HMS ''Janus'' was the Dutch

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 ...

''Argo'', built at the dockyard of the Amsterdam Admiralty (Naval District), and launched in 1790. captured her on 12 May 1796. The British

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 ...

took her into service as HMS ''Janus''. She was a receiving ship by 1798 and in

Ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

by 1807. The Navy sold her in 1811.

Capture

HMS ''Phoenix'' was attached to the fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan, operating in the North Sea. On 12 May 1796 at daybreak the 28-gun and the

brig-sloop In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

brought Duncan the news that a Dutch squadron consisting of the 36-gun frigate ''Argo'' and three

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s had departed Flickeroe, Norway, bound for the

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of De ...

. Duncan took his fleet to intercept them, sending a squadron the included ''Phoenix'', the 50-gun , ''Pegasus'', and ''Sylph'' northward of the Texel. The British intercepted the Dutch at 5am on 12 May. ''Phoenix'' and ''Leopard'' chased ''Argo'', while ''Pegasus'' and ''Sylph'' made after the brigs. ''Leopard'' eventually fell some way behind, and consequently it was ''Phoenix'' alone that brought ''Argo'' to battle at 8a.m. on 12 May. After twenty minutes of fighting ''Argo''

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 ...

. ''Phoenix'' had one man killed and three wounded; ''Argo'' lost six men killed and 28 wounded.

HMS ''Janus''

The Royal Navy took ''Argo'' into service as HMS ''Janus'', and commissioned her in July under Captain James Bissett. He sailed her to Jamaica in December. On 14 April 1797 ''Janus'' encountered the French frigate . ''Harmonie'', though larger than ''Janus'', did not offer battle but instead turned for the port of Marégot. Bissett meanwhile sailed westwards until he encountered Rear-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's squadron off

Môle-Saint-Nicolas Môle-Saint-Nicolas (; ht, Mòlsennikola or ) is a commune in the north-western coast of Haiti. It is the chief town of the Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement in the department of Nord-Ouest. History Christopher Columbus' first voyage to th ...

early on the morning of 15 April. Parker had three

ships 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 colum ...

at his disposal, his own flagship , , and , and he sent ''Thunderer'' and ''Valiant'' to Marégot in search of ''Hermione'', while ''Queen'' returned to port for fresh provisions. In the ensuing

Battle of Jean-Rabel The Battle of Jean-Rabel consisted of two connected minor naval engagements of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Haitian Revolution. The first engagement saw an overwhelming British Royal Navy force consisting of two ships of the line attack ...

, ''Thunder'' and ''Valiant'' fired on ''Harmonie'' on the evening of 16 April, but with little effect. They returned the next day when the weather was calmer. Knowing that ''Harmonie'' could not escape, her officers drove her aground and set her on fire; eventually her powder magazine exploded, destroying her completely. Later in 1797 ''Janus'' returned to Britain as escort to the homeward bound convoy. On 6 October 1797 ''Janus'' brought her convoy safe into The Downs. Between November and January 1798 ''Janus'' was at Deptford being fitted as a receiving ship. By 1807 she was in Ordinary.

Fate

The Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy offered "Janus, of 32 guns and 700 tons", lying at Deptford, for sale on 21 February 1811. Purchasers of ''Janus'' or of several of the larger vessels offered for sale had to post a bond of £1000, with two guarantors, that the purchaser would break up their purchase within one year from the date of purchase. ''Janus'' sold on 21 February.

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References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Janus (1806) 1790 ships Ships built in Amsterdam Frigates of the Royal Navy Captured ships