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AFRICA
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(64) |
3rd rate
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Built in 1781, Barnard, Deptford.
Harbour Service in 1798.
Broken up at Portsmouth in 1814. |
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- 1782 Capt. R. M'DOUALL, with Sir R. BICKERTON.
- 1783 Capt. Robert M'DOUALL, East Indies.
With Vice Ad. Sir Edward HUGHES's fleet in the action with the French under SUFFREN off Cuddalore on 20 June 1783 where the British fleet was covering an attack by troops from Madras. No ships were taken and losses in men were roughly equal but HUGHES had a great number down with scurvy and retired to Madras allowing SUFFREN to enter Cuddalore.
On 29 June MEDEA (28) brought the news that peace had been concluded. - AFRICA returned home in April 1784.
- 1796 Capt. Robert HOME, West Indies.
In March AFRICA, LEVIATHAN (74) and SWIFTSURE (74) provided covering fire for the troops and inshore ships, which included CERES (32) and IPHEGENIA (32) attempting an attack on Leogane in San Domingo. The place was too strong and AFRICA was considerably damaged aloft by shore fire. - 1800 Lieut. John BRYANT, harbour service at Sheerness.
- 1803 Out of commission.
- 1805 Capt. Henry DIGBY.
AFRICA was present at the Battle of Trafalgar. Being far to the westward of the rest of the fleet, NELSON signalled for her to take her place at the rear of his division. Instead Capt. DIGBY bore down on the van of the combined fleet and received the fire of each ship as he passed along them. When he saw that the SANTISIMA TRINIDAD had no colours flying he sent Lieut. John SMITH to take possession. He was greeted by a Spanish officer who informed him that the ship was still fighting but permitted him to return to AFRICA.
AFRICA then suffered severely in a three-quarters of an hour fight with the INTREPIDE (74) until ORION came to her aid. She lost 18 killed and 44 wounded during the battle. - 1807 Capt. H. W. BAYNTUN.
After Denmark declared war on Sweden in February 1808, a fleet of warships including AFRICA was sent in April to prevent French troops crossing to Norway.
The ships sailed for Gothenburg as they got ready and they were joined on 17 May by an army of 10,000 men under Sir John Moore.
This returned home in July without disembarking. - Capt. John BARRETT, 08/1808.
On 18 August AFRICA was attacked off Copenhagen by 12 gunboats and had to retreat into Malmo. AFRICA and the THUNDER, bomb, and two brigs sailed from Karlskrona on 15 October with a homebound convoy of 137 merchantmen. Early on the 20th. she anchored to allow the other ships to escort the convoy into Malmo, losing four on the way. About midday she was discovered by nineteen Danish gunboats and three mortar boats and, with no wind, the enemy were free to attack from the bow and stern where her big guns would not bear. The action lasted for more than three hours when, with increasing wind and approaching darkness, the Danes retired.
AFRICA lost 9 killed and 53 wounded and had to return to Karlskrona for repairs. The Danish losses were 28 killed and 36 wounded. The remainder of the British fleet sailed for home on 25 October and reached the Downs on 8 December. - 1809 Capt. L. O'BLAND, 04/1809, late of the FLORA which had been wrecked on the Dutch coast in January. AFRICA was to be anchored in the Baltic as a protection to British trade.
Capt. Thomas DUNDAS, 09/1809. - 1810 Capt. George Frederick RYVES, 03/1810, North Sea Baltic, where AFRICA took part in the blockade of Copenhagen. In October a boat under the command of Lieut. FINNISNERE destroyed a Danish privateer on the Falstubo Reef.
Capt. RYVES escorted 200 merchantmen through the Great Belt during a gale without losing a single vessel. After delivering his convoy to Yarmouth he experienced a severe gale in the Channel while on passage to Portsmouth. Against the advice of his pilot he resolved to anchor and AFRICA rode out the gale in comfort for four days. - In October 1810 Capt. RYVES was appointed to MARS and Capt. CARDEW was appointed to AFRICA. The first lieutenant, Mr John H. MARSHALL, along with 19 other lieutenants was promoted to commander on 21 October in commemoration of Trafalgar.
- 1811 Capt. John BASTARD, 11/1810, Falmouth for Halifax as flagship of Rear Ad. Herbert SAWYER.
The frigate BELVIDERA escaped from an action with an American squadron off New York on 23 June and brought news of the war to Halifax three days later.
On 5 July Ad. SAWYER despatched a squadron consisting of SHANNON, Capt. Philip Vere BROKE, BELVIDERA, AFRICA and AEOLUS on a cruise and four days later they were joined by GUERRIERE.
On 16th. they captured the US brig NAUTILUS despite her desperate efforts to escape, even throwing her lee guns overboard. The following afternoon the squadron gave chase to a strange sail which proved to be the US frigate CONSTITUTION (44) which had sailed from the Chesapeake on the 12th.
On the morning of the 18th. GUERRIERE, approaching CONSTITUTION, signalled to the remaining British ships but, getting no reply, assumed them to be American so wore round and stood away. Two hours later the wind dropped and soon all the ships were towing. SHANNON, with nearly all the squadron's boats pulling her, managed to exchange a few shots with the enemy, but CONSTITUTION by towing, warping with the kedge anchors and finally sailing, managed to reach Boston on the 26th. AFRICA had been left far behind in the chase. - AFRICA returned to England in 1813 and the following year she was at Portsmouth waiting to be broken up.
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