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SANTA MARGARITA
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(36) |
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Taken by Capt. Alex. GRAEME in TARTAR off Lisbon on 11 November 1779.
Sold in 1836. |
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- Capt. E HARVEY appointed to her at the beginning of the war.
- 1795 Capt. Thomas Byam MARTIN, 03/1795, Irish station.
- On 29 March 1795 CEREBUS and SANTA MARGARITA captured the French 18-gun corvette JEAN BART. The prize was taken into the Royal Navy as ARAB.
- At daybreak on the morning of 8 June 1796 SANTA MARGARITA and UNICORN fell in with a two frigates and a corvette to the westward of Scilly. They immediately gave chase but by midday the effects of gunfire from the enemy's stern chasers on sails and rigging was beginning to slow them down. However when the sternmost ship bore round and attempted to rake the SANTA MARGARITA, Capt. MARTIN managed to bring his ship alongside the enemy and, in less than 20 minutes compelled him to strike. The prize was the TAMISE (42) which had been the British THAMES, captured on 4 October 1793. Of the 306 men on board her, 32 were killed and 19 wounded, some mortally. British casualties were 2 killed and 3 wounded. UNICORN captured the other frigate, the TRIBUNE. The corvette, LEGERE, escaped. Medals were awarded to the survivors in 1849. The senior Lieutenant of SANTA MARGARITA, George HARISON, was promoted to commander for his part in the action. (He died near Launceston in Cornwall on 17 August 1831 just 50 years after he entered the navy as a midshipman.)
- Towards the end of October 1796 Capt. MARTIN captured the French privateers BUONAPARTE (16) and VENGEUR (18).
- Capt. G. PARKER, 12/1796. Channel. She sailed for the West Indies from Cork on 15 January 1800. She returned to Portsmouth and sailed from there on 5 September taking the outward bound East India ships under convoy through the dangerous first part of their route. on 15 November orders came down to Plymouth for her to sail to Spithead.
- On 22 November 1800 Andrew DRYDEN was tried by court martial on board GLADIATOR in Portsmouth Harbour for desertion. He was sentenced to receive 50 lashes and forfeit all his pay.
- On 17 March 1801 SANTA MARGARITA and FIORENZO brought 25 sail of the outward bound Lisbon and Gibraltar fleet into Plymouth Sound for shelter The wind had taken them aback off the Eddystone when it blew squally from the south-west. The frigates remained in the Sound while the convoy ran into the Catwater which soon resembled a naval forest, there being nearly 200 sail there.
- By the evening of the 19th. it was blowing a hurricane which lasted until the following afternoon. SANTA MARGARITA, SIRIUS, IMMORTALITE and FISGARD had signals flying for assistance flying as they drove but the extra anchors they managed to get out held and they weathered the storm very well, although they pitched and rolled most dreadfully. In the Catwater all the transports drove foul of each other but no material damage was done.
The two frigates sailed again with their convoy on the 31st. - On Saturday 9 August SANTA MARGARITA sailed from Portsmouth with the convoys for the East and West Indies. She was later joined off Falmouth with the trade from that Port. The East India convoy parted company when they reached a certain latitude.
- 1803 Capt. Henry WHITBY, Jamaica station.
- 1805 Capt. Wilson RATHBONE, Channel fleet. From 1811 she was under repair at Plymouth until being used as a lazaretto at Milford in 1814.
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