HMS Assistance was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth rate 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 during the American War of Independence and spent most of her career serving in American waters, particularly off Halifax

City 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...

 and Newfoundland. Assistance was the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of several of the commanders of the station, returning to Britain on occasion to be repaired and refitted. She survived to see the start of the French Revolutionary Wars

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...

, serving briefly in the English Channel

English 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...

 during a rare period on station in British waters, but was wrecked off Dunkirk in 1801.

Construction and commissioning

Assistance was ordered from the Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 yard of Peter Baker on 11 February 1778, laid down there on 4 July that year, and launched on 12 March 1781. She was completed by 31 December 1781, having cost £10,908.3.3d. to build, and entered service in the English Channel

English 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...

 under her first commander, Captain James Worth.

Career

She escorted a convoy to North America in May 1782, returning to Britain to be paid off in early 1783. Assistance was then refitted at Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 and returned to North America in October 1783 under the command of Captain William Bentinck and flying the broad pendant of Captain Sir Charles Douglas

Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet

Rear Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet of Carr was a descendant of the Earls of Morton and a distinguished British naval officer...

. Serving on Assistance at this time was Lieutenant Hamilton Douglas Halyburton

Hamilton Douglas Halyburton

Hamilton Douglas Halyburton was a British Lieutenant who died at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.-Biography:He was born on 10 October 1763 to Sholto Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton. He died on 31 December 1783 when he was in command of the barge of the . He was using it to chase deserters off of Sandy Hook...

, the son of Sholto Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton

Sholto Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton

Sholto Charles Douglas, 15th Earl of Morton was the son of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton.In February 1754 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society...

. He and a party of men were sent out in Assistances barge to chase deserters, but became trapped in a snowstorm, causing all thirteen of the party to die of exposure on 31 December. A memorial was later erected by Lt Halyburton's mother, Katherine, Countess of Morton. Captain Nicholas Sawyer took command in January 1784, flying the broad pendant of Captain Herbert Sawyer.

Assistance returned to Britain in mid-1786 and was paid off. She underwent repairs at Chatham

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

 and was recommissioned in 1790 during the Spanish Armament under Captain Lord James Cranstoun

James Cranstoun, 8th Lord Cranstoun

James Cranstoun, 8th Lord Cranstoun was an officer of the Royal Navy.The third son of James Cranstoun, 6th Lord Cranstoun, he succeeded to the title on 1 August 1778 on the death of his elder brother William Cranstoun, 7th Lord Cranstoun....

. The easing of tensions led to Assistance being paid off in 1791, before recommissioning the following year under Captain John Samuel Smith in order to serve off North America again. She became the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard King on the Halifax

City 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...

 station between August 1792 and January 1793. Captain Arthur Legge

Arthur Kaye Legge

Admiral Sir Arthur Kaye Legge KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy who served in three wars and commanded ships in several campaigns. Known as a brave officer and an effective commander, Legge was given several very important postings in the latter part of his career as a rear-admiral,...

 took command in February, being replaced by Captain Nathan Brunton in July for service cruising with the Channel Fleet

Channel Fleet

The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...

. Captain Henry Mowatt was in command from May 1795, returning the Assistance to Halifax in March 1796, where he captured the 40-gun French frigate Elizabeth on 28 August 1796. Mowatt died in April 1798, and was succeeded in the command of Assistance by Captain John Oakes Hardy, and he from December 1799 by Captain Robert Hall. Hall took her home from Halifax to be repaired at Chatham between October 1800 and January 1801, whereupon she recommissioned under Captain Richard Lee for a return to Halifax.

Assistance struck a sandbank while sailing off Dunkirk on 29 March 1802, and was wrecked.