HMS Dido (1784)
| 300px Capture of La Minerve off Toulon, June 24th 1795 by Thomas Whitcombe. In the foreground the damaged and dismasted Minerve duels with HMS Dido, while in the background Artémise flees, pursued by Lowestoffe. | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 5 June 1782 |
| Builder: | Stewart and Hall, Sandgate |
| Laid down: | September 1782 |
| Launched: | 27 November 1784 |
| Completed: | 15 March 1785 |
| Commissioned: | September 1787 |
| Fate: | Sold to be broken up, 3 April 1817 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 595 tons |
| Length: | 120 ft 5 in (36.70 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 7 in (10.24 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: | 200 officers and men |
| Armament: |
Gundeck: 24 × 9pdrs Quarter deck: 4 × 6pdrs plus 4 x 18pdr carronades Forecastle 2 x 18pdr carronades |
HMS Dido was one of the twenty-seven Enterprise class of 28-gun sixth-rate frigates in service with the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Dido was commissioned in September 1787 under the command of Captain Charles Sandys.
Admiral Hotham sent HMS Dido under Captain George Henry Towry and HMS Lowestoffe, a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate under Captain Robert Middleton, to reconnoitre the French fleet at Toulon.[1] While off Minorca on 24 June 1795 the two frigates encountered two French frigates, the 42-gun Minerve and the 36-gun Artémise.[1] The French were initially wary, but when they realised that they were larger and stronger than the British vessels, the French captains manoeuvred to attack.[1] Minerve attempted to run down Dido but when Dido turned to avoid the impact, Minerve's bowsprit became entangled in Dido's rigging, costing Dido her mizzenmast and colours.[1] Lowestoffe came along the port side of the Frenchman to discharge a broadside that carried away Minerve's foremast and topmasts, crippling her.[1] Lowestoffe pursued the retreating Artémise, which eventually escaped. Lowestoffe returned to Minerve, firing on her until she struck. Lowestoffe had three men wounded, the Dido six killed and 15 wounded.[1] Minerve lost about 10 percent of her crew of over 300 men. The British took Minerve into service as the 38-gun frigate HMS Minerve. The weight of Minerve's broadside alone was greater than that of the two British frigates together, making the battle a notable victory; the Admiralty duly awarded the two captains a Naval Gold Medal each.[2][3]
References
- David Lyon, "The Sailing Navy List", Brasseys Publications, London 1993.
- Rif Winfield, "British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714 to 1792", Seaforth Publishing, London 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
