HMS Vengeance (1758)
Encyclopedia
HMS Vengeance was a 28-gun sixth rate of the Royal Navy
. She had previously been a French privateer
under the same name until her capture in 1758 during the Seven Years' War
.
. She was captured off the Lizard
on 8 January 1758 by , under the command of Captain
John Elliot, and was brought into Plymouth
. An Admiralty order was issued, authorising her purchase into the navy on 11 March 1758, and she was duly acquired on 21 June that year for the sum of £2,151.3.0d. She was officially named the following day, and was fitted at Plymouth between August and September 1758 for the sum of £1,619.18.6d.
. She came under the command of Lieutenant Joseph Hunt, in an acting capacity, in January 1759, and was used in the impressment service
that year. She joined Commodore
Robert Duff's squadron in October 1759, and was part of Admiral Sir Edward Hawke's
fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
on 20 November 1759. The following year she scored a success against privateers, capturing the letter-of-marque Comte de Nancy on 6 April 1760.
Vengeance departed for Quebec
on 22 June 1760, but was back in Britain by September. Her success against privateers continued into 1761; she captured the Minerve on 27 January, and Tigre on 23 March. Also on 23 March she captured the letter-of-marque Entreprenant, pierced for 44 guns, but armed en flûte
. Vengeance captured the 12-gun privateer Auguste, of La Rochelle
, on 5 April, and was paid off in June 1761. She was surveyed on 8 August 1763, and again on 26 August 1766. This time an admiralty order was issued on 4 September for her to be fitted as a breakwater
, and she was scuttled at Plymouth in October.
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 previously been a French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
under the same name until her capture in 1758 during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
.
French career and capture
Vengeance was built in 1757 at Saint-MaloSaint-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 captured off the Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
on 8 January 1758 by , under the command of Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
John Elliot, and was brought into Plymouth
Plymouth
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...
. An Admiralty order was issued, authorising her purchase into the navy on 11 March 1758, and she was duly acquired on 21 June that year for the sum of £2,151.3.0d. She was officially named the following day, and was fitted at Plymouth between August and September 1758 for the sum of £1,619.18.6d.
British career
Vengeance was first commissioned on 27 October 1758 under the command of Captain Gamaliel Nightingale, for service in the Irish SeaIrish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
. She came under the command of Lieutenant Joseph Hunt, in an acting capacity, in January 1759, and was used in the impressment service
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
that year. She joined Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
Robert Duff's squadron in October 1759, and was part of Admiral Sir Edward Hawke's
Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke
Admiral of the Fleet Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke KB, PC was an officer of the Royal Navy. He is best remembered for his service during the Seven Years' War, particularly his victory over a French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, preventing a French invasion of Britain...
fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
on 20 November 1759. The following year she scored a success against privateers, capturing the letter-of-marque Comte de Nancy on 6 April 1760.
Vengeance departed for Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
on 22 June 1760, but was back in Britain by September. Her success against privateers continued into 1761; she captured the Minerve on 27 January, and Tigre on 23 March. Also on 23 March she captured the letter-of-marque Entreprenant, pierced for 44 guns, but armed en flûte
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...
. Vengeance captured the 12-gun privateer Auguste, of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, on 5 April, and was paid off in June 1761. She was surveyed on 8 August 1763, and again on 26 August 1766. This time an admiralty order was issued on 4 September for her to be fitted as a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
, and she was scuttled at Plymouth in October.