HMS Sans Pareil (1794)
| 300px | |
| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sans Pareil |
| Builder: | Brest |
| Laid down: | August 1790 |
| Launched: | 8 June 1793 |
| Captured: | 1 June 1794, by the Royal Navy |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Sans Pareil |
| Acquired: | 1 June 1794 |
| Reclassified: |
Prison hulk, 1807 Sheer hulk, 1810 |
| Fate: | Broken up, October 1842 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Tonnant class ship of the line |
| Displacement: | 1800 tonnes |
| Tons burthen: | 2190 tons |
| Length: | 59.3 metres (197 ft 6 in, gun deck length) |
| Beam: | 15.3 metres 5(0 ft 7 in) |
| Draught: | 7.8 metres |
| Depth of hold: | 7.2 m (23.62 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: | 738 |
| Armament: |
(As built) 80 guns
From 1806 (80 guns)
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HMS Sans Pareil ("Without Equal") was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was formerly the French ship Sans Pareil, but was captured in 1794 and spent the rest of her career in service with the British.
French service
Sans Pareil was built at Brest as a Tonnant class ship of the line, to a design by Groignard. She was launched on 8 June 1793, but spent less than a year in service with the French navy.[1] She sailed into the Atlantic in May 1794, under the command of Captain Courand, as part of a squadron under Rear-Admiral Joseph-Marie Nielly.[2] She was Nielly's flagship for the operation, which aimed to meet a corn convoy inbound from North America, under Pierre Jean Van Stabel. Neilly initially failed to make contact with the French convoy, but on 9 May 1794 the squadron came across a British one, escorted by HMS Castor, under the command of Captain Thomas Troubridge.[1] The squadron attacked and captured the Castor, and a number of the convoy's ships. The Castor was only briefly in French hands, being retaken by HMS Carysfort on 29 May.[1]
Having made contact with the approaching convoy, the squadron began the return voyage. During this, a French fleet under Admiral Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse was intercepted by a British fleet under Lord Howe, and a series of sporadic actions were fought on 28 and 29 May. Neilly brought some of his larger ships, including the Sans Pareil to join Villaret, sending the convoy on ahead escorted by frigates. The fleets eventually clashed in force at the Glorious First of June, where Sans Pareil formed part of the French rear. During the battle HMS Royal George, flagship of Vice-Admiral Alexander Hood, broke the French line ahead of Sans Pareil, bringing down her fore and mizzen masts with a broadside.[2] HMS Glory then passed across her stern, shooting away her main mast. Disabled and unmanageable, Sans Pareil drifted out of the line and was taken by HMS Majestic. Aboard her were found Troubridge and 50 men and officers of the Castor.[2] They were released and helped to bring the damaged Sans Pareil into Spithead. Sans Pareil had possibly lost as many as 260 of her crew, with another 120 wounded.[2]
British service
The Sans Pareil was commissioned into the Royal Navy, and was initially commanded from March 1795 by Captain Lord Hugh Seymour, who was promoted to Rear-Admiral on 1 June 1795, the first anniversary of the Glorious First.[2] He was succeeded in the command by Captain W. Browell in August 1795, but she continued to serve as Seymour's flagship, with the Channel Fleet. She was then present as part of a fleet under Admiral Hood at another engagement with Villaret, the Battle of Groix on 22 June, where she engaged the French ships Formidable and Peuple, losing ten killed, and having another two wounded.[2] The Formidable was subsequently taken, joining the Royal Navy as HMS Belleisle. Seymour left the ship after this, being appointed to the Board of Admiralty in autumn 1795.[2]
Sans Pareil continued to sail off the French coast, using her French build to her advantage by flying the French ensign and luring privateers to come within range.[2] Seymour returned on a number of occasions, retaining her as his flagship for several cruises. By January 1799 Captain Atkins had taken command of Sans Pareil, but by August he had been replaced by Captain Penrose. She then sailed to the West Indies, again as Seymour's flagship, but Seymour contracted a fever and died on 11 September 1801.[2] Penrose too became ill and had to return to Britain. Sans Pareil then came under the command of Captain Essington, and served as the flagship of Admiral Richard Montague. She returned to Plymouth on 4 September 1802, later undergoing a major refit that lasted for 18 months and cost £35,000.[2] This turned her into a prison hulk, and by 1807 she was used to hold French prisoners-of-war.[2] She was reduced to a sheer hulk at Plymouth in October 1810, and spent another 32 years in service, before finally being broken up in October 1842.[3]
Notes
References
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
- Winfield, Rif, British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, pub Seaforth, 2007, ISBN 1-86176-295-X
- Lyon, David and Winfield, Rif, The Sail and Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889, pub Chatham, 2004, ISBN 1-86176-032-9
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line — Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
- Details of HMS Sans Pareil's career
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