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CLEOPATRA
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(32) |
5th rate
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Built in 1779, Hilhouse, Bristol.
French during February 1805.
Broken up in 1814. |
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- 1781 Capt. George MURRAY, with Vice Ad. Hyde PARKER at the action with the Dutch off the Dogger Bank on 5 August.
- 1782 Capt. J. HARVEY, Nore.
- 1793 Capt. A. J. BALL.
- 1795 Capt. Charles PENROSE, 06/1795, 1796 Capt. Charles ROWLEY. She brought Vice Ad. MURRAY to England at the close of 1795 and subsequently formed part of the Western squadron, under Sir Edward PELLEW.
Capt. ROWLEY captured the French corvette AURORE in April 1796. - 1797 Capt. Israel PELLEW, 09/1797, America. She arrived at Halifax in April 1801 after a long cruise.
For four three days and nights she had been ashore on the island of Abaco, one of the Bahamas, losing her false keel and damaging her bottom, and in order to get her off all the guns and part of the ballast had to be thrown overboard. - The boats of CLEOPATRA and ANDROMACHE carried out an attack on a Spanish convoy of 30 vessels protected by 3 gunboats in the Bay of Levita in Cuba.
The enemy had notice of their coming and the boats came under a destructive fire of grape and langridge which killed Lieut. TAYLOR, who was shot through the heart, and three seamen, one of whom had his head shot off.
One midshipman and six seamen were wounded but they all recovered.
Several of the enemy were boarded but only one gunboat could be brought out. - 1803 under repair at Woolwich.
- 1805 Capt. Sir Robert LAWRIE from ANDROMACHE.
On Saturday 16 April 1805, in squally weather N. W. of the Bahamas, CLEOPATRA gave chase to a large frigate.
They exchanged a few shots from bow and stern chasers until, on the following afternoon, the other ship, now wearing French colours, loffed close to the wind and gave them two broadsides from less than half a cable's distance.
CLEOPATRA replied and an action commenced in which they both did considerable damage to each others rigging.
When CLEOPATRA shot away the enemy's main-topsail yard and tried to cross her bow, although her own main and spring stays were shot away and the main mast was only supported by the storm-staysail stay, an unfortunate shot hit the wheel and rendered it and the rudder immovable.
The enemy availed himself of their ungovernable situation and ran their head and bowsprit over CLEOPATRA's quarter deck.
The French attempted to board under heavy musket fire and were driven back but Capt. LAWRIE was forced to surrender to a second attack, CLEOPATRA being a complete wreck with not a spar standing except for the mizzen mast. - The enemy frigate was the VILLE DE MILAN (46), twice the size of CLEOPATRA, with French 18-pounders on the main deck and 8's on the quarter deck and forecastle. She was commanded by Capt. de Vaisseau Reynard and Capt. de Fregate Gillet; the former was killed by CLEOPATRA's last shot and the latter badly wounded. She had sailed from L'Orient on 1 August 1804 with troops for Martinique and, since she had dispatches for France on board, had orders to avoid action.
- CLEOPATRA mustered only 199 at quarters being short of 10 able seamen, half the number of the enemy. She lost 22 killed or died of wounds; 18 dangerously wounded, including Lieut. (act.) Charles MITCHELL, Mr BELT, master, and Mr M'CARTHY, boatswain, and 18, including the senior lieutenant, Mr William BALFOUR, slightly wounded.
At noon on Saturday 23 February a sail was sighted by LEANDER, Capt. TALBOT.
The weather was hazy with squalls of rain and it was not until 3 o'clock came up with two frigates, both under jury masts.
LEANDER fired one of her main deck guns at the smaller whereupon she hauled down her colours and hove to, identifying herself as CLEOPATRA.
The other frigate, the VILLE DE MILAN, surrendered without a shot being fired. She was taken into the Royal Navy under the same name. - 1805 Capt. John WIGHT, Halifax.
After serving for a considerable time on the North America station he was obliged to return through ill health which had affected his liver.
(In 1825 he was still actively employed as Commissioner for Roads and Bridges at Teignmouth.) - 1807 Capt. SIMPSON, Halifax.
- 1808 Capt. Samuel John BROOKE-PETCHELL, then aged 27, was promoted into CLEOPATRA by Sir John WARREN at Halifax and he was employed on the blockade of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe.
On 22 January 1809 he gave chase to a ship which he later made out to be a French frigate.
The enemy hauled in close to the shore and anchored under a small battery south of Point Noir with cables made fast to trees.
CLEOPATRA came in as close as the shoaling water permitted and they exchanged fire until a shot from CLEOPATRA carried away the enemy's outside spring and he swung into shore with his head towards her.
For forty minutes CLEOPATRA engaged an enemy which could never bring more than half a broadside to bear, and when the wind allowed JASON and HAZARD to come up and join the fight, the French hauled down their colours. She proved to be French national frigate TOPAZE, armed with forty eight 18-, 24 and 36-pounder guns.
Her commander was Capt. Lahalle and she had a complement of 330 men. She had sailed from Brest 47 days earlier to take 100 troops and 1100 barrels of flour to Cayenne but had been obliged to push on to Guadeloupe by superior British forces. - CLEOPATRA lost Alexander M'CLOUD and John SIMMS, killed, and John FRANCIS, wounded.
The first lieutenant, William SIMPSON, was promoted for his part in the action, the other lieutenants were Messrs. PUCKINGHAM and LAMBERT.
Sir Alexander COCHRANE offered Capt. PECHELL command of the prize as a token of his appreciation.
The French losses 12 killed and 14 wounded although a number were believed to have drowned when they jumped overboard after the surrender. - A few days later CLEOPATRA joined the expedition against Martinique where she and AEOLUS with the RECRUIT sloop were sent by Sir Alexander COCHRANE to the upper part of Fort Royal Bay to cut off the enemy's retreat.
When they were seen, the French destroyed their frigate, the AMPHITRITE, and the rest of the shipping in the harbour. - Capt. PECHELL spent nine months from October 1810 in command of GUERRIERE (42), before returning to CLEOPATRA in the following July.
Meanwhile Capt. Charles John AUSTEN, 10/1810, commanded CLEOPATRA and returned home with her in the summer of 1811. She was then employed off Cherbourg, in the North Sea and then at Gibraltar where Capt. PECHELL carried out a survey of the harbour at Ceuta. - 1813 Capt. Charles GILL, 12/1812, Barbados. She captured the Spanish ship CUOLA, laden with molasses and rum, on 13 January 1814 and sent her into Antigua.
CLEOPATRA returned home to be paid off
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