HMS ''Meleager'' was a 36-gun

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 in 1806 and wrecked on 30 July 1808 off

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. During her brief career she captured two armed vessels and two merchantmen on the

Jamaica station Jamaica station is a major train station of the Long Island Rail Road located in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. With weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 passengers, it is the largest transit hub on Long Island, the fourth-busiest rail station ...

. She was named after

Meleager In Greek mythology, Meleager (, grc-gre, Μελέαγρος, Meléagros) was a hero venerated in his ''temenos'' at Calydon in Aetolia. He was already famed as the host of the Calydonian boar hunt in the epic tradition that was reworked by Ho ...

, who could have been a Macedonian officer of distinction in the service of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

, or a

a character from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

Active service

In November 1806 ''Meleager'' was commissioned under Captain John Broughton for the North Sea. In mid-1807 ''Meleager'' accompanied HMS ''Shannon'' above 80 degrees latitude in a mission to protect the Greenland whaling fleet. They found neither whalers nor threats and so on 23 August they were back in Leith Roads, seeking replenishment, having spent three months above the Arctic Circle. They then sailed for the Shetland Islands where they cruised for about another month.Map of the North Polar Regions, published by

John William Norie John William Norie (3 July 1772 in London – 24 December 1843), was a mathematician, hydrographer, chart maker and publisher of nautical books most famous for his ''Epitome of Practical Navigation'' (1805) which became a standard work on navigat ...

in London in 1818. ''Meleager'', under Captain J. Broughton, was in company with , and when they captured ''Fischia'' on 14 April 1807. Then on 5 September 1807, ''Meleager'' captured ''Jonge Lars''. On 16 November 1807 ''Meleager'' sailed with a convoy to the West Indies. On 8 February 1808, ''Meleager'' was off Santiago de Cuba when she sent her boats, with 41 men, to capture the French

felucca A felucca ( ar, فلوكة, falawaka, possibly originally from Greek , ) is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in the eastern Mediterranean—including around Malta and Tunisia—in Egypt and Sudan (particularly along the Nile and in protect ...

-rigged privateer ''Renard''. She was armed with one long 6-pounder gun and many muskets, and had a crew of 47 men. The boat party took her without loss even though she was perfectly prepared and expecting to be attacked, given that ''Meleager'' had chased her. At the approach of the boats, 18 men jumped overboard. ''Renard'' had been cruising for 27 days but had not taken anything. Eleven days later, ''Meleager'' captured ''Antelope'', a Spanish schooner Letter of Marque. ''Antelope'' was pierced for 14 guns but only carried five, an 18-pounder midships and four 6-pounders; the 6-pounders she threw overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 62 men and was sailing from Cadiz to Vera Cruz with a cargo of dry goods, brandy and wine. The Royal Navy purchased her and renamed her . In early 1808 ''Meleager'' detained the American schooner ''Meteor'' between the Cuban cities of Trinidad and Santiago, on the pretext that she was going to violate the British embargo. A judge in Jamaica ordered ''Meteor'' released, but not before her owner, Richard Raynal Keene, had to pay $2000 to cover his and Broughton's costs. The detainment led to further pecuniary misfortunes for Keene. In April 1808 Captain

Frederick Warren Frederick Warren (March 1775 – 22 March 1848) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the Gunboat War, rising to the rank of vice-admiral. Life Born in March 1775, he was son of R ...

replaced Brougton. The French privateer ''Plutus'' on 4 July 1808 captured ''Commerce'', which had been sailing from the Halifax to Jamaica. ''Meleager'' recaptured ''Commerce'' three days later and sent her into Jamaica.''Lloyd's List'' 16 September 1808, №4284.
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Fate

On 30 July 1808 ''Meleager'', under the command of Captain Frederick Warren, had been sailing from

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and co ...

, Jamaica, when in the evening the master, believing that land in sight was Portland Point, set a course that would take her well clear of land. Still, less than half an hour later lookouts spotted broken water ahead; although the helmsman attempted to turn ''Meleager'', she struck. Efforts to get her off or to stem the inflow of water were unsuccessful. During the night the crew took down the masts and made rafts; once daylight arrived the task became to get everyone safely on shore. A line was strung to the shore of Bare Bush Key and all but three crewmen made it safely ashore. For the next few days the crew worked to salvage a large amount of stores and the guns. On 30 August Captain Warren, his officers and crew went before a court martial on at Port Royal. The court martial ruled that the wrecking was probably due to the master mistaking Braziletto Hill for Portland Point and so setting a wrong course. The court martial board warned Warren and the master to be more careful in the future and to pay closer attention to the courses they steered and the distances they had covered.

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meleager (1806) Frigates of the Royal Navy 1806 ships Ships built in England Maritime incidents in 1808 Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Perseverance-class frigates