HMS Melpomene (1794)

HMS ''Melpomene'' was a 38-gun frigate of the Royal Navy. Originally a French vessel, she was captured at Calvi on 10 August 1794 and first saw British service in the English Channel, where she helped to contain enemy privateering. In October 1798, she chased a French frigate squadron sent to find the French fleet under Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart, that was routed at the Battle of Tory Island and in August 1799, she joined Andrew Mitchell's squadron for the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland.

In April 1800, ''Melpomene'' was active along the coast of Senegal and led a small squadron that captured the island of Gorée. She later returned to the Channel where, in July 1804, she took part in a bombardment of Le Havre. For much of 1809, she was employed in the Baltic where she fought in some notable actions during the Gunboat War and the Anglo-Russian War.

Construction and armament

The French ship ''Melpomène'' was built in 1788 at Toulon. A 36-gun frigate of the Minerve Class, she was ordered in 1787 and construction started February the following year. Launched on 6 August 1789, she was completed in April 1792 and armed with twenty-eight long guns on the gundeck and ten on her upperworks.Winfield and Roberts (2015) p. 137 After her capture, her secondary armament was upgraded so she carried eight long guns and six carronades on the quarter deck, and two 9-pounders with two 32-pounder carronades on the forecastle.Winfield (2008) p. 159

The British recorded ''Melpomene's'' dimensions as: along the gundeck with a keel length of , a beam of and a depth in the hold of . She was 1,013 tons burthen.

French Service

In March 1793, ''Melpomène'' sailed to Agliers, escorting two xebecs that had undergone refits at Toulon on behalf of Baba Hassan, Dey of Algiers. The next month, she was at Toulon when a mutiny broke out aboard.

In October 1793, ''Melpomène'', under Lieutenant Gay, was part of a division also comprising ''Minerve'', Fortunée, and the 18-gun ''Flèche''. Last in the division, she was chased by the 64-gun HMS ''Agamemnon'' in the action of 22 October 1793. ''Agamemnon'' broken the engagement when ''Minerve'' came to support ''Melpomène''.

In the morning of 11 January 1794, off Calvi, ''Melpomène'' detected ''Mignonne'' being chased by a British ship of the line and two frigates. She closed to support ''Mignonne'', arriving in gun range at 1145. ''Mignonne'' broke the engagement and ''Melpomène'' herself escaped by sailing in shallow waters where the British frigates were reluctant to venture. Around 1500, they regrouped around the ship of the line. ''Melpomène'' had her lower masts and her foremast tops damaged, and had to be taken in tow to Calvi.

British Service

In 1794, ''Melpomène'' was at Calvi, Corsica, when the entire island was subject to a blockade by a Royal Navy Fleet under Lord Hood. A successful invasion culminated in the capture of the port on 10 August and the seizure of ''Melpomène'' and a second French frigate, ''Mignonne''. During the surrender negotiations, the French asked that they be allowed to keep the frigates to transport the garrison to Toulon but the British refused.

''Mignonne'' was deemed unserviceable but ''Melpomene'' was put under the command of Charles Patterson and taken to Chatham for refitting. The work cost £6,534 and took until 1 June 1795. She was officially recognised as a British vessel on 30 March 1795 when she was registered by the Admiralty, and was commissioned the following month by Sir Charles Hamilton. She worked to contain privateering and protect British trade in the English Channel.

At 15:00 on 11 July 1796, ''Melpomene'' was to the south-southwest of Ushant, when a sail was seen to the south-east. After a five-hour chase, ''Melpomene'' forced the surrender of the vessel which turned out to be the 18-gun ''Revanche''. The privateer from Brest had been out looking to intercept a convoy from Brazil. The 167 captured crew members were taken to Plymouth.

While cruising off the Isle of Wight on 15 May 1797, ''Melpomene'' captured ''Espiègle'', a small armed-lugger from Fécamp carrying 32 men. On 17 July, she captured another French privateer, ''Triton''.

On 3 August 1798, ''Melpomene'' was cruising off the north coast of Brittany with when a French brig, ''Adventurier'', and accompanying merchant ships were discovered in the bay of Corréjou. The British decided to attempt a cutting out expedition under cover of darkness and a boarding party from both crews was assembled. At 22:00 that night, in stormy conditions, five boats, carrying 70 men, began a five-hour row towards the bay. At 03:00 they came alongside ''Adventurier'' and a struggle ensued in which the French crew of 79 were eventually subdued. The British had one man killed, one missing and four wounded while the French had 16 wounded, several mortally. The bad weather which had helped the attackers remain undetected during their approach became a hindrance as the captured vessel was worked out to sea but, despite having to endure a two-hour bombardment from the shore batteries, no further casualties were suffered.James (Vol.II) p. 227

Pursuit of Savary

Following a failed French invasion of Ireland in 1798, the Channel Fleet was on high alert and prepared for the next attempt which was made in August. A French fleet sent in support, under Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart, was routed at the Battle of Tory Island on 12 October and a squadron of four frigates under commodore Daniel Savary was sent to escort the survivors back to France. Having failed to find any, Savary was returning to France when, on 28 October at 07:00, his squadron was seen off Benwee Head by ''Melpomene'', HMS ''Terrible'', and the flagship of commodore Sir Richard Bickerton, HMS ''Caesar''. The three ships immediately gave chase but due to light winds, it was 18:00 before any ships were close enough to exchange shots. By 23:00, the wind, which had increased considerably, carried away the topmasts of ''Caesar'', leaving ''Melpomene'' and ''Terrible'' to forge ahead. At 08:00 the next day, the French squadron was away but by noon, ''Melpomene'', some way ahead, had closed the distance to just miles. Fearing his entire squadron would be captured, Savary ordered his ships to scatter.James (Vol.II) p. 146 Hamilton chose to try and intercept the 40-gun ''Concorde'' which was away to his south-west but heading south. The weather took a turn for the worse during the evening of 30 October and the French managed to escape to Rochefort.

''Melpomene'' continued her crusade against privateering, capturing ''Tigre'' on 17 November and the 16-gun ''Zele'' in the Bay of Biscay on 28 February following, until she was called to join Andrew Mitchell's squadron for an Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in August 1799.

Invasion of Holland

A combined fleet under Admiral Lord Duncan, comprising eight ships-of-the-line, three fourth rates and six frigates, one of which was ''Melpomene'', arrived off Texel on 22 August. With it, were more than 230 other craft, carrying supplies and 27,000 troops. After failing to persuade the Dutch to hand over their ships, the troops were landed near Helder on the morning of 27 August. After an engagement with a Franco-Dutch force, the city was captured. At the same time, a single British frigate, , entered the Nieuwe Diep and captured the ships there which were laid up in ordinary. Among them were 13 warships carrying a total of 510 guns, and of these, four small frigates and a 44-gun vessel were added to the Royal Navy.Clowes (Vol.IV) p. 409 Two days later, Mitchell's squadron entered the Vlieter roads where a Dutch squadron under Vice-Admiral Samuel Story was anchored. Three of the frigates, none of which were ''Melpomene'', grounded in the narrow channel, but all managed to get off and join their compatriots in line opposite the Dutch, who accepted an offer to surrender and handed over their ships without a shot being fired on either side.

West Africa

In April 1800, ''Melpomene'' and were off the coast of Senegal when word was received of three French frigates moored under the gun batteries on the island of Gorée. In need of reinforcements, Hamilton had his ship make for Praia, Cape Verde, where he knew the 64-gun to be revictualing. By the time the squadron arrived at Gorée, on 4 April, the French frigates had gone. With that additional protection removed, Hamilton judged that the island was vulnerable and sent a demand for its surrender. Terms were agreed and at midnight, marines from both ships were landed and the island brought under British control. On 13 April, some of the squadron's crew took part in a boat action against a Senegalese trading post, returning on 22 April with a French brigantine and a sloop full of rice.

On 17 June, ''Melpomene'' chased a 10-gun privateer, off the coast of France, for 57 hours before catching it and forcing it to strike. It turned out to be ''Auguste'' with a French crew of 50 men, on the way to Guadeloupe from Bordeaux.

On 3 January 1801, five boats from ''Melpomene'' crossed a sand bar on the Senegal river to cut-out a French 18-gun brig. As they approached, the brig opened fire sinking two of the British boats but the remainder made it alongside and after a short struggle, succeeded in boarding and capturing her.Clowes (Vol.IV) p. 535 The British boats then attacked an armed schooner, which had sought shelter under a gun battery, but were forced to retreat. While bringing out the brig, she grounded on the bar and had to be abandoned; the British making off in their boats under heavy fire from the shore batteries. The expedition was a costly one for the British, with 11 men killed and 18 wounded out of the 96 who took part. The French brig, ''Senegal'', broke up and sank into the sand.James (Vol.III) p. 132

Return to home waters

''Melpomene'' needed a small repair in February 1803 which was undertaken at Deptford and took about a month to complete. She was recommissioned in March under Robert Dudley Oliver and operated off the French coast and in the North Sea.

In July 1804, ''Melpomene'' took part in an attack on the port of Le Havre.James (Vol.III) p. 227 Le Havre was important at the time, harbouring a large number of vessels required by Napoleon's invasion force at Boulogne. Oliver's squadron, comprising ''Melpomene'', sloops, bomb-vessels and other small craft, was stationed off the port to prevent any enemy joining, or those inside, escaping. On 23 July, the British fired on the town, setting it alight and forcing the French to move their ships further upriver. Another attack was made on 1 August resulting in a very similar outcome.

''Melpomene'' was at Portsmouth in September 1805. While she was there, Oliver met with Lord Nelson, who was about to leave to resume command off Cadiz. Oliver told of his disappointment that he and his ship were not going too, to which Nelson replied, ''"I hope you will come in time to tow some of the rascals"''; ''Melpomene'' eventually joined Admiral Collingwood's fleet the day after the Battle of Trafalgar and did indeed assist in the aftermath by towing damaged prizes away from the battle site.

In December 1805, Peter Parker was appointed as ''Melpomene's'' commander, serving in the Mediterranean but returning home at the end of 1807 before leaving for Jamaica in the April following.

In November 1807 ''Melpomene'' recaptured ''Duke of Kent'', of Dartmouth. A Spanish privateer had captured ''Duke of Kent''.

Baltic campaign

On 11 May 1809, ''Melpomene'' chased a 6-gun cutter off Jutland which entered the harbour of Huilbo and ran ashore. ''Melpomene'' anchored and dispatched her boats while providing covering fire. The crew were able to destroy the cutter with an officer, two seamen and three marines wounded in the process.James (Vol.V) p. 179

''Melpomene'' was very nearly captured on 23 May 1809, when 20 Danish gunboats found her becalmed in the Great Belt. The British frigate was anchored off Omoe Island when, at around 22:30, the Danes were spotted in the dark. The crew cleared for action and commenced firing at 11:00 but were prevented from bringing their guns to bear in the light wind. Shortly after the action started, the wind increased sufficiently to cut ''Melpomenes'' cable and manoeuvre. For several days she attempted to close with the enemy with little success. In the early hours on 30 May, the gunboats withdrew. ''Melpomene'' was much damaged by her encounter and had to return to England for repairs.Clowes (Vol.V) p.438

''Melpomene'' was sent back to the Baltic where she joined a force conducting a search of the southern edge of the Gulf of Finland. At the beginning of July, she was sent by the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral James Saumarez, to cruise east of Nargen Island with . They sailed into Narva Bay and there captured nine vessels laden with timber, spars and cordage, belonging to the Russian Emperor. After searching all the creeks and inlets along the coast but finding nothing else, attention switched to the north side of the Gulf where the boats of ''Implacable'', ''Melpomene'' and captured three more vessels among the many islands that fringe Finland. They also discovered eight Russian gunboats, each mounting a 32 and a 24-pounder gun, and carrying a crew of 46 men, protecting a convoy of merchantmen near Hango Head. Determined to capture or destroy as much of the convoy as possible, on 7 July at 21:00, 270 men from ''Melpomene'', and ''Implacable'' set off in 17 of the ships' boats.Long p. 237 The Russians had positioned their vessels between two rocks, preventing them from being outflanked and forcing the British to row straight into a hail of grapeshot. The British eventually managed to capture six of the eight gunboats and sink another. All 12 merchant ships were taken and another large armed ship was burned. The British had 17 men killed and 37 wounded during the operation. Five of the dead and six of the wounded were from ''Melpomene''. The Russians lost at least 65 men killed, and 127 taken prisoner, of whom 51 were wounded. The Admiralty later issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal for this action.

Later service and fate

From May to August 1810, ''Melpomene'' was at Chatham Dockyard where she was stripped of her carronades and converted to a troopship. She was recommissioned under William Waldegrave and later, in 1812, Gordon Falcon. She served in the Mediterranean until 16 March 1814, when she sailed to North America under Robert Rowley, who had taken command in October the previous year. ''Melpomene'' was sold at Sheerness for £2,590 on 14 December 1815.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Melpomene (1794)
1789 ships
Age of Sail frigates of France
Ships built in France
Frigates of the French Navy
Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy
Minerve-class frigates