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HMS Hydra (1797)
Encyclopedia
HMS Hydra launched in 1797 was a fifth-rate
frigate of the Royal Navy
, armed with a main battery of twenty-eight 18-pounder guns.
She was built to the design of the captured French frigate Melpomene (taken in 1794).
. She was present at the capture and destruction of the French 36-gun La Confiante on 31 May 1798 and was anchored at the Nore
on Sunday 17 May 1801 (as recorded in the journal of Captain Matthew Flinders
of HMS Investigator. Under the command of Captain George Mundy
, for eight years from October 1802 to September 1810, she had an active career in the Napoleonic Wars
, including the Blockade of Cadiz
1805-1806, the capture of the French brig Furet
on 27 February 1806. She took part in the Peninsular War
in 1807, including the bombardment of the defences of the Catalonian port of Bagur (Begu) on 7 August 1807. She was then out of commission for nearly three years. During a refit at Portsmouth in 1813, she was fitted as a troopship and recommissioned in July 1813 under Captain Joseph Digby. From then until finally paying off in 1817 she was employed as a troopship
and, in that capacity, for example, Captain Robert Lawson's Company, 8th Battalion Royal Artillery
, left Spain
on the 22 July 1814, on board HMS Hydra, bound for Plymouth
. The ship was sold in 1820.
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...
, armed with a main battery of twenty-eight 18-pounder guns.
She was built to the design of the captured French frigate Melpomene (taken in 1794).
Service
The Hydra was commissioned in April 1797 under Captain Sir Francis LaforeyFrancis Laforey
Admiral Sir Francis Laforey, 2nd Baronet, KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, whose distinguished service record included numerous frigate commands in Home waters and in the West Indies...
. She was present at the capture and destruction of the French 36-gun La Confiante on 31 May 1798 and was anchored at the Nore
Nore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
on Sunday 17 May 1801 (as recorded in the journal of Captain Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
of HMS Investigator. Under the command of Captain George Mundy
George Mundy
Admiral Sir George Mundy, KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century, serving principally in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
, for eight years from October 1802 to September 1810, she had an active career in 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...
, including the Blockade of Cadiz
Blockade of Cádiz (1797)
The Assault on Cadiz was a part of a protracted naval blockade of the Spanish port of Cadiz by the Royal Navy, which comprised the siege and the shelling of the city as well as an amphibious assault on the port itself from June to July 1797. After the battle of Cape Saint Vincent the British fleet...
1805-1806, the capture of the French brig Furet
French brig Furet (1801)
Furet was an Abeille class 16-gun brig of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, after which she found herself bloackaded in Cadiz.She took part in Lamellerie's expedition, and was captured by HMS Hydra on 27 February 1806....
on 27 February 1806. She took part in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
in 1807, including the bombardment of the defences of the Catalonian port of Bagur (Begu) on 7 August 1807. She was then out of commission for nearly three years. During a refit at Portsmouth in 1813, she was fitted as a troopship and recommissioned in July 1813 under Captain Joseph Digby. From then until finally paying off in 1817 she was employed as a troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
and, in that capacity, for example, Captain Robert Lawson's Company, 8th Battalion Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, left Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on the 22 July 1814, on board HMS Hydra, bound 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...
. The ship was sold in 1820.