HMS ''Culloden'' was a 74-gun third rate

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 June 1783 at Rotherhithe. She took part in some of the most famous battles of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars before she was broken up in 1813.

French Revolutionary Wars

One of her first engagements was at the Glorious First of June, under Captain

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William Elliot - The battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797, the British attack on the enemy's windward division img 16-1

She was captained by Sir Thomas Troubridge in the Battle of Cape St Vincent, in which he led the line. ''Culloden'' was damaged, and had 10 men killed and 47 wounded. She later took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. She participated in the

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, but ran aground on shoals before being able to engage the French fleet, and subsequently did not actively engage the enemy. She was assisted by HMS ''Mutine'' whilst aground.

Napoleonic Wars

''Culloden'', Captain Christopher Cole, captured the French privateer ''Émilien'' on 26 September 1806 after a chase that lasted two days and a night. He described her as a ship corvette of 18 guns and 150 men. When the British took possession of ''Emilien'' at 2a.m. on the 25th, close off the shoals of Point Guadaveri they found out that they had driven her ashore the night before. She had had to jettison 12 guns, her anchors, and her boats, to enable her to be refloated. Cole noted that ''Émilien'' was "formerly His Majesty's Sloop Trincomalee". He further noted that she was copper fastened, and that under the name of ''Gloire'' had "annoyed our Trade". However, on this cruise she was two months out of Île de France without having made any captures. '' Lloyd's List'' reported that ''Culloden'' had captured a large French privateer named ''Ameleon'' in the Indian Sea and taken her into

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. The Royal Navy took ''Émilien'' into service as HMS ''Emilien'', but sold her in 1808 and it is not clear that she ever saw active service. On 5 July 1808 ''Culloden'' captured the French privateer ''Union'' off Ceylon. ''Union'' had been at sea for 27 days, having sailed from Mauritius, when she encountered ''Culloden'', but had not captured anything. ''Union'' was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 60 Europeans and 20 lascars.''Asiatic Annual Register'' (1811), Vol. 10, p.68.

Fate

''Culloden'' was finally broken up in February 1813.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References * * Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culloden (1783) Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Ganges-class ships of the line 1783 ships