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MINOTAUR
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(74) |
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Built in 1793, Woolwich.
Wrecked in 1810. |
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- Capt. Thomas LOUIS appointed in 1794 with flag of Vice Ad. MACBRIDE, Mediterranean.
- 1800 Flagship of Vice Ad. Lord KEITH, Mediterranean.
On 20 May 1800 a large galley, a cutter, three armed settees and several gunboats came out of Genoa and exchanged shots with the British squadron which had been bombarding the town.
At sunset the enemy took up positions under the guns on the moles.
Capt. BEAVER of AURORA left MINOTAUR in the evening with gun and mortar boats and the armed boats of the ships and closed with the shore to commence another bombardment, While this continued a detachment of the boats went in and boarded and carried the largest enemy galley, La PRIMA, of 50 oars and 257 men, commanded by Capt. Patrizio Galleano. She was armed with two brass 36-pounders.
Four seamen were wounded, one from MINOTAUR, in the boat with Capt. BEAVER. - At the beginning of September MINOTAUR and NIGER were off Barcelona.
When two corvettes were reported loading stores for the relief of Malta in the Roads there, Capt. LOUIS, who had just delivered Capt. HILLYER of NIGER his orders to join Lord Keith at Gibraltar, decided to make an attempt on them.
On the evening of the 3rd. Capt. HILLYAR with Lieut. SCHOMBERG OF MINOTAUR took the ship's boats in and brought out the CONCEPTION, alias ESMIRALDA, and La PAZ, both of about 400 tons and mounting twenty-two brass 12 and 9-pounders.
The boats were under heavy fire from the ships, four strong batteries, a fort and a number of gunboats and schooners, but only three men lost their lives and four, including Mr REID, Master of MINOTAUR, were wounded.
NIGER and MINOTAUR provided covering fire.
The prizes were already laden with stores and they were due to pick up 300 Batavian Swiss soldiers on Majorca for Batavia.
There were several Dutch officers on board them. - In 1801 MINOTAUR took part in the landings at Aboukir Bay.
In an action on 13 March, two seamen of MINOTAUR were killed and one wounded, when they were among the seamen employed ashore under Capt. Sir William Sidney SMITH.
In another action ashore on the 21st. Mr KREBS, Master's Mate of MINOTAUR, was killed and five of her seamen wounded. - 1803 Capt. C. J.M.
MANSFIELD, fitting out at Sheerness in the spring.
On 28 May MINOTAUR, accompanied by THUNDERER and joined by ALBION, captured the French frigate FRANCHISE after a chase.
The prize, commanded by Capt. Jurien, was 25 days from Port-au-Prince and was pierced for twenty-eight 12-pounders on the main deck and sixteen 9-pounders on the quarter deck and forecastle, ten of which were in her hold.
(MANSFIELD calls her FRANCAISE) - 1805 off Cadiz.
- 1807 Capt. John BARRETT, with Rear Ad. KEATS.
- 1809 Capt. THOMPSON, Baltic. She served in a squadron under the orders of Capt. Charles PATER in PRINCESS CAROLINE.
On 25 July 1809 seventeen boats from PRINCESS CAROLINE, MINOTAUR, CERBERUS and PROMETHEUS, under Capt. FORREST of the latter, attacked four Russian gun-vessels at Fredricksham in the Gulf of Finland, where they were employed protecting the coastal trade.
Three of them were brought out, together with a new brig laden with provisions.
The gunboats had 137 men on board and there were 23 in the brig.
British losses were heavy and totalled 19 killed and 51 wounded.
MINOTAUR suffered the worst with Lieut. John James CALLANAN; Lieut. Wilkins, RM ; Charles DAVIES, quarter-master; Robert WATTS, William WILLIAMS, and Charles WITTON, seamen; John Parker, G. Rosilia, Robert Johnson, Edward Freeman, Joseph Frehling and John Starmen, marines; were either killed or died of their wounds.
Messrs. George ELVEY, Thomas MILNE and John CHALMERS, midshipmen and William MOSELEY, quarter-master, were wounded, together with ten seamen, one boy and eleven marines.
Twenty-eight of the enemy were killed and fifty-nine wounded.
MINOTAUR escorted the captured gun-vessels to Vice Ad. SAUMAREZ off Nargen Island and, since they were well adapted for service in the Great Belt, he placed them under the orders of Rear Ad. DIXON. - 1810 Capt. John BARRETT.
MINOTAUR was wrecked on the Haak Sand near the Texel on 22 December 1810.
The 2nd lieutenant and eight midshipmen with 100 men were saved and made prisoner; the rest, numbering about 500 and including the captain, lost their lives. - Lieut. SNELL, Mr THOMPSON, master, and the few surviving crew were tried by court martial on 30 May 1814.
It was decided that she was lost due to an error in reckoning her position, the pilots believing her to be over Smith's Knoll when she was actually 60 miles away.
It appeared in evidence that the Dutch might have saved more people if they had attended to the urgent requests of those who were fortunate enough to land first.
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