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HMS Boadicea (1797)
Encyclopedia
HMS Boadicea was a frigate
of the Royal Navy
. She served in the Channel and in the East Indies during which service she captured many prizes. She participated in one action for which the Admiralty would award the Naval General Service Medal. She was finally broken up in 1858.
then being under the sway of Middleton
and the French school of thought, a school supposing that the design of warships in France was of a higher quality. She was built to the design of Imperieuse
, a 40-gun ship completed in 1787 and captured in October 1793. Changes were made to the shape of the topsides, and the scantling
s and fastenings were strengthened to reflect British practice. She retained her shallow French hull form, and as a result the holds
and magazines were considered cramped.
for service in the Channel Fleet
. Under Keats she served on this station for several years during which time she captured many prizes.
On 19 September Boadicea and captured the French privateer brig Zephyr. She was out of Nantes, was armed with two brass 12-pounder guns and six 6-pounder guns, and had a crew of 70. She had not made any captures. The next day the two British vessels recaptured the ship Eliza, which was sailing under American colours. She had been sailing from London to the Cape of Good Hope with a cargo of merchandise when the French privateer Confiance had captured her. Then on the day after that, they recaptured the ship Jenny, of Greenock, which had been sailing from Liverpool to Virginia with a cargo of salt, earthenware and bale goods. The Jenny had fallen prey on 10 September, after a fight, to the privateer Hazard of Rochelle.
Then on 19 November, Boadicea and Anson captured the privateer Railleur. She had a crew of 160 men and had been armed with 20 guns, but had thrown most of them overboard during the chase. She was one day out of Rochelle and had not taken any prizes. Nymph, Sylph and the hired armed cutter Dolly shared in the prize money. The same vessels shared in the recapture of several other vessels: Henniker, Active, Fanny, Mohawk and Catherine. Around the 19th, Boadicea and Anson also recaptured a brig. Anson was running low on water and Keats sent her back into port.
Boadicea shared with , and the hired armed
cutter Nimrod
in the capture of the Anna Christiana on 17 May 1798.
Around 18 June 1798 Boadicea captured the American ships Fanny and Lydia. On 9 December Boadicea captured the Invincible Buonaparte, a French privateer of 20 guns (12 and 18-pounders) and 170 men. She was a new vessel, sixteen days out of Bordeaux and had not made any captures. The Admiralty took the Invincible Buonaparte into service as the 18-gun sloop Brazen
. On the last day of the year, Boadicea recaptured the brig Adventure.
On 20 or 21 February 1799, Boadicea, and shared in the capture of the French privateer cutter Milan. She was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 44 men. Keats ordered Atalante to take Milan into port, land the prisoners, and then rejoin Boadicea on station.
On 7 March Boadicea recaptured an American vessel sailing from Charlestown to Hamburg. The next day Boadicea interrupted the capture of a neutral vessel, which had been sailing from Charlestown to Embden, by a French privateer, which Boadicea captured. The privateer was the brig Requin, pierced for 18 guns but mounting 14. She had a crew of 70 men. On 9 March a gale caused Requin to overturn even though she had no sails set; the prize crew of ten men from Boadicea and a prisoner all drowned.
Still, on 1 April, Boadicea captured her third privateer of the cruise, the brig Utile. Utile was armed with sixteen 8-pounder guns, of which ten were brass. She had a crew of 120 men and was three weeks out of Bordeaux.
On 2 July Boadicea and some other frigates under Keats's overall command protected bomb vesselss that bombarded some Spanish ships of the line anchored under the protection of batteries on the Île de Ré
and a floating mortar battery moored near the Île d'Oléron. The British conducted their bombardment from too far away with the result that it was completely ineffective. They then broke off the attack and sailed away.
Around the turn of the year, Boadicea shared with a number of other vessels in her squadron in the capture of the St. Francoise (25 December), St. Pierre de Carnac (12 January 1800), a brig of unknown name (17 January), and the Anna Louisa (22 January). On 21 and 22 April 1800, Boadicea and Stag captured the Zeegen and Hoop.
On 14 May Keats sent a boat with six men under the command of a midshipman on a reconnaissance mission into the outer roads of Brest
. They encountered a French guard boat that they were able to repulse with the loss of one man. The midshipman later boarded a small sloop from whom he found out that the French fleet was in the inner road and that the Spanish vessels there were plagued by illness among the crew.
Then towards the middle of the year, on 24 June, Boadicea recaptured the sloop Gipsey, of Greenock, or Liverpool. Gipsey had been a prize to the French privateer Brave, of 36 guns, under the command of Captain Le Bee, and had been sailing from the West Indies when originally captured.
On 4 July Boadicea was in sight when and captured the French vessel Favori. Four days later, Boadicea was in company with the same two warships when they recaptured the Cultivator. Cultivator (or Cultivateur), was a West Indiaman sailing from Demerara and Essequibo, with a cargo valued at ₤20,000.
A week later, captured the Phoenix. Boadicea was one of the vessels that would later share in the prize money by agreement. One month later, on 14 August, Boadicea captured the Spanish vessel Union. She was a large vessel of 650 tons, armed with 22 guns, and carrying a crew of 130 men. She had sailed from Corunna
the day before, heading towards Buenos Aires with a cargo of merchandise. , , and the hired armed cutter Earl St Vincent
shared in the prize.
Boadicea also shared in several other prizes that other frigates under Keats' command captured between 4 July and 23 October. In addition to the Phoenix, these included the Gironde, Alerte, Joseph, Magicienne, Dicke, Rancune, Vivo, Favorite and Venus. Several of these were privateers.
In 1801 Captain Charles Rowley took command of Boadicea. With her he commanded a light squadron in Quiberon Bay
where she "greatly molested the enemy." On 10 January Boadicea captured the Bombarde, which had been sailing from Havre to Brest
. Bombarde arrived in Plymouth six days later. She was curiously constructed, in that she was essentially a shallow-draft (3'6") lugger-rigged raft. Her armament consisted of a 24-pounder gun, a 13" mortar and four swivel gun
s. She had a crew of 30 men but could readily carry 150 soldiers. Furthermore, her gangways were broad, fortified, and built over ammunition cases. She also bore the number 69, and was one of some 200 vessels that the French had massed at Havre for the planned invasion of Britain and which had been sitting there for two years.
On 20 August, the boats of Fisgard, and Boadicea carried out a cutting-out expedition at A Coruña
. The boats went in at night and brought out the Neptune, a new ship belonging to the Spanish Navy and pierced for 20 guns, a gunboat
armed with a long 32-pounder gun, and a merchant vessel. The Spanish vessels were anchored close to the batteries that protected the fort and sentinels challenged the British. The Spaniards commenced fire, but the cutting-out party was able to bring the vessels out without having suffered any casualties. One of the vessels was the packet ship
Reyno Duno. She came into Plymouth on September and the Naval Chronicle described her as "Beautiful,... of four suits of sails and other naval stores". She had apparently been on her way to Havana.
Between April 1802 and March 1803 Boadicea was fitted at Plymouth. She was recommissioned in December 1802 under Captain John Maitland
. He went on command Boadicea in the Channel.
On 20 May 1803, Boadicea and , captured the Dutch ship Minerva. On 30 May Boadicea detained the Dutch ship Vrow Elizabeth. The London Gazette mentions that this was "previous to the Declaration of Hostilities". (Britain and France renewed hostilities on 18 May 1803, but the issue may have been hostilities with the Dutch.) Still, prize money was awarded. Furthermore, on 31 May Boadicea captured the Joanna Catharina.
, Boadicea hit the Bas de Lis. This caused a large hole in her hull with the result that she started taking on water. Even the contribution of 100 seamen from other vessels, together with additional pumps, barely kept her afloat. A frigate escorted her to Portsmouth. Boadicea returned to her station within eight days, having spent only three days in dock undergoing repairs.
On 9 June 1803 Boadicea sent into Plymouth the small French privateer Eleonore, which had a crew of 27 men. The privateer was 11 days out of St. Maloes but had not made any captures. On the same day Boadicea recaptured the London Packet.
Then on 25 November, Maitland and Boadicea were eight leagues
off Cape Finisterre
when they captured the French lugger Vautour, commanded by Monsieur Bigot, Lieutenant de Vaisseau. She was 43 days from St. Domingo and had on board a Commissarie de Marine with dispatches from General Rochambeau at Cape François
. Vautour was pierced for 16 guns but mounted twelve 6-pounder guns, 10 of which she threw overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 92 men.
On 24 and 25 September Boadicea was in sight when captured two French chasse-marees loaded with supplies for the French fleet at Brest
and brought them into Plymouth. Lapenotiere had driven them into the Bay there and then sent his boats to bring them out. The two French vessels may have been the Marie Française from Bordeaux and the Desirée from Quimper
.
In 28 March 1805, Boadicea arrived at Yarmouth with 250 men that she had brought from the Texel. They were part of the crew of , which had wrecked there in late 1804.
On 19 April 1805 Boadicea captured the Zeldenrust. Then on 13 June, Boadicea, Penelope and Moselle captured the Yonge Obyna.
Next, in company with , she fell in with four French line-of-battle ships, under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
, off Ferrol. The four French vessels had escaped from the Battle of Trafalgar
. Boadicea and Dryad tried to lead the enemy into the path of a Royal Navy
squadron by firing rockets but lost them a short time after Sir Richard Strachan saw their signals. Neither Boadicea nor Dryad therefore shared in the Battle of Cape Ortegal
, in which all four French ships were captured.
On 12 December, Boadicea, and left Cork, escorting a convoy of 23 merchant vessels. Four days later the convoy encountered a French squadron consisting of five ships of the line and four sailing frigates, as well as nine other vessels that were too far away for assessment. The letter writer to the Naval Chronicle surmised that the distant vessels were the Africa squadron that had been escorted by and that they had captured. On this occasion, The British warships and six merchant vessels went one way and the rest went another way. The French chased the warships and the six for a day, ignored the 17, and eventually gave up their pursuit. Boadicea then shadowed the French while Wasp went back to French and Spanish coasts to alert the British warships there. Arethusa and her six charges encountered the French squadron again the next day, but after a desultory pursuit the French sailed off.
In the autumn of 1806 or early 1807 Boadicea was employed protecting the whale fishery in the Davis Strait
, in company with . Maitland then sailed to Newfoundland, from where he brought back a convoy for Oporto. On the way he found out that the French had entered Portugal so he diverted to London. On 4 September 1807, , with Boadicea, and in company, captured the American ship Exchange, Peter Ledet, Master.
On 26 January 1808 Boadicea was in company with when they captured the French privateer General Conclaux. Then on 27 March, Boadicea, , the cutter and schooner captured 25 French fishing vessels. On 8 August Boadicea was in company with and the gun-brig when they captured the Pappenbourg
galiot
Yonge Harriot or Young Harriot.
In June 1808 Captain John Hatley took command of Boadicea. She sailed from Portsmouth
to the Cape of Good Hope on 9 February 1809.
In September 1809 she served in a squadron of frigates and sloops in the expedition against Saint-Paul
, on Bonaparte Island (also known as Île de Bourbon and today as Réunion
). The naval commander was Captain Josias Rowley
, aboard the Third Rate . Rowley assigned Boadicea to blockade the port.
The British troops and Royal Marines landed without alarming the batteries, which they stormed and carried. The rest of the squadron then stood into the bay and exchanged fire with the French frigate Caroline
. Soon the batteries, town and shipping were all in British hands for the total loss of 22 killed, 76 wounded and 4 missing. Boadicea, which had not been able to maintain the blockade, contributed Royal Marines to the attack, one of whom was killed and five of whom were wounded. The British had achieved their objectives, the capture of French shipping and the destruction of the defenses of the only safe anchorage on the island. They then withdrew.
Captain Rowley moved to Boadicea and on 7 July 1810, and with three other frigates, he escorted a force of 1,650 European soldiers and 1,600 sepoys from Madras, together with 1,000 from Rodriguez
against Réunion
again, but this time with the aim of taking the island. Boadicea herself transported troops and her boats were active in landing troops. The island surrendered on 9 July. Rowley appointed Lieutenant Robb, Boadiceas First Lieutenant
, to carry the dispatches to Cape Town in the brig Anna.
On 28 August Boadicea, and shared in the capture of the Garronne. On 4 September the same three vessels shared in the capture of the Ranger.
After the Battle of Grand Port
, which was a disaster for the British, Commodore Josias Rowley
sent urgent messages to Madras and Cape Town requesting reinforcements. The first to arrive were Africaine and Ceylon
, both of which were sailing alone. On 13 September, and Astrée captured Africaine. She had been sailing with Boadicea, Otter and Staunch trailing some distance behind. When she chased the French frigates and the brig Entreprenante early on the morning of 13 September, she outdistanced her companions, with unfortunate results. Africaine had 49 men killed and 114 wounded. The French took about 90 survivors prisoner and conveyed them to Mauritius where they remained until the British took the island in December. The French lost nine killed and 33 wounded in Iphigénie and one killed and two wounded in Astrée.
The next day Boadicea and her two companions recaptured Africaine. Because she was dismasted and damaged the French had not tried to tow her. When Boadicea recaptured her, Africaine still had 70 of her wounded and some 83 uninjured of her crew aboard, as well as a ten-man French prize crew.
The French had also captured Ceylon, but Boadicea quickly retook her too. Then Rowley was able to seize Jacques Hamelin and his flagship Vénus
at the Action of 18 September 1810
. Nearly four decades later the Admiralty recognized Boadicea by authorizing the clasp "Boadicea 18 Sept. 1810" to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
On 21 November 1810 Vice Admiral Bertie
led a large fleet of warships and transports to attack Île de France
(Mauritius), the French surrendering on the 7 December 1810. Captain Rowley and Boadicea returned to England with Vice Admiral Bertie's dispatches.
Captain Viscount Ralph Neville took command of Boadicea in February 1811. She was then laid up in ordinary
in May 1811.
In October 1824 Captain Sir James Brisbane recommissioned Boadicea, which underwent fitting for sea, at a cost of £9,387, between October and January 1825. Brisbane then sailed her to the East Indies, where she participated in the First Anglo-Burmese War. Brisbane retired to Pulo Penang early in 1826 due to ill-health. He died on 19 December 1826. Commander John Wilson then sailed Boadicea back to Britain.
's command in the book The Mauritius Command
, which follows the events of the historical Mauritius campaign, with Aubrey replacing the historical commander of Boadicea, Josias Rowley
.
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"...
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 served in the Channel and in the East Indies during which service she captured many prizes. She participated in one action for which the Admiralty would award the Naval General Service Medal. She was finally broken up in 1858.
Design
Boadicea was one of a batch of large frigates ordered in 1795, all of which were of largest of their type, and the majority of which were to the draught of captured French ships, the NavyRoyal 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...
then being under the sway of Middleton
Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham PC was a British naval officer and politician.He was born at Leith, Midlothian to Robert Middleton, a customs collector of Bo'ness, Linlithgowshire, and Helen, daughter of Charles Dundas.-Naval career:Middleton entered the Royal Navy in 1741 as captain's...
and the French school of thought, a school supposing that the design of warships in France was of a higher quality. She was built to the design of Imperieuse
HMS Imperieuse (1793)
The Impérieuse was a 40-gun Minerve class frigate of the French Navy. She later served in the Royal Navy as HMS Imperieuse and HMS Unite.-French service and capture:...
, a 40-gun ship completed in 1787 and captured in October 1793. Changes were made to the shape of the topsides, and the scantling
Scantling
Scantling is a measurement of prescribed size, dimensions, or cross sectional areas. For comparison, see Form Factor: -Shipping:In shipbuilding, the scantling refers to the collective dimensions of the various parts, particularly the framing and structural supports. The word is most often used in...
s and fastenings were strengthened to reflect British practice. She retained her shallow French hull form, and as a result the holds
Hold (ship)
thumb|right|120px|View of the hold of a container shipA ship's hold is a space for carrying cargo. Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged . Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top...
and magazines were considered cramped.
French Revolutionary Wars
Boadicea was commissioned under Captain Richard KeatsRichard Goodwin Keats
Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats was a British naval officer who fought throughout the American Revolution, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War. He retired in 1812 due to ill health and was made Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland from 1813 to 1816. In 1821 he was made Governor of...
for service in 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...
. Under Keats she served on this station for several years during which time she captured many prizes.
On 19 September Boadicea and captured the French privateer brig Zephyr. She was out of Nantes, was armed with two brass 12-pounder guns and six 6-pounder guns, and had a crew of 70. She had not made any captures. The next day the two British vessels recaptured the ship Eliza, which was sailing under American colours. She had been sailing from London to the Cape of Good Hope with a cargo of merchandise when the French privateer Confiance had captured her. Then on the day after that, they recaptured the ship Jenny, of Greenock, which had been sailing from Liverpool to Virginia with a cargo of salt, earthenware and bale goods. The Jenny had fallen prey on 10 September, after a fight, to the privateer Hazard of Rochelle.
Then on 19 November, Boadicea and Anson captured the privateer Railleur. She had a crew of 160 men and had been armed with 20 guns, but had thrown most of them overboard during the chase. She was one day out of Rochelle and had not taken any prizes. Nymph, Sylph and the hired armed cutter Dolly shared in the prize money. The same vessels shared in the recapture of several other vessels: Henniker, Active, Fanny, Mohawk and Catherine. Around the 19th, Boadicea and Anson also recaptured a brig. Anson was running low on water and Keats sent her back into port.
Boadicea shared with , 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 Nimrod
Hired armed cutter Nimrod
During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars the Admiralty also made use of hired armed vessels, one of which was the hired armed cutter Nimrod. Three such vessels are recorded, but the descriptions of these vessels and the dates of their service are such that they may well represent one...
in the capture of the Anna Christiana on 17 May 1798.
Around 18 June 1798 Boadicea captured the American ships Fanny and Lydia. On 9 December Boadicea captured the Invincible Buonaparte, a French privateer of 20 guns (12 and 18-pounders) and 170 men. She was a new vessel, sixteen days out of Bordeaux and had not made any captures. The Admiralty took the Invincible Buonaparte into service as the 18-gun sloop Brazen
HMS Brazen (1798)
HMS Brazen was the French privateer Invincible General Bonaparte , which the British captured in 1798...
. On the last day of the year, Boadicea recaptured the brig Adventure.
On 20 or 21 February 1799, Boadicea, and shared in the capture of the French privateer cutter Milan. She was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 44 men. Keats ordered Atalante to take Milan into port, land the prisoners, and then rejoin Boadicea on station.
On 7 March Boadicea recaptured an American vessel sailing from Charlestown to Hamburg. The next day Boadicea interrupted the capture of a neutral vessel, which had been sailing from Charlestown to Embden, by a French privateer, which Boadicea captured. The privateer was the brig Requin, pierced for 18 guns but mounting 14. She had a crew of 70 men. On 9 March a gale caused Requin to overturn even though she had no sails set; the prize crew of ten men from Boadicea and a prisoner all drowned.
Still, on 1 April, Boadicea captured her third privateer of the cruise, the brig Utile. Utile was armed with sixteen 8-pounder guns, of which ten were brass. She had a crew of 120 men and was three weeks out of Bordeaux.
On 2 July Boadicea and some other frigates under Keats's overall command protected bomb vesselss that bombarded some Spanish ships of the line anchored under the protection of batteries on the Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
and a floating mortar battery moored near the Île d'Oléron. The British conducted their bombardment from too far away with the result that it was completely ineffective. They then broke off the attack and sailed away.
Around the turn of the year, Boadicea shared with a number of other vessels in her squadron in the capture of the St. Francoise (25 December), St. Pierre de Carnac (12 January 1800), a brig of unknown name (17 January), and the Anna Louisa (22 January). On 21 and 22 April 1800, Boadicea and Stag captured the Zeegen and Hoop.
On 14 May Keats sent a boat with six men under the command of a midshipman on a reconnaissance mission into the outer roads 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...
. They encountered a French guard boat that they were able to repulse with the loss of one man. The midshipman later boarded a small sloop from whom he found out that the French fleet was in the inner road and that the Spanish vessels there were plagued by illness among the crew.
Then towards the middle of the year, on 24 June, Boadicea recaptured the sloop Gipsey, of Greenock, or Liverpool. Gipsey had been a prize to the French privateer Brave, of 36 guns, under the command of Captain Le Bee, and had been sailing from the West Indies when originally captured.
On 4 July Boadicea was in sight when and captured the French vessel Favori. Four days later, Boadicea was in company with the same two warships when they recaptured the Cultivator. Cultivator (or Cultivateur), was a West Indiaman sailing from Demerara and Essequibo, with a cargo valued at ₤20,000.
A week later, captured the Phoenix. Boadicea was one of the vessels that would later share in the prize money by agreement. One month later, on 14 August, Boadicea captured the Spanish vessel Union. She was a large vessel of 650 tons, armed with 22 guns, and carrying a crew of 130 men. She had sailed from Corunna
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
the day before, heading towards Buenos Aires with a cargo of merchandise. , , and the hired armed cutter Earl St Vincent
Hired armed cutter Earl St Vincent
Two vessels have been named the Hired armed cutter Earl St Vincent.The name Earl St Vincent comes from John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent.-The first Earl St Vincent:...
shared in the prize.
Boadicea also shared in several other prizes that other frigates under Keats' command captured between 4 July and 23 October. In addition to the Phoenix, these included the Gironde, Alerte, Joseph, Magicienne, Dicke, Rancune, Vivo, Favorite and Venus. Several of these were privateers.
In 1801 Captain Charles Rowley took command of Boadicea. With her he commanded a light squadron in Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
where she "greatly molested the enemy." On 10 January Boadicea captured the Bombarde, which had been sailing from Havre to 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...
. Bombarde arrived in Plymouth six days later. She was curiously constructed, in that she was essentially a shallow-draft (3'6") lugger-rigged raft. Her armament consisted of a 24-pounder gun, a 13" mortar and four 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. She had a crew of 30 men but could readily carry 150 soldiers. Furthermore, her gangways were broad, fortified, and built over ammunition cases. She also bore the number 69, and was one of some 200 vessels that the French had massed at Havre for the planned invasion of Britain and which had been sitting there for two years.
On 20 August, the boats of Fisgard, and Boadicea carried out a cutting-out expedition at A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
. The boats went in at night and brought out the Neptune, a new ship belonging to the Spanish Navy and pierced for 20 guns, a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
armed with a long 32-pounder gun, and a merchant vessel. The Spanish vessels were anchored close to the batteries that protected the fort and sentinels challenged the British. The Spaniards commenced fire, but the cutting-out party was able to bring the vessels out without having suffered any casualties. One of the vessels was the packet ship
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...
Reyno Duno. She came into Plymouth on September and the Naval Chronicle described her as "Beautiful,... of four suits of sails and other naval stores". She had apparently been on her way to Havana.
Between April 1802 and March 1803 Boadicea was fitted at Plymouth. She was recommissioned in December 1802 under Captain John Maitland
John Maitland (Royal Navy officer)
John Maitland was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral.-Family and early life:...
. He went on command Boadicea in the Channel.
On 20 May 1803, Boadicea and , captured the Dutch ship Minerva. On 30 May Boadicea detained the Dutch ship Vrow Elizabeth. The London Gazette mentions that this was "previous to the Declaration of Hostilities". (Britain and France renewed hostilities on 18 May 1803, but the issue may have been hostilities with the Dutch.) Still, prize money was awarded. Furthermore, on 31 May Boadicea captured the Joanna Catharina.
Napoleonic Wars
While Maitland and Boadicea were serving with the inshore squadron at BrestBrest, 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...
, Boadicea hit the Bas de Lis. This caused a large hole in her hull with the result that she started taking on water. Even the contribution of 100 seamen from other vessels, together with additional pumps, barely kept her afloat. A frigate escorted her to Portsmouth. Boadicea returned to her station within eight days, having spent only three days in dock undergoing repairs.
On 9 June 1803 Boadicea sent into Plymouth the small French privateer Eleonore, which had a crew of 27 men. The privateer was 11 days out of St. Maloes but had not made any captures. On the same day Boadicea recaptured the London Packet.
Then on 25 November, Maitland and Boadicea were eight 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 Finisterre
Cape Finisterre
right|thumb|300px|Position of Cape Finisterre on the [[Iberian Peninsula]]Cape Finisterre is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain....
when they captured the French lugger Vautour, commanded by Monsieur Bigot, Lieutenant de Vaisseau. She was 43 days from St. Domingo and had on board a Commissarie de Marine with dispatches from General Rochambeau at Cape François
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
. Vautour was pierced for 16 guns but mounted twelve 6-pounder guns, 10 of which she threw overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 92 men.
On 24 and 25 September Boadicea was in sight when captured two French chasse-marees loaded with supplies for the French fleet at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
and brought them into Plymouth. Lapenotiere had driven them into the Bay there and then sent his boats to bring them out. The two French vessels may have been the Marie Française from Bordeaux and the Desirée from Quimper
Quimper
Quimper is a commune and capital of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Administration:Quimper is the prefecture of the Finistère department.-Geography:...
.
In 28 March 1805, Boadicea arrived at Yarmouth with 250 men that she had brought from the Texel. They were part of the crew of , which had wrecked there in late 1804.
On 19 April 1805 Boadicea captured the Zeldenrust. Then on 13 June, Boadicea, Penelope and Moselle captured the Yonge Obyna.
Next, in company with , she fell in with four French line-of-battle ships, under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Pierre 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 :...
, off Ferrol. The four French vessels 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 ....
. Boadicea and Dryad tried to lead the enemy 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 by firing rockets but lost them a short time after Sir Richard Strachan saw their signals. Neither Boadicea nor Dryad therefore shared in the 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...
, in which all four French ships were captured.
On 12 December, Boadicea, and left Cork, escorting a convoy of 23 merchant vessels. Four days later the convoy encountered a French squadron consisting of five ships of the line and four sailing frigates, as well as nine other vessels that were too far away for assessment. The letter writer to the Naval Chronicle surmised that the distant vessels were the Africa squadron that had been escorted by and that they had captured. On this occasion, The British warships and six merchant vessels went one way and the rest went another way. The French chased the warships and the six for a day, ignored the 17, and eventually gave up their pursuit. Boadicea then shadowed the French while Wasp went back to French and Spanish coasts to alert the British warships there. Arethusa and her six charges encountered the French squadron again the next day, but after a desultory pursuit the French sailed off.
In the autumn of 1806 or early 1807 Boadicea was employed protecting the whale fishery in the Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
, in company with . Maitland then sailed to Newfoundland, from where he brought back a convoy for Oporto. On the way he found out that the French had entered Portugal so he diverted to London. On 4 September 1807, , with Boadicea, and in company, captured the American ship Exchange, Peter Ledet, Master.
On 26 January 1808 Boadicea was in company with when they captured the French privateer General Conclaux. Then on 27 March, Boadicea, , the cutter and schooner captured 25 French fishing vessels. On 8 August Boadicea was in company with and the gun-brig when they captured the Pappenbourg
Papenburg
Papenburg is a city in the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony, Germany, situated at the river Ems. It is known for its large shipyard, the Meyer-Werft, which specializes in building cruise liners.-Districts:...
galiot
Galiot
Galiots were types of ships from the Age of Sail.In the Mediterranean, galiots were a type of small galley, with one or two masts and about twenty oars, using both sails and oars for propulsion...
Yonge Harriot or Young Harriot.
In June 1808 Captain John Hatley took command of Boadicea. She sailed from 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...
to the Cape of Good Hope on 9 February 1809.
In September 1809 she served in a squadron of frigates and sloops in the expedition against Saint-Paul
Saint-Paul, Réunion
Saint-Paul is the second-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the extreme west side of the island of Réunion.Until 1999, near Saint Paul there was the 428 metres tall mast OMEGA Chabrier transmitter.- Transport :...
, on Bonaparte Island (also known as Île de Bourbon and today as Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
). The naval commander was Captain Josias Rowley
Josias Rowley
Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG , known as "The Sweeper of the Seas", was a naval officer who commanded the campaign that captured the French Indian Ocean islands of Réunion and Mauritius in 1810.-Naval career:...
, aboard the Third Rate . Rowley assigned Boadicea to blockade the port.
The British troops and Royal Marines landed without alarming the batteries, which they stormed and carried. The rest of the squadron then stood into the bay and exchanged fire with the French frigate Caroline
French frigate Caroline (1806)
The Caroline was a 40-gun Hortense Class frigate of the French Navy.On 12 November 1808, the French authorities sent four new 40 gun frigates to the Indian Ocean...
. Soon the batteries, town and shipping were all in British hands for the total loss of 22 killed, 76 wounded and 4 missing. Boadicea, which had not been able to maintain the blockade, contributed Royal Marines to the attack, one of whom was killed and five of whom were wounded. The British had achieved their objectives, the capture of French shipping and the destruction of the defenses of the only safe anchorage on the island. They then withdrew.
Captain Rowley moved to Boadicea and on 7 July 1810, and with three other frigates, he escorted a force of 1,650 European soldiers and 1,600 sepoys from Madras, together with 1,000 from Rodriguez
Rodrigues (island)
Rodrigues , sometimes spelled Rodriguez but named after the Portuguese explorer Diogo Rodrigues, is the smallest of the Mascarene Islands and a dependency of Mauritius...
against Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
again, but this time with the aim of taking the island. Boadicea herself transported troops and her boats were active in landing troops. The island surrendered on 9 July. Rowley appointed Lieutenant Robb, Boadiceas First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, to carry the dispatches to Cape Town in the brig Anna.
On 28 August Boadicea, and shared in the capture of the Garronne. On 4 September the same three vessels shared in the capture of the Ranger.
After the Battle of Grand Port
Battle of Grand Port
The Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy. The battle was fought during 20–27 August 1810 over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France during the Napoleonic Wars...
, which was a disaster for the British, Commodore Josias Rowley
Josias Rowley
Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG , known as "The Sweeper of the Seas", was a naval officer who commanded the campaign that captured the French Indian Ocean islands of Réunion and Mauritius in 1810.-Naval career:...
sent urgent messages to Madras and Cape Town requesting reinforcements. The first to arrive were Africaine and Ceylon
HMS Bombay (1805)
HCS Bombay, later HMS Bombay and HMS Ceylon, was a 672 ton fifth rate, 38-gun wooden warship built in the Bombay Dockyard for the Honourable East India Company and launched in 1793. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1805 and renamed her HMS Bombay. She served with the Royal Navy under that name...
, both of which were sailing alone. On 13 September, and Astrée captured Africaine. She had been sailing with Boadicea, Otter and Staunch trailing some distance behind. When she chased the French frigates and the brig Entreprenante early on the morning of 13 September, she outdistanced her companions, with unfortunate results. Africaine had 49 men killed and 114 wounded. The French took about 90 survivors prisoner and conveyed them to Mauritius where they remained until the British took the island in December. The French lost nine killed and 33 wounded in Iphigénie and one killed and two wounded in Astrée.
The next day Boadicea and her two companions recaptured Africaine. Because she was dismasted and damaged the French had not tried to tow her. When Boadicea recaptured her, Africaine still had 70 of her wounded and some 83 uninjured of her crew aboard, as well as a ten-man French prize crew.
The French had also captured Ceylon, but Boadicea quickly retook her too. Then Rowley was able to seize Jacques Hamelin and his flagship Vénus
French frigate Vénus (1808)
The Vénus was a Junon class frigate of the French Navy.On 10 November 1808, she departed Cherbourg, bound for Île de France, where she served as Hamelin's flagship, leading a squadron also comprising the frigate Manche and the sloop Créole....
at the Action of 18 September 1810
Action of 18 September 1810
The Action of 18 September 1810 was a naval battle fought between British Royal Navy and French Navy frigates in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. The engagement was one of several between rival frigate squadrons contesting control of the French island base of Île de France, from which...
. Nearly four decades later the Admiralty recognized Boadicea by authorizing the clasp "Boadicea 18 Sept. 1810" to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.
On 21 November 1810 Vice Admiral Bertie
Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Albemarle Bertie, 1st Baronet, KCB, was a long-serving and at time controversial officer of the British Royal Navy who saw extensive service in his career but also courted controversy with several of his actions....
led a large fleet of warships and transports to attack Île de France
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
(Mauritius), the French surrendering on the 7 December 1810. Captain Rowley and Boadicea returned to England with Vice Admiral Bertie's dispatches.
Captain Viscount Ralph Neville took command of Boadicea in February 1811. She was then laid up 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....
in May 1811.
Post war
Boadicea underwent extensive repairs, costing some £35,433, in Plymouth between February 1815 and August 1816. She was then laid up.In October 1824 Captain Sir James Brisbane recommissioned Boadicea, which underwent fitting for sea, at a cost of £9,387, between October and January 1825. Brisbane then sailed her to the East Indies, where she participated in the First Anglo-Burmese War. Brisbane retired to Pulo Penang early in 1826 due to ill-health. He died on 19 December 1826. Commander John Wilson then sailed Boadicea back to Britain.
Fate
Boadicea underwent a repair at Chatham between December 1829 and 1830 that cost ₤10,027. She was then laid up. She was on harbour service in 1854. Her break up was completed at Chatham on 22 May 1858.Sailing Qualities
"Average under sail, not recording more than 9kts close hauled and 11.5kts off the wind, good sea boat ... tolerably handy in staying and wearing." She received extensions to her gripe and another 4 inches onto her false keel, suggesting a lack of weatherliness as built.Fiction
Boadicea is Jack AubreyJack Aubrey
John "Jack" Aubrey, KB , is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The twenty -book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along...
's command in the book The Mauritius Command
The Mauritius Command
The Mauritius Command is a historical naval novel by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is fourth in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It retells in fictional form the real campaign carried out by the Royal...
, which follows the events of the historical Mauritius campaign, with Aubrey replacing the historical commander of Boadicea, Josias Rowley
Josias Rowley
Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG , known as "The Sweeper of the Seas", was a naval officer who commanded the campaign that captured the French Indian Ocean islands of Réunion and Mauritius in 1810.-Naval career:...
.