HMS Aeolus (1801)
Encyclopedia
HMS Aeolus was a 32-gun Amphion-class fifth-rate
frigate of the Royal Navy
. She was launched in 1801 and served in the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, and the War of 1812
.
Ordered during the last years of the French Revolutionary Wars, Aeolus was at first engaged in convoy work, before being sent out to the West Indies, where she took part in operations off Saint-Domingue
and blockaded the French ships in the harbours. She was involved in the chase of the 74-gun Duquesne
after she put to sea, and assisted in her capture. Aeolus returned to operate off the British coast, and was part of Sir Richard Strachan's
squadron in late 1805. The squadron encountered part of the fleeing Franco-Spanish fleet that Nelson
had decisively defeated two weeks previously at the Battle of Trafalgar
, and after bringing them to battle
, captured the entire force.
After spending time off Ireland and North America, Aeolus was in the Caribbean in 1809, and took part in the capture of Martinique
. Deployed with Captain Philip Broke
's squadron after the outbreak of the War of 1812
Aeolus took part in the capture of , the first ship either side lost in the war, the pursuit of and the capture of the American privateer
Snapper. Aeolus was used as a storeship at Quebec
after the end of the war, and after returning to Britain was laid up as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close. She was finally sold in 1817.
, and built to a design by Sir William Rule. She was laid down in April 1800 and launched on 28 February 1801. Aeolus commissioned under her first commander, Captain John Spranger
in March 1801.
She was the third ship in the Navy to be named Aeolus. The first, also a 32-gun fifth rate (launched in 1758), was still in existence but had been reduced to harbour service in 1796 and renamed Guernsey in 1800 to free the name for the new ship. Then a squadron captured the French frigate Pallas, which received the name Aeolus. In the meantime, Guernsey was sold in May 1801, shortly after the third Aeolus had completed fitting out the previous month, at Deptford Dockyard. The second Aeolus was then renamed to Pique.
in January 1802. In August she was briefly under the command of Lieutenant Henry Whitby, in an acting capacity. but Spranger was not superseded until Captain Andrew Evans took over in May 1803.
On 1 February 1804 she captured the American snow
Antelope, of 155 tons. Antelope had a crew of eight men and was carrying provisions, dry goods, wine, staves, hoops and sundries. In May 1804 Lord William Fitzroy assumed command.
Aeolus joined Commodore John Loring's squadron off Saint-Domingue
following the defeat of the French forces there
, and still serving with Loring, took part in the capture of the French 74-gun Duquesne
off Saint-Domingue on 25 July 1804. The French ship, under Commodore Pierre-Maurice-Julien Querangal, had been trapped at Cape Francois
by a British blockade, along with the 74-gun Duguay-Trouin
, under Captain Claude Touffet
, and the 40-gun Guerriere
, under Captain Beaudouin. The squadron escaped to sea under cover of squalls on the afternoon of 24 July, and split up, Duguay-Trouin and Guerriere heading east pursued by Captain George Dundas in , and Duquesne heading west followed by Loring in and accompanied by HMS Aeolus and . and soon joined the chase. Duquesne, unable to escape, struck her colours to Captain James Walker
of Vanguard.
. By late 1805 she was part of Captain Sir Richard Strachan's
squadron patrolling in Bay of Biscay
. Strachan, with his pennant aboard the 80-gun Caesar
, had the 74-gun ships Hero
, Courageux
, Namur
and , the 36-gun Santa Margarita
and Aeolus. They were searching for a French squadron under Zacharie Allemand which was known to be cruising in the Atlantic
, when they were joined late on 3 November by the 36-gun , under Captain Thomas Baker
. Baker reported that he had just escaped from a French squadron of four large ships, and Strachan immediately set off in pursuit. Though they were thought to be part of Allemand's squadron, they were in fact four ships which had escaped the Battle of Trafalgar
under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
, and were now hurrying north to reach Rochefort
.
On realising that he had encountered a superior British force, Pelley attempted to flee northwards, but his ships were steadily overhauled by the British, with Strachan sending the faster frigates on to wear down the rear-most ships. Aeolus joined them in attacking the Scipion, and as the ships of the line came up and Pelley came about to engage them, the frigates formed up on the Frenchmen's starboard side, doubling their line. The French were worn down and all four ships were forced to surrender. Aeolus had no men killed during the engagement, and only three wounded. In 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "4 Novr. 1805" to all surviving claimants from the action.
in August 1807. She was then in the Caribbean, taking part in the capture of Martinique
in February 1809. She formed part of a small squadron with HMS Cleopatra
and the brig HMS Recruit
, which was sent into Fort-de-France Bay
on 5 February. Panicked by the advance the French militia defending the bay set fire to the ships anchored there, including the frigate Amphitrite
, and abandoned the forts in the southern part of the island. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all surviving claimants from the campaign.
After five years in command of Aeolus Fitzroy handed over command to Captain John Shortland
in October 1809. Captain Lord James Townshend succeeded Shortland in December 1810. Serving aboard Aeolus in 1811 was Frederick Marryat
, who would later become famous as an author.
With the outbreak of the War of 1812
Aeolus was sent to join Captain Philip Broke
's squadron in July 1812, and was present at the capture of the 14-gun on 15 July. The British squadron, consisting of Aeolus, the 64-gun under Captain John Bastard
, Broke's 38-gun , the 38-gun under Captain James Richard Dacres and the 36-gun under Captain Richard Byron, had arrived off New York
in search of , then under Commodore John Rodgers
, but she had already sailed.
Instead, the British found the Nautilus, under William M. Crane
. Nautilus was unable to outrun the British squadron and surrendered, becoming the first ship either side lost during the war. Shortly afterwards the squadron fell in with and chased her for three days, with the American ship resorting to throwing her water and stores overboard, and having the ship towed and kedged, before she finally managed to escape.
On 3 November 1812 Aeolus, acting in company with , and captured the American privateer
Snapper. Snapper, of 172 or 200 tons (accounts vary), was out of Philadelphia and was armed with ten guns. The American press reported that before she struck she took 800 shots to her hulls and sails.
Between February and March 1813, Aeolus captured several American merchant ships, and one Spaniard, that she sent in to Bermuda:
At some point after these captures command of Aeolus passed to Captain Joseph Popham in 1813, and he was succeeded in an acting capacity by Commander James Crighton the following year.
to serve as a storeship, and returned to Britain to be laid up at Woolwich
in August 1814. She was moved to Deptford in June 1816, and was broken up there in October 1817.
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigate of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was launched in 1801 and served in the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Ordered during the last years of the French Revolutionary Wars, Aeolus was at first engaged in convoy work, before being sent out to the West Indies, where she took part in operations off Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
and blockaded the French ships in the harbours. She was involved in the chase of the 74-gun Duquesne
French ship Duquesne (1787)
The Duquesne was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.It directed in 1793, under captain Vence, an important convoy of Levant then escaped the hostile monitoring from a squadron Anglo-Spanish....
after she put to sea, and assisted in her capture. Aeolus returned to operate off the British coast, and was part of Sir Richard Strachan's
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
squadron in late 1805. The squadron encountered part of the fleeing Franco-Spanish fleet that Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
had decisively defeated two weeks previously at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, and after bringing them to battle
Battle of Cape Ortegal
The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
, captured the entire force.
After spending time off Ireland and North America, Aeolus was in the Caribbean in 1809, and took part in the capture of Martinique
Invasion of Martinique (1809)
The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars...
. Deployed with Captain Philip Broke
Philip Broke
Rear Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, 1st Baronet KCB was a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy.-Early life:Broke was born at Broke Hall, Nacton, near Ipswich, the eldest son of Philip Bowes Broke...
's squadron after the outbreak of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
Aeolus took part in the capture of , the first ship either side lost in the war, the pursuit of and the capture of the American privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Snapper. Aeolus was used as a storeship at Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
after the end of the war, and after returning to Britain was laid up as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close. She was finally sold in 1817.
Construction and commissioning
Aeolus was ordered on 28 January 1800 from the yards of Mrs Frances Barnard, of DeptfordDeptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, and built to a design by Sir William Rule. She was laid down in April 1800 and launched on 28 February 1801. Aeolus commissioned under her first commander, Captain John Spranger
John William Spranger
Rear-Admiral John William Spranger was a Royal Navy officer active during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.He was appointed Lieutenant on 23 August 1790, and Commander on 7 June 1794. In 1795, he commanded the sloop in the expedition to capture Cape Town...
in March 1801.
She was the third ship in the Navy to be named Aeolus. The first, also a 32-gun fifth rate (launched in 1758), was still in existence but had been reduced to harbour service in 1796 and renamed Guernsey in 1800 to free the name for the new ship. Then a squadron captured the French frigate Pallas, which received the name Aeolus. In the meantime, Guernsey was sold in May 1801, shortly after the third Aeolus had completed fitting out the previous month, at Deptford Dockyard. The second Aeolus was then renamed to Pique.
West Indies
Aeolus was at first employed on convoy duties and sailed to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in January 1802. In August she was briefly under the command of Lieutenant Henry Whitby, in an acting capacity. but Spranger was not superseded until Captain Andrew Evans took over in May 1803.
On 1 February 1804 she captured the American snow
Snow (ship)
A snow or snaw is a sailing vessel. A type of brig , snows were primarily used as merchant ships, but saw war service as well...
Antelope, of 155 tons. Antelope had a crew of eight men and was carrying provisions, dry goods, wine, staves, hoops and sundries. In May 1804 Lord William Fitzroy assumed command.
Aeolus joined Commodore John Loring's squadron off Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
following the defeat of the French forces there
Saint-Domingue expedition
The Saint-Domingue expedition was a French military expedition sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul, under his brother-in-law Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc in an attempt to regain French control of the island of Saint-Domingue and curtail the measures of independence taken by the former...
, and still serving with Loring, took part in the capture of the French 74-gun Duquesne
French ship Duquesne (1787)
The Duquesne was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.It directed in 1793, under captain Vence, an important convoy of Levant then escaped the hostile monitoring from a squadron Anglo-Spanish....
off Saint-Domingue on 25 July 1804. The French ship, under Commodore Pierre-Maurice-Julien Querangal, had been trapped at Cape Francois
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
by a British blockade, along with the 74-gun Duguay-Trouin
HMS Implacable (1805)
HMS Implacable was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was originally the French Navy's Téméraire-class ship of the line Duguay-Trouin, launched in 1800....
, under Captain Claude Touffet
Claude Touffet
Captain Claude Touffet was a French Navy officer.- Biography :...
, and the 40-gun Guerriere
HMS Guerriere (1806)
HMS Guerriere was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which had previously sailed with the French Navy as the Guerrière. She became famous for her fight against ....
, under Captain Beaudouin. The squadron escaped to sea under cover of squalls on the afternoon of 24 July, and split up, Duguay-Trouin and Guerriere heading east pursued by Captain George Dundas in , and Duquesne heading west followed by Loring in and accompanied by HMS Aeolus and . and soon joined the chase. Duquesne, unable to escape, struck her colours to Captain James Walker
James Walker (Royal Navy officer)
James Walker CB, CavTe was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral....
of Vanguard.
Cape Ortegal
Aeolus was then assigned to operate in the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. By late 1805 she was part of Captain Sir Richard Strachan's
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
squadron patrolling in Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. Strachan, with his pennant aboard the 80-gun Caesar
HMS Caesar (1793)
HMS Caesar, also Cæsar, was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 November 1793 at Plymouth. She was designed by Sir Edward Hunt, and was the only ship built to her draught.-Battle of Algeciras Bay:...
, had the 74-gun ships Hero
HMS Hero (1803)
HMS Hero was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, launched on 18 August 1803 at Blackwall Yard.She took part in Admiral Robert Calder's action at the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805....
, Courageux
HMS Courageux (1800)
HMS Courageux was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 March 1800 at Deptford. She was designed by Sir John Henslow as one of the large class 74s, and was the only ship built to her draught...
, Namur
HMS Namur (1756)
HMS Namur was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Chatham Dockyard to the draught specified by the 1745 Establishment as amended in 1750, and launched on 3 March 1756....
and , the 36-gun Santa Margarita
HMS Santa Margarita (1779)
HMS Santa Margarita was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had been built for service with the Spanish Navy, but was captured after five years in service, eventually spending nearly 60 years with the British.-Spanish career:...
and Aeolus. They were searching for a French squadron under Zacharie Allemand which was known to be cruising in the Atlantic
Allemand's expedition of 1805
Allemand's expedition of 1805, often referred to as the Escadre invisible in French sources, was an important French naval expedition during the Napoleonic Wars, which formed a major diversion to the ongoing Trafalgar campaign in the Atlantic Ocean...
, when they were joined late on 3 November by the 36-gun , under Captain Thomas Baker
Thomas Baker (Royal Navy officer)
Sir Thomas Baker KCB, KWN was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
. Baker reported that he had just escaped from a French squadron of four large ships, and Strachan immediately set off in pursuit. Though they were thought to be part of Allemand's squadron, they were in fact four ships which had escaped the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Vice-Admiral Count Pierre-Etienne-René-Marie Dumanoir Le Pelley was a French Navy officer, best known for commanding the vanguard of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.- Early career :...
, and were now hurrying north to reach Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
.
Irish station and America
Aeolus spent the rest of 1805 and 1806 on the Irish station, before departing for HalifaxCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in August 1807. She was then in the Caribbean, taking part in the capture of Martinique
Invasion of Martinique (1809)
The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars...
in February 1809. She formed part of a small squadron with HMS Cleopatra
HMS Cleopatra (1779)
HMS Cleopatra was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a long career, seeing service during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During the latter wars she fought two notable engagements with larger French opponents...
and the brig HMS Recruit
HMS Recruit (1806)
HMS Recruit was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Sandwich, Kent. She is best known for an act of pique by Cmdr. Warwick Lake, who marooned a seaman, and for an inconclusive but hard fought ship action under Cmdr. Charles John Napier against the French...
, which was sent into Fort-de-France Bay
Fort-de-France Bay
Fort-de-France Bay is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Martinique. It is named after Martinique's capital, Fort-de-France, the chief town on the bay....
on 5 February. Panicked by the advance the French militia defending the bay set fire to the ships anchored there, including the frigate Amphitrite
French frigate Amphitrite (1808)
The Amphitrite was a 44-gun Armide class frigate of the French Navy.Amphitrite, under frigate captain Trobriand, departed Cherbourg for Martinique on 10 November 1808, along with Vénus, Junon, Cygne and Papillon, under contre-amiral Hamelin...
, and abandoned the forts in the southern part of the island. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all surviving claimants from the campaign.
After five years in command of Aeolus Fitzroy handed over command to Captain John Shortland
John Shortland
John Shortland was a naval officer, the eldest son of John Shortland. Shortland joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and went to Quebec in a transport commanded by his father. From 1783 to 1787 he served in the West Indies. In 1787 he was master's mate in the Sirius when the First Fleet sailed...
in October 1809. Captain Lord James Townshend succeeded Shortland in December 1810. Serving aboard Aeolus in 1811 was Frederick Marryat
Frederick Marryat
Captain Frederick Marryat was an English Royal Navy officer, novelist, and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story...
, who would later become famous as an author.
War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
Aeolus was sent to join Captain Philip Broke
Philip Broke
Rear Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, 1st Baronet KCB was a distinguished officer in the British Royal Navy.-Early life:Broke was born at Broke Hall, Nacton, near Ipswich, the eldest son of Philip Bowes Broke...
's squadron in July 1812, and was present at the capture of the 14-gun on 15 July. The British squadron, consisting of Aeolus, the 64-gun under Captain John Bastard
John Bastard (Royal Navy officer)
John Bastard was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812, rising to the rank of post-captain...
, Broke's 38-gun , the 38-gun under Captain James Richard Dacres and the 36-gun under Captain Richard Byron, had arrived off New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in search of , then under Commodore John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
, but she had already sailed.
Instead, the British found the Nautilus, under William M. Crane
William M. Crane
Commodore William Montgomery Crane was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of Gen. William Crane who was wounded at the Battle of Quebec while serving under Richard Montgomery in honor of whom he was given the middle name of...
. Nautilus was unable to outrun the British squadron and surrendered, becoming the first ship either side lost during the war. Shortly afterwards the squadron fell in with and chased her for three days, with the American ship resorting to throwing her water and stores overboard, and having the ship towed and kedged, before she finally managed to escape.
On 3 November 1812 Aeolus, acting in company with , and captured the American privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Snapper. Snapper, of 172 or 200 tons (accounts vary), was out of Philadelphia and was armed with ten guns. The American press reported that before she struck she took 800 shots to her hulls and sails.
Between February and March 1813, Aeolus captured several American merchant ships, and one Spaniard, that she sent in to Bermuda:
- Resolution, carrying molasses (5 February);
- Eliza, carrying cotton (10 February);
- Rose, carrying cotton and logwood (10 February);
- Jacob Getting, carrying rice and corn (18 February; in company with ;
- Elizabeth, carrying cotton (24 February; with Sophie);
- Federal Jack, carrying lighthouses (2 March; with Sophie); and the Spanish ship
- Anna carrying flour and bread (9 March; with Sophie).
At some point after these captures command of Aeolus passed to Captain Joseph Popham in 1813, and he was succeeded in an acting capacity by Commander James Crighton the following year.
Fate
Aelous was sent to QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to serve as a storeship, and returned to Britain to be laid up at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in August 1814. She was moved to Deptford in June 1816, and was broken up there in October 1817.