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HMS Unicorn (1794)
Encyclopedia
HMS Unicorn was a 32-gun fifth-rate
Pallas-class frigate
of the Royal Navy
, launched in 1794 at Chatham
. This frigate served in both the French Revolutionary Wars
and the Napoleonic Wars
, including a medal action early in her career. She was broken up in 1815.
. Under Williams, Unicorn served in the Western Approaches
, operating from Cork
. On 31 May, Unicorn, Scipio
and Latona shared in the capture of the Dutch schooner Mary, Captain Pierce.
On 28 August, Unicorn was in company with and , when Unicorn captured the Dutch East Indiaman Cromhout or Crumhout. The Cromhouts capture resulted in at least £
40,000 in prize money to be distributed among her captors.
Then Unicorn parted company with the rest of the squadron and after a chase of 13 hours captured the Dutch brig
Komeet (or Comet), which was under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Mynheer Claris. Comet was only four years old, in excellent condition, and armed with 18 English 9-pounder guns. She was sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to the Texel and was provisioned with water and food for 110 men for a nine-month cruise.
On 10 April, Unicorn recaptured the brig Thames while in company with and the hired armed
cutter
Fox (the third). The same three vessels, plus Diana and Seahorse, were in company when Dryad captured the French cutter Abeille.
On 7 June 1796, Unicorn and Santa Margaritta captured a large ship flying Swedish colours and carrying Dutch goods from Surinam, which turned out to be the Gustavus Adolphus. The commander of the prize crew, a lieutenant from Unicorn, advised Admiral Sir Robert Kingsmill
, commander in chief of the Cork station, that when he had last seen Unicorn and Santa Margarita they were chasing three French vessels, the frigates, Tamise
and Tribune
, and the corvette Legere.
In the Action of 8 June 1796, Unicorn captured the 44-gun Tribune. Before Unicorn could bring Tribune to close action the two vessels engaged in a ten-hour long running fight. The actual close engagement lasted 35 minutes before Tribune struck. She was under the command of Commodore John Moulston and had lost 37 men killed of her crew of 337 men, as well as 15 wounded. (Moulston, who was wounded in the action, was an American who had served in the French Navy for 16 years.) Unicorn had no losses.
The Royal Navy took into service under her existing name. Williams earned a knighthood for his victory. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the remaining survivors of the action the NGSM with clasp "Unicorn 8 June 1796".
Santa Margaritta captured Tamise and also won for her crew the Naval General Service Medal in 1847. Legere escaped. Dryad captured the fourth vessel in Moulston's squadron, the 26-gun frigate Proserpine, which had earlier parted company with her companion vessels in a fog. The British took Proserpine into service as .
In September to early October, Unicorn captured five vessels sailing from Surinam to Amsterdam:
On 21 October Unicorn captured the 6-gun privateer Enterprise in the Irish Sea. Enterprise had a crew of 40 men and was 28 days out of Brest
. During her cruise she had captured a Portuguese ship, two English brigs, and a sloop.
In December, Unicorn was one of the few British ships able to respond to the French effort to invade Ireland during the Expédition d'Irlande
. On 7 January 1797, Unicorn was able to capture the troopship with and and pursue the French flagship in the closing days of the campaign. Eleven days later Unicorn, Doris and Druid captured the privateer Eclair, of 18 guns and a crew of 120 men, in the Channel. Unicorn then rejoined the British fleet. In August, Unicorn was in company with when they recaptured the Somerset at Cove, near Cork.
In March 1797 command passed to Captain James Young
and then to Captain Phillip Wilkinson in April 1799. Unicorn captured a French brig in March 1799.
On 9 June 1799 Unicorn and the hired armed cutter Constitution captured the French brig St. Antoine. On 10 June, two of Unicorns boats, together with two each from , and , all of Sir John Borlase Warren
's squadron, captured the gunboat Nochette, two other armed vessels, and eight transports carrying supplies for the fleet at Brest
. Nochette was armed with two 24-pounder guns. The two other armed vessels were chasse-marees armed with eight and six guns. The transports consisted of two brigs, two sloops, and four chasse marees, which were carrying wine, brandy, flour and peas. In addition, the crews of 20 French vessels ran their vessels ashore, where many were probably wrecked. The British suffered four men wounded, but none were from Unicorn. Unicorn was short of water so Admiral St. Vincent
ordered her to escort the prizes back to Plymouth and then immediately return to her station. Unicorn arrived at Plymouth on 18 June with ten vessels, one having foundered on the way. (The crew was saved.) She sailed for Brest on 27 June. Next, Unicorn participated in the attempt on the Spanish squadron in Aix Roads on 2 July.
On 6 January 1800 Unicorn was among the five vessels that shared in the capture of the French brig Ursule (or Huzelle). On 7 January, the French armed ship Huzelle came into Plymouth. She had been carrying passengers from Cayenne, including women and children, when captured her. On her way in to a British port, the French privateer Providence, of 14 guns and 152 men, had recaptured her and sent her to Bordeaux. However, before she got get there, Unicorn and and again captured her and sent her into Plymouth. Huzelle was low on provision with the result that a five-year old child died while she was in Plymouth Sound; as she anchored at Catwater, M.P. Symonds, the broker for the prize, sent on board plenty of fresh provisions. Among Huzelles passengers were a Colonel Molonson of Invalids, and a naturalist, M. Burnelle, with a cabinet of curiosities for the French National Museum at Paris.
In June Unicorn was still with Warren's squadron off the Atlantic coast of France. She therefore shared in the capture on 11 June of ten merchant vessels: the brig Rosalie, the Baure Paire, the sloop Rosalie, the Bonne Nouvelle, the Oiseau, the Felicite, the Nochelle, the St. Claire, the Henrietta, and the Maree Francaise. Unicorn was also among the five ships that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French privateer Rancune, taken on 27 September. Unicorn shared in some of these prizes by virtue of being part of Admiral Keat's squadron. She also shared in the captures of the Girone (28 July), the Revanche (28 July), the Alerte 1July), the Joseph (3 August), the Vivo (30 September), and Magicienne (16 October). Unicorn shared with four other vessels in the capture of the Union on 14 August. On 15 August Unicorn recaptured the Petit Bastien, and four days later the Hirondelle.
Command then passed to Captain Charles Wemyss in 1801. On 14 August Wemyss wrote to Admiral W. Cornwallis stating that he had only been able to capture one chasse maree, of 40 tons, which was carrying a cargo of lime. Not only was she not worth sending in, capturing her cost Unicorn one man killed and one man slightly wounded. Wemyss had also destroyed another chasse maree, also of 40 tons that was carrying a cargo of corn. Captain Charles Stuart replaced Wemyss in 1802. In April and May 1803 Unicorn was placed in dock at Chatham for extensive repairs.
Unicorn sailed for Jamaica on 23 December 1804. On the morning of 6 May 1805, Unicorn was eight or nine leagues NE by N of Cape Francois
, off St. Domingo, when she saw a strange sail seven or eight miles away. There was little wind so Handyman sent out four boats in chase. After rowing for many hours, and despite finally facing cannon and small arms fire, the British captured the privateer without taking any casualties. She turned out to be the Tape-a-Bord, under the command of Citizen Hemiguelth. She was armed with four 6-pounder guns, and carried 46 men. She was out of Samana and had been on a cruise for 10 days without taking any prizes. On 15 October Unicorn captured the Spanish ship Notre Dame de la Carmen, which was on her way from Havana to Cadiz with a cargo of cocoa.
On 7 May 1806, Unicorn captured the French privateer Galatea.
Unicorn sailed for the River Plate
on 7 October 1806. She then was off Buenos Aires
during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
. In 1808 she returned to Britain. By 29 June she was off France when she, Seine
, Comet and Cossack
captured the French brig Pierre Ceasar. The Admiralty took Pierre Caesar into service as .
On 6 August Cossack captured the Mouche, with Unicorn sharing in the prize money by agreement. Around 15 or 28 October Unicorn and Thisbe
captured the General Mulenfelis or General Muhlenfels.
In 1809 Unicorn was present at the Battle of Basque Roads. Imperieuse
had taken up a position by the Boyart Shoal
. The frigates Unicorn, Aigle, and Pallas
anchored close to her. Their task was to retrieve the returning crews of the fireships and to support the boats of the fleet that had assembled alongside Caesar
, to assist the fireships. As it turned out the boats were not used. still, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the NGSM with clasp "Basque Roads" all surviving claimants from the action.
Captain Alexander Robert Kerr assumed command in August 1809. Unicorn captured the privateer Gascon on 3 February 1810. Gascon carried 16 guns and 113 men. She was two days out of Bayonne without having taken any prizes.
On 12 April 1810, Unicorn captured the 22-gun Esperence off the Île de Ré
. Esperence was the former British Post-ship , but was armed en flute
, under the command of a Lieutenant de vaisseau
and carrying a cargo of colonial produce from Île de France
. In November 1810 Unicorn received an advance of ₤14,000 on the prize money from the capture of Esperence.
On 3 October Unicorn captured the French privateer Gascon of 16 guns and 113 men. Gascon was two days from Bayonne and had not taken any prizes.
In April 1811 Captain George Bourgoyne Salt assumed command. Between 19 November and 3 February 1812 Unicorn captured five vessels: Industry (19 November), Jane (21 November), Fly (18 January), Manlius (21 January), and Good Intent (3 February). Unicorn shared the capture of the Manlius with Scylla. On 30 March 1813 the frigate Stag and Unicorn captured the French privateer Miquelonnaise, of St Malo
. She was pierced for 20 guns but carried 18, two long 12-pounders, eight long 6-pounders and eight 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 130 men and was about six months old. On this cruise she had been out four days from Quimper
and had taken a small brig, the Alexander, which had been carrying a cargo of tin and iron from London to Lisbon. Miquelonnaise sank the brig rather than bringing her in.
In April Stag, with Unicorn in sight, took the 2-gun privateer schooner Hébé, the former Royal Navy schooner . The Royal Navy took her back into service as Lauretsinus. On 21 May, Unicorn captured the American schooner Miranda, of Rhode Island. She had a crew of six men. had a burthen of 104 tons, and was sailing for Matunzas with a cargo of lumber.
Captain Samuel George Pechell took command of Unicorn in 1814. While under the command of Kerr, Salt, or Pechell, Unicorn sent in her boats to cut out a large brig sheltering under the batteries at Belle Île
. The expedition cost the British two men killed. Unicorn also participated in the support of Spanish forces in the north of Spain, in the blockade of the Texel, and in patrols off the coast of Norway. Lastly, she also conveyed various members of the Royal Family to and from the Continent.
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:...
Pallas-class frigate
Pallas class frigate
The Pallas class sailing frigates were a series of three ships built to a 1791 design by John Henslow, which served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
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...
, launched in 1794 at Chatham
Chatham 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...
. This frigate served in both the French Revolutionary Wars
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 the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, including a medal action early in her career. She was broken up in 1815.
French Revolutionary War
Unicorn entered service in 1794 under the command of Captain William Cayley, who was followed in 1795 by Captain Thomas WilliamsThomas Williams (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Thomas Williams GCB was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, who served in numerous theatres during the American Revolutionary War, French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars...
. Under Williams, Unicorn served in the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
, operating from Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. On 31 May, Unicorn, Scipio
HMS Scipio (1782)
HMS Scipio was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 October 1782 at Deptford. She was broken up in 1798....
and Latona shared in the capture of the Dutch schooner Mary, Captain Pierce.
On 28 August, Unicorn was in company with and , when Unicorn captured the Dutch East Indiaman Cromhout or Crumhout. The Cromhouts capture resulted in at least £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
40,000 in prize money to be distributed among her captors.
Then Unicorn parted company with the rest of the squadron and after a chase of 13 hours captured the Dutch brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Komeet (or Comet), which was under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Mynheer Claris. Comet was only four years old, in excellent condition, and armed with 18 English 9-pounder guns. She was sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to the Texel and was provisioned with water and food for 110 men for a nine-month cruise.
On 10 April, Unicorn recaptured the brig Thames while in company 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
Cutter
A cutter may refer to several types of nautical vessels. When used in the context of sailing vessels, a cutter is a small single-masted boat, fore-and-aft rigged, with two or more headsails and often a bowsprit. The cutter features a mast set farther back than on a sloop...
Fox (the third). The same three vessels, plus Diana and Seahorse, were in company when Dryad captured the French cutter Abeille.
On 7 June 1796, Unicorn and Santa Margaritta captured a large ship flying Swedish colours and carrying Dutch goods from Surinam, which turned out to be the Gustavus Adolphus. The commander of the prize crew, a lieutenant from Unicorn, advised 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...
, commander in chief of the Cork station, that when he had last seen Unicorn and Santa Margarita they were chasing three French vessels, the frigates, Tamise
HMS Thames (1758)
HMS Thames was a 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy built by Henry Adams and launched at Bucklers Hard in 1758. She served in several wars, including for some four years in French service after her capture. She was recaptured in 1796 and was broken up in 1803.-British...
and Tribune
HMS Tribune (1796)
HMS Tribune was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth rate. This frigate was originally a French ship captured and commissioned into service in the Navy. She only served for a year before being wrecked off of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia with the loss of all but 12 of her crew.-Capture:Tribune was originally the...
, and the corvette Legere.
In the Action of 8 June 1796, Unicorn captured the 44-gun Tribune. Before Unicorn could bring Tribune to close action the two vessels engaged in a ten-hour long running fight. The actual close engagement lasted 35 minutes before Tribune struck. She was under the command of Commodore John Moulston and had lost 37 men killed of her crew of 337 men, as well as 15 wounded. (Moulston, who was wounded in the action, was an American who had served in the French Navy for 16 years.) Unicorn had no losses.
The Royal Navy took into service under her existing name. Williams earned a knighthood for his victory. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the remaining survivors of the action the NGSM with clasp "Unicorn 8 June 1796".
Santa Margaritta captured Tamise and also won for her crew the Naval General Service Medal in 1847. Legere escaped. Dryad captured the fourth vessel in Moulston's squadron, the 26-gun frigate Proserpine, which had earlier parted company with her companion vessels in a fog. The British took Proserpine into service as .
In September to early October, Unicorn captured five vessels sailing from Surinam to Amsterdam:
- Eliza (22 September);
- Orion (23 September);
- Christian the Seventh (24 September):
- Whilhemsberg (1 October); and
- Freiheden (4 October).
On 21 October Unicorn captured the 6-gun privateer Enterprise in the Irish Sea. Enterprise had a crew of 40 men and was 28 days out 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...
. During her cruise she had captured a Portuguese ship, two English brigs, and a sloop.
In December, Unicorn was one of the few British ships able to respond to the French effort to invade Ireland during the Expédition d'Irlande
Expédition d'Irlande
The Expédition d'Irlande was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule...
. On 7 January 1797, Unicorn was able to capture the troopship with and and pursue the French flagship in the closing days of the campaign. Eleven days later Unicorn, Doris and Druid captured the privateer Eclair, of 18 guns and a crew of 120 men, in the Channel. Unicorn then rejoined the British fleet. In August, Unicorn was in company with when they recaptured the Somerset at Cove, near Cork.
In March 1797 command passed to Captain James Young
James Young (1762–1833)
James Young was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of vice-admiral of the white.Young was born in 1762, the son of a naval officer...
and then to Captain Phillip Wilkinson in April 1799. Unicorn captured a French brig in March 1799.
On 9 June 1799 Unicorn and the hired armed cutter Constitution captured the French brig St. Antoine. On 10 June, two of Unicorns boats, together with two each from , and , all of Sir John Borlase Warren
John Borlase Warren
Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...
's squadron, captured the gunboat Nochette, two other armed vessels, and eight transports carrying supplies for the 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...
. Nochette was armed with two 24-pounder guns. The two other armed vessels were chasse-marees armed with eight and six guns. The transports consisted of two brigs, two sloops, and four chasse marees, which were carrying wine, brandy, flour and peas. In addition, the crews of 20 French vessels ran their vessels ashore, where many were probably wrecked. The British suffered four men wounded, but none were from Unicorn. Unicorn was short of water so Admiral St. Vincent
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...
ordered her to escort the prizes back to Plymouth and then immediately return to her station. Unicorn arrived at Plymouth on 18 June with ten vessels, one having foundered on the way. (The crew was saved.) She sailed for Brest on 27 June. Next, Unicorn participated in the attempt on the Spanish squadron in Aix Roads on 2 July.
On 6 January 1800 Unicorn was among the five vessels that shared in the capture of the French brig Ursule (or Huzelle). On 7 January, the French armed ship Huzelle came into Plymouth. She had been carrying passengers from Cayenne, including women and children, when captured her. On her way in to a British port, the French privateer Providence, of 14 guns and 152 men, had recaptured her and sent her to Bordeaux. However, before she got get there, Unicorn and and again captured her and sent her into Plymouth. Huzelle was low on provision with the result that a five-year old child died while she was in Plymouth Sound; as she anchored at Catwater, M.P. Symonds, the broker for the prize, sent on board plenty of fresh provisions. Among Huzelles passengers were a Colonel Molonson of Invalids, and a naturalist, M. Burnelle, with a cabinet of curiosities for the French National Museum at Paris.
In June Unicorn was still with Warren's squadron off the Atlantic coast of France. She therefore shared in the capture on 11 June of ten merchant vessels: the brig Rosalie, the Baure Paire, the sloop Rosalie, the Bonne Nouvelle, the Oiseau, the Felicite, the Nochelle, the St. Claire, the Henrietta, and the Maree Francaise. Unicorn was also among the five ships that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French privateer Rancune, taken on 27 September. Unicorn shared in some of these prizes by virtue of being part of Admiral Keat's squadron. She also shared in the captures of the Girone (28 July), the Revanche (28 July), the Alerte 1July), the Joseph (3 August), the Vivo (30 September), and Magicienne (16 October). Unicorn shared with four other vessels in the capture of the Union on 14 August. On 15 August Unicorn recaptured the Petit Bastien, and four days later the Hirondelle.
Command then passed to Captain Charles Wemyss in 1801. On 14 August Wemyss wrote to Admiral W. Cornwallis stating that he had only been able to capture one chasse maree, of 40 tons, which was carrying a cargo of lime. Not only was she not worth sending in, capturing her cost Unicorn one man killed and one man slightly wounded. Wemyss had also destroyed another chasse maree, also of 40 tons that was carrying a cargo of corn. Captain Charles Stuart replaced Wemyss in 1802. In April and May 1803 Unicorn was placed in dock at Chatham for extensive repairs.
Napoleonic Wars
Unicorn was recommissioned in April 1803 under Captain Lucius Hardyman for the North Sea. On 23 June she captured the Dutch fishingvessel Jonge Johannes. Then on 17 September she detained the neutral ship Catharina Louisa, which the High Court of Admiralty later restored to her owners. Then on 6 October she recaptured the William and Thomas. The salvage from the William and Thomas went in whole or in part to pay expenses relating to the detention of the Catherina Louisa. On 25 October Unicorn and Antelope captured the Catharina Tholens.Unicorn sailed for Jamaica on 23 December 1804. On the morning of 6 May 1805, Unicorn was eight or nine leagues NE by N of Cape Francois
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...
, off St. Domingo, when she saw a strange sail seven or eight miles away. There was little wind so Handyman sent out four boats in chase. After rowing for many hours, and despite finally facing cannon and small arms fire, the British captured the privateer without taking any casualties. She turned out to be the Tape-a-Bord, under the command of Citizen Hemiguelth. She was armed with four 6-pounder guns, and carried 46 men. She was out of Samana and had been on a cruise for 10 days without taking any prizes. On 15 October Unicorn captured the Spanish ship Notre Dame de la Carmen, which was on her way from Havana to Cadiz with a cargo of cocoa.
On 7 May 1806, Unicorn captured the French privateer Galatea.
Unicorn sailed for the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
on 7 October 1806. She then was off Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata
British invasions of the Río de la Plata
The British invasions of the Río de la Plata were a series of unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colonies located around the La Plata Basin in South America . The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, when Spain was an ally of...
. In 1808 she returned to Britain. By 29 June she was off France when she, Seine
French frigate Embuscade (1790)
-French service:In 1792, she escorted convoys to and from Martinique, and ferried Edmond-Charles Genêt to the USA. On 31 July 1793, she encountered and fought Boston at the Action of 31 July 1793....
, Comet and Cossack
HMS Cossack (1806)
HMS Cossack was a Royal Navy Banterer-class post ship of a nominal 22 guns, launched in 1806 at South Shields, England. She was ordered in January 1805 as HMS Pandour and launched under that name but her name was altered to Cossack during 1806....
captured the French brig Pierre Ceasar. The Admiralty took Pierre Caesar into service as .
On 6 August Cossack captured the Mouche, with Unicorn sharing in the prize money by agreement. Around 15 or 28 October Unicorn and Thisbe
HMS Thisbe (1783)
HMS Thisbe was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Thisbe first was commissioned in December 1787 under the command of Captain George Robinson.- References :...
captured the General Mulenfelis or General Muhlenfels.
In 1809 Unicorn was present at the Battle of Basque Roads. Imperieuse
HMS Imperieuse
Six ships and a training establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Imperieuse. was a 40-gun fifth rate captured from the French in 1793. She was renamed HMS Unite in 1803, was on harbour service from 1832, and was broken up in 1858....
had taken up a position by the Boyart Shoal
Fort Boyard
Fort Boyard is a fort located between the Île-d'Aix and the Île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche straits, on the west coast of France. Though a fort on Boyard bank was suggested as early as the 17th century, it was not until the 1800s under Napoleon Bonaparte that work began.-Layout:Fort...
. The frigates Unicorn, Aigle, and Pallas
HMS Pallas (1804)
HMS Pallas was a 32-gun fifth rate Thames-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804 at Plymouth.-History:Pallas was one of the seven Thames class frigates ordered for the fleet in early 1804. Her keel was laid at Plymouth Dockyard in June 1804 and she was launched on the afternoon of 17...
anchored close to her. Their task was to retrieve the returning crews of the fireships and to support the boats of the fleet that had assembled alongside Caesar
HMS Caesar (1793)
HMS Caesar, also Cæsar, was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 November 1793 at Plymouth. She was designed by Sir Edward Hunt, and was the only ship built to her draught.-Battle of Algeciras Bay:...
, to assist the fireships. As it turned out the boats were not used. still, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the NGSM with clasp "Basque Roads" all surviving claimants from the action.
Captain Alexander Robert Kerr assumed command in August 1809. Unicorn captured the privateer Gascon on 3 February 1810. Gascon carried 16 guns and 113 men. She was two days out of Bayonne without having taken any prizes.
On 12 April 1810, Unicorn captured the 22-gun Esperence off 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....
. Esperence was the former British Post-ship , but was armed en flute
En flûte
Arming a ship en flûte means removing some or all of the artillery. Since ships have a limited amount of cargo space, they may be armed en flûte to make room for other cargo, such as troops and ammunition...
, under the command of a Lieutenant de vaisseau
Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant is a common naval rank, equivalent to the naval rank of Lieutenant in the UK, Commonwealth and US.The name of the rank derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship .The rank is lieutenant de vaisseau...
and carrying a cargo of colonial produce from 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...
. In November 1810 Unicorn received an advance of ₤14,000 on the prize money from the capture of Esperence.
On 3 October Unicorn captured the French privateer Gascon of 16 guns and 113 men. Gascon was two days from Bayonne and had not taken any prizes.
In April 1811 Captain George Bourgoyne Salt assumed command. Between 19 November and 3 February 1812 Unicorn captured five vessels: Industry (19 November), Jane (21 November), Fly (18 January), Manlius (21 January), and Good Intent (3 February). Unicorn shared the capture of the Manlius with Scylla. On 30 March 1813 the frigate Stag and Unicorn captured the French privateer Miquelonnaise, of St Malo
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
. She was pierced for 20 guns but carried 18, two long 12-pounders, eight long 6-pounders and eight 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 130 men and was about six months old. On this cruise she had been out four days 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:...
and had taken a small brig, the Alexander, which had been carrying a cargo of tin and iron from London to Lisbon. Miquelonnaise sank the brig rather than bringing her in.
In April Stag, with Unicorn in sight, took the 2-gun privateer schooner Hébé, the former Royal Navy schooner . The Royal Navy took her back into service as Lauretsinus. On 21 May, Unicorn captured the American schooner Miranda, of Rhode Island. She had a crew of six men. had a burthen of 104 tons, and was sailing for Matunzas with a cargo of lumber.
Captain Samuel George Pechell took command of Unicorn in 1814. While under the command of Kerr, Salt, or Pechell, Unicorn sent in her boats to cut out a large brig sheltering under the batteries at Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
. The expedition cost the British two men killed. Unicorn also participated in the support of Spanish forces in the north of Spain, in the blockade of the Texel, and in patrols off the coast of Norway. Lastly, she also conveyed various members of the Royal Family to and from the Continent.