HMS Dido (1784)

HMS ''Dido'' was one of the twenty-seven ''Enterprise'' class of 28-gun
sixth-rate frigates in service with the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ''Dido'' was commissioned in September 1787 under the command of Captain Charles Sandys. She participated in a notable action for which her crew would later be awarded the Naval General Service Medal; her participation in a campaign resulted in the award of another. ''Dido'' was sold for breaking up in 1817.

''Vrai Patriote''

On 9 August 1793 ''Dido'' was patrolling off Norway when she encountered a French privateer. She drove the vessel ashore, and Lieutenant Edward Hamilton took a boat and eight men to take possession. The privateer was the ''Vrai Patriote'', of 13 guns and a crew of 45 men, whose crew had set her on fire before escaping ashore. Hamilton and his men extinguished the fire, the setting of which Hamilton considered a "base attempt" as had it been successful it would have deprived the British of prize money. Unwilling to let the matter go, Hamilton and his men pursued the privateers inland and captured 13 of them.Lavery ''et al''. (2009), p36. The British then brought out the prize, for which prize money was paid in July 1799.

Hamilton and his prize crew of two midshipmen and twenty sailors were taking ''Vrai Patriote'' back when they encountered the cutter . ''Nimble'' had been looking for privateer, and not realizing that the ''Dido'' had captured her, attempted to take ''Vrai Patriote''. Hamilton hoisted British colors over the French and sent his crew below decks while he attempted to convince ''Nimble'' that the French vessel was now in British hands. ''Nimble'', unconvinced, fired several broadsides into ''Vrai Patriote'' causing damage but no casualties. Eventually ''Nimble'' was convinced and ceased fire. ''Nimble'' herself suffered casualties when one of her guns burst.

''Dido'' was the only ship of the Mediterranean Fleet to exchange fire with French ships during Martin's cruise of 1794, but was unable to prevent the French escaping into Gourjean Bay.

''Dido'' captured ''Révolution'', a French vessel possibly a navy corvette, on 8 October 1794 off Porto Mauruzio between Nice and Genoa.

''Dido'' captured the xebec ''Témėraire'' on 14 March 1795. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS ''Temeraire'', later renamed to HMS ''Transfer''.

''Dido'' and ''Lowestoffe'' vs. ''Minerve'' and ''Artemise''

Admiral Hotham sent ''Dido'' under Captain George Henry Towry and , a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate under Captain Robert Middleton, to reconnoiter the French fleet at Toulon. While off Menorca on 24 June 1795 the two British frigates encountered two French frigates, the 42-gun ''Minerve'' and the 36-gun ''Artémise''.

The French were initially wary, but when they realised that they were larger and stronger than the British vessels, the French captains manoeuvred to attack. ''Minerve'' attempted to run down ''Dido'' but when ''Dido'' turned to avoid the impact, ''Minerve''s bowsprit became entangled in ''Dido''s rigging, costing ''Dido'' her mizzenmast and colours. ''Lowestoffe'' came along the port side of ''Minerve'' and her broadside carried away ''Minerve''s foremast and topmasts, crippling her. ''Lowestoffe'' pursued the retreating ''Artémise'', which eventually escaped. ''Lowestoffe'' returned to ''Minerve'', firing on her until she struck. ''Lowestoffe'' had three men wounded, the ''Dido'' six killed and 15 wounded. ''Minerve'' lost about 10 percent of her crew of over 300 men.

The British took ''Minerve'' into service as the 38-gun frigate HMS ''Minerve''. The weight of ''Minerve''s broadside alone was greater than that of the two British frigates together, making the battle a notable victory; the Admiralty duly awarded the two captains a Naval Gold Medal each. In 1847 the Admiralty issued to all surviving claimants from the action the Naval General Service Medal with the clasps "Dido 24 June 1795" and "Lowestoffe 24 June 1795".

Because ''Dido'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March 1801 and 2 September, her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal.

Fate

''Dido'' was sold to break up on 3 April 1817.

Notes

Citations

References

* Gardiner, Robert (1992) ''The First Frigates''. (London: Conway Maritime Press). .
* Goodwin, Peter (2002) ''Nelson's ships: a history of the vessels in which he served, 1771–1805''. (Stackpole Books.
* Lavery, Brian, Geoff Hunt, Nikolai Tolstoy (2009) ''The Frigate Surprise: The Complete Story of the Ship Made Famous in the Novels of Patrick O'Brian''. (W. W. Norton & Company).
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* Lyon, David (1993) ''The Sailing Navy List''. (London: Conway Maritime Press). .
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dido (1784)
1784 ships
Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy