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THISBE
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Built in 1783, Dover.
Sold in 1815. |
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- 1799 Capt. James O'BRYEN, re-fitting at Plymouth.
- 1800 Capt. MORRISON, fitting as a troopship.
THISBE took part in the landings at Aboukir Bay on 8 March 1801. She lost one seaman killed. - After the attack on Rosetta Capt. MORRISON joined Sir Sidney SMITH and Capts.
CURRY and HILLYAR in a flotilla of flat boats and launches on the Nile.
This supported the allied armies as they marched along the river bank to Derout on 5 May.
On the 8th. Capt. MORRISON, walking by himself, Was seized by half a dozen Arabs, who, mistaking him for a Frenchman had stripped him of his clothes and were about to put him to death, when some Turks claimed him as an ally and obtained restitution of his property.
For more details of the operations of the flotilla see FURY. - 1803 Out of commission at Chatham.
- 1804 armed en flute, Capt. Lewis SHEPHEARD, She sailed from Portsmouth on 12 December and, after chasing a French privateer lugger close in to Dieppe, arrived at Guernsey on the 16th.
It blew so hard that the privateer's lee guns were under water and, although within half-gunshot THISBE could not get her guns to bear.
On Monday the 17th., while anchored in Guernsey Roads, she received orders to take an anchor and cable to SEVERN at Jersey.
Before she could sail NIOBE, Capt. SCOTT, came in and, while trying to anchor, fell on board THISBE, and carried away THISBE's figure head.
Two hours later NIOBE fell on board for the second time and sprung THISBE's bowsprit.
The next day it started to blow and THISBE was obliged to let go her sheet anchor and, having no other cable, bent the one intended for the SEVERN on to the spare anchor.
During the night the best bower cable parted as the wind increased to a hurricane and only letting go the spare anchor saved them from the rocks a half a cable's length away.
When she started pitching very heavily THISBE had to cut away her masts.
When the gale started to abate late in the following afternoon the anchor was hove up and the cable was found to be so damaged that she would not have survived if the gale had lasted another two hours. - 1805 flagship of Rear Ad. Sir J. SAUMAREZ at Jersey.
- 1807 Gen. Whitelocke sailed in her to assume command of the British forces in the Rio de la Plata were he arrived on 10 May.
(His appointment, superseding Gen. Craufurd, proved to be a disaster for British interests) THISBE was employed in landing the army to assault Buenos Aires on 28 June.
Whitelocke broke his men up into small, unrelated detachments and sent them into the town with unloaded weapons.
More than 70 officers and 1,000 other ranks were shot down by fire from the roofs and windows and more than 1,500 were taken prisoner.
Although he still had 5,000 troops and a strong fleet behind him Whitelocke accepted Spanish terms.
Craufurd was so enraged that he ordered his rifles "to shoot the traitor dead." - In November THISBE was paid off at Deptford.
- 1808 Capt. William ROGERS (Vice Ad. Sir H. E. STANHOPE), fitting out at Deptford.
- 1811 Ditto, Rear Ad. Sir C. Hamilton, flag officer at Woolwich.
later in the year Capt. Thomas DICK. - 1814 Ditto, Vice Ad. A. K. LEGGE.
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