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AIMABLE (32) 5th rate The French L'AIMABLE taken on 19 April 1782 by Lord HOOD in the Mona Passage in the West Indies.
Broken up in 1814.

  • 1782 Capt. A. HOOD, North America.
  • 1793 Capt. Harry NEALE, Mediterranean. She took part in the reduction of Bastia and, on 23 May 1794, captured the French corvette MOSELLE (18) off the Hieres Islands.
  • 1795 Capt. F. LAFOREY. Vice Ad. Sir John LAFOREY, being reappointed to the West Indies command, sailed as a passenger in AIMABLE, leaving on 9 May. On his return aboard MAJESTIC he died of yellow fever two days before the ship made land in June 1796.
  • 1796 Capt. C. S. DAVERS, 02/1796.
  • 1796 Capt. Jemmet MAINWARING, 11/1796.
    At sunset on 22 July 1796 AIMABLE discovered the French frigate PENSEE (44) rounding Englishman's Head in Guadeloupe and immediately made sail to prevent her getting into Anse-la-Barque.
    The ships were engaged for an hour and three quarter in a calm before the French bore up and made sail before a breeze which had sprung up.
    By next morning they were 6 miles apart but Capt. MAINWARING made all sail and eventually had an opportunity to pour a broadside through the enemy's cabin windows.
    After another half an hour of close action PENSEE made her escape to the Danish island of St. Thomas.
    The two commanders dined together there at the table of the governor and Capt. MAINWARING learnt that the French had lost 28 killed and 36 wounded out of 400 whereas AIMABLE only had two or three wounded out of 192 men and boys.
  • He gave PENSEE another opportunity for battle but Capt. Valto did not avail himself of it and Capt. MAINWARING sailed north with a convoy of English merchantmen.
  • 1797 Capt. W. G. LOBB, 06/1797.
  • 1799 Capt. Henry RAPER.
    On 16 June 1799 Ad. Sir Alan GARDNER sent Sir James SAUMAREZ in CAESAR with AIMABLE into the Tagus to bring out 5 of Lord NELSON's prizes from the Battle of the Nile.
    They sailed with them for England on the 22nd.
    All the British troops in Portugal were embarked in them and some transports.
    The prizes were taken into Plymouth while AIMABLE continued with the trade up to Liverpool.
  • On 17 December 1799, AIMABLE and GLENMORE, who were escorting the outward bound West Indies convoy from Cork, encountered three French ships off Madeira, SYRENE (44) BERGERE (18) and CITOYEN REIGNAUD,18.
    These ships had captured the East Indiaman CALCUTTA two days previously.
    While GLENMORE recaptured CALCUTTA, AIMABLE pursued the Frenchmen, and brought them to action for 35 minutes before they made off.
    (CALCUTTA had sailed with a convoy from Spithead but had become separated in a gale. She arrived in Plymouth on 14 January 1800 and, four days later, about 50 lascar seamen were landed from her suffering from the cold climate)
  • AIMABLE remained on the Leeward Is. station until the suspension of hostilities in 1801.
  • 1803 Out of commission at Chatham.
  • 1804 Capt William BOLTON, off Ostend. She was involved in an action with the Franco/Batavian flotilla on 16 May 1804.
  • 1805 Capt. D. P. BOUVERIE, 08/1805. Convoy to the Mediterranean in September.
    He was chased by a French squadron while proceeding to Join Lord NELSON off Cadiz.
    Capt. BOUVERIE removed to MEDUSA in early 1806.
  • 1807 Capt. Clotworthy UPTON, North Sea. Capt. Lord George STUART, (from DUNCAN) North Sea, where he captured a French 16-gun privateer with a number of British prisoners.
  • In the summer of 1808 AIMABLE was employed escorting Sir Arthur WELLESLEY from Cork to Portugal.
    In January 1809 AIMABLE was stationed off the Texel and on 2 February, when she was endeavouring to regain her station after being driven off by bad weather, a strange sail was sighted.
    After a chase of 28 hours which ended about 100 miles south of Aberdeen, she brought to action the French 24-gun ship IRIS.
    The enemy struck after exchanging a few broadsides and losing two killed and eight wounded.
    AIMABLE had only two men wounded (Anthony NELSON, seaman; Jaques MAGRA, marine) but suffered much damage to her masts and rigging.
    The Frenchman, which sailed from Dunkirk to take 640 casks of flour to Martinique, was taken into British service as RAINBOW.
  • In July 1809 landing parties of seamen and marines from a force of small vessels, MOSQUITO (18) Capt. GOATE; BRISEIS (18); Capt. PETTET; EPHIRA (10) Capt. WATTS, and five gun-brigs, expelled the French from the town of Cuxhaven at the mouth of the Elbe River.
    Capt. GOATE was superseded in the command of the squadron by Capt. Lord George STUART in AIMABLE,32.
  • At the end of July 1809 Capt. STUART landed a detachment of seamen and marines from his squadron (MOSQUITO, BRISEIS, EPHIRA and PINCHER) to attack a French body of horse numbering about 250 at Gessendorf 28 miles from Cuxhaven.
    They destroyed a battery and forced the French to evacuate the area with the loss of several killed and wounded.
    Lieuts. Abraham Mills HAWKINS of AIMABLE and BURGESS of PINCHER forwarded Capt. STUART's orders to the various detachments.
    There were no British casualties.
    Clearing the bank of the Weser enabled the Duke of Brunswick, with his corps of some 1800 men to retreat across the river in safety.
  • To quote Capt. WATTS of EPHIRA: "Having obtained an ascendancy over over our rivals in one way, it therefore became incumbent upon us to equal or surpass them in another".
    Which is how, one morning, Capt. Lord George Stuart and Capt. George Edward Watts happened to be in the drawing room of the pretty Miss S and her equally charming companion, Miss N , overlooking the main street of Rizbuttle. George Watts, glanced out the window and was surprised by the appearance of two mounted dragoons, with drawn sabres, dashing down the street, closely followed by others.
    Lord George was deep in conversation with Miss S and did not hear the question "Where have those German dragoons come from?" When he did turn to look, the truth suddenly dawned "The French are in the town and we are taken. " They both sought safety in flight, Watts one way, Lord George the other. Watts went through the garden, jumped a fence and landed in a stagnant ditch, "the water of which, evaporated from the summer heat, had left a residuum, which for consistence and odour might be likened to the most unutterable of abominations". He laid down in a field of corn and listened to clattering of horses' hooves and the scattered carbine and pistol fire being exchanged with the muskets of the British outposts. 2,000 yards away he could see his brig out in the Elbe so he spoke to two men working in the field. They lent him a plank to cross a stream, told him the French had retreated and demanded money. Meanwhile his Lordship, had retreated upstairs, where the pretty Miss S had suggested asylum up the chimney, under her bed, and finally, in her bed. However Lord George, spotting a burgher's dress in one of the rooms, put it on and left by the back door. He joined the men who had landed from the ships to rescue their captains, at the same time as Capt. Watts arrived. Capt. Watts, covered in filth, stank to high heaven and "even Jack himself, with all his deference to his commander was constrained to chuckle at my appearance. Heartily I joined in from the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step. " The French cavalry, some 20 in number were drawn up on a small hill a few miles off,where, early next morning, they caught them napping and sent them scampering off leaving behind their flag and their commander, a Mons. Le Murche, together with his horse. It gave Watts great pleasure to ride this beast down the street where his prisoner had placed him in such jeopardy. Ó

    Based on a letter written by Captain Watts to a private correspondent.
  • It was soon resolved that they would get their revenge on a party of some 60 of the enemy encamped a few miles off.
    At daylight the next morning they almost caught them napping.
    The enemy fled as they were peppered with musket fire and, after their guns were unspiked, they were helped on their way with round-shot.
    The leader of the detachment and his charger were captured by Capt. WATTS.
  • Capt. STUART removed to HORATIO in November 1810.
  • 1810 Capt. J. C. WOOLCOMBE, 09/1810, Sheerness.
  • At the end of 1811 she was out of commission at Deptford.


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