A |  B |  C |  D |  E |  F |  G |  H |  I |  J |  K |  L |  M |  N |  O |  P |  Q |  R |  S |  T |  U |  V |  W |  X |  Y |  Z

Use quotes like in "Aboukir Bay" to search phrases.
Use * as a wildcard like in "Trafalg*".



BELVIDERA (36) Built in 1809, Deptford. She was mounting 42 guns.
Hospital ship in 1846.

  • 1810 Capt. Richard BYRON, 02/1810, North Sea.
    On 22 July the master of BELVIDERA was taking soundings in a bay near Studtland on the Norwegian coast when he was fired on by two Danish schooners and a sloop-rigged gun vessel. The following morning Lieuts. NISBETT and BRUCE with BELVIDERA's launch barge and two cutters, and Lieuts. HODGSKINS and SMITH with the launch, pinnace and yawl of NEMESIS set out to attack the enemy. The boats bow guns soon forced the schooners to strike; they were the BOLDER and THOR each carrying two long 24-pounders, six howitzers and 45 men. The sloop was chased up a creek and abandoned by her crew of 25 before being blown up.
  • 1811 Flagship of Rear Ad. Herbert SAWYER on the Halifax station during the early part of the year.
  • On 18 June 1812 Congress made a formal declaration of war against Great Britain and five days later BELVIDERA, ignorant of this fact, was cruising about 100 miles south of New London waiting for the French privateer MARENGO to come out. At daybreak five sails were seen in the S. W. which hauled to the wind in chase of BELVIDERA. The wind favoured them and the van ship, PRESIDENT, with thirty-two long 24 pounders and twenty-two 42-pounder carronades, closed within point blank range of the weather quarter before opening fire. Five minutes later BELVIDERA replied with two 32-pounder carronades and two long 18-pounders from the stern.
    Shortly afterwards one of PRESIDENT's 24-pounders burst, killing or wounding 16 people and preventing the bow chaser on the same side from being used. Capt. BYRON decided it would be prudent to try and escape than to fight three large and heavily armed frigates (the other two were CONGRESS and UNITED STATES.) Lieuts. William BRUCE and George CAMPBELL directed her main deck 18-pounder stern-chasers, firing 300 round shot at the enemy, and Lieut. John SYKES directed the two quarter-deck guns. BELVIDERA managed to escape during the night after the Americans hauled off. She had suffered a lot of damage and had two killed and 22 wounded. The armorer, John HILL, had two arms amputated but died the following day, the other man killed was seaman William GOULD. Both captains were wounded in the thigh, Capt. BYRON by the carriage slide of a carronade breaking loose and Commodore Rodgers by the exploding gun.
    By retiring Capt. BYRON had led the Americans away from a homebound Jamaica convoy escorted by THETIS whose track they would most certainly have crossed.
  • On 5 July BELVIDERA and AEOLUS sailed from Halifax under Capt. Philip BROKE in AFRICA to cruise off the enemy coast. They captured the American brig NAUTILUS of 14 guns and 106 men off Sandy Hook on 16 July, and the same evening gave chase to the CONSTITUTION (56), which was on her way from Chesapeake Bay to New York. At daylight on the 17th. both sides had to hoist out boats to tow but CONSTITUTION gained an advantage by warping herself ahead in 24 fathoms until she was about 4 miles from BELVIDERA. Capt. BYRON copied her working with two kedge anchors at the same time, paying the warp through one side as it was run in through the other. This brought the two ships within gunshot and they exchanged fire between bow guns and stern chasers. The chase continued in a light breeze until daylight on the 19th. when CONSTITUTION, being a clean ship, just out of port, was able to make her escape.
  • BELVIDERA captured the privateer schooner BUNKER HILL (7) on 21 August and her boats joined those of MAIDSTONE, JUNON and STATIRA on 9 February 1813 in capturing the letter of marque LOTTERY taking a valuable cargo of coffee, sugar and logwood from Baltimore to Bordeaux. She was armed with six 12-pounder carronades.
    BELVIDERA had no casualties but the other boats had six wounded. She was sent off to Bermuda with a convoy of captured vessels.
  • The 18-gun schooner VIXEN was captured on Christmas Day 1813 while she was on passage from Wilmington to Newcastle, Delaware.
  • The 15-gun privateer MARS was destroyed on 17 March 1814 by the boats of BELVIDERA, ENDYMION and RATTLER off Sandy Hook. Other captures in 1814 were: Ship NEW ZEALANDER (6) to Philadelphia with spermaceti oil on 2 April. Schooner NANCY & POLLY, with shingles on 19 June. Sloop ALONZO on 22 June. Sloop HUNTER to New York with tar and turpentine on 24 June The Falmouth packet NOCTON was retaken.
  • BELVIDERA paid off at the end of 1814.
  • 1815 Out of commission at Portsmouth.
  • 1833 Capt. Charles STRONG, 12/1833, Portsmouth NAWI
  • 1838 Portsmouth.
  • 1841 Capt. George GREY, 08/1841, Mediterranean.
  • 1846 Coal Depot at Portsmouth.


back  |  intro  |  home  |  contact

© 1995, 2007 Michael Phillips