HMS Iphigenia (1780)
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HMS ''Iphigenia'' 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 ...
. She was launched in 1781, and served barely 20 years when she was accidentally lost in a fire at Alexandria in 1801.


American War of Independence

In 1782, ''Iphigenia'' was sent to the Jamaica station and served there for three years. In 1786, she paid off at Sheerness.http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=0143 Michael Phillips' ships of the old Navy


French Revolutionary Wars

After returning from Jamaica station, ''Iphigenia'' served on the Milford and Irish stations in the Irish Sea. In response to the French invasion of Belgium in the War of the First Coalition, at the end of 1792, she took part in the Scheldt expedition that was foiled by ice in the estuary. While operating in the English Channel, ''Iphigenia'' captured the French privateer ''Elizabeth'' on 16 February 1793. On 25 November 1793 ''Iphigenia'' and the frigate HMS ''Penelope'' engaged and captured the French 32-gun frigate ''Inconstante'' off the coast of St. Domingo. With the end of the coalition, Britain was left facing France alone. Through the remainder of the 1790s, the Royal Navy was the bulwark of defense against a possible Franco-Dutch invasion. By 1799, she was serving as a hospital ship at Plymouth. In response to the French campaign in Egypt and Syria, ''Iphegenia'' was fitted out as a troopship in 1800 at Portsmouth. She sailed with the fleet to Egypt, arriving in March 1801. She landed troops at Aboukir Bay on 8 March 1801.


Fate

She had been to Cyprus to fetch water and timber but on 20 July 1801, shortly after her return to Alexandria, she was discovered to be on fire. The amount of wood on her made it impossible to put the fire out. There were no casualties. Because ''Iphigenia'' 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, which 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.


References


Further reading

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Michael Phillips' ships of the old Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iphigenia (1780), HMS Frigates of the Royal Navy 1780 ships