.gif)
HMS Swiftsure (1787)
Encyclopedia
HMS Swiftsure was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line
of the Royal Navy
. She spent most of her career serving with the British, except for a brief period when she was captured by the French during the Napoleonic Wars
. She fought in several of the most famous engagements of the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for the British at the Battle of the Nile
, and the French at the Battle of Trafalgar
.
on 19 June 1782, as an Elizabeth class
ship of the line. She was laid down in May 1784 and launched on on 4 April 1787. She was initially commissioned on 22 May 1787 at Deptford, and recommissioned at Woolwich
on 21 August 1787. She had cost £31,241.3.5 to build, with a further £10,643 spent on fitting her out. She was coppered at Woolwich for a further £1,635.
where in August she underwent another refit, for £6,456, to prepare her for service in the English Channel
. After her initial period of service she was paid off in September 1791, and underwent a more significant refit for the sum of £11,413, followed by further work being carried out the next year. She returned to service and was recommissioned under Captain Charles Boyles in July 1793. Swiftsure served as the flagship
of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Kingsmill
, and operated on the Irish Station during 1794. At the Action of 7 May 1794
she captured the 36-gun French frigate
Atalante, before returning to Plymouth to carry out repairs. She again returned to service, and left Britain for Jamaica
on 14 May 1795. In December 1795 Swiftsure passed under the command of Captain Robert Parker, under whom she returned to Britain. She was refitted at Portsmouth
the following year, before commissioning in October 1796 under Captain Arthur Phillips. He was succeeded in September 1797 by Captain John Irwin, but the following month Captain Benjamin Hallowell
took command.
Hallowell was still in command of Swiftsure in 1798, when he was ordered to join Horatio Nelson's
squadron, watching the French fleet at Toulon
. After the French escaped and captured Malta
in June, and invaded Egypt in July, Nelson and his fleet pursued them, eventually locating them anchored in Aboukir Bay
on 1 August. Swiftsure was not initially with the fleet, having been ordered by Nelson to reconnoitre Alexandria
, before the French had been discovered. He arrived on the scene after dark and moved into the bay to attack. The darkness and the smoke made it difficult to tell which ship was British and which was French, so Hallowell decided to hold fire until he had anchored and prepared his ship. As he moved closer, a darkened ship was spotted standing out of the action. Hallowell determined her to be French, but decided to hold to his original plan and passed her by. The ship was in fact , which had gone up against the much larger 110-gun French first rate Orient
earlier in the battle, until being dismasted and forced to drift out of the action.
Hallowell took Swiftsure in, eventually anchoring across the stern of Franklin and the bow of Orient, and proceeded to open fire on them. After an hour of exchanging shots, a fire was observed in the cabin of Orient. Hallowell ordered his men to concentrate their fire on this area, while came along the opposite side and did the same. The French began to abandon ship as the fire spread, and a number were brought aboard the British ships, Swiftsure taking on Orient′s first lieutenant and ten men. Seeing that the fire was now out of control, Swiftsure and the other British ships moved away from the area, but when Orient exploded at 10pm, Swiftsure was still near enough to be struck by debris.
After the destruction of the Orient, Swiftsure, in company with , continued to exchange fire with the Franklin, until she surrendered. Swiftsure then moved on to engage the Tonnant, eventually helping to drive her ashore. Swiftsure had seven killed and 22 wounded during the battle. Hallowell received a Gold Medal
for his role in the battle, and Swiftsure′s first lieutenant, Thomas Cowan, was promoted to commander
. After the battle Hallowell and Swiftsure took over Aboukir island on 8 August, destroying several enemy guns, and carrying the rest away. Two days later, on 10 August, Swiftsure came across and captured the 16-gun corvette
Fortune.
. She then joined Thomas Troubridge's
squadron and sailed for Naples
on 31 March. They arrived on 2 April, and Hallowell landed at Procida
to restore monarchist rule. The squadron then cruised off the Italian coast, and supported land based operations, helping to reduce several fortresses. On 7 August Swiftsure was dispatched to Civitavecchia
to carry Hallowell to negotiate the surrender of the French garrison. Before the negotiations were complete the Swiftsure was ordered to Gibraltar
, and from there to Lisbon
, arriving at the latter on 30 November. She cruised off the area with the British squadron, capturing two merchant vessels on 6 December.
bound for Lima
. Two frigates and a number of merchantmen were subsequently captured. Swiftsure followed up this success on 12 April by capturing a Spanish schooner
. She then became Sir Richard Bickerton's flagship during the blockade of Cadiz, before being assigned to the fleet under Lord Keith. Keith's fleet covered the landings at Aboukir
on 8 March 1801, where the Swiftsure′s naval brigade
helped to repulse French counter-attacks. Having several of her men wounded, and others sick, Keith took 80 of Swiftsure′s best men and sent her to Malta as a convoy escort.
Whilst at sea, Hallowell learnt that a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume
had put to sea. Hallowell decided to return to reinforce Sir John Warren's squadron, but on 24 June she was sighted by Ganteaume's force. Already damaged and slow, as well as undermanned, Swiftsure was overtaken by the faster French fleet, consisting of four ships of the line and a frigate. The Indivisible
and Dix-Août
had succeeded in shooting away her yards and masts, and the Swiftsure was forced to surrender. Two men were killed, two were mortally wounded, and another six were wounded aboard Swiftsure, whilst the French lost 33 killed and wounded. On his repatriation, Hallowell received the court-martial
that was automatic for a Royal Navy captain who had lost his ship, but was honourably acquitted. Meanwhile the captured Swiftsure was taken into service with the French Navy, with her name being retained.
.jpg)
She only spent four years with the French, before forming part of Vice-Admiral Villeneuve's
fleet at Cadiz, under her captain, Charles-Eusebe l'Hôpitalier-Villemadrin. On 21 October 1805 she sailed out with the combined Franco-Spanish fleets to engage in the Battle of Trafalgar
. During the battle she formed part of the rear of the line, astern of Aigle and ahead of Argonaute
. She was fired upon by , and after an exchange of fire, lost her main topmast and had her guns silenced. She began to drift away, while the Colossus opened fire on the Bahama. Her crew regained control, and returned to fire on the Colossus, but at that moment Edward Codrington
's came through the smoke, slipped under Swiftsure′s stern and discharged several devastating broadsides. The Swiftsure had her mainmast, taffrail
and wheel
shot away, and most of the guns on the main gun-deck were dismounted. Villemadrin attempted to fight on, but eventually struck, having suffered 68 dead and 123 wounded during the battle.
After the battle she was taken in tow by . The subsequent storm caused the line to break, and by 23 October she was drifting towards Cadiz. The frigate
was however able to reattach a tow line, and also put several of her own carpenters aboard to stop up the leaks. The worsening weather again caused her to break free however, but the party of men landed by the Phoebe succeeded in keeping control of the vessel, and brought her to anchor on 26 October. She was taken in tow for the final time by , and brought into Gibraltar.
on 11 June 1806. By this time, another had already entered service, and had been present at Trafalgar. The captured Swiftsure was renamed HMS Irresistible, and was laid up. She was recommissioned in March 1808 under Captain George Fowke, and was used as a prison ship
at Chatham. She served in this role until being broken up there in January 1816.
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
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 spent most of her career serving with the British, except for a brief period when she was captured by the French 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...
. She fought in several of the most famous engagements of 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, fighting for the British at the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, and the French 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 ....
.
Construction and commissioning
Swiftsure was ordered from the yards of John & William Wells, 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...
on 19 June 1782, as an Elizabeth class
Elizabeth class ship of the line
The Elizabeth-class ships of the line were a class of eight 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade....
ship of the line. She was laid down in May 1784 and launched on on 4 April 1787. She was initially commissioned on 22 May 1787 at Deptford, and recommissioned 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...
on 21 August 1787. She had cost £31,241.3.5 to build, with a further £10,643 spent on fitting her out. She was coppered at Woolwich for a further £1,635.
British career
She was commissioned for service under her first captain, Sir James Wallace in June 1790. She sailed to 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...
where in August she underwent another refit, for £6,456, to prepare her for 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...
. After her initial period of service she was paid off in September 1791, and underwent a more significant refit for the sum of £11,413, followed by further work being carried out the next year. She returned to service and was recommissioned under Captain Charles Boyles in July 1793. Swiftsure served as 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 Robert Kingsmill
Sir Robert Kingsmill, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Brice Kingsmill, 1st Baronet was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned nearly 60 years...
, and operated on the Irish Station during 1794. At the Action of 7 May 1794
Action of 7 May 1794
The Action of 7 May 1794 was a minor naval action fought between a British ship of the line and a French frigate early in the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Navy sought to disrupt British trade by intercepting and capturing merchant ships with roving frigates, a strategy countered by...
she captured the 36-gun French frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Atalante, before returning to Plymouth to carry out repairs. She again returned to service, and left Britain for 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...
on 14 May 1795. In December 1795 Swiftsure passed under the command of Captain Robert Parker, under whom she returned to Britain. She was refitted at 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 following year, before commissioning in October 1796 under Captain Arthur Phillips. He was succeeded in September 1797 by Captain John Irwin, but the following month Captain Benjamin Hallowell
Benjamin Hallowell Carew
Admiral Sir Benjamin Hallowell Carew GCB, was a senior officer in the Royal Navy...
took command.
Battle of the Nile
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...
squadron, watching the French fleet at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. After the French escaped and captured Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in June, and invaded Egypt in July, Nelson and his fleet pursued them, eventually locating them anchored in Aboukir Bay
Abu Qir Bay
The Abū Qīr Bay is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt, lying between Abu Qir and the Rosetta mouth of the Nile. It contains a natural gas field, discovered in the 1970s.On August 1, 1798, Horatio Nelson fought the Battle of the Nile, often referred to as the "Battle of Aboukir Bay"...
on 1 August. Swiftsure was not initially with the fleet, having been ordered by Nelson to reconnoitre Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, before the French had been discovered. He arrived on the scene after dark and moved into the bay to attack. The darkness and the smoke made it difficult to tell which ship was British and which was French, so Hallowell decided to hold fire until he had anchored and prepared his ship. As he moved closer, a darkened ship was spotted standing out of the action. Hallowell determined her to be French, but decided to hold to his original plan and passed her by. The ship was in fact , which had gone up against the much larger 110-gun French first rate Orient
French ship Orient (1791)
The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
earlier in the battle, until being dismasted and forced to drift out of the action.
Hallowell took Swiftsure in, eventually anchoring across the stern of Franklin and the bow of Orient, and proceeded to open fire on them. After an hour of exchanging shots, a fire was observed in the cabin of Orient. Hallowell ordered his men to concentrate their fire on this area, while came along the opposite side and did the same. The French began to abandon ship as the fire spread, and a number were brought aboard the British ships, Swiftsure taking on Orient′s first lieutenant and ten men. Seeing that the fire was now out of control, Swiftsure and the other British ships moved away from the area, but when Orient exploded at 10pm, Swiftsure was still near enough to be struck by debris.
After the destruction of the Orient, Swiftsure, in company with , continued to exchange fire with the Franklin, until she surrendered. Swiftsure then moved on to engage the Tonnant, eventually helping to drive her ashore. Swiftsure had seven killed and 22 wounded during the battle. Hallowell received a Gold Medal
Naval Gold Medal
The Naval Gold Medal was a medal awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy in specified actions.Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers , commodores and captains of the fleet...
for his role in the battle, and Swiftsure′s first lieutenant, Thomas Cowan, was promoted to commander
Commander (Royal Navy)
Commander is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is immediately junior to captain and immediately senior to the rank of lieutenant commander...
. After the battle Hallowell and Swiftsure took over Aboukir island on 8 August, destroying several enemy guns, and carrying the rest away. Two days later, on 10 August, Swiftsure came across and captured the 16-gun corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Fortune.
Egyptian and Italian coasts
Swiftsure initially remained off Egypt as part of Samuel Hood's squadron, before departing on 14 February 1799 to join Nelson, then at PalermoPalermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
. She then joined Thomas Troubridge's
Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet was a British naval commander and politician.Troubridge was educated at St Paul's School, London. He entered the Royal Navy in 1773 and, together with Nelson, served in the East Indies in the frigate Seahorse. In 1785 he returned to England in the Sultan as...
squadron and sailed for Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 31 March. They arrived on 2 April, and Hallowell landed at Procida
Procida
Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the province of Naples, in the region of Campania. The population is about ten...
to restore monarchist rule. The squadron then cruised off the Italian coast, and supported land based operations, helping to reduce several fortresses. On 7 August Swiftsure was dispatched to Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located 80 kilometers west-north-west of Rome, across the Mignone river. The harbor is formed by two piers and a breakwater, on which is a lighthouse...
to carry Hallowell to negotiate the surrender of the French garrison. Before the negotiations were complete the Swiftsure was ordered to 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...
, and from there to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, arriving at the latter on 30 November. She cruised off the area with the British squadron, capturing two merchant vessels on 6 December.
Capture
Whilst at sea in February 1800, Swiftsure was caught in a gale and badly damaged, having to return to Gibraltar for repairs. On returning to service with the squadron, an enemy fleet was seen on 7 April, having sailed from CadizCádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
bound for Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
. Two frigates and a number of merchantmen were subsequently captured. Swiftsure followed up this success on 12 April by capturing a Spanish 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....
. She then became Sir Richard Bickerton's flagship during the blockade of Cadiz, before being assigned to the fleet under Lord Keith. Keith's fleet covered the landings at Aboukir
Battle of Abukir (1801)
The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second battle of the Egyptian campaign in the French Revolutionary Wars, to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile delta. A British army of 5,000 led by General Ralph Abercromby landed along the beach to dislodge an entrenched...
on 8 March 1801, where the Swiftsure′s naval brigade
Naval Brigade
A Naval Brigade is a body of sailors serving in a ground combat role to augment land forces.-Royal Navy:Within the Royal Navy, a Naval Brigade is a large temporary detachment of Royal Marines and of seamen from the Royal Navy formed to undertake operations on shore, particularly during the mid- to...
helped to repulse French counter-attacks. Having several of her men wounded, and others sick, Keith took 80 of Swiftsure′s best men and sent her to Malta as a convoy escort.
Whilst at sea, Hallowell learnt that a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume
Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume
Count Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume was a French admiral.Ganteaume was born to a family of merchant sailors, and sailed on a dozen commercial cruises in his youth...
had put to sea. Hallowell decided to return to reinforce Sir John Warren's squadron, but on 24 June she was sighted by Ganteaume's force. Already damaged and slow, as well as undermanned, Swiftsure was overtaken by the faster French fleet, consisting of four ships of the line and a frigate. The Indivisible
French ship Indivisible (1799)
Indivisible was a Tonnant class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Originally named the Indivisible in 1793, she was commissioned in Toulon on 23 September 1800. On 5 February 1803, she was renamed Alexandre, and recommissioned in Brest under captain Leveyer.In December, under captain...
and Dix-Août
French ship Cassard (1795)
Cassard was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Dix-août in 1798 and subsequently Brave in 1803.On the 27 March 1801, as she sailed with the fleet of Toulon, she collided with the Formidable and had to return to harbour.She was captured by the HMS Donegal on 6 February...
had succeeded in shooting away her yards and masts, and the Swiftsure was forced to surrender. Two men were killed, two were mortally wounded, and another six were wounded aboard Swiftsure, whilst the French lost 33 killed and wounded. On his repatriation, Hallowell received the court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
that was automatic for a Royal Navy captain who had lost his ship, but was honourably acquitted. Meanwhile the captured Swiftsure was taken into service with the French Navy, with her name being retained.
Battle of Trafalgar
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....
fleet at Cadiz, under her captain, Charles-Eusebe l'Hôpitalier-Villemadrin. On 21 October 1805 she sailed out with the combined Franco-Spanish fleets to engage in 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 ....
. During the battle she formed part of the rear of the line, astern of Aigle and ahead of Argonaute
French ship Argonaute (1798)
The Argonaute was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Under Villaret de Joyeuse, she took part in the expedition to Saint Domingue.She took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and managed to return to Cádiz...
. She was fired upon by , and after an exchange of fire, lost her main topmast and had her guns silenced. She began to drift away, while the Colossus opened fire on the Bahama. Her crew regained control, and returned to fire on the Colossus, but at that moment Edward Codrington
Edward Codrington
Admiral Sir Edward Codrington GCB RN was a British admiral, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Navarino.-Early life and career:...
's came through the smoke, slipped under Swiftsure′s stern and discharged several devastating broadsides. The Swiftsure had her mainmast, taffrail
Taffrail
A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water...
and wheel
Ship's wheel
A ship's wheel is the modern method of adjusting the angle of a boat or ship's rudder in order to cause the vessel to change its course. Together with the rest of the steering mechanism it forms part of the helm. It is typically connected to a mechanical, electric servo, or hydraulic system...
shot away, and most of the guns on the main gun-deck were dismounted. Villemadrin attempted to fight on, but eventually struck, having suffered 68 dead and 123 wounded during the battle.
After the battle she was taken in tow by . The subsequent storm caused the line to break, and by 23 October she was drifting towards Cadiz. The frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
was however able to reattach a tow line, and also put several of her own carpenters aboard to stop up the leaks. The worsening weather again caused her to break free however, but the party of men landed by the Phoebe succeeded in keeping control of the vessel, and brought her to anchor on 26 October. She was taken in tow for the final time by , and brought into Gibraltar.
Return to the Royal Navy
Swiftsure was repaired at Gibraltar and was recommissioned in April 1806 under Captain George Digby. She sailed home, arriving at ChathamChatham 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...
on 11 June 1806. By this time, another had already entered service, and had been present at Trafalgar. The captured Swiftsure was renamed HMS Irresistible, and was laid up. She was recommissioned in March 1808 under Captain George Fowke, and was used as a prison ship
Prison ship
A prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies. This practice was popular with the British government in the 18th and 19th centuries....
at Chatham. She served in this role until being broken up there in January 1816.