HMS ''Vestal'' was a 28-gun ''Enterprise''-class

sixth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and ...

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 ...

American Revolutionary War

''Vestal'' was first commissioned in November 1779 under the command of Captain George Keppel. On 3 September 1780, she captured ''Mercury'' which was transporting

Henry Laurens Henry Laurens (December 8, 1792) was an American Founding Father, merchant, slave trader, and rice planter from South Carolina who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laure ...

, the United States' minister to Holland. On 15 March 1783 the British frigates and ''Vesta'', and ''Duc de Chartres'' captured the Massachusetts letter of marque ''Julius Caesar''. ''Julius Caesar'' was a privateer of eighteen 9-pounder guns and carried a crew of 100 men under the command of Captain Thomas Benson, of Salem. Her captors sent her into New York City where the

Vice admiralty court Vice Admiralty Courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

condemned her. Vestal also captured the ship ''Tyger'', taken to the Court of Vice-Admiralty in

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French Revolutionary Wars

''Vestal'' took part in the

action of 22 August 1795 The action of 22 August 1795 was a minor naval engagement during the French Revolutionary Wars between a squadron of four British Royal Navy frigates and two frigates and a cutter from the Batavian Navy. The engagement was fought off the No ...

between British and Dutch frigate squadrons off the Norwegian coast. On 14 April 1797, ''Vestal'', under the command of Captain Charles White, captured the French privateer schooner ''Voltiguer'', formerly the lugger ''Venguer'', some seven leagues off

Flamborough Head Flamborough Head () is a promontory, long on the Yorkshire coast of England, between the Filey and Bridlington bays of the North Sea. It is a chalk headland, with sheer white cliffs. The cliff top has two standing lighthouse towers, the olde ...

. ''Voltiguer'' was armed with eight 3-pounder guns and eight

swivel gun The term swivel gun (or simply swivel) usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun wi ...

s, and had a crew of 40 men, 14 of whom were away on prizes. She was 12 days out of Calais and had captured a brig and two sloops. White took ''Voltiguer'' into the Humber. Next, ''Vestal'' captured ''Jalouse'' at about 5a.m. on 13 May near Elsinor after a chase of about nine hours and running about 84 hours. For an hour and a half during the chase ''Jalouse'' fired her stern chasers (two long 12-pounder guns). White was able to bring ''Vestal'' alongside ''Jalouse'' and fired three broadsides before she struck, having suffered great damage to her masts and rigging. At the time of capture, ''Jalouse'' had 16 guns, though she was pierced for 20, and had shifted some guns to the vacant ports. The armament consisted of twelve "very long 12-pounders", and four 6-pounder guns. Her commander, "C. Plucket", had a crew of 153 men, two of whom were killed and five of whom were wounded. ''Vestal'' suffered no casualties. ''Vestal'' brought ''Jalouse'' into the Humber. Because ''Vestal'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 2 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 ...

authorized in 1850 to all surviving claimants.

Notes and citations

;Notes ;Citations

References

* Robert Gardiner, ''The First Frigates'', Conway Maritime Press, London 1992. . * David Lyon, ''The Sailing Navy List'', Conway Maritime Press, London 1993. . * Rif Winfield, ''

British Warships in the Age of Sail ''British Warships in the Age of Sail'' is a series of four books by maritime historian Rif Winfield comprising a historical reference work providing details of all recorded ships that served or were intended to serve in the (British) Royal Navy ...

, 1714 to 1792'', Seaforth Publishing, London 2007. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Vestal (1779) 1779 ships Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy