HMS Astraea (1810)
HMS Astraea (sometimes spelt HMS Astrea) was a Royal Navy 36-gun Fifth rate Apollo Class frigate, launched in 1810 at Northam. She participated in the Battle of Tamatave and in an inconclusive single-ship action with the French frigate Etoile. Astrea was broken up in 1851.
Contents
Indian Ocean
Astraea's first deployment was to the Cape of Good Hope under Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg. Shortly after arrival, Schomberg was ordered to join the squadron of Captain Philip Beaver on the newly captured Mauritius. when Beaver sailed for the Seychelles in March 1811, Schomberg took command of the naval forces on the island. On 6 May 1811, a French squadron attempted to land at Grand Port and were chased off by a squadron under James Hillyar. Schomberg took command of Hillyar's squadron and pursued the French to Tamatave on Madagascar. During the Battle of Tamatave on 20 May, Astraea was heavily engaged and the British captured two French frigates: Renommée and Néréide.
Beaver died in April 1813, and Schomberg moved to his flagship HMS Nisus. Command of Astraea transferred to John Eveleigh.
Astrea vs. Etoile
Returning to Europe in 1814, Eveleigh in Astraea sailed from Spithead with Volontaire and convoyed the latter to Lisbon. She was in the company of Creole under the command of Captain Mackenzie, who was also the senior to Eveleigh. The two frigates then cruised off Palma for three or four days before making for Teneriffe and circumnavigated the Canary islands. They reached the coast of Africa at Senegal, watered at Gorée then steered for the Cape Verde Islands, making the island of Maio on the morning of 23 January 1814.
Off the Cape Verde Islands they encountered two frigates at anchor with some other vessels, one a large transport. Creole fired about three broadsides and then Astraea ran between Creole and her opponent, lay alongside and poured in three broadsides that silenced the French frigate for a time. Astraea then made for the commodore's ship, crossed his bow and raked him. Unfortunately at this moment Astraea's wheel was shot away, both quarter masters were killed, and she fell off. With the muzzles of the enemy guns nearly touching the taffrail it was Astraea's turn to receive broadsides which took away her lower rigging, ripped up the deck and burst one of the carronades. With no damage forward she managed to get starboard to starboard exchanging broadsides at very close range when Eveleigh received a pistol shot below the heart. Two hours later her opponent put her helm up and sailed off. That evening the two British ships anchored in Porto Praya on St. Jago. After repairs they searched in vain for the enemy before sailing to Sierra Leone.
The French vessel turned out to be Etoile. The close and bitter engagement badly damaged both ships and Eveleigh was among the nine dead on Astrea. HMS Hebrus later captured Etoile. Command of Astraea passed to Captain William Black.
Fate
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Astraea spent seven years in reserve. In 1823 she was converted to be a hospital ship, in which state she remained until she was broken up in 1851.
Notes
- Ships of the Old Navy
- Rif Winfield (2008), British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793-1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. 2nd edition, Seaforth Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84415-717-4.
