HMS Sylph (1795)

HMS ''Sylph'' was a 16-gun ''Albatross''-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy designed by William Rule and launched in 1795 at Deptford Dockyard. Her namesake was the air spirit sylph. She commissioned in August 1795 under Commander John Chambers White, who would have her until the end of 1799. She was later commanded by Charles Dashwood.

''Sylph'' was an active ship through the French Revolutionary Wars, participating in actions such as the action of 12 May 1796 and taking a number of warships and privateers during service as a blockade and patrol ship. The majority of her service would be spent in the North Sea, English Channel and off the coast of Spain. ''Sylph'' served actively until 1805, when she was laid up at Portsmouth. She was broken up there in 1811.

Construction

''Sylph'' was a 16-gun, 32-pound carronade brig-sloop. She was part of the ''Albatross''-class designed by William Rule and approved on 22 April 1795. Of the five ships in the class three, including ''Sylph'', were built of fir, likely due to a wartime lack of other available materials.Gardiner, First Frigates, p. 54 The class was established to help meet the need for extra ships for convoy duties. ''Sylph'' and her class were originally planned to have sixteen 6-pound long guns, but the Admiralty Order of 22 April also established the ships with carronades instead.Winfield, British Warships, p. 643 ''Sylph'' was ordered on 13 July 1795 as part of a contract to the yard of William Barnard, however Barnard had died in March and the construction of ''Sylph'' was organised by his widow and two sons. ''Sylph'' was completed with the following dimensions: along the gun deck, at the keel, with a beam of and a depth in the hold of . She measured 369 tons burthen.

''Sylph'' was launched on 3 September 1795 and fitted out between 10 and 23 September at Deptford Dockyard. While her class nominally held 32-pound carronades, they proved too heavy for the small ships and were replaced in most vessels with smaller 24-pound carronades.

Service

1796

''Sylph'' was commissioned under Commander John Chambers White, who would command her into 1799, on 28 August 1795.O'Byrne, Naval Biographical Dictionary, p. 1281 She first served in the North Sea Fleet of Admiral Adam Duncan.Duncan, British Trident, p. 10 ''Sylph'' was sent with HMS ''Leopard'', HMS ''Phoenix'', and HMS ''Pegasus'' to intercept a small Dutch squadron that had recently sailed from Norway. The Dutch were spotted on 12 May 1796 off the Texel, and consisted of the 36-gun frigate ''Argo'', the 18-gun ''Echo'', 16-gun ''Mercury'', and 14-gun ''De Grier'' (all brigs), and the cutter ''Duke of York'', which was a prize of ''Argo''. The brigs immediately attempted to escape and were chased by ''Sylph'' and ''Pegasus'' while ''Phoenix'' pursued the frigate, ''Leopard'' being too slow to assist. After a battle of twenty minutes ''Argo'' surrendered to ''Phoenix'', while ''De Grier'' and ''Echo'' were driven ashore and ''Mercury'', despite throwing fourteen of her sixteen guns overboard to lose weight, taken by ''Sylph''.Schomberg, Naval Chronology, p. 91

From around August ''Sylph'' was a part of Commodore John Borlase Warren's blockading squadron in the Channel.Clowes, Royal Navy, p. 502 On 22 August this squadron, consisting of four frigates and ''Sylph'', was cruising off the mouth of the Gironde when they discovered and chased the French 32-gun frigate ''Andromaque''. HMS ''Galatea'' and ''Sylph'' cut ''Andromaque'' off from the river and while they lost sight of her overnight, ''Andromaque'' was driven ashore on the morning of 23 August. Sylph fired into her as she lay on shore and then sent her boats in to burn her in the afternoon. She took the 4-gun privateer cutter ''Le Phoenix'' in the English Channel in September.Schomberg, Naval Chronology, p. 119

1797

On 17 July 1797 ''Sylph'' participated in the destruction of the French 28-gun frigate ''La Calliope'' off the coast of Brittany. ''Sylph'' was in company with HMS ''Pomone'', HMS ''Artois'', HMS ''Anson'', and the cutter ''Dolly'' when they came across a French convoy of fourteen ships guarded by ''Calliope'', a corvette, and a brig-corvette off Ushant at Hodierne Bay.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 95 The two corvettes were able to use their speed to escape the squadron, but ''Calliope'' was not able to follow them and instead chose to cut away her masts and run herself on shore at 2:20 A.M. so as to not be taken by the British. At 7 A.M. ''Anson'' anchored near the beached ''Calliope'' and a brig attempting to assist her, and fired on them. Realising that ''Anson'' was too far away to do significant damage, Captain White moved ''Sylph'' in between ''Calliope'' and ''Anson'' at 9:30 A.M. and began a 'well-directed fire' at ''Calliope''. At 11:30 A.M. ''Anson'' left to rejoin ''Pomone'' and ''Artois'', but ''Sylph'' stayed to continue firing on ''Calliope'' until 6 P.M. when she was recalled by Warren in ''Pomone''. The efforts of ''Sylph'' meant that the French were unable to salvage any of ''Calliope'', and the frigate broke up on the shore the next day. ''Sylph'' lost five seamen and one marine wounded, but on top of ''Calliopes destruction, one transport ship, three brigs, and four chasse-marées were taken, and two other ships run ashore.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, pp.95-6Clowes, Royal Navy, p. 507

Less than a month later on 11 August she participated in an attack on another enemy convoy. ''Sylph'' was sailing with ''Pomone'', HMS ''Jason'', and HMS ''Triton'' when early in the morning the convoy of brigs and chasse-marées was spotted off the coast of Vendée.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 96 The convoy was protected by the 22-gun corvette ''Réolaise'' and three or four smaller gun vessels; these ran to the mouth of the Les Sables-d'Olonne river to receive protection from a fort stationed there.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 97Clowes, Royal Navy, p. 508 Captain White of ''Sylph'' volunteered to sail in and begin firing at the vessels despite this, and did so at 11:30 A.M. ''Sylph'' opened fire from around one mile away, receiving fire in turn from the anchored ships and fort, and was joined in her endeavour at noon by ''Pomone'' and ''Jason'' while ''Triton'' chased members of the convoy away. After around forty-five minutes of firing, ''Sylph'' cut her cable and stood out from the river mouth having had one master's mate and two seamen killed. The attack was successful with one 12-gun gun-brig destroyed and the corvette heavily damaged. On 27 August ''Sylph'' was sailing with the same group of ships at the mouth of the Gironde when they discovered and chased another French convoy. They chased the convoy all night and the two fastest, ''Triton'' and ''Jason'', captured five of the ships.

1798

In February 1798 ''Sylph'' was present at the capture of the 18-gun privateer ''La Légere'', and took the French chasse-marée ''La Sainte Famille'' with HMS ''Impétueux'' on 5 April. On 16 September a French expedition commanded by Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart consisting of the ship of the line ''Hoche'', eight frigates, a schooner, and 3,000 soldiers, left Brest to sail for Ireland as reinforcements to the invasion of General Jean Humbert.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 139 ''Sylph'' was part of a small squadron including HMS ''Boadicea'' and HMS ''Ethalion'' which spotted the expedition off Pointe du Raz at daybreak on 17 September. ''Ethalion'' and ''Sylph'' were left to follow the French as they made sail, later being joined by HMS ''Amelia'' and ''Anson''.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 140 While the French made attempts to dislodge the following British ships and confuse them as to their destination, by 23 September Captain George Countess of ''Ethalion'' was sure of their path towards Ireland, and ''Sylph'' was sent to warn the commander-in-chief of the Irish Station of the approaching ships. The warning provided by ''Sylph'' and the squadron allowed the Royal Navy to bring together a force to attack Bompart's ships, resulting in the Battle of Tory Island on 12 October and a series of follow-up actions which saw ''Hoche'' and five of the frigates captured.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, pp. 142-9Clowes, Royal Navy, p. 345

1799

Alongside HMS ''Mermaid'' she took the Spanish 4-gun packet ''Golondrina'' off Corunna on 24 May 1799.Schomberg, Naval Chronology, p. 88 On 2 July she took part in an attempt on some Spanish ships in Aix Roads. This Spanish squadron had sailed from Brest at the end of May and was cornered by the fleet of Lord Bridport on 4 June, at which point they retired to the fortified port of ÃŽle-d'Aix.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 301 Bridport left a blockading force commanded by Rear-Admiral Charles Morice Pole of six ships of the line, three bomb vessels, four frigates, and ''Sylph'', off the island.James, Naval History, Vol. 2, p. 302 On 2 July Pole moved his ships of the line into the Roads, and the smaller vessels closer to Aix itself.Clowes, Royal Navy, p. 389 The intent was to protect the three bomb vessels as they bombarded the anchored Spanish ships. However, the Spaniards were protected by two forts on land as well as a floating battery of mortars, which ''Sylph'' reported to Pole had a much higher range than the British ships. At 3 P.M. a number of Spanish gun boats advanced and opened fire on them, forcing by 4:30 P.M. the British ships to cease their bombardment and sail out of range of the Spaniards. Neither side was very damaged, but the Spanish claimed it as a victory.

On 2 August command of ''Sylph'' was handed to Commander Charles Dashwood, who on 17 November took the French 8-gun lugger ''Fouine'' while watching the French fleet in Brest.Schomberg, Naval Chronology, p. 83 On 18 December ''Sylph'', along with ''Ethalion'' and HMS ''Fisgard'', was blown off station by a severe gale.Phillips
''Sylph'' (18) (1795)
Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 1 April 2021. ''Ethalion'' returned to her position off Brest first, and was wrecked on 24 December. 150 survivors were rescued by the boats of ''Sylph'', HMS ''Nimrod'', and HMS ''Danae'', before they were transferred to ''Sylph'' who brought them to Plymouth on 26 December.

1800–1801

''Sylph'' continued to patrol the northern coast of Spain and the Channel in 1800-1; she fought two actions with unidentified ships off Santander on 31 July and 28 September of the latter year. These actions may have been against a 44-gun French frigate apparently called ''L'Artemise''.O'Byrne, Naval Biographical Dictionary, p. 263. On 31 July ''Sylph'' was chasing an armed schooner off Santander which the enemy frigate arrived to protect.James, Naval History, Vol. 3, p. 145 The wind was not favourable for her to escape the much larger enemy, and so ''Sylph'' prepared to engage her; the engagement lasted one hour and twenty minutes in which one man was killed and nine wounded before ''Sylph'' withdrew to make repairs. At daybreak on 1 August the enemy frigate was spotted by ''Sylph'' seemingly in a disabled state, but the damaged state of ''Sylph'' meant she was too slow in advancing on the frigate, which escaped.James, Naval History, Vol. 3, pp. 145-6 After the combat she was filling with of water an hour but managed to reach the Channel Fleet from where she was ordered by Admiral William Cornwallis to go to Plymouth for repairs, which she did on 14 August.James, Naval History, Vol. 3, p. 146 Having been repaired, ''Sylph'' resumed her station off the coast of north Spain, and on 28 September discovered a French frigate of the same force as her earlier adversary. At 7:30 P.M. the two ships engaged each other from extremely close distance, exchanging broadsides for two hours and five minutes before the frigate disengaged, leaving ''Sylph'' with heavy damage to her rigging but again with minimal casualties, only one man injured.James, Naval History, Vol. 3, pp. 146-7 Commander Dashwood was promoted to post-captain for his bravery in these two engagements.James, Naval History, Vol. 3, p. 148

Later service

By November ''Sylph'' was under Commander William Goate based in the Channel and North Sea on blockade duties. She was decommissioned during the Peace of Amiens but recommissioned to continue the same services in February 1803. On the night of 17 December 1804 ''Sylph'', HMS ''Thisbe'', and HMS ''Niobe'' were all forced to cut away their masts to save themselves from being destroyed during a gale off Guernsey. ''Sylph'' was repaired and stayed on station until the end of 1805.

Fate

''Sylph'' was laid up at Portsmouth in November 1805 and was broken up there in April 1811.

Notes and citations

Notes

Citations

References

* Clowes, William Laird (1899) ''The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to 1900 Volume Four.'' London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company.
* Duncan, Archibald (1805) ''The British Trident; or, Register of Naval Actions; including Authentic Accounts of all the most Remarkable Engagements at Sea, in which The British Flag has been Eminently Distinguished; from the period of the memorable Defeat of the Spanish Armada, to the Present Time. Volume IV.'' London: James Cundee.
* Gardiner, Robert (1992) ''The First Frigates: Nine-pounder & Twelve-pounder Frigates 1748-1815'' London: Conway Maritime Press.
* James, William (1859) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 2.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* James, William (1859) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 3.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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External links

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Ships of the Old Navy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylph (1795)
Brig-sloops of the Royal Navy
1795 ships
Ships built in Deptford
Albatross-class sloops