HMS Clyde (1796)

HMS ''Clyde'' was a Royal Navy frigate built at Chatham Dockyard of fir (pitch pine), and launched in 1796. In 1797, she was one of only two ships whose captains were able to maintain some control over their vessels during the Nore mutiny. In 1805, HMS ''Clyde'' was dismantled and rebuilt at Woolwich Dockyard; she was relaunched on 23 February 1806. She was ultimately sold in August 1814.

First incarnation

Captain Charles Cunningham commissioned ''Clyde'' in April 1796. She shared with , , , and the cutters ''Flora'' and ''Princess Royal'' in the proceeds of the capture on 6 September of ''Hare''.

''Clyde'' was at the Nore at the time of the mutiny, but escaped to Sheerness on 29/30 May 1797.

''Clyde'' and shared in the capture in November and December 1797 of the French brigs ''Minerva'' and ''Succès'' (or ''Success''). ''Success'' was a privateer from Bayonne that been out 15 days and had only captured one American vessel.

In addition to the capture of ''Success'' on 13 December, ''St Fiorenzo'' and ''Clyde'' captured the privateer ''Dorade'' eight days later. The actual captor of ''Dorade'' was ''Clyde''. ''Dorade'' was from Bordeaux and was pierced for 18 guns, though she only had 12. She had been out 50 days and had been cruising off the Azores and Madeira, but had captured nothing. She and her crew of 93 men were on their way home when ''Clyde'' captured her. Unfortunately, the commander of the prize crew hoisted too much sail with the result that ''Dorade'' overturned, drowning all 19 members of the prize crew.

In March 1798 ''Clyde'' captured two merchant vessels. She captured the ship ''Vrouw Classina'' on 22 March, and recaptured ''Anne'' two days later. Then in May ''Clyde'' captured ''Marie Perotte'' and in June recaptured ''Sea Nymphe''. ''Clyde'', ''San Fiorenzo'', , , , and , shared in the capture of the chasse maree ''Marie Perotte'' and a sloop of unknown name, as well as the recapture of ''Sea Nymphe'' and ''Mary''.

On 4 January 1799, ''Clyde'' recaptured the ship ''Hiram''. Six days later, ''Clyde'' captured the letter of marque schooner ''Aire'', which was sailing from Brest to Santo Domingo. Then three days later, ''Clyde'' captured the French privateer brig ''Bon Ordre''. ''Bon Ordre'' was armed with 16 guns and carried a crew of 65 men. She had sailed on 20 December from Granville and had captured a brig from Newfoundland two weeks before she herself was captured. On 9 March 1799, ''St Fiorenzo'' and ''Clyde'' captured the French sloop ''St Joseph''.

''Clyde'' captured the American ship ''Nymph'' on 11 April.

In August, ''Clyde'' was off the coast of France. On 21 August, she was six or seven leagues northwest of the Cordovan Lighthouse near the mouth of the Gironde when she observed two sail. As ''Clyde'' approached, they separated, and she pursued the larger. ''Clyde'' brought her quarry to action, eventually forcing the French vessel to strike. The French vessel was , a 32-gun frigate and a crew of 235 men under the command of M. P.M. Gaspard. She had sailed from Cadiz with dispatches for Saint Domingue and was on her return voyage. She carried a number of passengers who she had landed at Passages (Pasajes) two days earlier, and was now on her way to Rochefort. In the engagement, ''Clyde'' lost two men killed and three wounded; ''Vestale'' had ten men killed and 22 wounded, several of whom died later. ''Vestale''s consort, the 20-gun corvette had too large a lead and escaped into the Garonne.

On 11 and 28 May 1800, ''Clyde'' captured a chasse maree of unknown name, and another chasse maree, called ''Clarre Voyante''. In between, on 12 May, ''Clyde'', and the hired armed cutter ''Suwarrow'' captured a French chasse maree, name unknown.

On 22 October 1800, ''Clyde'' arrived in Plymouth Sound with Guineaman , of Liverpool, in tow. ''Dick'' had suffered extensive damage in a fight against a French privateer before ''Clyde'' was able to recapture her. When he arrived in the Sound, Cunningham reported the names of the vessels ''Clyde'' had captured or recaptured on her last cruise.
*''Deux Ami'', a Spanish letter of marque, of four guns and 27 men, that had been sailing from Vera Cruz to St Andero, and which ''Clyde'' had burnt in the harbour of St. Vincent;
*''Beloz'' (or ''Belos''), a Spanish packet ship, of four guns and 30 men, that had been sailing from Havannah to Corunna when ''Clyde'' captured her;
*''Rose'', a French schooner sailing from Bourdeaux to Guadaloupe; and
*''Magicienne'', a French schooner, that had been sailing from Senegal to Bordeaux.
Cunningham also reported that the captor of ''Dick'', Guineaman, had been the French privateer ''Grande Decidee'', and that ''Fisgard'', which had been in sight when ''Clyde'' recaptured ''Dick'', had captured ''Grande Decidee'' two hours later.

In June 1802 Captain John Larmour replaced Cunningham. ''Clyde'' then served in the North Sea. She captured sundry fishing vessels between 8 and 10 June 1803. She shared the proceeds of the capture by agreement with Captain Vansittart of . On 21 September ''Clyde'' captured the French privateer schooner ''Caroline''.

On 7 July 1803, ''Clyde'' was in company when the gun-brig captured the ''Napoleon'', Klock, master. ''Clyde'', , ''Fortunee'', and was among the vessels that shared in the proceeds of the capture on 27 August 1803 of ''Henrick and Jan'', Vriede Frederick Ipsia, master.

''Clyde'' was hauled up on a slip at Woolwich on 10 February 1805. There the Navy had her broken dismantled and rebuilt.

Second incarnation

Captain Edward William C.R. Owen (or Owens) recommissioned ''Clyde'' February 1806. He would remain her captain until 1810. Under his command, ''Clyde'' recaptured ''Louisa''.

By June 1806 Owen was a Commodore and ''Clyde'' was at The Downs, and in the Walmer Roads.

On 20 February 1807 ''Clyde'' was in company with and and so shared in the salvage money for the recapture of ''Farely'', John Fryer, master.

On 25 August 1807, Owen sent ''Clyde''s boats to capture a French sloop near Yport. The sloop ran on shore and the boats had to come in under fire from small arms, a field piece, a mortar, and the guns of batteries at Fécamp. The boats succeeded in recovering the sloop ''Trois Soeurs'', of Caen, which had been carrying Plaster of Paris, possibly to Boulogne. The exploit was free of casualties on either side. In November, ''Clyde'' recaptured the transport ''Louisa''.

In 1809 ''Clyde'' participated in the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign. A British force landed on 30 July 1809, and withdrew in December, having accomplished little and having suffered extensive casualties, primarily from disease. On 13 August ''Clyde'' was to the south-west of Flushing, with Owen in command of the bomb and other vessels bombarding the town. The next day , the flagship of Admiral Sir Richard John Strachan grounded; ''Clyde'' came to her assistance until she could be refloated. On 8 December ''Clyde'' was at the Woolversdyke protecting the expedition's retreat. Between 23 and 28 December, Owen managed the withdrawal of the British forces from the Scheld. ''Clyde'' shared in the prize money for the property the British army captured during the campaign.

On 6 February 1810 ''Clyde'' was under the command of Captain John Stuart when, after a five-hour chase, she captured the French privateer lugger ''Transit'', of 14 guns and 45 men. ''Transit'' was last out of Bordeaux.

Fate

''Clyde'' was laid up at Portsmouth in December 1810. The Principal Officers and Commissioners of the Navy offered her for sale on 11 August 14, and sold her for £2,300 that month. The bidders had to post a bond of £3000 that they would break her up within a year.

Notes

Citations

References

* Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations; divisions et stations navales; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier: BB4 1 à 209 (1790-1804

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clyde (1796)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
Ships built in Chatham
1796 ships
Artois-class frigates