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IPHEGENIA
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(36) |
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Built in 1808, Chatham.
Marine Soc. in 1833. |
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- 1808 Capt. Henry LAMBERT, 05/1808.
Convoy to Newfoundland on 3 August from whence she visited Quebec. - 1809 Cape of Good Hope.
In August 1809, while cruising off Mauritius, IPHEGENIA accidentally ran aboard the BOADICEA frigate losing her bowsprit and fore-mast. The following night she ran aground under a battery where she was exposed to heavy fire. Not thinking that she could be saved, the senior officer of the squadron ordered her to be burnt; but by throwing some guns overboard, the exertions of the crew eventually got her off. Because of the damage she had to dock in Bombay for repairs and returned to the Cape station about the end of October. - In the spring of 1810 IPHEGENIA was sent to cruise off Mauritius where, at the end of April, he fell in with Capt. WILLOUGHBY acting in NEREIDE. NEREIDE was sent to cruise off the south-east coast where he destroyed batteries and captured a schooner. At the beginning of August IPHEGENIA, NEREIDE and the STAUNCH gunbrig joined Capt. PYM in SIRIUS off MAURITIUS, and it was decided to attack the Isle de la Passe, a small island at the entrance of Bourbon Harbour (or Port Sud-Est). The boats of the frigates, including those of IPHEGENIA, with about 400 men, attempted the attack on 10 August, but the weather was too bad so they returned to their ships which then rejoined Capt. LAMBERT on the other side of the island.
- On the 13th. Capt. PYM, fearing that surprise could be lost if he delayed, did not wait for NEREIDE to come up due to her inferior sailing, but sent in five boats, including the launch and the cutter from IPHEGENIA under Lieut. Henry CHADS, with 71 officers and men all under Lieut. George NORMAN. Lieut. NORMAN was shot as he attempted to scale a breastwork so the command devolved on Lieut. CHADS.
Lieut. CHADS had separated from the SIRIUS's boats and had landed without opposition on another part of the island. The island, which was defended by two officers and 80 soldiers with 19 heavy pieces of ordnance, was captured with the loss to the British of five killed and twelve wounded.
(The official account in the London Gazette contained no mention of the part played by IPHEGENIA and nearly 50 of her crew. Capt. PYM later certified that Lieut. John WATLING took command, but he was junior to Lieut. CHADS and both marine Lieutenants who took part denied his claim.) - NEREIDE joined the next day and Capt. Pym committed the island into the charge of Capt. WILLOUGHBY.
- On 22 August NEREIDE and SIRIUS attempted to enter Grand Port after two French frigates, BELLONE and MINERVE, a corvette, VICTOR, and a captured East Indiaman, CEYLON, but SIRIUS grounded and by the time she was hove off nothing more could be accomplished. IPHEGENIA and MAGICIENNE joined the next day and the four frigates, led in by NEREIDE, attempted another attack. SIRIUS and MAGICIENNE both grounded, the latter in such a position that only three of her foremost guns would bear. Although the three larger enemy ships were forced ashore they continued to fire at NEREIDE which was eventually forced to surrender with only 51 of her complement of 281 escaping death or injury. IPHEGENIA, out of 255 men and boys had five seamen killed and her first Lieutenant, Robert BLACKLER, and twelve seamen and marines wounded. She was warped out to anchor near SIRIUS. When it was found impossible to re-float SIRIUS, her stores were removed to IPHEGENIA, together with her people and those from MAGICIENNE. She warped out of the channel and anchored off the Isle de la Passe where she put all but 400 or 500 men ashore.
- When three French frigates, VENUS, ASTREE and MANCHE, with the brig ENTREPRENANTE, were seen in the offing, Capt. LAMBERT prepared for action. The French called on him to surrender, but he refused, offering to surrender the island If IPHEGENIA were allowed to retire to a British port.
- On the 28th. a French proposal to send the British to the Cape within one month was agreed and the colours hauled down. The three captains, PYM, LAMBERT and CURTIS, with their officers and men, were removed to Port Louis where they were badly treated and robbed of all their possessions. The commissioned officers, except for the captains, were confined in the cabin of an Indiaman with the ports and stern windows planked in. All were honourably acquitted when tried by court martial after Mauritius was captured in December.
- Lieut. CHADS was reappointed to IPHEGENIA as her first Lieutenant. She returned home under Capt. LAMBERT and was paid off in April 1811.
(A year later they both took part in the action between JAVA and the American CONSTITUTION in which Capt. LAMBERT was mortally wounded.) - 1811 Capt. T. G.CAULFIELD, 03/1811.
- 1812 Capt. Lucius CURTIS, St. Helena.
- 1813 Capt. Andrew KING, Mediterranean, where she formed part of Sir Josiah ROWLEY's squadron at the capture of Genoa in April 1814. Early in 1815 she escorted a fleet of transports from Gibraltar to Bermuda and in March IPHEGENIA and BEDFORD went from Bermuda to Jamaica to bring home a convoy.
- 1816 Ditto, with mail to the East Indies where Capt. KING removed to CORNWALLIS.
- 1817 Capt. John TANCOCK, East Indies.
- 1818 Capt. Hyde PARKER, 03/1818, Quebec - Jamaica - Mediterranean. Eighty-five officers and men fell victim to fever during her time in the West Indies.
- 1820 Ditto, Portsmouth.
- 1821 Capt. Sir Robert MENDS, 06/1821, coast of Africa.
- 1823 Out of commission at Chatham.
- 1833 Lent to the Marine Society, Chatham.
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