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NYMPHEN (36) Taken on 7 September 1807 at the surrender of Copenhagen.
Sold in 1816.

  • She was rated at 36 but mounted 42 guns.
  • 1809 Capt. Keith MAXWELL, 01/1809.
    (As a lieutenant in BEAULIEU he led the attack which cut out the CHEVRETTE in Camaret Bay in July 1801 for which he was promoted by Earl St. VINCENT) North Sea.
    On 5 July a court martial was held to try the carpenter, Mr John HINKS, for drunkenness.
    He was sentenced to be broke and to serve before the mast in any ship to which he might be sent.
  • On 11 August NYMPHEN was serving in the West Scheldt under the orders of Lord William STUART, captain of LAVINIA.
    Ten frigates moved up the river against the tide past the batteries at Flushing and Cadsand and came under the enemy's fire for nearly two hours.
    AIGLE was struck by shell and had one man killed but NYMPHEN had no casualties.
  • 1810 Capt. John HANCOCK, 01/1810.
    He served on the North Sea station cruising off the coasts of Jutland and Norway.
    On 3 March 1811 NYMPHEN captured the French privateer lugger VIGILANTE from Dunkirk mounting 14 guns and carrying 50 men. She then joined the squadron under Sir William YOUNG watching the ports of Helvoet, Flushing (Vlessingen) and Ost.end.
    During August some of Vice Ad. Missiessy's ships at Flushing made a practice of sailing for two or three hours every morning in the Wielingen Channel between Flushing and Breskens on Cadsand (Kadzand) On the 29th. the French admiral with five line-of-battle-ships weighed with with the last quarter ebb and ran down the Wieling so far to the westward that, when they came to work back, they were abreast of Blankenberg.
    NYMPHEN followed them down outside the sands and out of gunshot.
    When he noticed that the leeward-most ship had twice missed stays, Capt. HANCOCK crossed the sand and fired two or three broadsides at her when passing on opposite tacks.
    He then tacked and continued firing for about 15 minutes without getting a shot in return.
    The enemy lost his quarter boat and all three of her top-masts were badly damaged.
    Fishermen reported that the French losses were 5 men killed and 9 wounded.
    When the French squadron bore round he re-crossed the sand and returned to his anchorage off Duerloo.
  • On 24 October NYMPHEN, with QUEBEC (32) and the CRETAN and PRIMROSE brigs, tried to cut off one or two of the smaller French vessels stationed at the extremities of the different shoals.
    The French however were too wary and crowded on sail as soon as the English approached.
    Capt. HANCOCK remarked that this sort of service "keeps us on constant alert and I trust not without a useful lesson to the enemy."
  • For the next two weeks NYMPHEN had to ride out a westerly gale with a heavy sea but managed to keep her station until relieved on 3 November by Commodore OWEN.
    When NYMPHEN was docked at Chatham 18 feet of her false keel was found to be missing and the main keel badly damaged.
    Taking advantage of his time at home, Capt. HANCOCK married Elizabeth Longuet of Bath on 18 November.
  • He assumed command of the squadron off the Texel in February 1812 and at the end of March returned to the inshore squadron off Flushing as senior officer.
    Soon the French came down the West Scheldt from their winter quarters and and took up station in the Wieling Channel off Flushing, but Capt. HANCOCK with Richard WENHAM of the IDAS cutter had already been exploring other channels into the West Scheldt On 7 May he sent CALLIOPE and RAVEN through a new inshore channel between the sands to confirm his discovery.
    In February 1820 Sir William Young was able to have Capt. HANCOCK's name added to the Admiralty chart as the discoverer of the Gat through the sands.
    He produced as evidence a survey by Capt. LENNOCK with Hancock Gat distinctly marked.
    During May NYMPHEN was again relieved by Commodore OWEN and made a trip to the Shetlands. She was back again the autumn and recovered anchors and cables belonging to the INCONSTANT and the HORATIO.
  • In May 1813 NYMPHEN took the Duke of Cumberland to the mouth of the Elbe and on to Gottenburg, bringing back a convoy of Baltic traders safely to England.
    In the summer of 1813 she was employed on convoy duties to Lisbon, Oporto and the Mediterranean, and carried money for the British army in Spain.
    By the autumn she was back on her old station with the inshore squadron and on 13 November Capt. HANCOCK was obliged to cut his cables during a hurricane from the north-west to avoid being driven on to the Stone Bank.
    When some of her boats were picked up and taken into the Downs it was feared that she had been lost but Capt. HANCOCK's knowledge of the coast enabled him to weather the storm in safety.
  • Two days later the people of Holland, starting in Amsterdam, rose up against the French and declared for the House of Orange.
    Capt. HANCOCK brought the news to the inhabitants of Walcheren and the other islands, then laid buoys in the Roompot at the entrance to the east Scheldt before leading Ad. YOUNG's fleet to a safe anchorage there.
  • For the rest of the war she was employed in the Scheldt, taking part in the occupation of the various islands.
    On 2 March 1814 she heaved ANTELOPE off a shoal in the West Scheldt.
  • Capt. HANCOCK left NYMPHEN at his own request in April 1814 and moved to the LIFFEY.
    Although at least a quarter of the crew of NYMPHEN were foreigners the excellent behaviour of her ship' company is shown by the fact that the captain's quarterly report shows no corporal punishment had been inflicted between October 1812 and April 1813.
    His place was taken by Capt. Matthew SMITH and she served at Plymouth and in the Channel.


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