.gif)
HMS Amazon (1799)
Encyclopedia
HMS Amazon was a 38-gun Amazon-class fifth rate of the Royal Navy
. This frigate served during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
under several notable naval commanders and played a key role in the Battle of Copenhagen
under Captain Edward Riou
, when Riou commanded the frigate squadron during the attack. After Riou was killed during the battle, command briefly devolved to First-Lieutenant John Quilliam
. Quilliam made a significant impression on Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson
who appointed him to serve on the flagship , and Amazon passed to William Parker, who continued the association with Nelson with service in the Mediterranean and participation in the chase to the West Indies during the Trafalgar Campaign
. She went on to join Sir John Borlase Warren’s squadron in the Atlantic and took part in the defeat of Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
's forces at the Action of 13 March 1806
. During the battle, she hunted down and captured the 40-gun frigate Belle Poule
.
Amazon continued in service for several more years, being active in combating raiders and privateer
s, before being withdrawn from active service in late 1811. She was retained in ordinary until several years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, when she was broken up.
on 27 April 1796 and laid down there that month. She was launched on 18 May 1799 and quickly put into service, having cost £33,972 to build, including fitting her out. She was commissioned in May 1799 under her first commander, Captain Edward Riou
.
, capturing the French privateer
Bougainville on 14 February 1800. She was out of Saint Malo, mounted eighteen 6-pounder guns, and had a crew of 82 men under the command of
Pierre Dupont. The next day she collided with Amazon and eventually sank, with the loss of one man drowned.
Riou and Amazon were then assigned to Sir Hyde Parker's expedition to the Baltic
in 1801, to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality
.
Riou worked closely with Parker's second in command Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson
and Captain Thomas Foley in the lead up to the Battle of Copenhagen
, and Nelson duly appointed Riou commander of the frigates and smaller vessels, with the instruction to deploy his ships in support of the main fleet. As the battle began, several of Nelson's ships of the line
ran aground on shoals in the harbour forcing the improvision of a new plan of attack. As Nelson's ships engaged their Danish counterparts, Riou took his frigates in to harass the Tre Kroner forts and blockships. Although the frigates were heavily outmatched and dangerously exposed they maintained the engagement for several hours. The ships suffered heavy casualties, and a splinter hit Riou on the head.
At 1.15 pm, Parker was waiting outside the harbour with the reserve and raised a signal ordering Nelson to withdraw. Nelson acknowledged the signal but ignored it, while Nelson's second in command, Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves repeated the signal but did not obey it. Riou now found himself in a difficult position. Too junior an officer to risk disobeying a direct order, he remained in action for a further half an hour before reluctantly giving the order for his small squadron to withdraw. Withdrawing forced his ships to turn their sterns to the Danish guns, exposing their most vulnerable area. When and then withdrew, this reduced the thick cloud of gunsmoke that was helping to obscure the British ships and left Amazon exposed to the full force of the Danish guns. Lieutenant-Colonel William Stuart, commanding the soldiers of the 48th Regiment
, recorded that Riou was killed:
Command of the Amazon devolved to her first lieutenant, John Quilliam
, who completed the withdrawal. Nelson went aboard the badly damaged Amazon after the battle and asked Quilliam how he was doing. Quilliam replied 'Middlin', a response that apparently amused Nelson and may have contributed to Nelson's subsequent appointment of Quilliam as first lieutenant aboard .
, who was succeeded the following year by Captain William Parker. Under Parker, Amazon captured the 16-gun privateer Felix on 26 July 1803, and survived a brush with a French fleet off Cape Capet on 2 May 1804. Amazon was one of the ships to take part in the Trafalgar Campaign
the following year, serving with Nelson in the Mediterranean. On one occasion in December 1804 Nelson ordered Parker to bring a consignment of live bullocks to supply the fleet off Toulon
. The Amazon was a notably smart ship, and had just been repainted, so presumably the instruction to convert his ship into a floating farmyard was not received with much enthusiasm. Parker duly returned with a shipment, prompting Nelson to enquire with gentle humour 'Well, Parker, of course you would not dirty the Amazon for much for anything; have you brought a dozen and a half, or a dozen?' Parker had in fact brought sixty bullocks and thirty sheep, prompting Nelson to promise a reward for his good service.
Parker and the Amazon remained with Nelson after the division of the Mediterranean commands left the Spanish coasts under the supervision of Sir John Orde
. Nelson suspected that Orde was intercepting his despatches and commandeering Nelson's frigates to use himself. Nelson therefore ordered Parker not to stop for any of Orde's ships if this was possible. Parker attempted this but was intercepted by . He was however able to convince the Eurydices commander, William Hoste
, to turn a blind eye and having delivered his despatches to Lisbon
, acted on Nelson's hint that he was not expected back until February by carrying out a cruise that netted him several prizes worth a total of £20,000. Orde complained about the 'poaching' taking place on his station, but the prize money went to Parker and Nelson.
as the 'best frigate captain in the service', and Parker sped along the line in Amazon, delivering the instructions so efficiently that the fleet lost 'hardly a yard of ground'. Once more in European waters after the fleet's return, Amazon captured the Spanish privateer Principe de la Paz off Ushant
on 17 September 1805. Principe was armed with twenty-four 9-pounder guns and four swivels
. Her crew of 160 men, under the command of Captain François Beck, were principally French. She had been out five weeks and had captured the packet
Prince of Wales from Lisbon, and the letter of marque
Lady Nelson, which had been sailing from Virginia to Glasgow. Part of Lady Nelsons crew was aboard Principe, as was a considerable amount of specie.
Amazon was back in the Atlantic in 1806, this time as part of Sir John Borlase Warren’s pursuit of Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
. When Warren's fleet unexpectedly encountered a separate French fleet under Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
, Amazon became involved in the resulting Action of 13 March 1806
. During the battle she hunted down and captured the 40-gun frigate Belle Poule
in a running engagement. The Amazon lost four killed and five wounded during the engagement, while the Belle Poule lost six killed and 24 wounded. Amazon captured the 14-gun privateer Général Pérignon on 21 January 1810, and Captain John Joyce succeeded Parker as captain in May. Joyce captured the 14-gun privateer Cupidon on 23 March 1811.
. She paid off the following year and saw out the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars
in Ordinary
. HMS Amazon was finally broken up at Plymouth in May 1817.
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...
. This frigate served during 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
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...
under several notable naval commanders and played a key role in the Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1801)
The Battle of Copenhagen was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker's...
under Captain Edward Riou
Edward Riou
Edward Riou was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary Wars under several of the most distinguished naval officers of his age and won fame and honour for two incidents in particular....
, when Riou commanded the frigate squadron during the attack. After Riou was killed during the battle, command briefly devolved to First-Lieutenant John Quilliam
John Quilliam
Captain John Quilliam RN was a British Royal Navy officer and the First Lieutenant on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was a farmer’s son from the Isle of Man.-Career:...
. Quilliam made a significant impression on Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson
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...
who appointed him to serve on the flagship , and Amazon passed to William Parker, who continued the association with Nelson with service in the Mediterranean and participation in the chase to the West Indies during the Trafalgar Campaign
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
. She went on to join Sir John Borlase Warren’s squadron in the Atlantic and took part in the defeat of Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
's forces at the Action of 13 March 1806
Action of 13 March 1806
The Action of 13 March 1806 was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought when a British and a French squadron met unexpectedly in the mid-Atlantic. Neither force was aware of the presence of the other prior to the encounter and were participating in separate campaigns...
. During the battle, she hunted down and captured the 40-gun frigate Belle Poule
HMS Belle Poule (1806)
HMS Belle Poule was a 40-gun Royal Navy fifth rate frigate, formerly Belle Poule, a Virginie-class frigate of the French Navy, which was built by the Crucy family's shipyard at Basse-Indre to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané...
.
Amazon continued in service for several more years, being active in combating raiders and 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...
s, before being withdrawn from active service in late 1811. She was retained in ordinary until several years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, when she was broken up.
Construction and commissioning
One of two ships built to a design by Sir William Rule, Amazon was ordered from Woolwich DockyardWoolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....
on 27 April 1796 and laid down there that month. She was launched on 18 May 1799 and quickly put into service, having cost £33,972 to build, including fitting her out. She was commissioned in May 1799 under her first commander, Captain Edward Riou
Edward Riou
Edward Riou was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary Wars under several of the most distinguished naval officers of his age and won fame and honour for two incidents in particular....
.
British waters and the Baltic
Riou and the Amazon served initially in the English ChannelEnglish 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...
, capturing 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...
Bougainville on 14 February 1800. She was out of Saint Malo, mounted eighteen 6-pounder guns, and had a crew of 82 men under the command of
Pierre Dupont. The next day she collided with Amazon and eventually sank, with the loss of one man drowned.
Riou and Amazon were then assigned to Sir Hyde Parker's expedition to the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
in 1801, to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality
Second League of Armed Neutrality
The Second League of Armed Neutrality or the League of the North was an alliance of the north European naval powers Denmark–Norway, Prussia, Sweden and Russia. It occurred between 1800 and 1801 during the War of the Second Coalition and was initiated by Paul I of Russia...
.
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...
and Captain Thomas Foley in the lead up to the Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1801)
The Battle of Copenhagen was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker's...
, and Nelson duly appointed Riou commander of the frigates and smaller vessels, with the instruction to deploy his ships in support of the main fleet. As the battle began, several of Nelson's ships of the line
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...
ran aground on shoals in the harbour forcing the improvision of a new plan of attack. As Nelson's ships engaged their Danish counterparts, Riou took his frigates in to harass the Tre Kroner forts and blockships. Although the frigates were heavily outmatched and dangerously exposed they maintained the engagement for several hours. The ships suffered heavy casualties, and a splinter hit Riou on the head.
At 1.15 pm, Parker was waiting outside the harbour with the reserve and raised a signal ordering Nelson to withdraw. Nelson acknowledged the signal but ignored it, while Nelson's second in command, Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves repeated the signal but did not obey it. Riou now found himself in a difficult position. Too junior an officer to risk disobeying a direct order, he remained in action for a further half an hour before reluctantly giving the order for his small squadron to withdraw. Withdrawing forced his ships to turn their sterns to the Danish guns, exposing their most vulnerable area. When and then withdrew, this reduced the thick cloud of gunsmoke that was helping to obscure the British ships and left Amazon exposed to the full force of the Danish guns. Lieutenant-Colonel William Stuart, commanding the soldiers of the 48th Regiment
48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
-History:The regiment was first raised in 1741 as James Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot in Norwich, England during the War of Austrian Succession. The regiment first saw action at the Battles of Falkirk and Culloden in 1745-1746, campaigning against the Young Pretender. In 1748, it was renumbered...
, recorded that Riou was killed:
Command of the Amazon devolved to her first lieutenant, John Quilliam
John Quilliam
Captain John Quilliam RN was a British Royal Navy officer and the First Lieutenant on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was a farmer’s son from the Isle of Man.-Career:...
, who completed the withdrawal. Nelson went aboard the badly damaged Amazon after the battle and asked Quilliam how he was doing. Quilliam replied 'Middlin', a response that apparently amused Nelson and may have contributed to Nelson's subsequent appointment of Quilliam as first lieutenant aboard .
Mediterranean
Command of the Amazon then passed to Captain Samuel SuttonSamuel Sutton
Samuel Sutton was an officer in the Royal Navy. He entered the service shortly after the start of the American War of Independence, and spent most of his early career serving with Captain and later Admiral Joshua Rowley. He saw action at several engagements with the French fleets in the West...
, who was succeeded the following year by Captain William Parker. Under Parker, Amazon captured the 16-gun privateer Felix on 26 July 1803, and survived a brush with a French fleet off Cape Capet on 2 May 1804. Amazon was one of the ships to take part in the Trafalgar Campaign
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
the following year, serving with Nelson in the Mediterranean. On one occasion in December 1804 Nelson ordered Parker to bring a consignment of live bullocks to supply the fleet off 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....
. The Amazon was a notably smart ship, and had just been repainted, so presumably the instruction to convert his ship into a floating farmyard was not received with much enthusiasm. Parker duly returned with a shipment, prompting Nelson to enquire with gentle humour 'Well, Parker, of course you would not dirty the Amazon for much for anything; have you brought a dozen and a half, or a dozen?' Parker had in fact brought sixty bullocks and thirty sheep, prompting Nelson to promise a reward for his good service.
Parker and the Amazon remained with Nelson after the division of the Mediterranean commands left the Spanish coasts under the supervision of Sir John Orde
Sir John Orde, 1st Baronet
Sir John Orde, 1st Baronet was the third son of John Orde, of Morpeth, Northumberland, and the brother of Thomas Orde-Powlett, 1st Baron Bolton...
. Nelson suspected that Orde was intercepting his despatches and commandeering Nelson's frigates to use himself. Nelson therefore ordered Parker not to stop for any of Orde's ships if this was possible. Parker attempted this but was intercepted by . He was however able to convince the Eurydices commander, William Hoste
William Hoste
Captain Sir William Hoste, 1st Baronet KCB RN , Royal Navy captain, was the son of Dixon Hoste, rector of Godwick and Tittleshall in Norfolk...
, to turn a blind eye and having delivered his despatches 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...
, acted on Nelson's hint that he was not expected back until February by carrying out a cruise that netted him several prizes worth a total of £20,000. Orde complained about the 'poaching' taking place on his station, but the prize money went to Parker and Nelson.
West Indies and Atlantic
Amazon went on to join Nelson in the chase to the West Indies and back during the Trafalgar Campaign. During the voyage across the Atlantic, Nelson wanted to pass on specific instructions to his captains about how he wished to engage the French, but did not want to lose time by ordering his ships to heave to. Instead he gave the plans to Parker, who was described by Pulteney MalcolmPulteney Malcolm
Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm GCB GCMG was a British naval officer. He was born at Douglan, near Langholm, Scotland, on 20 February 1768, the third son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, Langholm, in Dumfriesshire, and his wife Margaret, the sister of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley...
as the 'best frigate captain in the service', and Parker sped along the line in Amazon, delivering the instructions so efficiently that the fleet lost 'hardly a yard of ground'. Once more in European waters after the fleet's return, Amazon captured the Spanish privateer Principe de la Paz off Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
on 17 September 1805. Principe was armed with twenty-four 9-pounder guns and four swivels
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...
. Her crew of 160 men, under the command of Captain François Beck, were principally French. She had been out five weeks and had captured the packet
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Prince of Wales from Lisbon, and the 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...
Lady Nelson, which had been sailing from Virginia to Glasgow. Part of Lady Nelsons crew was aboard Principe, as was a considerable amount of specie.
Amazon was back in the Atlantic in 1806, this time as part of Sir John Borlase Warren’s pursuit of Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez was a French sailor and admiral of the First French Empire....
. When Warren's fleet unexpectedly encountered a separate French fleet under Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
, Amazon became involved in the resulting Action of 13 March 1806
Action of 13 March 1806
The Action of 13 March 1806 was a naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought when a British and a French squadron met unexpectedly in the mid-Atlantic. Neither force was aware of the presence of the other prior to the encounter and were participating in separate campaigns...
. During the battle she hunted down and captured the 40-gun frigate Belle Poule
HMS Belle Poule (1806)
HMS Belle Poule was a 40-gun Royal Navy fifth rate frigate, formerly Belle Poule, a Virginie-class frigate of the French Navy, which was built by the Crucy family's shipyard at Basse-Indre to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané...
in a running engagement. The Amazon lost four killed and five wounded during the engagement, while the Belle Poule lost six killed and 24 wounded. Amazon captured the 14-gun privateer Général Pérignon on 21 January 1810, and Captain John Joyce succeeded Parker as captain in May. Joyce captured the 14-gun privateer Cupidon on 23 March 1811.
Fate
In December 1811 Amazon was laid up at 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...
. She paid off the following year and saw out the remainder of 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...
in Ordinary
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
. HMS Amazon was finally broken up at Plymouth in May 1817.