HMS Emerald (1795)

HMS ''Emerald'' was a 36-gun ''Amazon''-class fifth rate frigate that Sir William Rule designed in 1794 for the Royal Navy. The Admiralty ordered her construction towards the end of May 1794 and work began the following month at Northfleet dockyard. She was completed on 12 October 1795 and joined Admiral John Jervis's fleet in the Mediterranean.

In 1797, ''Emerald'' was one of several vessels sent to hunt down and capture the crippled Santisima Trinidad, which had escaped from the British at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. ''Emerald'' was supposed to have been present at the Battle of the Nile but in May 1798 a storm separated her from Horatio Nelson's squadron and she arrived in Aboukir Bay nine days too late. She was part of Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth's squadron during the action of 7 April 1800 off Cádiz.

''Emerald'' served in the Caribbean throughout 1803 in Samuel Hood's fleet, then took part in the invasion of St Lucia in July, and of Surinam the following spring. Returning to home waters for repairs in 1806, she served in the Western Approaches before joining a fleet under Admiral James Gambier in 1809, and taking part in the Battle of the Basque Roads. In November 1811 she sailed to Portsmouth where she was laid up in ordinary. Fitted out as a receiving ship in 1822, she was eventually broken up in January 1836.

Construction

''Emerald'' was a 36-gun, 18-pound, ''Amazon''-class frigate built to William Rule's design. She and her sister ship, , were ordered on 24 May 1794 and were built to the same dimensions: along the gun deck, at the keel, with a beam of and a depth in the hold of . They measured 933 tons burthen.

''Emerald'' was completed at Thomas Pitcher's dockyard in Northfleet at a cost of £14,419 and launched on 31 July 1795, twenty-seven days after ''Amazon''. Her coppering at Woolwich was finished on 12 October 1795, and she was fitted-out at a further cost of £9,390. The Admiralty ordered a second pair of ''Amazon''-class ships on 24 January 1795. They were marginally smaller at 925 tons (bm) and were built from pitch pine.

Service

Mediterranean

''Emerald'' was first commissioned in August 1795, under Captain Velters Cornewall Berkeley and in January 1797, she sailed for the Mediterranean. Spain had become allied to France and declared war on Britain in October 1796. Early in 1797, a Spanish fleet of 27 ships of the line was at Cartagena with orders to join the French fleet at Brest. A storm blew the Spanish fleet off course, enabling Admiral John Jervis's fleet of 15 ships of the line to intercept it off Cape St Vincent on 14 February. Although attached to Jervis' fleet at the time, as a frigate ''Emerald'' was too lightly built to take part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent; instead she anchored in nearby Lagos Bay with other vessels.

On 16 February, the victorious British fleet and its prizes entered the bay. Jervis ordered the three frigates—''Emerald'', and , of 40 and 32 guns, respectively—to search for the disabled flagship, ''Santisima Trinidad'', which had been towed from the battle. Two smaller craft— ''Bonne-Citoyenne'', a corvette of 20 guns, and the 14-gun sloop —joined the frigates. The British squadron on 20 February sighted ''Santisima Trinidad'' under tow by a large frigate and in the company of a brig. Berkeley, considering the small squadron under his command insufficient, declined to engage and eventually the Spanish ships sailed from sight.

Action of 26 April 1797

Following the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the British pursued the remainder of the Spanish fleet to Cádiz, where Jervis began a long-running blockade of the port. On 26 April, while cruising in the company of the 74-gun , ''Emerald'' helped to capture a 34-gun Spanish ship and to destroy another. The Spanish vessels were close to the coast when Jervis's fleet sighted them. Sent to investigate, ''Emerald'' and ''Irresistible'', under Captain George Martin, discovered the ships were the frigates and Clowes (Vol. IV) p. 507—the Spanish ships had been carrying silver from Havana to Cádiz, but had transferred their cargo the previous night to a fishing boat that had warned them of the proximity of the British fleet.Woodman p. 99

The Spanish ships sought shelter from the British north of Trafalgar in Conil Bay, the entrance to which was protected by a large rocky ledge. ''Irresistible'' and ''Emerald'' negotiated this obstacle at around 14:30 and engaged the Spanish ships, which were anchored in the Bay.James (Vol. II) p. 82 The Spanish ships surrendered at approximately 16:00. Eighteen Spaniards were killed and 30 wounded during the fighting; one Briton was killed and one wounded. The remaining crew of ''Santa Elena'' avoided capture by cutting her cables and drifting her on shore so they could flee on foot. The British managed to drag ''Santa Elena'' off the beach but, badly damaged, she sank at sea.

The British took ''Ninfa'' into service as HMS ''Hamadryad'', a 36-gun frigate with a main battery of 12-pounders,James (Vol. II) p. 83 but were unable to retrieve the cargo of silver, which later arrived safely in Cádiz.

Second bombardment of Cádiz

Captain Thomas Waller took command of ''Emerald'' in mid-1797, and was stationed with Admiral Jervis's fleet off Cádiz. On 3July, Jervis attempted to end the protracted blockade by ordering a bombardment of the town. A first attempt resulted in the capture of two Spanish mortar boats but achieved little else. During a second bombardment on the night of 5July, ''Emerald'', in the company of ''Terpsichore'' and the 74-gun , provided a protective escort for three bomb vessels, , and . This attack caused considerable damage; the next morning, the Spanish hurriedly moved ten of their line-of-battle ships out of range.James (Vol. II) p. 54 The British cancelled a third bombardment, planned for 8July, when the weather became unfavourable.

Attack on Santa Cruz

Later in July 1797, ''Emerald'' took part in an unsuccessful attack on Santa Cruz. A planned attack in April, proposed by Admiral Nelson, had been aborted as the troops required to execute it were unavailable. When Jervis was subsequently advised that the Spanish treasure fleet was anchored there, he revived Nelson's idea.Heathcote p. 181

For the new attack, Nelson was to take three ships of the line, three frigates, including ''Emerald'', and 200 marines, for an amphibious landing outside the Spanish stronghold. The frigates would then engage the batteries to the north-east of Santa Cruz while the marines stormed the town. However, a combination of strong currents and heavy Spanish fire forced the British to abandon the attack. Several further attempts were made between 22 and 25 July; although the British were able to land troops, Spanish resistance was too strong and the British had to ask for an honourable withdrawal.Heathcote p. 182

After the attack, Nelson sent ''Emerald'' with his report to Jervis, who in turn sent her on to England with dispatches. Waller arrived at the Admiralty on 1September, with the news of the failed attacks.

Alexandria

While serving with Jervis on the Lisbon station in December 1797, ''Emerald'', under the temporary command of Lord William Proby, captured the 8-gun privateer, ''Chasseur Basque''. Waller returned as captain in April 1798. In May, Jervis dispatched a squadron of five ships, including ''Emerald'' and commanded by Nelson in the 74-gun , to locate a large invasion fleet that had left Toulon.James (Vol. II) p. 148 After receiving intelligence on 22 May, Nelson correctly predicted the French fleet's destination and set course for AlexandriaJames (Vol. II) p. 154 where the British captured or destroyed all but two of the French ships at the Battle of the Nile, which occurred between 1–3 August 1798. ''Emerald'' missed the battle; having previously become separated from the rest of the squadron in a storm on 21 May, she arrived at Aboukir Bay on 12 August.James (Vol. II) p. 183

When Nelson left for Naples on 19 August 1798, he left behind a squadron—comprising three 74s , , , three frigates ''Emerald'', and , and the corvette ''Bonne Citoyenne''—under Samuel Hood to patrol the waters around the port and along the coast. On 2 September, it encountered and destroyed the French aviso ''Anémone''.

''Emerald'' and ''Seahorse'' chased ''Anemone'' inshore, where she anchored in shallow water out of their reach. When they launched their boats to cut-out ''Anėmone'', her crew cut the anchor cable and their ship drifted on to the shore; as the Frenchmen were attempting to escape along the coast, hostile Arabs captured them and stripped them of their clothes, shooting those who resisted. A heavy surf prevented the British boats from landing, so a midshipman from ''Emerald'', the young Francis Fane, swam ashore with a line and empty cask to rescue the commander and seven others who had escaped naked to the beach. ''Anėmone'' had a crew of 60 men under the command of ''Enseigne de Vaisseau'' (Ensign) Garibou, and was also carrying General Camin and Citoyen Valette, aide-de-camp to General Napoleon Bonaparte, with dispatches from Toulon. Camin and Valette were among those the Arabs killed. ''Emerald'' remained stationed off Alexandria for the rest of the year.

Action on 18 June 1799

''Emerald'' and ''Minerve'', while cruising together on 2June, took ''Caroline'', a 16-gun French privateer, off the south-east coast of Sardinia. Later, ''Emerald'' assisted in the capture of , , , ''Salamine'' and in the action of 18 June 1799. The British fleet under George Elphinstone was some 69 miles off Cape Sicié when three French frigates and two brigs were spotted. Elphinstone engaged them with three seventy-fours, , and , and two frigates, ''Emerald'' and .James (Vol. II) p. 262 The next evening, after a 28-hour chase, the French ships were forced into an action. The French squadron had scattered, enabling the British to attack it piecemeal. ''Bellona'' fired the first shots at 19:00 as she, ''Captain'', and the two frigates closed with ''Junon'' and ''Alceste'', both of which struck their colours immediately. ''Bellona'' then joined ''Centaur'' in chasing ''Courageuse''. Faced with overwhelming odds, ''Courageuse'' also surrendered. ''Emerald'' then overhauled ''Salamine'', and ''Captain'' took ''Alerte'' at around 23:30.Troude (1867), Vol. III, p. 164.

Action on 7 April 1800

''Emerald'' returned to blockade duty at Cádiz in April 1800, joining a squadron under Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth that included the 74-gun ships and ''Swiftsure'', and the fire ship . The squadron sighted a Spanish convoy on 5April, which comprised 13 merchant vessels and three accompanying frigates, and at once gave chase.James (Vol. III) p. 37 At 03:00 the following day, ''Emerald'' managed to overhaul and cross the bow of a 10-gun merchantman, which, having nowhere to go, immediately surrendered. By daybreak, the remainder of the Spanish convoy had scattered and the only ship visible was a 14-gun brig, ''Los Anglese''. The absence of wind prevented the becalmed British vessels approaching her. Instead, ''Leviathan'' and ''Emerald'' lowered boats that rowed towards the brig, which they captured after a short exchange of fire.

Other sails were now spotted in the east, west and south, forcing the British to divide their force: ''Swiftsure'' went south, ''Emerald'' east, and ''Leviathan'' west. At midday, ''Emerald'' signalled that there were six vessels to the north-east, and ''Leviathan'' wore round to pursue. By dusk, the two British ships had nine Spanish craft in sight. Three ships were seen at midnight to the north-north-west, and by 02:00 the following morning, two had been identified as the enemy frigates and . Duckworth ordered ''Emerald'' to take a parallel course to the enemy frigates in anticipation of a dawn attack, and at first light, the British closed with their opponents.

The Spaniards had assumed the approaching vessels were part of their convoy, but by daybreak they had realised their error and vainly set more sail to escape. Being close enough to hail the Spanish crews, Duckworth ordered them to surrender. When the Spaniards ignored the demand, he ordered ''Leviathan'' and ''Emerald'' to open fire on the rigging of the Spanish vessels in order to disable them. Both Spanish frigates quickly surrendered.James (Vol. III) p. 38 ''Carmen'' had had 11 men killed and 16 wounded; ''Florentina'' 12 killed and 10 wounded, including her first and second captains. The two Spanish frigates were each carrying 1,500 quintals of mercury.

A third frigate was visible on the horizon. ''Emerald'' immediately set off in pursuit but Duckworth recalled her and instead ordered her to locate the merchant ships; she secured four of the largest vessels by nightfall. The need to make the two captured frigates ready to sail delayed ''Leviathan'', and by the time this was completed the third frigate had made her escape. ''Leviathan'' then returned to rendezvous with ''Emerald'', managing to take a further enemy brig before night fell. The following day, both British vessels sailed for Gibraltar with their prizes. On arrival, they encountered ''Incendiary'', which had made port the previous day with two captured vessels of its own. The small British squadron managed to secure nine merchant vessels and two frigates in total.

Caribbean

Britain declared war on France in May 1803 following the short-lived Peace of Amiens and by June, ''Emerald'', under the command of Captain James O'Bryen, had joined Samuel Hood's squadron in the Leeward Islands. Prior to the British invasion of St Lucia on 21 June, she harassed enemy shipping, disrupting the island's resupply.

The invasion force left Barbados on 20 June. It comprised Hood's 74-gun flagship ''Centaur'', the 74-gun , the frigates and ''Chichester'', and the sloops and . The following morning, ''Emerald'' and the 18-gun sloop had joined them. By 11:00, the squadron was anchored in Choc Bay. The troops were landed by 17:00 and half an hour later the town of Castries was in British hands. In the island's main fortress, Morne-Fortunée, the French troops refused to surrender; the British stormed it at 04:00 on 22 June, and by 04:30 St Lucia was in British hands. Following this easy victory, the British sent a force to Tobago, which capitulated on 1July.James (Vol. III) p. 207

''Emerald'' was between St Lucia and Martinique on 24 June, when she captured the 16-gun French privateer ''Enfant Prodigue'' after a 72-hour chase. The French vessel was under the command of '' lieutenant de vaisseau'' Victor Lefbru and was carrying dispatches for Martinique. The Royal Navy took ''Enfant Prodigue'' into service as HMS ''St Lucia''.

While in the company of the 22-gun brig , ''Emerald'' intercepted and captured a Dutch merchant vessel travelling between Surinam and Amsterdam on 10 August. On 5September, she captured two French schooners, and later that month took part in attacks on Berbice, Essequibo and Demarara.

Fort Diamond

''Emerald''s first lieutenant, Thomas Forest, commanded the 6-gun cutter on 13 March 1804 when, with 30 of ''Emerald''s crew aboard, she captured a French privateer off Saint-Pierre, Martinique. Contrary winds prevented the privateer, ''Mosambique'', from entering St Pierre and she had sought shelter beneath the batteries at Seron.James (Vol. III) p. 253 Because ''Emerald'' was too far downwind, Captain O'Bryen used boats and crew from ''Emerald'' to create a diversion and draw fire from the battery while ''Fort Diamond'' approached from the opposite direction, rounded Pearl Rock (some two miles off the coast), and bore down on ''Mosambique''. Forest put the cutter alongside, with such force that a chain securing the privateer to the shore snapped. The 60-man French crew abandoned their vessel and swam ashore. The Royal Navy took into service.

Capture of Surinam

In the spring of 1804, ''Emerald'' and her crew took part in an invasion of Surinam. The invasion force consisted of Hood's flagship ''Centaur'', ''Emerald'', the 44-gun heavy frigates ''Pandour'' and , the 28-gun sixth-rate , the 12-gun schooner , the 12-gun corvette , and the 8-gun ''Drake'', together with 2,000 troops under Brigadier-General Sir Charles Green. The force arrived from Barbados on 25 April after a twenty-two-day journey. The sloop ''Hippomenes'', a transport and a further three armed vessels, landed Brigadier-General Frederick Maitland and 700 troops at Warapee Creek on the night of 30 April. The following night, O'Bryen was ordered to assist Brigadier-General Hughes in the taking of Braam's Point. A sandbar initially prevented ''Emerald'' from entering the Surinam River but O'Bryen forced her across on the rising tide, with ''Pandour'' and ''Drake'' following. Anchoring close by, the three British ships quickly put the Dutch battery of 18-pounders out of action and captured the fort without loss of life.James (Vol. III) p. 289

''Emerald'', ''Pandour'', and ''Drake'' then pushed up the river, sometimes in less water than the frigates required to float properly, until on 5May they arrived close to the forts Leyden and Frederici. The British landed a detachment of troops under Hughes some distance away, which marching under the cover of the forests and swamps, launched an attack that resulted in the swift capture of the two forts. By this time, most of the squadron had managed to work its way up the river as far as Frederici, Maitland was advancing along the Commewine River, and with troops poised to attack the fort of New Amsterdam, the Batavian commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Batenburg, duly surrendered.James (Vol. III) p. 290

''Emerald'' captured the vessel ''Augusta'', which was under American colours, on 22 August and sent her into Antigua with the cargo of wine that she had been carrying from Leghorn to Guadeloupe. ''Emerald'' left Tortola on 26 October as escort to a convoy of 50 vessels for England but having parted from them in a storm, she put into Madeira in distress on 11 December.

Service on the Home Station

Between February and June 1806, ''Emerald'' underwent repairs at Deptford dockyard and was recommissioned under Captain John Armour; Frederick Lewis Maitland assumed command in the first quarter of 1807. While in the Basque Roads in April, ''Emerald'' captured the 14-gun privateer ''Austerlitz'', a brig from Nantes under the command of Captain Gatien Lafont. ''Emerald'', while escorting a Spanish polacca that she had taken, spotted and captured the privateer on 14 April after a ten-hour chase. ''Austerlitz'' had been out of port two days but had made no captures; the polacca was the Spanish ship ''Prince of Asturias'', which had sailed from La Guayra with a cargo of cocoa, bark and indigo. ''Emerald'' sent both prizes into Plymouth, where they arrived on 22 April. ''Emerald'' herself set off in pursuit of another vessel from La Guayra.

''Emerald'' recaptured ''Zulema'', which a French privateer had taken and plundered as she sailed from Philadelphia to Liverpool. ''Zulema'' arrived in Plymouth under her master, Mr Howard, on 4 May.''Lloyd's List'', n° 415

– accessed 12 July 2016. During December, Plymouth received more of ''Emerald'' captures. At the beginning of the month, ''Young Elias'' was detained. Her master, Monsieur Delance, had been sailing from Philadelphia to Bordeaux. On 26 December, Mr Seaton's vessel, ''Friendship'' was caught returning from France.

''Apropos''

''Emerald''s boats participated in a Naval boarding, cutting-out expedition in Viveiro harbour on 13 March 1808. While cruising inshore at around 17:00, ''Emerald'' spotted a large French schooner, ''Apropos'', of 250 tons (bm), anchored in the bay. ''Apropos'' was armed with twelve 8-pounder guns, though pierced for 16, and had a crew of more than 70 men under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Lagary.

The crews of the schooner and of the two batteries guarding the harbour had seen ''Emerald'' but Maitland still made plans to attack ''Apropos''. He soon discovered it was not possible to place ''Emerald'' so as to engage both enemy batteries simultaneously, and instead sent landing parties to silence the guns, which had been firing on his ship since 17:30. The first landing party, led by Lieutenant Bertram and accompanied by two marine lieutenants and two master mates, stormed the outer fort. Maitland then positioned ''Emerald'' close to the second battery while a boat under the command of his third lieutenant, Smith, landed about a mile along the shore. This second landing party encountered Spanish soldiers, but drove them off and pursued them inland. By the time Smith's party returned to the beach, ''Emerald'' had already silenced the battery. In the darkness, Smith subsequently failed to locate the fort.

The crew of ''Apropos'' had run her ashore soon after ''Emerald'' had entered the harbour. The harbour batteries having been destroyed, Captain Maitland sent a further force under Midshipman Baird to secure and refloat the French ship. The original landing party under Lieutenant Bertram, which had already encountered and dispersed 60 members of the schooner's crew, met Baird's party on the beach. The British made several unsuccessful attempts to re-float the schooner before being forced to set her afire and depart. British casualties were heavy. ''Emerald'' had nine men killed, and 16 wounded, including Lieutenant Bertram. Maitland estimated that French casualties too had been heavy.

In 1847 the Admiralty issued the clasp "Emerald 13 March 1808" to the Naval General Service Medal to the ten surviving claimants from the action.

Back in the Basque Roads

A French schooner ''Amadea'' arrived in Plymouth on 15 December 1808 having previously been captured and sent in by ''Emerald''. Back in the Basque Roads on 23 February 1809, ''Emerald'' was this time part of a squadron under Robert Stopford. Stopford's flagship, the 80-gun , was also accompanied by the seventy-fours and , and the 36-gun frigates and . At 20:00, Stopford's squadron was anchored off the Chassiron Lighthouse, to the north-west of Ile d'Oléron, when the sighting of several rockets prompted him to investigate. About an hour later, sails were seen to the east which the British followed until daylight the following morning. The sails belonged to a French squadron that Stopford deduced to be out of Brest and which heaved to in the Pertuis d'Antioche.

The French force comprised eight ships of the line and two frigates, and Stopford immediately sent ''Naiad'' to apprise Admiral James Gambier of the situation. ''Naiad'' had not gone too far however when she signalled that there were three other vessels to the north-west. Stopford ordered ''Amethyst'' and ''Emerald'' to remain while he and the rest of the squadron set off in pursuit. The British frigate and the sloop also joined the chase. ''Caesar'', ''Donegal'', ''Defiance'', and ''Amelia'' eventually drove the three French frigates ashore and destroyed them.

''Emerald'' and ''Amethyst'' had more success in the spring of 1809 when on 23 March they captured the brigs ''Caroline'' and ''Serpent''. In April, ''Emerald'' assisted ''Amethyst'' in the chase of a large 44-gun frigate off Ushant. ''Emerald'' sighted , with a main battery of 18-pounders and under the command of Captain Dupoter, at 11:00 on 5April and immediately signalled ''Amethyst'' for assistance. ''Amethyst'' caught a glimpse of the French forty-four just as she turned away to the south-east and gave chase but by 19:20 had lost sight of both ''Niemen'' and ''Emerald''. ''Amethyst'' fell in with ''Niemen'' again at around 21:30 and engaged her. ''Niemen'' was forced to strike when a second British frigate, came into view and fired a broadside. The Royal Navy took ''Niemen'' into service under her existing name.

On 26 March, ''Enfant de Patria'' arrived at Plymouth. ''Patria'', of 500 tons (bm), 10 guns, and 60 men, had sailed from France for Île de France when ''Emerald'' and ''Amethyst'' captured her. Two days later ''Emerald'' captured a second letter of marque, the 4-gun ''Aventurier'', bound for the relief of Guadeloupe. She had a crew of 30 men.

Battle of the Basque Roads

''Emerald'' was part of the fleet under Admiral Lord Gambier that fought the Battle of the Basque Roads in April 1809. The French ships were anchored under the protection of the powerful batteries on the Isle d'Aix when on 11 April Lord Cochrane attacked them with fireships and explosive vessels.James (Vol. V) p. 105 ''Emerald'' provided a diversion to the east of the island with the brigs , ''Doterel'', , and ''Growler''. The fireships met with only partial success; the French, having anticipated such an attack, had rigged a boom across the channel.James (Vol. V) p. 104 One of the explosive vessels breached the boom, leading the French to cut their cables and drift on to the shoals.

The following day, after much delay, Gambier ordered a battle squadron to reinforce Cochrane in the Basque Roads. The British ships anchored, with springs, in a crescent around some of the stranded French ships, and exchanged fire. ''Emerald'' took up position ahead of ''Indefatigable'' and behind ''Aigle'' and ''Unicorn'', and directed her fire mainly towards the French ships of the line, ''Varsovie'' and ''Aquilon'', both of which struck at around 17:30.James (Vol. V) p. 114.

At 20:00, ''Emerald'', along with the other British frigates and brigs, weighed and anchored with the 74-gun in the Maumusson passage to the south of Oléron while a second fireship attack was under preparation. Although the fireships were ready in the early hours on the 13th, contrary winds prevented their deployment. The British instead set ''Varsovie'' and ''Aquilon'' alight just after 03:00, on the orders of Captain John Bligh, after removing their crews.James (Vol. V) p. 117. ''Emerald'', and the other vessels moored with her, were recalled at 05:00 but owing to the lack of water, only the brigs were able to pass further up the river. ''Emerald'' therefore took no further part in the attack, which continued until 29 April when the last French ship was able to free herself from the mud and escape up the river to Rochefort.

Later service

''Emerald'' took two French sloops in July 1809. ''Deux Freres'', en route for Guadeloupe from Rochelle when captured, arrived in Plymouth on 26 July. A week later, ''Emerald'' captured the French schooner ''Balance'', which had been sailing to France from Guadeloupe. Both captures carried letters of marque. The first, of four guns, was carrying a small reinforcement for Guadeloupe's garrison. The second, also of four guns, was carrying a cargo of coffee and other colonial produce.

While off the coast of Ireland on 8 October, ''Emerald'' rescued a British brig by capturing ''Incomparable'', an 8-gun French privateer. The Frenchman was about to take the British vessel when ''Emerald'' intervened. ''Incomparable'' had a crew of 63 men and was four days out of Saint-Malo, but had not yet captured any other vessel. Still in Irish waters on 6 November, ''Emerald'' took the 16-gun French brig , two days out of Brest and bound for Guadeloupe. After an all-night chase, ''Emerald'' caught up. ''Capitaine de fregate'' Croquet Deschateurs of ''Fanfaron'' resisted, firing several broadsides and a final double-shotted broadside. Unable to escape, Deschateurs prepared to board but ''Emerald'' evaded the manoeuvre and fired a broadside that dismasted ''Fanfaron'', leaving Deschateurs no option but to surrender his vessel. The subsequent French court-martial not only absolved Deschateurs of any liability for the loss but also commended him for his conduct. Four days later ''Emerald'' arrived at Cork with ''Fanfaron'' and ''Luna''. ''Fanfaron'', with a crew of 113, had been carrying a cargo of flour, salt and other provisions, as well as iron, lead and nails, all for Guadeloupe.

At the beginning of February 1810, ''Emerald'' captured and sent into Plymouth, ''Commerce'', Hanson, master, which had been sailing from Drontheim to Bordeaux. Then on 22 March, ''Emerald'' captured the 350-ton (bm) ''Belle Etoile'' in the Bay of Biscay. Caught after a twelve-hour chase during which she jettisoned much of her cargo; ''Belle Etoile'', out of Bayonne, was pierced for 20 guns but only carried eight. Carrying a cargo of wine, flour, oil, and other merchandise to Île de France, she was sent into Cork with her 56-man crew. ''Emerald'' captured an American ship, ''Wasp'', in July 1810. ''Wasp'' was carrying 91 passengers from New York to Bordeaux; they arrived at Plymouth on 30 July.

''Emerald'' was still serving on the Home Station on 11 April 1811 when she sent into Cork a French privateer.''Lloyd's List'', n° 455

– accessed 12 July 2016. This was the 18-gun (or ''Augusta''), which had been taken on 6 April. Nearly a month later, on 5July, ''Emerald'' left Madeira in the company of five East Indiamen and was still on convoy duties later that month when a transport ship spotted her escorting thirteen vessels off the coast of West Africa on 18 July.

Fate

In November 1811, ''Emerald'' sailed to Portsmouth and was laid up in ordinary. She was fitted out as a receiving ship in 1822. She was eventually broken up in January 1836.

See also

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

Citations

References

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* Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations; divisions et stations navales; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 209 (1790–1804)
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* Strathern, Paul (2009) ''Napoleon in Egypt''. (Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks).
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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerald (1795)
1795 ships
Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy
Ships built in Kent