HMS ''Fox'' was a 32-gun ''Active''-class

fifth rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...

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 The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. She was launched on 2 June 1780 at

Bursledon Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages i ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

by George Parsons.

Early career

''Fox'' was sent to the Caribbean in late 1781 and in January the following year under Captain Thomas Windsor captured two Spanish frigates. In March 1783 under Captain George Stoney captured the Spanish frigate ''Santa Catalina''. ''Fox'' was at

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 ...

on 20 January 1795 and so shared in the proceeds of the detention of the Dutch naval vessels,

East Indiamen East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

, and other merchant vessels that were in port on the outbreak of war between Britain and the Netherlands. In March 1797, near

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

, ''Fox'' captured the French privateer ''Modeste'', under

Jean-Marie Dutertre Jean-Marie Dutertre (1768 in Lorient – 1811Gallois, p. 412), also called Jean Dutertre, was a French privateer. His ships included ''Modeste'', ''Heureux'', ''Passe-Partout'' and ''Malartic''.Gallois, p. 405 Career In September 1796, Dutertre ...

.Demerliac, p. 308, no 2898 Took part in the bloodless

Raid on Manila The Raid on Manila of January 1798 was a Royal Navy false flag military operation during the French Revolutionary Wars intended to scout the strength of the defences of Manila, capital of the Spanish Philippines, capture a Manila galleon and ...

in January 1798. Given that ''Fox'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March and 2 September 1801, her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.

Napoleonic Wars

On 12 May 1809, ''Fox'', Commander Henry Hart, brought into

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, her prize ''Caravan'', Aikin, master. ''Caravan'' was the former ''Cartier'', Aikin, master, that the privateer had captured in October 1807. ''Caravan'' had been carrying stones for building forts,

arrack Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin. It ...

, coffee, and several carriages and bandies.

War of 1812

From April to June 1812 ''Fox'' was at Woolwich Dockyard being refitted as a 16 gun troopship.Winfield, (2008) In September 1814 ''Fox'' was in a squadron, with as flagship, that carried the advance guard of Major General Keane's army, which was moving to attack New Orleans. Under the rules of prize-money, the troopship ''Fox'' shared in the proceeds of the capture of the American vessels in the

Battle of Lake Borgne The Battle of Lake Borgne was a coastal engagement between the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy in the American South theatre of the War of 1812. It occurred on December 14, 1814 on Lake Borgne. The British victory allowed them to disembark their tro ...

on 14 December 1814.

Fate

''Fox'' was broken up in April 1816.

Notes

Citations

References

* * Hannings, Bud. (2012). ''The War of 1812: A Complete Chronology with Biographies of 63 General Officers''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. * * * Frigates of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Hamble 1780 ships War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom {{UK-mil-ship-stub