as a sea captain during the Napoleonic War and later supported the Brazilia ...

, and as a receiving ship at Leith. As the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close the ship was laid up in ordinary at Sheerness in 1814, and then broken up there in June 1814.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamant (1780), HMS Ships of the line of the Royal Navy 1780 ships Ships built on the River Mersey