HMS Liverpool (1814)
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Liverpool |
| Builder: | Wigram, Wells & Green, Blackwall Yard, London |
| Laid down: | May 1813 |
| Launched: | 21 February 1814 |
| Commissioned: | May 1814 |
| Decommissioned: | 3 April 1816 |
| Recommissioned: | 1818 |
| Decommissioned: | January 1822 |
| Fate: | Sold, 1822 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Endymion-class frigate, reclassified as a Fourth Rate |
| Tons burthen: | 1246 86/94 tons bm |
| Length: | 159 ft (48 m) on gundeck |
| Beam: | 41 ft (12 m) |
| Draught: | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Speed: | 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement: | 300 |
| Armament: |
50 cannons
|
The third HMS Liverpool was a Royal Navy Endymion-class frigate, reclassified as a Fourth Rate.[1] She was built by Wigram, Wells and Green and launched at Woolwich on 21 February 1814. She was built of pitch-pine), which made for speedy construction at the expense of durability.
Her major service was on the East Indies Station from where in 1819 she led the successful attack on the pirates based in Ras al-Khaimah. She was sold in 1822 but continued to operate in the Persian Gulf for an indefinite period thereafter.
Service
Liverpool was commissioned under Capt. Arthur Farquhar in May 1814.[1] Her first commission was very brief, though. She escorted convoys to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec. She then served at the Cape Station before returning to Deptford to be paid off on 3 April 1816.
In 1818, the Liverpool was re-commissioned and joined the East Indies Station, sailing via Mauritius and Trincomalee. While at Port Louis she captured four slave vessels.
In 1819, Liverpool took part in an expedition against pirates in the Persian Gulf at Ras al-Khaimah. Capt. Francis Augustus Collier of Liverpool was in command of a force including HMS Eden (20), the brig-sloop HMS Curlew (18), several East India Company cruisers, and a number of gun and mortar boats. They were joined by several vessels belonging to the Sultan of Muscat, while Major General Sir William Keir commanded 3,000 troops in transports.[2]
The operation lasted from 4–8 December and was a resounding success for the Royal Navy. The capture and destruction of the fortifications and ships in the port was a massive blow for the Gulf pirates. The Royal Navy suffered no casualties during the action, a considerable achievement in those times.
Liverpool carried on serving in the East Indies Station. She made a trip to China before returnng to the Persian Gulf in August 1821, where she lost a number of her crew to the heat. She was paid off at Bombay in January 1822.
Fate
Liverpool was then sold at Bombay on 16 April 1822 for £3,780.[1]. The buyer apparently was a Persian prince who sailed her to protect the trade against further pirate attacks. Liverpool's captain, officers and crew transferred to HMS Ganges, a newly built vessel, and brought her home to Spithead on 6 October 1822. [2]
References
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.
