INDEFATIGABLE (44) [1784]

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INDEFATIGABLE	(44)		Built in 1784, Buckler's Hard as a (64). Broken up in 1816.
	(44)	1795 'razzed' to a 44 by removing forecastle and quarterdeck and altering former upper deck (now weather- or spar-deck) to 42-pounders carronades from the 18-pounders long guns previously mounted. Two other 64's ANSON and MAGNANIME were altered in the same way at the same time, because of unfounded rumours of French super-frigates armed with 24-pounders long guns being produced in large numbers. (Actually only 4 French 24-pounders frigates were built). (See POMONE and ENDYMION). 1796 Sir Edward PELLEW (later Viscount EXMOUTH). On 13 April INDEFATIGABLE gave chase to a frigate to windward. Capt. PELLEW signalled to REVOLUTIONNAIRE, being far astern, to tack and cut the chase off from the shore. The frigate surrendered after REVOLUTIONAIRE's second broadside and proved to be the UNITE (32)from l'Orient. INDEFATIGABLE and AMAZON discovered the French DROITS DE L'HOMME, returning from the abortive attempt at Bantry Bay, off Ushant in January 1797. After an action in a heavy gale which lasted through the night of the 13th. the enemy ship went aground in Audierne Bay with terrible loss of life. Out of 1,300 men she had 100 killed and 150 wounded; of the remainder all but 200 drowned while trying to reach the shore. In INDEFATIGABLE Lieut. John THOMPSON, John M'KERLIE, midshipman, (he lost his right arm) and only 17 others were wounded. AMAZON had 3 killed and 16 wounded in the action, but she too was wrecked, having suffered too much damage to her sails and rigging to weather the rocks and claw for safety. The remainder of her crew, save for six, were saved and taken prisoner. On 31 December 1798 15 miles S. W. of Ushant, she captured the the French privateer ship MINERVE (16) 28 days out of St. Malo. She had captured five prizes:- MARTINUS, Lisbon to Bremen with sugar, coffee and hides, TAGUS, Lisbon to Bristol with lemons and oranges. MINERVA, providence to London with sugar, coffee and cotton. ANN & DOROTHEA (Capt. as BEATA MARIA) St Thomas to Hamburg with cocoa & coffee ASPHALON, Halifax to London with sugar, coffee and tobacco. The last two were recaptured by INDEFATIGABLE. The ASPHALON from Newcastle, master John Edgar, was taken off the rocks of Albrevras after a long chase on the morning of 1 January 1799 he morning of 1 January 1800. 1799 Capt. Hon. Henry CURZON, Plymouth, where she was reduced to 38 guns. On 8 May she returned to Plymouth from off Corunna where she had spent two days dodging five Spanish ships-of-the-line and two frigates. She passed the news to CHILDERS, which had been dispatched by Lord Bridport to Earl St Vincent with news of the sailing of the French fleet. On 31 May she captured the French privateer brig VENUS with twelve four and two nine-pounders and 101 men. Nine weeks out from Rochefort she had captured the schooner CLARENCE from Lisbon, bound to London; and a ship from Lisbon bound to Hamburg with salt. On 22 July she sailed from Plymouth to cruise off Ireland, returning on 26 August. 1800 cruising in Channel. In July she recaptured the West Indiaman CULTIVATEUR, Smith, master, which had been taken by a French privateer while sailing from Demerara with a cargo valued at 20,000 pounds, and sent her into Plymouth on the 13th. In the summer she was Commodore KEATS's squadron effectively blockading the coast of Spain. In October she was with the squadron off Ferrol when, on the 23rd., she sighted a sail to windward. After making a signal to Capt. KEATS in BOADICEA she gave chase. The quarry proved a fast sailor and was doubtful whether Capt. CURZON could have caught up with her as early as seven in the evening if FISGARD had not appeared directly in the wind of the chase and turned her. INDEFATIGABLE returned to the squadron on the 25th. with her prize, the French frigate VENUS (32) bound for Senegal from Rochefort. VENUS arrived in Plymouth on 1 November. On 16 November INDEFATIGABLE returned to Plymouth having parted her cables and anchors in a gale off the French coast. She went between the Island and the mainland to refit and sailed again on the 29th. on a cruise with HEREUX and BEAULIEU. 1801 Capt. Matthew Henry SCOTT, 01/1801. A Danish galliot, detained and sent in by INDEFATIGABLE, arrived in Plymouth on 20 February. Capt. SCOTT returned to Plymouth on 27th. from Quiberon Bay with the news that his boats, with those of EXCELLENT, attempted to cut out a French gunvessel filled with troops and 15 sail of her convoy. The former was carried and brought in to Plymouth, but the latter took shelter under the forts of the Morbihan. Lieut. CHURCH and four seamen were killed and seven wounded. She sailed again on 8 March to cruise off Belleisle. During the cruise she ran in, and attempted to cut out of the Roads, a large French frigate, but after exchanging broadsides the enemy warped into shallower water where INDEFATIGABLE could not follow. In August she was with Sir Edward PELLEW's squadron off Rochefort and left on the 21st. to escort five empty victuallers back to Plymouth, arriving on the 25th. She arrived in Portsmouth from the Channel fleet on 17 December 1801 and returned on the 19th. At the beginning of 1802 she was employed cruising against smugglers. 1803 under repair at Plymouth. Capt. Graham MOORE, 07/1803. She came into Plymouth on 21 January 1804 during a hurricane which wrecked or damaged many ships. On 22 September 1804 Capt. MOORE received orders from Lord COLLINGWOOD to search for and detain two Spanish frigates expected with treasure from South America. He arrived off Cadiz on the 29th. and, on the 2 October, took LIVELY under his orders. MEDUSA brought AMPHION from the Straits the following day and the four frigates cruised the waters between Cadiz and Gibraltar. On 5 October MEDUSA sighted four Spanish frigates S. W. of Cape St. Mary and the British squadron soon came alongside as they formed line of battle. When the Spaniards failed to shorten sail Capt. MOORE fired a shot ahead of the Admiral and sent over Lieut. ASCOTT in a boat to explain his orders. The Admiral was not impressed and when INDEFATIGABLE fired another shot ahead, his second in line, MERCEDES, fired into AMPHION. When the Admiral fired at INDEFATIGABLE the action became general and soon MERCEDES blew up alongside AMPHION and only 40 of her people were rescued by AMPHION's boats. Within half an hour the 34 -gun FAMA and CLARA had surrendered and the Admiral's 40-gun frigate MEDEA had fled. She was chased by LIVELY and captured later in the day. INDEFATIGABLE had no casualties. Her officers during the action included Lieuts. John GORE, PARKER and ASCOTT, Mr GRIFFITH, the master, and Lieuts. Haviland and Hole of the Marines. The four ships had been carrying treasure:- 1,307,634 dollars in silver with wool, bars of tin and pigs of copper belonging to the King; 1 (859)216 dollars in silver dollars, 1,119,658 dollars in gold and 150,011 gold ingots belonging to merchants, and seal skins and oil belonging to the Marine Company. 1,111,940 silver dollars, half the copper and a quarter of the tin went down with MERCEDES, which reduced the prize money. The prizes were taken into Gibraltar. MEDEA was taken into the Royal Navy as IMPERIEUSE and CLARA as LEOCADIA. INDEFATIGABLE arrived in Plymouth on 4 January 1805 from the coast of Spain under a great press of sail. She lay-to in the Sound for two hours until the return of a boat from the shore, which landed a gentleman from her at the pier. He set off express in a post-chaise from the Prince George Tavern, Foxhall Quay at 11 AM. The correspondent of the Naval Chronicle could get nothing from him, except that he was anxious to start his journey. INDEFATIGABLE made sail again directly. She was to be stationed off Ferrol with Sir Robert CALDER's squadron, PRINCE OF WALES, HERO, DEFIANCE, MALTA and TERRIBLE were the others, for several months and their supplies were nearly exhausted when ROYAL SOVEREIGN, QUEEN and DRAGON arrived on 1 June with fresh provisions and remained to provide reinforcement. But there was no relief for the exhausted crews. 1805 Capt. John Tremayne RODD, Channel. In July 1806 three boats each from INDEFATIGABLE and IRIS, together with a boat from each of the line-of-battle ships of Sir Samuel HOOD's squadron off Rochefort, attacked two corvettes and a convoy in the entrance to the river Garonne. They quitted INDEFATIGABLE on the evening of the 15th., under the command of Lieut. SIBLY of CENTAUR, and proceeded in a fresh breeze to Verdun Road where they boarded and carried the French brig CAESAR,18. The enemy were prepared for them and the fighting was severe. Lieut. Thomas PARKER, first of INDEFATIGABLE, took command of the prize and worked her out through fire from the batteries and the captured British brig TEAZER for nearly two hours. Capt. RODD described the prize as a fine brig, fit for his Majesty's service, but she was not added to the Royal Navy. The price was high - 6 killed and 36 wounded, with the men in REVENGE's boat taken prisoner. In INDEFATIGABLE's boats, which were commanded by Lieuts. PARKER, ARSCOTT and SHEPPERDSON, two men were killed, William CROSS and John CROSS, both boatswain's mates. Eleven were wounded including Lieuts. PARKER and SHEPPERDSON, seven seamen and two marines. 1807 Ditto, off Rochefort. On 31 July 1808 Capt. RODD captured the French letter of marque ship DIANE, with fourteen 9 and 6-pounders mounted and a crew of 68. She had sailed from the Gironde the previous evening for Mauritius with a cargo that consisted in part of naval stores. Unfortunately the letters and dispatches she had been carrying had been thrown overboard during the chase. INDEFATIGABLE took her prize into Plymouth Sound on 6 August and returned immediately to her station off the Gironde. On 14 January 1809 INDEFATIGABLE captured the French privateer lugger CLARISSE, pierced for 14 guns, but only 3 mounted, and with 48 men on board. She had sailed from St. Malo the previous night. INDEFATIGABLE was in the Basque Roads with Ad. Lord GAMBIER in April. On the 11th. she was stationed to the N. W. of the island of Aix with FOXHOUND to cover the bomb AETNA. The following day, when the fireships and explosion vessels had forced the French ships to run aground, Lord GAMBIER eventually responded to Lord COCHRANE's signals by ordering INDEFATIGABLE to weigh. She came up with IMPERIEUSE about 3h 20m and started firing at CLEOPATRA, which had already surrendered. INDEFATIGABLE grounded in the evening, but was got off and anchored in the Mamusson passage with the other frigates. On the morning of the 13th. Lord COCHRANE proposed to Capt. RODD that they should each anchor on either quarter of the French OCEAN but Capt. RODD declined to act without orders from someone more senior. INDEFATIGABLE suffered no casualties but she was damaged by shore batteries. 1809 Capt. H. E. Reginald BAKER, 10/1809. 1809 Capt. John BROUGHTON, 12/1809, East Indies. 1812 Capt. John FYFFE, off Flushing. 1813 Ditto, Brazils. 1815 Spithead.

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