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PHAETON
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(38) |
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Built in 1782, Liverpool.
Sold in 1827. |
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- 1793 Capt. Sir A. S. DOUGLASS.
In April 1793 PHAETON retook the Spanish register ship ST JAGO, 140 leagues to the west of Cape Finisterre in sight of Ad. GELL's squadron (ST GEORGE, EDGAR, GANGES and EGMONT), after she had been 11 days in the possession of the French.
Her cargo, which had taken two years to collect, was the richest ever trusted on board a single ship and worth between 1.2 and 1.3 million pounds.
Many bars described as pewter in the manifest were found to be gold thinly coated with pewter.
Her upper works had been shattered and 10 of her crew killed and 37 wounded defending herself against the French.
The money came over London Bridge in 21 wagons, escorted by a party of light dragoons, to be lodged in the Tower.
On 11 December the High Court of Admiralty decided that the ship should be restored to Spain, less one eighth of the value after expenses for salvage, provided the Spanish released British ships held at Corunna.
The agents for the captors appealed and in January 1794 they were awarded 935,000 pounds. - 1794 Capt. Robert STOPFORD.
On 24 November 1798 she captured the French privateer brig RESOLUE (18).
The brig had previously captured an English merchant ship, GENERAL WOLFE, bound from Poole to Newfoundland and an American sloop from Boston to Hamburg.
The later was recaptured by STAG.
On 6 December PHAETON and STAG captured the French privateer brig RESOURCE (10) which was bound for a cruise off the African coast, and on the 12th. they recaptured the Danish brig DORETHEA which had been captured by the privateer RUSEE while on passage from Amsterdam to Tangiers. - 1799 re-fitting at Portsmouth.
Sir James Nicoll MORRIS, 07/1799, Mediterranean. - On 25 October 1800 PHAETON chased a Spanish polacre to an anchorage under a battery of five heavy guns at Fuengirola, 20 miles S. W. of Malaga, where she joined a French privateer brig.
The following night the brig escaped and the polacre made two unsuccessful attempts to get to Malaga.
On the night of the 27th. PHAETON's boats under Lieut. Francis BEAUFORT went in to try and take her.
Unfortunately the launch, with a carronade, was not able to keep up and was still out of range when the other boats were fired on by a French privateer schooner which had come into the anchorage unseen.
As soon as the alarm was raised the barge and two cutters made straight for the polacre.
As they came alongside one seaman was killed and Mr Augustus Barrington HAMILTON was shot through the thigh, notwithstanding he boarded with the others through the hatchways were they were met by musketry.
They fought their way with sabres on to the quarter deck and eventually took possession at 5 o'clock in the morning of the 28th. with the loss to the enemy of at least thirteen wounded.
Lieut. BEAUFORT was first wounded in the head and afterwards received slugs through his left arm and body.
John WELLS, a seaman was shot through the thigh.
(In November 1801 Lieut. BEAUFORT was granted the small pension of 45L. 12s. 6d.
per annum for his wounds) - The other officers taking part were Lieut. HUISH, Lieut. Duncan CAMPBELL of the marines, Messrs HAMILTON and STAUNTON, midshipmen, and Mr DEAGON, the gunner.
- The captured ship was the SAN JOSEF, alias L'AGLIES, mounting two iron 24-pounders in the bow, two brass 18-pounders as stern chasers, and four brass 12 and six 4-pounders.
There were 34 seamen and 22 soldiers on board commanded by an auxiliary naval officer. She was used as a packet, carrying provisions between Malaga and Velilla. - 1803 Repairing at Deptford.
- 1805 Capt. George COCKBURN, East Indies.
- 1807 Capt. John WOOD, East Indies.
- 1808 Capt. PELLEW, East Indies.
- 1811 Capt. F. B.R.
PELLEW, East Indies. - 1812 Woolwich.
- 1814 Deptford Sheerness.
- 1816 Capt. Frances STANFELL, Sheerness for St. Helena and the Cape.
- 1818 Capt. W. H. DILLON, 04/1818, Portsmouth.
- In the autumn of 1818 Lieut. John GEARY, who had joined PHAETON at her commissioning, faced a court martial on the charge of "Inveigling musicians from one of the Regiments in garrison and with practising deception towards the officers who were sent on board to search for them. He was found guilty and sentenced to be dismissed his ship. One of the captains on the court (Capt. SPENCER, late of GANYMEDE) who thought he was being used as a scapegoat, shook his hand and offered him a job in the future.
Their Lordships seemed to agree and Capt. DILLON was superseded. - 1819 Capt. William Augustus MONTAGUE, 10/1819, Halifax.
- 1822 Capt. H. E.P.
STURT
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