HMS Hinchinbrook (1778)
| Career (Great Britain) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Hinchinbrook |
| Launched: | 1778 |
| Acquired: |
Captured on 13 October 1778 Purchased on 1 December 1778 |
| Commissioned: | December 1778 |
| Fate: | Wrecked on 19 January 1783 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 28-gun sixth rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 557 tons |
| Length: | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 200 |
| Armament: |
28 guns of various weights of shot
|
HMS Hinchinbrook[a] was a Royal Navy 28-gun sixth rate frigate. She was Captain Horatio Nelson's second navy command, after the brig HMS Badger, and his first as post-captain.[1]
Privateering career
The Hinchinbrook started life as the French privateer Astrée, built in 1778 at Nantes.[2] Reportedly, she was armed with 20 6 pounders and four 9 pounders, and had a crew of 125 men. She had a relatively short privateering career however. A British squadron led by HMS Ruby captured her off Cape François, Cuba on 13 October 1778.[2] A prize crew then took her into port where the Royal Navy purchased her for the sum of £5,650 on 1 December 1778.[2]
British career
Admiral Sir Peter Parker had intended to have Hinchinbrook upgraded to a 32-gun fifth rate, but this never came about. Instead, she entered the Royal Navy as a 28-gun sixth rate, with a crew of 200 men.[2] She was commissioned that December at Jamaica under Commander Christopher Parker. In May 1779, Captain Charles Nugent replaced Parker, who had been promoted to captain in March. In September, Captain Horatio Nelson took command of Hinchinbrook and escorted a convoy to Greytown, Nicaragua.[2]
Nelson and the Hinchinbrook were based in the San Juan River from January until April 1780.[2] Hinchinbrook's assignment was to support an expedition that Major-General John Dalling's wanted to capture the Spanish colonies in Central America, including an assault on the fortress of San Juan.[3] Hinchinbrook was to take troops to the mouth of the San Juan River and wait for their return. The troops would go 70 miles up the river, take the fort, and then go on to capture other Spanish possessions. The expeditionary force was small, it was the dry season and so the river was low, and the climate was putrid. Nelson decided to leave Hinchinbrook and take the troops up the river himself. He used small boats that would ground in the shallows and have to be dragged by hand. At one point, a barefoot Nelson led a small group of sailors to capture the out fort of San Bartholomew. The force eventually did reach Fort San Juan and captured it, but between war and disease, about 140 of Hinchinbrook's crew of 200 men died and the whole expedition too was decimated. Nelson himself became ill, and debilitated by dysentery, withdrew the Hinchinbrook back down the river. His friend Captain Cuthbert Collingwood replaced him in command of the Hinchinbrook and brought the remainder of the expedition back to Jamaica.[4] (Nelson and Collingwood had served together three years earlier in HMS Lowestoffe; the transport Victor took Nelson from Hinchinbrook to Jamaica, where he took command of the frigate HMS Janus of 44 guns.)
Collingwood remained in command of Hinchinbrook until December, when Captain Charles Hotchkys replaced him.[2] His replacement, in February 1781, was Captain George Stoney, who in turn was replaced by Captain Sylverius Moriaty in June 1781. Moriaty was among many of the navy personnel who suffered in the unhealthy climate of the West Indies, and he was twice relieved during his period of command by Captain John Fish due to his health problems.[2]
In February 1782 the Hinchinbrook passed to her final commander, Commander John Markham.[2] Markham was promoted to captain on 3 January 1783, but the Hinchinbrook was wrecked in St Anne’s Bay, Jamaica on 19 January 1783.[2][5]
Notes
a. ^ The spelling of the name was widely varied, and numerous versions exist even in the current literature. Variations include Hinchinbroke, Hinchinbrooke, Hinchingbroke, Hinchingbrook and Hinchingbrooke.
Citations
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 (2007). British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-295-X.
- Sugden, John (2004). Nelson - A Dream of Glory. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 0-224-06097-X.
