HMS Unicorn (1794)

HMS ''Unicorn'' was a 32-gun fifth-rate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Chatham. This frigate served in both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, including a medal action early in her career. She was broken up in 1815.

French Revolutionary War

''Unicorn'' entered service in 1794 under the command of Captain William Cayley, who was followed in 1795 by Captain Thomas Williams. Under Williams, ''Unicorn'' served in the Western Approaches, operating from Cork. On 31 May, ''Unicorn'', and shared in the capture of the Dutch schooner ''Mary'', Captain Pierce, master.

On 28 August 1795, ''Unicorn'' was in company with and , when ''Unicorn'' captured the Dutch East Indiaman ''Cromhout'' or ''Crumhout''. ''Cromhout''s capture resulted in at least £40,000 in prize money to be distributed among her captors.

Then ''Unicorn'' parted company with the rest of the squadron and after a chase of 13 hours captured the Dutch brig ''Komeet'' (or ''Comet''), which was under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Mynheer Claris. ''Comet'' was only four years old, in excellent condition, and armed with 18 English 9-pounder guns. She was sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to the Texel and was provisioned with water and food for 110 men for a nine-month cruise. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS ''Comeet''.

''Crumhout'', ''Komeet'', and a third vessel, the southern whale ship ''Horstfelder'', that the British also captured, were part of a convoy of nine East Indiamen and two naval vessels, ''Komeet'' and ''Scipio''. ''Scipio'' escorted the remaining Indiamen into Norwegian waters, which they reached on 22 September. ''Scipio'' and three of the Indiamen reached Trondheim on 6 October. The remaining Indiamen went to Bergen and Ã…lesund.

On 10 April 1796, ''Unicorn'' recaptured the brig ''Thames'' while in company with ''Penguin'' and the hired armed cutter ''Fox''. ''Unicorn'', ''Fox'', , ''Diana'' and ''Seahorse'', were in company when ''Dryad'' captured the French cutter ''Abeille''.

On 7 June, ''Unicorn'' and ''Santa Margarita'' captured a large ship flying Swedish colours and carrying Dutch goods from Surinam, which turned out to be the ''Gustavus Adolphus''. The commander of the prize crew, a lieutenant from ''Unicorn'', advised Admiral Sir Robert Kingsmill, commander in chief of the Cork station, that when he had last seen ''Unicorn'' and ''Santa Margarita'' they were chasing three French vessels, the frigates ''Tamise'' and , and the corvette ''Legere''.

In the action of 8 June 1796, ''Unicorn'' captured the 44-gun ''Tribune''. Before ''Unicorn'' could bring ''Tribune'' to close action the two vessels engaged in a ten-hour-long running fight. The actual close engagement lasted 35 minutes before ''Tribune'' struck. She was under the command of Commodore John Moulston and had lost 37 men killed of her crew of 337 men, as well as 15 wounded. (Moulston, who was wounded in the action, was an American who had served in the French Navy for 16 years.) ''Unicorn'' had no losses.

The Royal Navy took into service under her existing name. Williams earned a knighthood for his victory. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the remaining survivors of the action the NGSM with clasp "Unicorn 8 June 1796".

''Santa Margarita'' captured ''Tamise'' in an action that would ultimately yield her crew a clasp to the NGSM. ''Legere'' escaped. ''Dryad'' captured the fourth vessel in Moulston's squadron, the 26-gun frigate ''Proserpine'', which had earlier parted company with her companion vessels in a fog. The British took ''Proserpine'' into service as .

In September to early October, ''Unicorn'' captured five vessels sailing from Surinam to Amsterdam:
* ''Eliza'' (22 September);
* ''Orion'' (23 September);
* ''Christian the Seventh'' (24 September):
* ''Whilhemsberg'' (1 October); and
* ''Freiheden'' (4 October).

On 21 October ''Unicorn'' captured the 6-gun privateer ''Enterprise'' in the Irish Sea. ''Enterprise'' had a crew of 40 men and was 28 days out of Brest. During her cruise she had captured a Portuguese ship, two English brigs, and a sloop.

In December, ''Unicorn'' was one of the few British ships able to respond to the French effort to invade Ireland during the Expédition d'Irlande. On 7 January 1797, ''Unicorn'' was able to capture the troopship with and and pursue the French flagship in the closing days of the campaign. Eleven days later ''Unicorn'', ''Doris'' and ''Druid'' captured the privateer ''Eclair'', of 18 guns and a crew of 120 men, in the Channel. ''Unicorn'' then rejoined the British fleet. In August, ''Unicorn'' was in company with when they recaptured the ''Somerset'' at Cove, near Cork.

In March 1797 command passed to Captain James Young and then to Captain Phillip Wilkinson in April 1799. ''Unicorn'' captured a French brig in March 1799.

On 9 June 1799 ''Unicorn'' and the hired armed cutter ''Constitution'' captured the French brig ''St. Antoine''. On 10 June, two of ''Unicorn''s boats, together with two each from , and , all of Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, captured the gunboat ''Nochette'', two other armed vessels, and eight transports carrying supplies for the fleet at Brest. ''Nochette'' was armed with two 24-pounder guns. The two other armed vessels were chasse-marée armed with eight and six guns. The transports consisted of two brigs, two sloops, and four chasse-marée, which were carrying wine, brandy, flour and peas. In addition, the crews of 20 French vessels ran their vessels ashore, where many were probably wrecked. The British suffered four men wounded, but none were from ''Unicorn''. ''Unicorn'' was short of water so Admiral St. Vincent ordered her to escort the prizes back to Plymouth and then immediately return to her station. ''Unicorn'' arrived at Plymouth on 18 June with ten vessels, one having foundered on the way. (The crew was saved.) She sailed for Brest on 27 June. Next, ''Unicorn'' participated in the attempt on the Spanish squadron in Aix Roads on 2 July.

On 6 January 1800 ''Unicorn'' was among the five vessels that shared in the capture of the French brig ''Ursule'' (or ''Huzelle''). On 7 January, the French armed ship ''Huzelle'' came into Plymouth. She had been carrying passengers from Cayenne, including women and children, when captured her. On her way in to a British port, the French privateer ''Providence'', of 14 guns and 152 men, had recaptured her and sent her to Bordeaux. However, before she got there, ''Unicorn'' and recaptured her in turn and sent her into Plymouth. ''Huzelle'' was low on provision with the result that a five-year-old child died while she was in Plymouth Sound; as she anchored at Catwater, M.P. Symonds, the broker for the prize, sent on board plenty of fresh provisions. Among ''Huzelle''s passengers were a Colonel Molonson of Invalids, and a naturalist, M. Burnelle, with a cabinet of curiosities for the French National Museum at Paris.

In June ''Unicorn'' was still with Warren's squadron off the Atlantic coast of France. She therefore shared in the capture on 11 June of ten merchant vessels: the brig ''Rosalie'', ''Baure Paire'', the sloop ''Rosalie'', ''Bonne Nouvelle'', ''Oiseau'', ''Felicite'', ''Nochelle'', ''St. Claire'', ''Henrietta'', and ''Maree Francaise''. ''Unicorn'' was also among the five ships that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French privateer ''Rancune'', taken on 27 September. ''Unicorn'' shared in some of these prizes by virtue of being part of Admiral Keat's squadron. She also shared in the captures of ''Girone'' (28 July), ''Revanche'' (28 July), ''Alerte'' (1 July), ''Joseph'' (3 August), ''Vivo'' (30 September), and ''Magicienne'' (16 October). ''Unicorn'' shared with four other vessels in the capture of ''Union'' on 14 August. On 15 August ''Unicorn'' recaptured ''Petit Bastien'', and four days later ''Hirondelle''.

Command then passed to Captain Charles Wemyss in 1801. On 14 August Wemyss wrote to Admiral W. Cornwallis stating that he had only been able to capture one chasse-marée, of 40 tons, which was carrying a cargo of lime. Not only was she not worth sending in, capturing her cost ''Unicorn'' one man killed and one man slightly wounded. Wemyss had also destroyed another chasse-marée, also of 40 tons that was carrying a cargo of corn. Captain Charles Stuart replaced Wemyss in 1802. In April and May 1803 ''Unicorn'' was placed in dock at Chatham for extensive repairs.

Napoleonic Wars

''Unicorn'' was recommissioned in April 1803 under Captain Lucius Hardyman for the North Sea. An assignment to escort a convoy of merchantmen from Sheerness to Riga was abandoned in mid-June due to poor weather. On 23 June she captured the Dutch fishing vessel ''Jonge Johannes'', then on 17 September the neutral ship ''Catharina Louisa'', which the High Court of Admiralty later restored to her owners. Then on 6 October she recaptured the ''William and Thomas''. The salvage from ''William and Thomas'' went in whole or in part to pay expenses relating to the detention of ''Catherina Louisa''. On 25 October ''Unicorn'' and captured ''Catharina Tholens''.

''Unicorn'' sailed for Jamaica on 23 December 1804. On the morning of 6 May 1805, ''Unicorn'' was north east by north of Cape Francois, off St. Domingo when she saw a strange sail away. There was little wind so Handyman sent out four boats in chase. After rowing for many hours, and despite finally facing cannon and small arms fire, the British captured the privateer without taking any casualties. She turned out to be ''Tape-a-Bord'', under the command of Citizen Hemiguelth. She was armed with four 6-pounder guns, and carried 46 men. She was out of Samana and had been on a cruise for 10 days without taking any prizes. On 15 October ''Unicorn'' captured the Spanish ship ''Notre Dame de la Carmen'', which was on her way from Havana to Cadiz with a cargo of cocoa.

On 7 May 1806, ''Unicorn'' captured the French privateer ''Galatea''.

''Unicorn'' sailed for the River Plate on 7 October 1806. She then was off Buenos Aires during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata.

In 1808 she returned to Britain. By 29 June she was off France when she, ''Seine'', and captured the French brig ''Pierre Caesar''. The Admiralty took ''Pierre Caesar'' into service as .

On 6 August ''Cossack'' captured ''Mouche'' with ''Unicorn'', sharing in the prize money by agreement. Around 15 or 28 October ''Unicorn'' and captured ''General Mulenfelis'' or ''General Muhlenfels''.

In 1809 ''Unicorn'' was present at the Battle of Basque Roads. had taken up a position by the Boyard Shoal. The frigates ''Unicorn'', , and anchored close to her. Their task was to retrieve the returning crews of the fireships and to support the boats of the fleet that had assembled alongside , to assist the fireships. As it turned out the boats were not used. Still, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the NGSM with clasp "Basque Roads" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Captain Alexander Robert Kerr assumed command in August 1809.

On 12 April 1810, ''Unicorn'' captured the 22-gun ''Esperence'' off the Île de Ré. ''Esperence'' was the former British Post-ship , but was armed en flute. She was under the command of a '' lieutenant de vaisseau'' and carrying a cargo of colonial produce from Île de France. In November 1810 ''Unicorn'' received an advance of £14,000 on the prize money from the capture of ''Esperence''.

''Unicorn'' captured the privateer ''Gascon'' on 3 February 1810. ''Gascon'' carried 16 guns and 113 men. She was two days out of Bayonne without having taken any prizes.

In April 1811 Captain George Bourgoyne Salt assumed command. Between 19 November and 3 February 1812 ''Unicorn'' captured five vessels: ''Industry'' (19 November), ''Jane'' (21 November), ''Fly'' (18 January), ''Manlius'' (21 January), and ''Good Intent'' (3 February). ''Unicorn'' shared the capture of ''Manlius'' with . On 30 March 1813 the frigate and ''Unicorn'' captured the French privateer ''Miquelonnaise'', of St Malo. She was pierced for 20 guns but carried 18, two long 12-pounders, eight long 6-pounders and eight 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 130 men and was about six months old. On this cruise she had been out four days from Quimper and had taken the small brig ''Alexander'', which had been carrying a cargo of tin and iron from London to Lisbon. ''Miquelonnaise'' sank the brig rather than bringing her in.

In April ''Stag'', with ''Unicorn'' in sight, took the 2-gun privateer schooner ''Hébé'', the former Royal Navy schooner . The Royal Navy took her back into service as ''Lauretsinus''. On 21 May, ''Unicorn'' captured the American schooner ''Miranda'', of Rhode Island. She had a crew of six men, a burthen of 104 tons, and was sailing for Matunzas with a cargo of lumber.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 30, p. 171.

Captain Samuel George Pechell took command of ''Unicorn'' in 1814. While under the command of Kerr, Salt, or Pechell, ''Unicorn'' sent in her boats to cut out a large brig sheltering under the batteries at Belle ÃŽle. The expedition cost the British two men killed. ''Unicorn'' also participated in the support of Spanish forces in the north of Spain, in the blockade of the Texel, and in patrols off the coast of Norway. Lastly, she also conveyed various members of the Royal Family to and from the Continent.

Fate

''Unicorn'' was sold out of the service and broken up at Deptford in March 1815.

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Ships of the Old Navy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unicorn (1794)
Ships built in Chatham
1794 ships
Pallas-class frigates
Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy