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DRAGON (74) Built in 1798, Rotherhithe.
Broken up in 1850.

  • 1798 Capt. CAMPBELL, 04/1798, with the Channel fleet.
    On 11 June 1800 she sailed with KENT for the Straits with a large supply of naval and military stores.
  • 1801 Capt. John AYLMER, Plymouth for the Cadiz station with Sir John WARREN's squadron.
    Early in the year Rear Ad. Gantheaume sailed from Brest and arrived safely in Toulon on 19 February.
    Sir John, supposing they were heading for Egypt, followed them through the Straits, re-fitted at Minorca and sailed from there on 24 February but was forced to put back again after his ships were damaged in a storm the following night.
    On 4 March the squadron sailed for Palermo and Naples then for Toulon.
    On passage for the latter destination the Admiral learned from the SALAMINE brig that the French had sailed on the 19th., six days earlier, with 4,000 troops.
    He immediately altered course to the eastward and, on the 26th., gave chase to the enemy between Sardinia and Maritimo.
    The following night was foggy and the French were no longer in sight in the morning so Sir John made for Alexandria.
  • In October 1801 Capt. Frederick Lewis MAITLAND was appointed to the temporary command of DRAGON and he remained in her until the following August.
  • On 6 October 1802 DRAGON, in company with GIBRALTAR, SUPERB and TRIUMPH, was on passage from Gibraltar to Malta to rejoin Ad. BICKERTON, when mutineers took possession of GIBRALTAR and ran her under the sterns of the other vessels, cheering them, in the hope that the crews would join.
    Disappointed, the mutineers became panic-struck and were easily overpowered by the ship's officers assisted by the detachment of marines.
  • At the beginning of November two of the ringleaders were tried by court martial on board DRAGON at Oriflagni Bay, Sardinia, and executed on board GIBRALTAR.
    In Sardinia they had joined KENT, the flagship, AGINCOURT and MONMOUTH.
    The bay was one which no warship had entered before.
    At the end of the month it was struck by a violent gale of wind.
  • Early in the morning of 18 June 1803 DRAGON and ENDYMION fell in with and captured the national corvette COLOMBE, Lieut. Carro, which had sailed from Martinique 40 days previously for Brest. She was copper bottomed, pierced for 16 guns and had 65 men on board.
  • 1804 Capt. Edward GRIFFITH, with Sir Edward PELLEW off Ferrol.
    f On 22 July she joined Sir Robert CALDER's fleet at the close of his action with the combined Franco-Spanish fleet.
    For most of the time the fog was so thick that it was impossible to take advantage of the enemy by signals and only two ships were captured.
    DRAGON had 4 men wounded. She subsequently went into the Mediterranean in company with QUEEN and a fleet of transports with 5,000 men commanded by Sir James Craig.
  • On 22 August DRAGON fell in with PHOENIX some 45 miles off Cape Ortegal and found her towing the dismasted French frigate DIDON (44) which she had captured on the 10th.
  • 1805 At the end of the year Capt. Matthew Henry SCOTT was appointed to DRAGON and he commanded her for the next three years.
  • 1810 Capt. Thomas FORREST, 08/1810, flagship of Rear Ad. Sir Francis LAFORY, Leeward Is.
    He remained Commander in Chief there until the beginning of 1814.
    Her first lieutenant was James CLEPHAN who was promoted to the command of CHARYBDIS in April 1810.
  • 1812 Capt. F. A. COLLIER, flag captain.
  • 1813 Capt. Robert BARRIE was appointed to DRAGON in the spring of 1813 on the Halifax station.
    During the winter of 1813, one remarkable for the severity of the weather, Capt. BARRIE commanded the squadron blockading the Chesapeake from September until the arrival of Rear Ad. COCKBURN in May 1814.
    Only one of the enemy cruisers, the ADAMS frigate, managed to escape the blockade and she was subsequently destroyed.
    (see below)
  • On 1 June 1814 Capt. BARRIE was sent with the boats of DRAGON and ALBION and the schooner ST. LAWRENCE to attack a flotilla being fitted out at Baltimore to capture or destroy the JASEUR which had been causing havoc among American shipping.
    They fell in with the flotilla standing down the Chesapeake and retreated before it towards the DRAGON which was anchored off Smith's Point.
    When DRAGON got under weigh the Americans retreated into the Paxutent River where the ship could not follow them.
    The boats were not strong enough to attack the enemy on their own so Capt. BARRIE attempted to divide the enemy force by cutting off a schooner under Cove Point but the Americans allowed the vessel to be burnt.
  • On the 6th. the flotilla moved further up the Paxutent but when the LOIRE and JASEUR arrived the following day he followed them in.
    The enemy retreated into St. Leonard's creek so detachments of seamen and marines had to be landed on both sides of the river where they forced some 300-400 of the enemy militia to flee into the woods.
  • On the 15th. NARCISSUS joined and Capt. BARRIE proceeded up river with 12 boats containing 180 marines and 30 black colonial troops.
    They occupied Benedict and Marlborough and loaded tobacco on the boats and a schooner before destroying the tobacco stores.
    Although the enemy had assembled regulars and militia on some cliffs which the boats had to pass they were cleared off by a party of marines.
    DRAGON re-fitted at Halifax where she became the flagship of Rear Ad. GRIFFITH.
  • DRAGON, ENDYMION, BACCHANTE and SYLPH with 10 troop transports sailed from Halifax on 26 August and anchored off Metinicus Island on the 31st.
    where they were joined by BULWARK, TENEDOS, RIFLEMAN, PERUVIAN and PICTON.
    That evening the fleet sailed up Penobscot Bay and the following morning reached Castine.
    After the exchange of a few shot the fort and and town were abandoned by the enemy and occupied by a landing party.
    Capt. BARRIE with 80 marines from DRAGON and 600 picked troops in PERUVIAN and SYLPH and a number of armed boats from the squadron made sail up the river during the afternoon to attack the ADAMS frigate at Hamden.
    Troops and artillery were landed about two thirds of a mile from Ball's Head and the boats under Lieut. PEDLAR of DRAGON advanced in line with the right flank with a rocket boat manned by Mr GLINTON, gunner, and Mr SMALL, midshipman, of DRAGON about a quarter of a mile ahead.
    An battery of eight 18-pounders on a hill covered the road to Hamden and fifteen 18-pounders on a wharf near the ADAMS covered the river but the rockets threw the enemy into confusion and they ran from their guns as the troops stormed the hill.
    Before the boats could reach the wharf battery the enemy set the ADAMS on fire.
    The Americans under Brig. Gen. Blake retreated to Bangor where they surrendered.
  • DRAGON subsequently returned to the Chesapeake where Capt. BARRIE re-assumed command of the squadron.
    On 29 November, with the boats of the squadron and a party of marines, he landed at Tappahanock and brought off tobacco and flour together with the arms and baggage which the enemy troops had abandoned as they retreated to a nearby hill.
    He landed at Tappahanock again on 4 December and attacked a force of about 600 militia at Farham Church capturing a large field piece.
  • On 11 January 1815, proceeded to the coast of Georgia in company with REGULUS and BRUNE and transports having on board two companies of the 2d West India regiment, and took possession of Cumberland Island.
  • He landed on the mainland on the 13th. and captured a fort at Point Petre and destroyed the barracks and store houses at St. Mary's before bringing out a ship laden with timber and a captured English East Indiaman.
  • DRAGON returned to Plymouth at the end of 1815 and was put out of commission.
    Her officers presented Capt. BARRIE with a piece of plate value 100 guineas and on 21 December 1815 a public dinner was held at Preston to honour his services which several officers travelled several hundred miles to attend.
  • 1824 Quarantine service at Milford.
  • 1834 Marine Barrack ship at Pembroke.
  • 1842 Renamed FAME, hulk.


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