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ATLAS
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(98) |
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Built in 1782, Chatham.
Broken up in 1821. |
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- 1784 Plymouth.
- 1793 Capt. E. DOD.
- 1797 Capt. M. SQUIRE, 03/1797.
- 1798 Capt. S. PEARD, 12/1798.
On the afternoon of 11 December her launch, with the surgeon and 17 men in her, was upset at Spithead near the NIGER frigate. Capt. Matthew SCOTT of NIGER jumped overboard and saved three of the men and the rest were rescued by other boats, The surgeon was drowned. - 1799 Capt. T. JONES, 02/1799, Torbay.
She arrived in Plymouth Sound on 1 January 1800 having lost her rudder and at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 7th., as she was turning to go up the Hamoaze, she missed stays and went aground near the south-east ridge of St. Nicholas's Island (now Drake's Island) and stuck hard on the rocks. There were fears that she might break her back and her masts were cut away. Fortunately Capt. NEWMAN in LOIRE (48) was close by and, mooring with three anchors out ahead, his first lieutenant, Mr RAYNER, passed a hawser to ATLAS and at two o'clock she was towed off into deep water. On the afternoon of the ninth ATLAS was towed into the river by the boats of the fleet and the dockyard. She went into dock on the 16th. after her guns, powder and provisions had been removed to have the damage to her bottom mended.
Repaired, she went out to Cawsand Bay on 3 May. - She sailed to join the Channel fleet on the 14th. and returned on the 18th. with MARS having experienced the full force of a gale while laying-to off Brest under storm stay-sails. When the wind shifted suddenly from S. W. to N. W. several ships were thrown on their beam ends and shipped heavy seas. ATLAS lost her main-top mast. The rest made for Torbay, leaving WARRIOR, ELEPHANT, RAILLEUR, TROMPEUSE and LADY JANE riding out the storm.
- ATLAS sailed to rejoin the fleet on 30 May, returned on 17 August and was back off Brest on the 30th. She spent 10 days in Plymouth at the end of October.
- On 23 September 1801 ATLAS took bullocks out to the fleet and on 11 November she was detached with WINDSOR CASTLE, GLORY, NAMUR, PRINCESS ROYAL and FORMIDABLE to cruise off Bantry Bay. More ships joined them there and when Ad. MITCHELL made the signal to unbend sails it was expected that they would winter near Beerhaven. Aletter from NAMUR stated that a fat sheep was nine shillings, a geese, one shilling and eggs two pence per dozen.
- In 1802 she was reduced to a 74-gun ship.
- 1804 Capt. William Johnstone HOPE was appointed to her in the spring while she was fitting out at Chatham. She was employed off the Texel but after three months Capt. HOPE's health forced him to give up the command.
- 1805 Capt. Samuel PYM, Halifax.
In December 1805 Sir John DUCKWORTH, with the squadron blockading Cadiz was sent across the Atlantic in chase of a French squadron from Brest. At Barbados he was joined by Rear Ad. COCHRANE with NORTHUMBERLAND and ATLAS.
On 6 February the British squadron in two imperfect lines, with ATLAS well astern, sighted the French off San Domingo. ATLAS arrived about an hour after the action started and fired two broadsides into the IMPERIAL but, as she endeavoured to rake her, ATLAS's tiller was jammed by a shot from DIOMEDE, which caused her to run aboard CANOPUS and carry away her own bowsprit. She then engaged DIOMEDE assisted by SPENCER. Five enemy line-of-battle ships were captured, only the frigates escaped. ATLAS had seven seamen killed and six wounded. One marine was killed and the master, Mr William MOWBRAY and the boatswain, Mr Stephen SPARGO, were wounded. - 1807 Ditto, off Cadiz as flagship of Rear Ad. PURVIS.
- 1808 Capt. James SANDERS, 11/1807, (Rear Ad. PURVIS) ATLAS came under fire from the French batteries on most days and her loss, including the casualties in the gunboats manned by her crew, amounted to at least 50 killed and wounded. Capt. SANDERS surveyed the ground for a canal for gunboats within the fort at Puntales and he was responsible for the destruction of Fort Catalina.
- When ATLAS was found to be defective she took a large sum of money from the Cadiz Junta to England and was paid off in December 1810.
- 1811 Out of commission at Portsmouth.
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