HMS ''Niger'' was a 32-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 ...

frigate 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 ...

History

She was launched in 1759.Lysaght, p. 37 In 1766, under the command of Sir Thomas Adams, ''Niger'' travelled to

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

. Also on board were Constantine Phipps, and the English botanist Joseph Banks. The purpose of the journey was to transport a party of mariners to

Chateau Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador Chateau Bay (sometimes called Chateaux Bay) is a bay and former settlement in Labrador, Canada. Historically it is also sometimes called York Harbour, a name given by James Webb in 1760 when he claimed the harbour for the English. It was surveyed ...

to build a fort, to continue strengthening relations with the native population, and to survey some of the coast of Newfoundland. Banks collected many species of plants and animals during that journey, including many which were previously unknown or undescribed by Europeans. In 1766 Banks met James Cook briefly in St John's, through their mutual friend Thomas Adams. This meeting would lead to Banks joining Cook on his first circumnavigation from 1769 to 1771.Lysaght, p. 41 During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

in 1776, ''Niger'' briefly engaged Gurnet Fort guarding Plymouth, Massachusetts while searching for

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. ''Niger'' grounded but was soon refloated. Plymouth Light was damaged, but there were no other casualties. Because ''Niger'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 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. On 21 May 1806 ''Niger'' was in company with the

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars mounted ...

and the brig when they detained ''Trende Damen'' (''Three Ladies'').

Fate

The Navy converted ''Niger'' to a prison hospital ship in May 1809, and renamed her ''Negro'' in 1813. She was sold in 1814. NIGER 1759 RMG J6012

Notes

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niger (1759) Frigates of the Royal Navy Ships built in Sheerness 1759 ships