HMS ''Decade'' was a 36-gun fifth-rate

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

of the Royal Navy. She was formerly the French ' ''Décade'', which the British had captured in 1798. She served with the British during the

French Revolutionary 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 consider ...

and Napoleonic Wars, and was sold out of the service in 1811.

French service and capture

''Décade'' was built at Bordeaux between March 1794 and January 1795, having been launched on 10 October 1794. She had been previously named ''Macreuse''.Winfield (2008), p. 195. After a short career with the French Navy she was captured on 24 August 1798. On 24 August, was chasing a French frigate, which joined. After about three hours the two British ships had caught up with the French ship, which proceeded for the next hour to fire on them with her stern chasers. She then

struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Struck (1877–1911), German author *Hermann Struck (1876–1944), German artist *Karin Struck (1947–2006), German author *Paul Struck (1776-1820), German composer *Peter Struc ...

. The French ship was ''Décade'', with a crew of 336 men under the command of Citoyen Villeneau. ''Décade'' was pierced for 44 guns, but she had landed ten in Cayenne, from where she had sailed. In all, ''Naiad'' had chased ''Décade'' for 36 hours. The British took ''Décade'' back to

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 ...

. She was registered there in October and fitted out there between April and December 1799.

British service

She was commissioned in June 1799 under Captain James Wallis, and sent to Jamaica in January the following year. She was paid off in October 1802. ''Decade'' was fitted out at Portsmouth between May and July 1803 and recommissioned again in June 1803 under Captain William Rutherfurd. Rutherfurd commanded ''Decade'' in the English Channel, before sailing to join the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

in March 1805. She took part in the pursuit of the French fleet to the West Indies during the Trafalgar Campaign, and in 1806 she came under the command of Captain John Stuart. Stuart was assigned to Sir Richard Strachan's squadron, and took part in the pursuit of Jean-Baptiste Willaumez's squadron during the Atlantic campaign of 1806. ''Decade'' was assigned to the serve in the Channel in 1807, and by 1808 was on the Irish station.

Fate

She was sold at Deptford on 21 February 1811.

Citations

References

* * * Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates''. (Seaforth Publishing).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Decade (1798) Frigates of the Royal Navy 1794 ships Ships built in France Captured ships