HMS Lively (1794)

HMS ''Lively'' was a 32-gun fifth-rate ''Alcmene''-class frigate of the British Royal Navy launched on 23 October 1794 at Northam. She took part in three actions – one a single-ship action, one a major battle, and one a cutting-out boat expedition – that would in 1847 qualify her crews for the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal. ''Lively'' was wrecked in 1798.

Service

''Lively'' was commissioned in October 1794 under Captain Viscount Lord Garlies. On 4 March 1795 she captured the French corvette ''Espion'' about off Ushant. ''Espion'' was armed with eighteen 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 140 men. She was five days out of Brest on a cruise. Captain George Burlton, acting in the absence of Lord Garlies, who was sick on shore, commanded ''Lively''. Four days later ''Lively'' recaptured the ship ''Favonius''.

On 13 March 1795 she captured the French corvette . ''Lively'' sighted three vessels and headed for the larger one, which tacked to meet her. After three hours of exchanging fire the French vessel was so disabled that she struck. She turned out to be the 28-gun corvette ''Tourterelle'', under the command of Lieutenant Antoine Marie François Montalan. She had lost 16 men killed and 25 wounded; ''Lively'' had only two men wounded.James (1837), Vol. 1, pp. 282–3. The British took ''Tourterelle'' into service as HMS ''Tourterelle''. The Admiralty would recognize the action in 1847 with the award of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Lively 13 March 1795". ''Lively'' also captured the other two vessels that ''Tourterelle'' had been escorting. They had been prizes to ''Espion''.

''Lively'' captured the Danish ship ''Concordia'' on 27 February 1796 but had to share the prize money with 13 allied ships that were in sight at the time.

''Lively'' was present at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent under the command of Captain Lord Garlies. She and three other British frigates jointly fired on a Spanish ship of the line that had become separated from the rest, but other than that ''Lively'' took no significant part in the combat and suffered no losses. Her main function was to repeat signals. She did take possession of ''San Ysidro'' (or ''San Isidro''), one of the Spanish vessels that surrendered. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the NGSM with clasp "St. Vincent" to the 348 surviving claimants from the battle.

In 1797 Captain Benjamin Hallowell assumed command. On 29 May, during the battle for Santa Cruz, Lieutenant Thomas Hardy led a cutting out party using boats from and ''Lively'' to capture the French 16-gun corvette . The cutting out party boarded and captured the vessel; they then sailed her out of the port to the British fleet under heavy fire from shore and naval guns. Hardy was wounded during the action, as were 14 of the other British officers and men in the cutting out party. The British subsequently commissioned ''Mutine'' under her existing name with Hardy as commander. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the NGSM with clasp "29 May Boat Service 1797" to the three surviving claimants from ''Lively'' and ''Minerve''.

In October 1797 and ''Lively'' captured ''Marselloise'' as she was sailing from Guadeloupe to France. They then took the richly-laden former into Martinique.

On 5 January 1798, captured the 16-gun privateer ''Benjamin''. , and ''Lively'' joined the chase and shared in the capture.

Fate

On 12 April 1798, ''Lively'' was under the command of Captain James Nicoll Morris when she was wrecked on Rota Point off Cádiz. She and were patrolling to intercept any ships trying to enter or leave the port. During the night she grounded and despite all efforts by ''Seahorse'', ''Lively'' could not be pulled off. In the morning of 14 April it became apparent that Spanish gunboats were marshaling, while shore batteries started to fire on the British vessels and the boats transferring the crew to ''Seahorse''. Morris then set fire to ''Lively'' as he left. In the process, only one man was lost. The subsequent court martial acquitted Morris and his officers of all blame.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lively (1793)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
Maritime incidents in 1798
1794 ships
Ships built in Devon