HMS Boreas was a 28-gun Coventry-class

Coventry class frigate

These 28-gun sailing frigates of the sixth rate were designed in 1756 by Sir Thomas Slade "to the draught of the Tartar with such alterations withinboard as may be judged necessary"...

 sixth-rate

Sixth-rate

Sixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-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...

. Built in 1757, she was one of five frigates of the class built of fir rather than oak. Fir was cheaper and more abundant than oak and permitted noticeably faster construction, but at a cost of a reduced lifespan; the four fir-built Coventry-class vessels that did not get captured lasted an average of only nine years before being struck off.

Boreas saw service during the Seven Years War and took part in two actions at sea. She assisted in the capture of the 36-gun French frigate Diane in April 1758, and her most famous engagement was the capture of the French frigate Sirène in October 1760. She was sold out of the service in 1770.

Construction and commissioning

Boreas was ordered on 18 April 1757 and laid down on 21 April that year at the Admiralty yards at Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard

Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....

. She was launched on 29 July 1757 and completed by 6 September 1757. She initially cost £6,314.9.10d, this rising to £9,193.18.3d when the cost of fitting her out was included. She was one of five frigates of the class built of fir rather than oak. Fir was cheaper and more abundant than oak and permitted noticeably faster construction, but at a cost of a reduced lifespan; the four fir-built Coventry-class vessels that did not get captured lasted an average of only nine years before being struck off.

Career

Boreas was commissioned for the first time in August 1757 under Captain Robert Boyle Walsingham, who was to command her for the next two years. Boyle sailed her to America in mid-1758 and was subsequently involved in the operations off Louisbourg that year

Siege of Louisbourg (1758)

The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...

. During this time she assisted in the capture of the 36-gun French frigate Diane in April 1758. A period of 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...

 with Admiral George Rodney's

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...

 squadron followed in 1759, and the Boreas took part in the bombardment of Le Havre

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...

 on 3 July that year.

She came under the command of Captain Samuel Uvedale in February 1760, and he sailed her to Jamaica

Jamaica

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 March. On 30 August that year he chased the 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...

 St Michel ashore near Cape St Nicholas Mole and burnt her. Another action occurred on 18 October when Admiral Charles Holmes

Charles Holmes (Royal Navy officer)

Charles Holmes was a Rear admiral in the British Navy during the Seven Years War, and was Wolfe's third-in-command during the capture of Quebec in 1759...

 in (50 guns) took Boreas and (20 guns) to intercept a French convoy in the Windward Passage

Windward Passage

The Windward Passage is a strait in the Caribbean Sea, between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. The strait specifically lies between the easternmost region of Cuba and the northwest of Haiti.80km wide, the Windward Passage has a threshold depth of 1,700m...

. After sighting the French, and their escort of five frigates on the morning of 17 October, the British gave chase. Light winds slowed the chase so it was evening before Boreas could engage the 32-gun frigate Sirène. French fire disabled Boreas aloft with the result that Boreas could not engage Sirène again until the following afternoon.Sirène was armed with twenty-six 8-pounder guns on the gun deck and four 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck. She had been built by Jacques-Luc Coulomb at Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

 in 1744. Boreas emerged victorious from the engagement, capturing Sirène, which suffered about 80 men killed and wounded; Boreas lost only one man killed and one wounded. Another French ship, the 20-gun corvette Valeur, struck to Lively. Also during the battle, pursuit by Hampshire led the French to destroy by fire Prince Edouard and the Fleur-de-Lys, both of 32 guns.

In late 1760, boats commanded by Lieutenant Millar, first lieutenant of and Lieutenant Stuart, first lieutenant of Boreas cut out the privateers Vainquer and Mackau from Cumberland Harbour, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. The French were forced to burn another, the Guespe, to prevent her capture. The two British vessels lost a handful of men killed or missing, and a similar number wounded, while French casualties are unknown.

Boreas then returned to Jamaica to undergo repairs, which lasted into 1761. Boreas went on to capture the privateer Belle-Madeleine on 18 December 1761. Then from 6 June until 13 August 1762, she took part in the capture of Havana. After this, she returned to Britain as a convoy escort along with and , and was surveyed at Woolwich. A small repair followed, lasting until May 1763. Captain Richard Hughes took over command in April 1763, serving off North Foreland

North Foreland

North Foreland is a chalk headland on the Kent coast of southeast England.North Foreland forms the eastern end of the Isle of Thanet. It presents a bold cliff to the sea, and commands views over the southern North Sea.-Lighthouse:...

 until 1766. He was succeeded by Captain Constantine Phipps

Constantine Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave

Constantine John Phipps, 2nd Baron Mulgrave, PC was an English explorer and officer in the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence, seeing action in a number of battles and engagements...

in 1767, who was himself replaced by Captain Digby Dent the following year. Both commanded Boreas in the Channel.

Boreas was surveyed for a final time on 23 May 1770, and was sold a month later on 29 June for the sum of £280.