HMS Dryad (1795)
Encyclopedia
HMS Dryad was a fifth-rate
sailing frigate of the Royal Navy
that served for 64 years, at first during the Napoleonic Wars
and then in the suppression of slavery
. She fought in a notable single-ship action
in 1805 when she captured the Proserpine, an action that would later earn her crew the Naval General Service Medal. Dryad was broken up at Portsmouth in 1860.
the Hon. Robert Allaster Cam Forbes (2nd son of Lord Forbes
), who had previously been the captain of at the Glorious First of June
. The brand new frigate may have been a reward for his services, but he did not live long to enjoy it; The Edinburgh Magazine reported his death as: "Oct 7, off the coast of Norway, the Honourable Capt. Robert Forbes, commander of his Majesty's ship Dryad".
, 3rd son of the Duke of St Albans
, took command in December 1795. Dryad was then stationed off the coast of Ireland
. On 2 May 1796, while Dryad was under acting Commander John Pullin, she captured the 14-gun cutter some 16 or 17 leagues
off The Lizard
. She was three days out of Brest
and had not taken anything. The Royal Navy took her into service under her existing name.
Earlier, Dryad had taken a large smuggling cutter, which was carrying a cargo of spirits, and sent her to Plymouth. , , and the hired armed
cutter Fox shared in the capture.
On 13 June Dryad captured the French frigate Proserpine after a 45 minute action 12 leagues
off Cape Clear Island. William James
wrote in his Naval History of Great Britain:
Proserpine suffered 30 were killed and 45 wounded out of her complement of 348 men, while Dryad lost two killed and seven wounded. The Royal Navy
already had a , and so the Admiralty renamed Proserpine in bringing her into the service. In 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Dryad 13 June 1796" to any still surviving claimants from her crew who had participated in the action.
Dryad and Beauclerk followed this with the capture or destruction of five more French privateers. On 16 October she captured the French privateer Vantour after a six-hour chase. Vautour was armed with seven 4-pounder guns and two 12-pounder carronade
s. She was of 130 tons burthen
, with a crew of 78 men. She had sailed from Morlaiz on 13 October and not taken anything.
The next year, on 19 August 1797, Dryad captured the French privateer Éclair. Éclair was armed with ten 4-pounder and four 8-pounder guns. She had a crew of 108 men and had sailed from L'Orient on 11 August, and had not taken anything.
Then on 9 September Dryad sank the 12-gun French privateer Cornélie. The brig caught fire but because of the state of the seas, Dryad was only able to save some 17 men of her crew of 90 or so men. Cornelie was 16 days out of Nantz and had only captured one ship, a Dane.
On 10 October Doris
and Dryad captured the French privateer ship Brune after a chase of 40 leagues. She was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 180 men. Brune was out of Bordeaux and had taken two British ships: on 17 September the brig Industry, which had been sailing from Newfoundland to Lisbon, and on 9 October the brig Commerce, which had been sailing in ballast from Greenock to Oporto.
Lastly, on 4 February 1798 Dryad captured the 16-gun privateer Mars 20 leagues off Cape Clear. Mars was pierced for 20 guns but carried twelve 12-pounders, two 18-pounders, and two 12-pounder carronades. She also had a crew of 222 men. She was 49 days out of Nantes but had not captured anything.
, his wife dressing in her own version of a naval officer's uniform. She was apparently well liked, despite her eccentric dress, since she did not interfere with the ship's business.
On 7 July 1799, Dryad was in company with the 44-gun frigate and when Revolutionaire captured the French privateer Determiné. The same three British ships also captured the French brig Hyppolite.
Dryad sailed for Cork
, escorting a convoy, and on 19 September 1799, she and Revolutionnaire captured the Cères, a French letter of marque
en route from Bordeaux
to the Caribbean
. Also, at some point Dryad recaptured the British ship Albion. Albion had been sailing from Jamaica with a cargo of rum and sugar when the French privateer Brieve captured her.
The Times
reported on 6 January 1800 that
Dryad was based at Cork for several months during 1800, in Admiral
Lord Gardner's fleet; Gardner's son Valentine commenced his naval career in Dryad under Mansfield. At the beginning of April 1800, Dryad spent several days assisting Revolutionnaire, which had lost her rudder
in a hurricane in the Atlantic. Dryad had lost her fore-yard
and the two ships assisted each other towards Cork when an off-shore gale
forced them to head for Plymouth
. However, another change in the wind meant that they could neither weather the Scilly Isles nor return to Cork and they drifted up the St George's Channel
. On 16 April Dryad tried to tow Revolutionnaire off the Waterford
rocks, but the cable broke. Fortunately another change of wind enabled Revolutionnaire to avoid the rocks and both ships finally arrived at Milford Haven
on 19 April in a "most distressed state".
Premier Consul of St Malo after a 3-hour chase. Premier Consul was pierced for 24 guns but was armed with fourteen 9-pounders. She had a crew of 150 men. She was 21 days out of Saint Malo and had captured a Portuguese schooner
sailing from Lisbon to Ireland.
The Portsmouth Telegraph reported on 16 March 1801: The Swedish frigate was HMS Ulla Fersen
, of 18 guns. Dryad returned from the Irish Station to Portsmouth
on 18 March with both Premier Consul and Ulla Fersen as prizes
. The Admiralty took Premier Consul into service as Scout, but she foundered within a year with the loss of her entire crew. The British returned Ulla Fersen to the Swedes after negotiations.
with the French Republic in March 1802, Mansfield arrived back in Portsmouth on 9 June in Dryad carrying Admiral Lord Gardner and bearing his flag. Captain Robert Williams was appointed to Dryad, joining her almost immediately. Dryad cruised off Portland
suppressing smuggling
. In February 1803 Williams left to become captain of the third rate 74-gun . War with France
broke out again in May 1803.
that had escaped from the Battle of Trafalgar
. Dryad and Boadicea tried to entice the French into the path of a Royal Navy
squadron. Although Dryad and Boadicea lost the French ships of the line, a squadron under the command of Sir Richard Strachan had seen the rocket signals the frigates had launched. In the subsequent Battle of Cape Ortegal
, the British captured Formidable
, Scipion
, Duguay-Trouin
and Mont Blanc
. Unfortunately, having lost the French squadron, neither Boadicea nor Dryad shared in the benefits that their actions had made possible.
On 13 February 1805, captured the Fortuna. Dryad submitted a claim to share in the prize money. On 22 February, captured the St Jose and Dryad shared in the prize by agreement with Euryalus.
On May 15 1807, Dryad was under the command of Captain Adam Drummond and in company with and . The three vessels were some twenty leagues off Scilly when Amethyst spotted and captured a strange sail. The captured vessel turned out to be the French privateer schooner Josephine. Josephine was armed with four 2-pounder guns and had a crew of 45 men, ten of whom she had put on board the Jane, which had been sailing from Lisbon when Josephine captured her. Josephine had sailed from the Ile de Batz
on 2 April.
In July 1807 Captain William Price Cumby took pro tempore
command of Dryad, and during a three-month cruise on the Irish Station took several valuable prizes. Captain Drummond returned to the ship, and on 22 March 1808 he captured the French privateer
Rennair (or Rennois). She was pierced for 18 guns but only mounted twelve 6-pounders and two 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 95 men, half of whom were Danes. She was a new vessel, 12 days into her first cruise, with provisions and stores for three months. When Rennair was captured she had taken only one prize, a Portuguese schooner carrying a cargo of salt for Cork.
Next, on 18 September 1807, Dryad, in company with , captured the Jomsrue Ellen, Jensin, master. Then on the 27 September 1807 Dryad captured the Nimrod, H. Nicholayson, master. Six days later Dryad captured the Garde Haab.
On 22 September, Dryad captured the Danish ship Carl.
Then on 4 September, Dryad and Viginie captured the Danish brig Inge Berg Maria. Lastly, on 15 November 1808, Dryad captured the Unie.
. On 28 July Dryad sailed with a large fleet from the Downs
. This fleet, and the troops they carried, formed part of the Walcheren Expedition, the aim of which was to demolish the dockyards
and arsenal
s at Antwerp, Terneuzen
, and Flushing
.
On 11 August Dryad formed part of a squadron of frigates directed to sound
and buoy
the Sloe Strait in preparation for the attack on Flushing
, which fell on 15 August. In forcing the West Scheld, the British ships were under fire from shore batteries for two hours, during which time they suffered two men killed and nine wounded; Dryad had no casualties. Prize money was paid in 1812. The expedition ended in failure, mostly due to malaria decimating the expeditionary force, which withdrew by September.
. On 6 February 1810 she and recaptured the Dobridge and the Hercules.
In late June and early July Dryad was part of a British squadron that destroyed all the French batteries (except for Castro) on the Spanish coast from St. Sebastian (a fortified town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay) to St. Andero
. Landing parties destroyed one hundred heavy guns and essentially denuded that coast of its defences, all without suffering any casualties. On 31 October, Dryad recaptured the Americana.
The year 1811 was busy. Dryads list of prizes includes:
A commissioned officer's share of the salvage money for the Nancy was £16 1s
5½d; an able seaman's share was 16s 10¾d. For an able seaman this would represent about two weeks' wages.
Dryad docked in Plymouth
during October. However, by January 1812 she was again sending prizes in:
On 15 May Dryad and captured the French schooner Hirondelle.
On 26 May 1812, , and Dryad shared in the capture of the General Gates. Armide also shared by agreement.
Dryad was employed on less glamorous tasks as well - during August 1812 she conveyed bullocks
to the Channel Fleet
, a filthy and unpleasant mission. On 23 December 1812 Captain Galway drove a French brig
of 22 guns ashore on the Île d'Yeu
, which wrecked her. Dryad took several hits in her hull
and foremast from shots fired by shore batteries but suffered no casualties.
On 7 January 1813, Dryad captured the American ship Porcupine, of 330 tons burthen. Porcupine was armed with four guns and carried a crew of 13 men. She was sailing from New York to Bordeaux with a cargo of cotton and potash. The privateer Chance was in sight and so shared in the prize money. Soon afterward, Dryad captured the American schooner
Rosa (or Rossie) from Baltimore, which arrived in Plymouth
on 17 January 1813. Eight ships of the Royal Navy were in sight, as was the Chance. Then six days later, Dryad was among the 11 vessels that shared in the recapture of the schooner Industry.
, which had attempted to escape after a hard-fought battle the previous day. Eurotas had twenty men and officers killed and forty wounded; the French estimated their losses at 120 men. Captain John Phillimore
of Eurotas was among those listed as severely wounded. Clorinde was under the command of Captain Dennis Legard, mounted forty-four guns and four brass swivel gun
s in each top, and had had a crew of 360 men.
In his letter of report, Phillimore observed that the approach of Dryad and Achates was "to the great mortification of every one on board", because Eurotas had spent all night setting up a jury-rig, and the Prize Rules
meant that all ships in sight shared in the prize money. After a single cannon shot, Clorinde surrendered to Dryad, which towed her into Portsmouth
. The Royal Navy
took Clorinde into service as .
, the plan was canceled. She remained out of commission at Sheerness
until 1825.
for service in the Mediterranean. Less than a year later, on 20 July 1826, Rodney died while in command of the frigate. His successor was Captain The Hon. George Crofton (son of Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet
). The ship visited Gibraltar
, Valletta
and Aegina
between July 1827 and June 1828.
for foreign service. Captain John Hayes
joined her in May 1830 and she sailed for the coast of Africa on 29 September 1830, with Captain Hayes serving as Commodore
on that station, a station with a well-deserved reputation for killing sailors by disease. and , both captured ex-slave ship
s, were tenders
to Dryad, and between November 1830 and March 1832, they accounted for 11 out of the 13 slavers the squadron captured. Despite the hardships, the West Africa Squadron
carried out a determined effort to stop the slave trade, a task that increasing international co-operation gradually more effective.
Dryads visits to Ascension Island
brought welcome relief to the crew from the torrid climate of West Africa, as well as fresh provisions and time ashore for recreation. It also gave them time to water, refit and paint her. Dryad carried out hydrography, too. In 1832 The Nautical Magazine
recorded one such occasion:
On 21 or 22 February 1831 Black Joke captured a slaver with 300 slaves on board. This was probably the Spanish schooner Primeira. At the time Black Joke was acting as a tender to Dryad.
On 20 April, Black Joke captured the Marinerito. On 19 July, Fair Rosamond captured the Spanish slave schooner Potosi. On 10 September Fair Rosamond and Black Joke captured the Spanish slave vessels Regulo and Rapido.
On 15 February 1832, Black Joke captured Spanish schooner Frasquita, alias Centilla. This vessel too yielded bounty money for the slaves on board her.
Dryads voyage home started in The Gambia
on 31 May 1832, and after a short stop in the Azores
at the beginning of July, she arrived in Portsmouth
on 25 July. On 11 August she sailed for Cork, Ireland
, and returned to Portsmouth on 29 August.
. She was broken up in 1862.
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:...
sailing 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...
that served for 64 years, at first during the 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 then in the suppression of slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. She fought in a notable single-ship action
Single-ship action
A single ship action is a naval engagement fought between two warships of opposing sides, excluding submarine engagements; called so because there is a single ship on each side...
in 1805 when she captured the Proserpine, an action that would later earn her crew the Naval General Service Medal. Dryad was broken up at Portsmouth in 1860.
Launch and the loss of Captain Forbes (1795)
Launched on 4 June 1795, Dryad was commissioned under CaptainPost-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
the Hon. Robert Allaster Cam Forbes (2nd son of Lord Forbes
James Forbes, 16th Lord Forbes
James Forbes, 16th Lord Forbes was the son of William Forbes, 14th Lord Forbes.In 1760, he married Catherine Innes and they had six children:*Mary Elizabeth Forbes *Marjory Forbes...
), who had previously been the captain of at the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
. The brand new frigate may have been a reward for his services, but he did not live long to enjoy it; The Edinburgh Magazine reported his death as: "Oct 7, off the coast of Norway, the Honourable Capt. Robert Forbes, commander of his Majesty's ship Dryad".
The capture of Proserpine (1796)
Frobes' successor, Captain Lord Amelius BeauclerkLord Amelius Beauclerk
Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerk, GCB, GCH, FRS was a British Royal Navy officer.-Early life:Beauclerk was born on 23 May 1771, the third son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans and his wife, the former Lady Catherine Ponsonby , daughter of William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough...
, 3rd son of the Duke of St Albans
Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans
Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans was the son of Admiral the 1st Baron Vere and a grandson of the 1st Duke of St Albans...
, took command in December 1795. Dryad was then stationed off the coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. On 2 May 1796, while Dryad was under acting Commander John Pullin, she captured the 14-gun cutter some 16 or 17 leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
off The Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
. She was three days out of 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...
and had not taken anything. The Royal Navy took her into service under her existing name.
Earlier, Dryad had taken a large smuggling cutter, which was carrying a cargo of spirits, and sent her to Plymouth. , , and the hired armed
Hired armed vessels
right|thumb|250px|Armed cutter, etching in the [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels...
cutter Fox shared in the capture.
On 13 June Dryad captured the French frigate Proserpine after a 45 minute action 12 leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
off Cape Clear Island. William James
William James (naval historian)
William M. James was a British lawyer turned naval historian who wrote important naval histories of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815.-Career:...
wrote in his Naval History of Great Britain:
Proserpine suffered 30 were killed and 45 wounded out of her complement of 348 men, while Dryad lost two killed and seven wounded. 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...
already had a , and so the Admiralty renamed Proserpine in bringing her into the service. In 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Dryad 13 June 1796" to any still surviving claimants from her crew who had participated in the action.
Dryad and Beauclerk followed this with the capture or destruction of five more French privateers. On 16 October she captured the French privateer Vantour after a six-hour chase. Vautour was armed with seven 4-pounder guns and two 12-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s. She was of 130 tons burthen
Builder's Old Measurement
Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...
, with a crew of 78 men. She had sailed from Morlaiz on 13 October and not taken anything.
The next year, on 19 August 1797, Dryad captured the French privateer Éclair. Éclair was armed with ten 4-pounder and four 8-pounder guns. She had a crew of 108 men and had sailed from L'Orient on 11 August, and had not taken anything.
Then on 9 September Dryad sank the 12-gun French privateer Cornélie. The brig caught fire but because of the state of the seas, Dryad was only able to save some 17 men of her crew of 90 or so men. Cornelie was 16 days out of Nantz and had only captured one ship, a Dane.
On 10 October Doris
HMS Doris (1795)
HMS Doris was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, which saw service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Doris was built by Cleveley, of Gravesend and was launched on 31 August 1795. She entered service in November 1795, operating as part of the Channel Fleet during the...
and Dryad captured the French privateer ship Brune after a chase of 40 leagues. She was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 180 men. Brune was out of Bordeaux and had taken two British ships: on 17 September the brig Industry, which had been sailing from Newfoundland to Lisbon, and on 9 October the brig Commerce, which had been sailing in ballast from Greenock to Oporto.
Lastly, on 4 February 1798 Dryad captured the 16-gun privateer Mars 20 leagues off Cape Clear. Mars was pierced for 20 guns but carried twelve 12-pounders, two 18-pounders, and two 12-pounder carronades. She also had a crew of 222 men. She was 49 days out of Nantes but had not captured anything.
The Irish Station and Captain Mansfield (1799 - 1801)
In December of 1798 Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield was appointed in command. According to the memoirs of one of his midshipmen, Mansfield's wife and two unruly children were living onboard Dryad at PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, his wife dressing in her own version of a naval officer's uniform. She was apparently well liked, despite her eccentric dress, since she did not interfere with the ship's business.
On 7 July 1799, Dryad was in company with the 44-gun frigate and when Revolutionaire captured the French privateer Determiné. The same three British ships also captured the French brig Hyppolite.
Dryad sailed for Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, escorting a convoy, and on 19 September 1799, she and Revolutionnaire captured the Cères, a French letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
en route from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Also, at some point Dryad recaptured the British ship Albion. Albion had been sailing from Jamaica with a cargo of rum and sugar when the French privateer Brieve captured her.
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported on 6 January 1800 that
Dryad was based at Cork for several months during 1800, in Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Lord Gardner's fleet; Gardner's son Valentine commenced his naval career in Dryad under Mansfield. At the beginning of April 1800, Dryad spent several days assisting Revolutionnaire, which had lost her rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
in a hurricane in the Atlantic. Dryad had lost her fore-yard
Yard (sailing)
A yard is a spar on a mast from which sails are set. It may be constructed of timber, steel, or from more modern materials, like aluminium or carbon fibre. Although some types of fore and aft rigs have yards , the term is usually used to describe the horizontal spars used with square sails...
and the two ships assisted each other towards Cork when an off-shore gale
Gale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
forced them to head for 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...
. However, another change in the wind meant that they could neither weather the Scilly Isles nor return to Cork and they drifted up the St George's Channel
St George's Channel
St George's Channel is a sea channel connecting the Irish Sea to the north and the Celtic Sea to the southwest.Historically, the name "St Georges Channel" was used interchangeably with "Irish Sea" or "Irish Channel" to encompass all the waters between Ireland to the west and Great Britain to the...
. On 16 April Dryad tried to tow Revolutionnaire off the Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
rocks, but the cable broke. Fortunately another change of wind enabled Revolutionnaire to avoid the rocks and both ships finally arrived at Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
on 19 April in a "most distressed state".
Capture of Premier Consul and HMS Ulla Fersen
West of Ireland on 5 March 1801 Dryad captured the French privateerPrivateer
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...
Premier Consul of St Malo after a 3-hour chase. Premier Consul was pierced for 24 guns but was armed with fourteen 9-pounders. She had a crew of 150 men. She was 21 days out of Saint Malo and had captured a Portuguese schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
sailing from Lisbon to Ireland.
The Portsmouth Telegraph reported on 16 March 1801: The Swedish frigate was HMS Ulla Fersen
HMS Ulla Fersen (1789)
HMS Ulla Fersen was a frigate of the Swedish Royal Navy, designed by Frederik H. Chapman, and launched in 1789. She served during the Russo-Swedish War , most notably at the Battle of Reval. British vessels twice detained her, once in 1796 and again in 1801, with the first event resulting in a...
, of 18 guns. Dryad returned from the Irish Station to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 18 March with both Premier Consul and Ulla Fersen as prizes
Prize (law)
Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...
. The Admiralty took Premier Consul into service as Scout, but she foundered within a year with the loss of her entire crew. The British returned Ulla Fersen to the Swedes after negotiations.
The Peace of Amiens (1802 - 1803)
After the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of AmiensTreaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
with the French Republic in March 1802, Mansfield arrived back in Portsmouth on 9 June in Dryad carrying Admiral Lord Gardner and bearing his flag. Captain Robert Williams was appointed to Dryad, joining her almost immediately. Dryad cruised off Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
suppressing smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
. In February 1803 Williams left to become captain of the third rate 74-gun . War with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
broke out again in May 1803.
Napoleonic Wars
On 28 July 1803, Dryad, under Captain John Giffard, recaptured the Adventure.Return to the Irish Station (1804-1808)
Dryad had the honour of returning Admiral Lord Gardner to his command at Cork in 1804. She remained on the Irish Station, but at the end of the year Captain Giffard left the ship due to ill health. His replacement, in January 1805, was Captain (later Admiral Sir) Adam Drummond. On 2 November off Ferrol Dryad, in company with , encountered four French ships-of-the-line under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le PelleyPierre 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 :...
that had escaped from 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 ....
. Dryad and Boadicea tried to entice the French into the path of a 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...
squadron. Although Dryad and Boadicea lost the French ships of the line, a squadron under the command of Sir Richard Strachan had seen the rocket signals the frigates had launched. In the subsequent Battle of Cape Ortegal
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...
, the British captured Formidable
French ship Formidable
A number of ships of the French Navy have born the name Formidable, honouring the trait of inspiring fear in the enemy. Among them:* Formidable , a 96-gun ship of the line* Formidable , a 80-gun ship of the line...
, Scipion
French ship Scipion
Scipion was a 74-gun French ship of the line, built at Lorient to a design by Jacques Noel Sane. She was launched as Orient in late 1798, and renamed Scipion in 1801....
, 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....
and Mont Blanc
French ship Mont-Blanc
A number of French ships of have born the name Mont-Blanc, in honour of the Mont-Blanc mountain. Among them,* The ship of the line Mont-Blanc...
. Unfortunately, having lost the French squadron, neither Boadicea nor Dryad shared in the benefits that their actions had made possible.
On 13 February 1805, captured the Fortuna. Dryad submitted a claim to share in the prize money. On 22 February, captured the St Jose and Dryad shared in the prize by agreement with Euryalus.
On May 15 1807, Dryad was under the command of Captain Adam Drummond and in company with and . The three vessels were some twenty leagues off Scilly when Amethyst spotted and captured a strange sail. The captured vessel turned out to be the French privateer schooner Josephine. Josephine was armed with four 2-pounder guns and had a crew of 45 men, ten of whom she had put on board the Jane, which had been sailing from Lisbon when Josephine captured her. Josephine had sailed from the Ile de Batz
Île de Batz
The Île de Batz is an island off Roscoff in Brittany, France. Administratively, it is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:...
on 2 April.
In July 1807 Captain William Price Cumby took pro tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
command of Dryad, and during a three-month cruise on the Irish Station took several valuable prizes. Captain Drummond returned to the ship, and on 22 March 1808 he captured the French 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...
Rennair (or Rennois). She was pierced for 18 guns but only mounted twelve 6-pounders and two 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 95 men, half of whom were Danes. She was a new vessel, 12 days into her first cruise, with provisions and stores for three months. When Rennair was captured she had taken only one prize, a Portuguese schooner carrying a cargo of salt for Cork.
Next, on 18 September 1807, Dryad, in company with , captured the Jomsrue Ellen, Jensin, master. Then on the 27 September 1807 Dryad captured the Nimrod, H. Nicholayson, master. Six days later Dryad captured the Garde Haab.
On 22 September, Dryad captured the Danish ship Carl.
Then on 4 September, Dryad and Viginie captured the Danish brig Inge Berg Maria. Lastly, on 15 November 1808, Dryad captured the Unie.
The Walcheren Expedition (1809)
Captain Edward Galwey took command in 1809, and remained captain of Dryad until the end of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic 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...
. On 28 July Dryad sailed with a large fleet from the Downs
The Downs
The Downs are a roadstead or area of sea in the southern North Sea near the English Channel off the east Kent coast, between the North and the South Foreland in southern England. In 1639 the Battle of the Downs took place here, when the Dutch navy destroyed a Spanish fleet which had sought refuge...
. This fleet, and the troops they carried, formed part of the Walcheren Expedition, the aim of which was to demolish the dockyards
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
and arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
s at Antwerp, Terneuzen
Terneuzen
Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
, and Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
.
On 11 August Dryad formed part of a squadron of frigates directed to sound
Sound (nautical)
In nautical terms, the word Sound is used to describe the process of determining the depth of water in a tank or under a ship. Tanks are sounded to determine if they are full or empty and for other reasons...
and buoy
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
the Sloe Strait in preparation for the attack on Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
, which fell on 15 August. In forcing the West Scheld, the British ships were under fire from shore batteries for two hours, during which time they suffered two men killed and nine wounded; Dryad had no casualties. Prize money was paid in 1812. The expedition ended in failure, mostly due to malaria decimating the expeditionary force, which withdrew by September.
The Home Station (1809 - 1814)
Between 1809 and 1814 Dryad served on the Home Station, including the north coast of Spain under the orders of Commodore Sir Robert MendsRobert Mends
Captain Sir Robert Mends was a prominent British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, who lost an arm in the American War of Independence, caught in an explosion at the Battle of Groix in 1795 and wounded again at the Action of 6 April 1809...
. On 6 February 1810 she and recaptured the Dobridge and the Hercules.
In late June and early July Dryad was part of a British squadron that destroyed all the French batteries (except for Castro) on the Spanish coast from St. Sebastian (a fortified town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay) to St. Andero
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
. Landing parties destroyed one hundred heavy guns and essentially denuded that coast of its defences, all without suffering any casualties. On 31 October, Dryad recaptured the Americana.
The year 1811 was busy. Dryads list of prizes includes:
- American ship Matilda (28 January; in sight of and );
- American schooneer Two Sisters, with a cargo of fish;
- Post Boy (17 March);
- French schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
La Balam (22 March); - the recapture of the Nancy (14 April);
- chasse marees St. Jean, St. Francois, and Louise (10 and 12 July);
- chasse marees Deux Amis, Marie, and Jean Baptiste (5 September; Dryad sharing with four other vessels); and
- an unnamed French brigBrigA brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
(9 October).
A commissioned officer's share of the salvage money for the Nancy was £16 1s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
5½d; an able seaman's share was 16s 10¾d. For an able seaman this would represent about two weeks' wages.
Dryad docked in 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...
during October. However, by January 1812 she was again sending prizes in:
- Spy from New YorkNew YorkNew 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...
(27 January); - Prudentia (31 January);
- Don Roderick (16 February); and
- Purse (29 May).
On 15 May Dryad and captured the French schooner Hirondelle.
On 26 May 1812, , and Dryad shared in the capture of the General Gates. Armide also shared by agreement.
Dryad was employed on less glamorous tasks as well - during August 1812 she conveyed bullocks
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
to 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...
, a filthy and unpleasant mission. On 23 December 1812 Captain Galway drove a French brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
of 22 guns ashore on the Île d'Yeu
Île d'Yeu
Île d'Yeu is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France.The island's two harbours, Port-Joinville in the north and Port de la Meule, located in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famous for the fishing of tuna and lobster....
, which wrecked her. Dryad took several hits in her hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
and foremast from shots fired by shore batteries but suffered no casualties.
On 7 January 1813, Dryad captured the American ship Porcupine, of 330 tons burthen. Porcupine was armed with four guns and carried a crew of 13 men. She was sailing from New York to Bordeaux with a cargo of cotton and potash. The privateer Chance was in sight and so shared in the prize money. Soon afterward, Dryad captured the American schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Rosa (or Rossie) from Baltimore, which arrived in 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...
on 17 January 1813. Eight ships of the Royal Navy were in sight, as was the Chance. Then six days later, Dryad was among the 11 vessels that shared in the recapture of the schooner Industry.
Capture of Clorinde (1814)
While returning from Newfoundland in company with the 16-gun brig-sloop , on 26 February Dryad came across the damaged French frigate ClorindeFrench frigate Clorinde (1808)
The Clorinde was a 40-gun Pallas-class frigate of the French Navy, designed by Sané.From June 1809, she was stationed with the 16-gun Milan and the 38-gun Renommée. In September, she sailed with Renommée, Loire and Seine to Guadeloupe...
, which had attempted to escape after a hard-fought battle the previous day. Eurotas had twenty men and officers killed and forty wounded; the French estimated their losses at 120 men. Captain John Phillimore
John Phillimore
Sir John Phillimore CB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was involved in several notable actions during his active career, taking part in both Battles of Copenhagen, sending Sir Hyde Parker's famous signal to Nelson in the...
of Eurotas was among those listed as severely wounded. Clorinde was under the command of Captain Dennis Legard, mounted forty-four guns and four brass swivel gun
Swivel gun
The term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
s in each top, and had had a crew of 360 men.
In his letter of report, Phillimore observed that the approach of Dryad and Achates was "to the great mortification of every one on board", because Eurotas had spent all night setting up a jury-rig, and the Prize Rules
Rules of Prize Warfare
Prize rules or cruiser rules govern the taking of prizes: vessels captured on the high seas during war. They are intertwined with the blockade rules.Customary rules were originally laid down in the days of sailing ships...
meant that all ships in sight shared in the prize money. After a single cannon shot, Clorinde surrendered to Dryad, which towed her into Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. 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...
took Clorinde into service as .
Post-war
Dryad was decommissioned on her return with Clorinde, and although in 1816 she was fitted for a voyage 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...
, the plan was canceled. She remained out of commission at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
until 1825.
The Mediterranean (1825-1830)
Dryad was recommissioned in August 1825 under Captain Hon. Robert Rodney (4th son of George Rodney, 2nd Baron Rodney) at SheernessSheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
for service in the Mediterranean. Less than a year later, on 20 July 1826, Rodney died while in command of the frigate. His successor was Captain The Hon. George Crofton (son of Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet was an Irish politician.Crofton was the son of Sir Marcus Crofton, 1st Baronet and his wife, Catherine and succeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father in 1784....
). The ship visited Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
and Aegina
Aegina
Aegina is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of Aeacus, who was born in and ruled the island. During ancient times, Aegina was a rival to Athens, the great sea power of the era.-Municipality:The municipality...
between July 1827 and June 1828.
The Preventative Squadron (1830-1832)
By November 1829 Dryad was recommissioning in PlymouthPlymouth
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...
for foreign service. Captain John Hayes
John Hayes (Royal Navy officer)
Rear-Admiral John Hayes, CB was a prominent British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Hayes was best known for his skill at seamanship and his interest in the design and construction of naval vessels, beginning with his childhood education at Deptford...
joined her in May 1830 and she sailed for the coast of Africa on 29 September 1830, with Captain Hayes serving as Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
on that station, a station with a well-deserved reputation for killing sailors by disease. and , both captured ex-slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
s, were tenders
Ship's tender
A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
to Dryad, and between November 1830 and March 1832, they accounted for 11 out of the 13 slavers the squadron captured. Despite the hardships, the West Africa Squadron
West Africa Squadron
The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron at substantial expense in 1808 after Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807. The squadron's task was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa...
carried out a determined effort to stop the slave trade, a task that increasing international co-operation gradually more effective.
Dryads visits to Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
brought welcome relief to the crew from the torrid climate of West Africa, as well as fresh provisions and time ashore for recreation. It also gave them time to water, refit and paint her. Dryad carried out hydrography, too. In 1832 The Nautical Magazine
The Nautical Magazine
The Nautical Magazine is a monthly magazine published by Brown Son & Ferguson containing articles of general interest to seafarers. The magazine was first published in 1832 and has variously been known as The Nautical magazine and naval chronicle for ... and Nautical magazine and journal of the...
recorded one such occasion:
On 21 or 22 February 1831 Black Joke captured a slaver with 300 slaves on board. This was probably the Spanish schooner Primeira. At the time Black Joke was acting as a tender to Dryad.
On 20 April, Black Joke captured the Marinerito. On 19 July, Fair Rosamond captured the Spanish slave schooner Potosi. On 10 September Fair Rosamond and Black Joke captured the Spanish slave vessels Regulo and Rapido.
On 15 February 1832, Black Joke captured Spanish schooner Frasquita, alias Centilla. This vessel too yielded bounty money for the slaves on board her.
Dryads voyage home started in The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
on 31 May 1832, and after a short stop in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
at the beginning of July, she arrived in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 25 July. On 11 August she sailed for Cork, Ireland
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, and returned to Portsmouth on 29 August.
Fate
Dryad was taken out of commission for the last time on 13 September 1832 and she then became a receiving ship at PortsmouthHMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
. She was broken up in 1862.
Commanding officers
| From | To | |Captain |
|---|---|---|
| June 1795 | 7 October 1795 | Captain Hon. Robert Forbes, drowned off Norway in command on 7 October 1795 |
| December 1795 | December 1798 | Captain Lord Amelius Beauclerk Lord Amelius Beauclerk Admiral Lord Amelius Beauclerk, GCB, GCH, FRS was a British Royal Navy officer.-Early life:Beauclerk was born on 23 May 1771, the third son of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans and his wife, the former Lady Catherine Ponsonby , daughter of William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough... |
| February 1799 | June 1802 | Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield |
| May 1803 | February 1803 | Captain Robert Williams |
| 1804 | 1804 | Captain John Giffard |
| 1804 | 1809 | Captain Adam Drummond |
| July 1807 | 1808 | Captain William Price Cumby, pro tempore Pro tempore Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative... command |
| 1809 | 1814 | Captain Edward Galway |
| 1814 | 1825 | Out of commission |
| August 1825 | 20 July 1826 | Captain The Hon. Robert Rodney, died in command on 20 July 1826 |
| 24 July 1826 | 1830 | Captain The Hon. George Alfred Crofton |
| May 1830 | 13 September 1832 | Captain John Hayes John Hayes (Royal Navy officer) Rear-Admiral John Hayes, CB was a prominent British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Hayes was best known for his skill at seamanship and his interest in the design and construction of naval vessels, beginning with his childhood education at Deptford... |