HMS Coventry (1757)

HMS ''Coventry'' was a 28-gun sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1757 and in active service as a privateer hunter during the Seven Years' War, and as part of the British fleet in India during the Anglo-French War. After seventeen years' in British service she was captured by the French in 1783, off Ganjam in the Bay of Bengal. Thereafter she spent two years as part of the French Navy until January 1785 when she was removed from service at the port of Brest. She was broken up in 1786.

Design

Sir Thomas Slade designed ''Coventry'' "to the draught of the ''Tartar'' with such alterations withinboard as may be judged necessary", making her a further development of . A further twelve ships were built to the draught of ''Coventry'' between 1756 and 1763, as well as another five to a modified version of fir (pine) construction.

The vessel was named after the city of Coventry in England's West Midlands. In selecting her name the Board of Admiralty continued a tradition, dating to 1644, of using geographic features; overall, ten of the nineteen ''Coventry''-class vessels, including ''Coventry'' herself, were named after well-known regions, rivers or towns.Winfield 2007, pp. 227–231 With few exceptions the remainder of the class were named after figures from classical antiquity, following a more modern trend initiated in 1748 by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty.

In sailing qualities ''Coventry'' 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 which, when coupled with Adams' modifications to her hull, provided ample space for provisions, the ship's mess and a large magazine for powder and round shot. Taken together, these characteristics would enable ''Coventry'' to remain at sea for long periods without resupply.Gardiner 1992, pp. 107108 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.Gardiner 1992, pp. 111112

British career

''Coventry'' saw active service shortly after launch. On 19 December 1757 she was chasing the 14-gun French privateer ''Diamond'' when that vessel caught fire and exploded, likely as a result of sparks flying from her guns back into the powder room. Five days later, in company with the 36-gun frigate , ''Coventry'' engaged and defeated a 24-gun privateer, ''Le Dragon''. Six of ''Coventry''s sailors were wounded in the brief exchange of fire with the French vessel, compared with four killed and either 10 or 12 wounded aboard the privateer. A total of 280 French sailors survived the battle and were taken prisoner aboard ''Coventry'' and ''Brilliant.''

Early on the morning of 10 August 1778, Admiral Edward Vernon's squadron, consisting of (Vernon's flagship), ''Coventry'', , , and the East India Company's ship ''Valentine'', encountered a French squadron under Admiral François l'Ollivier de Tronjoly which consisted of the 64-gun ship of the line ''Le Brillant'', the frigate ''La Pourvoyeuse'', and three smaller ships, ''Sartine'', ''Lauriston'', and ''Brisson''. An inconclusive action followed for about two hours in mid-afternoon. The French broke off the action and the British vessels were too damaged to be able to catch them up again. In the action the British suffered 11 men killed and 53 wounded, including one man killed and 20 wounded aboard ''Coventry''.Anon. (1801), Section: Pon.

''Seahorse'' captured ''Sartine'' on 25 August 1778. ''Sartine'' had been patrolling off Pondichery with ''Pourvoyeuse'' when they sighted two East Indiamen, which were sailing blithely along, unaware of the outbreak of war. The French vessels gave chase lazily. ''Sartine''s captain, Count du Chaillar, first had to be roused from his bed ashore. The British merchant vessels escaped, but ''Sartine'' came too close to Vernon's squadron. Vernon sent ''Coventry'' and ''Seahorse'' after her and she surrendered after a short action. A French account remarks acidly that she surrendered to a frigate of her own size without a fight. All four Royal Navy vessels in Vernon's squadron shared in the prize money. (Vernon had already sent ''Valentine'' off with dispatches.) The Royal Navy took ''Sartine'' into service as the fifth-rate frigate .

On 12 August 1782, ''Coventry'', under the command of Captain Andrew Mitchell encountered the French frigate ''Bellone'' off Friars Hood, Ceylon. In the ensuing Action of 12 August 1782, ''Coventry'' killed the senior staff of ''Bellone'', allowing her to escape her stronger opponent. ''Coventry'' suffered 15 men killed and 29 wounded in the engagement.

On 14 September 1782, Captain William Wolseley took command of ''Coventry''. On the night of 12 January 1783, chasing the frigate ''Fine'' which he had mistaken for a privateer, Wolseley sailed ''Coventry'' into Ganjam Roads, where Suffren's ''Héros'', ''Illustre'', ''Ajax'' and ''Brillant'' were at anchor. Wolseley had no information that French vessels were in the area and so allowed the current to take him towards the vessels, the wind being weak. As ''Coventry'' arrived, Suffren, on ''Héros'', was sending a boat over to ''Illustre'', but the boat master was drunk and instead mistakenly came aboard ''Coventry''. The boat's crew was promptly taken prisoners and taken to the orlop deck. At this moment, the French division noticed ''Coventry'', and ''Illustre'', ''Ajax'' and ''Brillant'' opened fire. Interrogating his prisoners, Wolseley learnt that the ships firing on him were part of Suffren's squadron, at which point his men rushed below. Alone on his quarterdeck, Wolseley had no choice but to surrender.

French career

The French brought ''Coventry'' in service under the same name, under Le Carlier d'Herlye. The same day, ''Coventry'' captured the East Indiaman ''Bland-Fort'', which had escaped ''Fine'' a few days before.

On 20 June 1783, she took part in the Battle of Cuddalore, where she was part of Suffren's frigate screen.

Fate

The French sailed ''Coventry'' to Brest, where they decommissioned her in January 1785. She was broken up in 1786.Demerliac (1996), p. 69, #430.Winfield and Roberts (2015), p. 122.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Anon. (1801) ''The field of Mars''. (Printed for J. Macgowan).
* Barras, Paul vicomte de (1895) ''Memoirs of Barras, member of the directorate''. (Harper & brothers).
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* Demerliac, Alain (1996) ''La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Français De 1774 À 1792''. (Nice: Éditions OMEGA).
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* Kippis, Andrew (1784) ''The New annual register, or, General repository of history, politics, and literature for the year ...'' (Printed for G.G.J. and J. Robinson).
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* Lyon, David (1993) ''The Sailing Navy List''. (London: Conway Maritime Press). .
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*Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 – 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates''. (Seaforth Publishing).

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coventry (1757)
1757 ships
Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy
Captured ships
Maritime incidents in 1783
Frigates of the French Navy
Ships built on the Beaulieu River