.gif)
HMS Santa Margarita (1779)
Encyclopedia
HMS Santa Margarita was a 36-gun fifth-rate
frigate
of the Royal Navy
. She had been built for service with the Spanish Navy
, but was captured after five years in service, eventually spending nearly 60 years with the British.
Captain Alex Graeme of brought her to battle off Lisbon and captured her. She was taken into Royal Navy service by an Admiralty
Order of 16 March 1780; she was then repaired and refitted at Sheerness
between February 1780 and June 1781.
. She followed up this success by capturing the American privateer
Hendrick on 30 September 1782. She was repaired at Bucklers Hard
between 1790 and 1793, followed by a period fitting out at Portsmouth
.
in 1793, and sailed to the Leeward Islands
in December that year. She then formed part of the fleet in the West Indies under John Jervis
, and was present at the capture of Martinique
in February 1794. By August 1794 she was in Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, and was present at the destruction of the Volontaire on the Penmarks on 23 August 1794, and the capture of the Espion and the destruction of the Alerte in Audierne Bay on that day.
On 29 March 1795 she was sailing with when the two engaged and captured the 18-gun Jean Bart in the English Channel
. The Jean Bart was subsequently taken into service as . Santa Margarita came under the command of Captain Thomas Byam Martin
in April 1795.
On 7 June 1796 she captured the French Tamise, which had previously been the . Santa Margarita had two killed and three wounded in the action. She went on to capture the 16-gun privateer Buonoparte on 24 October 1796, and the 18-gun privateer Vengeur the following day. She passed under the command of Captain George Parker in December 1796.
On 21 June 1797 she captured the privateer San Francisco (alias Los Amigos) off the Irish coast. San Fransisco was pierced for 14 guns and had a crew of 53 men. She was from St Sebastian and had cruised between Scilly and Cape Clear for 20 days without having captured anything. She was apparently quite new and sailed well. Parker observed that with better luck she might have done some mischief.
Parker went on to have further success against privateers. He captured the 16-gun Adour off Cape Clear
on 10 July 1797 and the 16-gun Victorine on 8 August in the same area.
Santa Margarita sailed to the Leeward Islands again in March 1798, and at the end of the year captured the 14-gun privateer Quatorze Juillet. She sailed to Jamaica
in August 1801, coming under the command of Captain Augustus Leveson Gower in April 1802, followed by Captain Henry Whitby in 1803.
in 1805 and again in 1806, and laid up in ordinary there between 1812 and 1813.
in April 1814 and moved to Pembroke
. She became a quarantine ship at Milford
between 1814 and 1825, and was fitted out between 1824 and 1826 to allow her to be sailed to Liverpool
. She was probably sold there on 8 September 1836 for the sum of £1,710.
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigate
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 had been built for service with the Spanish Navy
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...
, but was captured after five years in service, eventually spending nearly 60 years with the British.
Spanish career
Santa Margarita was built at Ferrol in 1774. In the Action of 11 November 1779Action of 11 November 1779
The Action of 11 November 1779 was a minor naval engagement between the British Royal Naval frigate and the Spanish frigate Santa Margarita off Lisbon during the American War of Independence....
Captain Alex Graeme of brought her to battle off Lisbon and captured her. She was taken into Royal Navy service by an Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
Order of 16 March 1780; she was then repaired and refitted at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
between February 1780 and June 1781.
American Revolution
Santa Margarita was commissioned in March 1781 under Captain Elliot Salter, who sailed her to North America where she formed part of George Johnstone's squadron in June 1781. On 29 July 1782 she captured the 36-gun Amazone off Cape HenryCape Henry
Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
. She followed up this success by capturing the American 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...
Hendrick on 30 September 1782. She was repaired at Bucklers Hard
Bucklers Hard
Bucklers Hard is a hamlet situated on the banks of the Beaulieu River in the English county of Hampshire.- Overview :With its Georgian cottages running down to the river, Bucklers Hard is part of the 9,000 acre Beaulieu Estate...
between 1790 and 1793, followed by a period fitting out 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...
.
French Revolutionary Wars
Santa Margarita was recommissioned under Captain Eliab HarveyEliab Harvey
Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey, GCB was an eccentric and hot-tempered officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars who was as distinguished for his gambling and dueling as for his military record...
in 1793, and sailed to the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
in December that year. She then formed part of the fleet in the West Indies under John Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, and was present at the capture of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in February 1794. By August 1794 she was in Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, and was present at the destruction of the Volontaire on the Penmarks on 23 August 1794, and the capture of the Espion and the destruction of the Alerte in Audierne Bay on that day.
On 29 March 1795 she was sailing with when the two engaged and captured the 18-gun Jean Bart 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...
. The Jean Bart was subsequently taken into service as . Santa Margarita came under the command of Captain Thomas Byam Martin
Thomas Byam Martin
Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin, GCB was a highly influential British Royal Navy officer who served at sea during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and then as a naval administrator until his death in 1854...
in April 1795.
On 7 June 1796 she captured the French Tamise, which had previously been the . Santa Margarita had two killed and three wounded in the action. She went on to capture the 16-gun privateer Buonoparte on 24 October 1796, and the 18-gun privateer Vengeur the following day. She passed under the command of Captain George Parker in December 1796.
On 21 June 1797 she captured the privateer San Francisco (alias Los Amigos) off the Irish coast. San Fransisco was pierced for 14 guns and had a crew of 53 men. She was from St Sebastian and had cruised between Scilly and Cape Clear for 20 days without having captured anything. She was apparently quite new and sailed well. Parker observed that with better luck she might have done some mischief.
Parker went on to have further success against privateers. He captured the 16-gun Adour off Cape Clear
Cape Clear
Cape Clear may refer to:* Cape Clear * Cape Clear Island, on the southern coast of Ireland.* Cape Clear, Victoria, a town in Australia...
on 10 July 1797 and the 16-gun Victorine on 8 August in the same area.
Santa Margarita sailed to the Leeward Islands again in March 1798, and at the end of the year captured the 14-gun privateer Quatorze Juillet. She sailed to 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...
in August 1801, coming under the command of Captain Augustus Leveson Gower in April 1802, followed by Captain Henry Whitby in 1803.
Napoleonic Wars
Santa Margarita was on the Irish station in 1804, followed by a period in the Channel between 1804 and 1807 under Captain Wilson Rathbone. She was re-coppered 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...
in 1805 and again in 1806, and laid up in ordinary there between 1812 and 1813.
Fate
She was fitted as a lazaretteLazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation...
in April 1814 and moved to Pembroke
Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...
. She became a quarantine ship at Milford
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
between 1814 and 1825, and was fitted out between 1824 and 1826 to allow her to be sailed to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. She was probably sold there on 8 September 1836 for the sum of £1,710.