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TRENT (36) Built in 1796, Woolwich.
Broken up in 1823.

  • Capt. BOWATER, 06/1796.
    Capt. BAGOT, 10/1797.
    Capt. R. W. OTWAY, 09/1798, Jamaica.
    On 7 July 1799 TRENT was about 45 miles off La Guaira on the Spanish Main (A few miles from Caracas in Venezuela) when Capt. OTWAY learnt that the HERMIONE frigate was in the port.
    (The mutinous crew had murdered the captain, Hugh PIGOT, and most of the officers and handed her over to the Spaniards on 22 September 1797)
  • The barge and cutter were placed under the command of Lieut. Thomas USSHER (later Sir Thomas) and Mr Henry M'CLEVERTY, Capt. OTWAY accompanying them as a volunteer and they set off on an 11 hour row.
    A pilot was obtained from a fishing boat and, with muffled oars, they searched the anchorage, but the there was no trace of the HERMIONE.
    In fact she had sailed for Porto Cabello a few days before.
  • They boarded a corvette lately arrived from Spain and carried her without the use of fire-arms but the alarm was soon raised ashore and nearly 100 guns from the batteries opened fire as she was taken in tow.
    The smoke prevented the enemy from taking good aim and she was soon well out to sea but pursued by a flotilla of gunboats.
    The TRENT was nowhere to be seen and the crew were exhausted so, following the captain's orders, Lieut. USHER pointed two of the guns down the main hatchway and fired them double-shotted through the bottom of the prize.
    The Spanish prisoners onboard climbed into the rigging of the sinking ship and distracted the attention of the gunboats enabling the British boats to make their escape.
    It was many hours before they located TRENT.
  • At Portsmouth on 27 October 1800 William M'MILLADOE, a seamen from TRENT, was tried for having, with two others not yet taken, run away with the King's boat from alongside the PERSEVERENCE hulk.
    Since the charges were not proved he was acquitted.
  • 1801 Capt. Sir Edward HAMILTON, Channel station where he occasionally commanded a small squadron blockading Le Havre, Cherbourg and St. Malo for the remainder of the war.
  • On 3 April he discovered a large ship under the protection of two armed vessels, a lugger and a cutter, proceeding from Brehat to Plampoul and sent off TRENT's boats, under Lieut. George CHAMBERLAYNE, to attack them.
    (He was assisted by Lieuts. SCALLON and BELLAMY and Mr HOSKINS, master.) Despite the heavy fire from five batteries the two armed vessels were driven ashore and the ship taken. She was laden with corn and the crew, apart from two dead Frenchmen lying on the deck, escaped ashore.
    Capt. HAMILTON's coxswain was killed in the attack.
    His aged mother, who was placed in the workhouse of St. Marylebone, was allowed half a crown a week by Sir Edward until her death in 1814.
    Lieut. Tait of the marines lost his right leg.
    (Sir Edward presented him with 100 guns for a sword out of his own share of the prize money, he also bought a chronometer for Lieut. CHAMBERLEYNE.)
  • FORTUNEE, TRENT and the DOLPHIN cutter captured the French privateer lugger RENARD close in with St. Aubin's Bay on 20 April after a chase of 10 hours.
    The privateer had long been a menace to British coastal trade.
  • In the forenoon of 11 January 1802 Capt. HAMILTON, on leaving the ship at Spithead, ordered the gunner, Mr William BORDMAN, to clean the guns and the carronades on the quarter-deck cleaned.
    When he returned an hour later swore that his orders had not been complied with and ordered the gunner and his crew to be seized up in the shrouds.
    The first lieutenant attempted to explain that the guns had been well cleaned and the only marks were footprints on one carriage where the men had climbed into the shrouds, but to no purpose.
    The gunner, an elderly man, remained seized up about an hour and a half in cold, frosty weather until the surgeon prevailed on the captain to cut him down.
    He fainted after being taken aft.
    The four main of his crew remained in the shrouds for another two hours.
  • A court of enquiry ordered by Ad. MILBANKE, the C-in-C, boarded TRENT on the 17th. and, as a result of their findings, Capt. HAMILTON appeared before a court martial on board GLADIATOR on the 22nd.
    He pleaded in his defence that he had served in the Royal Navy since he was 7 years old and the punishment had been given in the heat of passion.
    The Court considered that the charge had been proved and sentenced him to be dismissed the service.
  • It was questioned whether the court martial was legally constituted since Vice Ad, MITCHELL and Rear Ad, COLLINGWOOD both signed the Enquiry report and sat as members of the court martial.
    Objections were overruled because "members of the court of enquiry do not prejudge the cause."
  • 1803 Walter GROSETT, 03/1803, Cork.
    Successively the flagship of Ad. Lord GARDNER, Rear Ad. William O'Brien DRURY and Vice Ads.
    WHITSHED and THORNBROUGH as commanders in chief on the Irish station. She was also used as a hospital ship.
    Cdr. GROSSET was posted in October 1810 and before he left Cork he was voted the freedom of the city.
  • There were severe gales around the British and Irish coasts in November 1811.
    The SALDANHA was wrecked off Loughswilly on the 30th. with the loss of all on board.
    Before leaving Cork she had left John O'REILY, midshipman, two marine lieutenants, six marines and twelve seamen on board TRENT. They were the lucky ones.


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© 1995, 2007 Michael Phillips