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PANTHER
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(60) |
4th rate
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Built in 1758, Chatham.
Broken up in 1813. |
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- 1758-59 West Indies.
- 1760 Capt. Philip AFFLECK, Portsmouth. PANTHER and NORFOLK (74), sailed from Spithead on 6th. January to join the fleet off the coast of India where the French in Pondicherry were both besieged on land by Lieut. Col. Coote and blockaded by the ships under Rear Adm. STEVENS. On 1st. January 1761 the shipping off the port was hit by a hurricane, PANTHER, AMERICA, MEDUSA and FALMOUTH were dismasted, others were driven ashore or foundered. Six vessels were lost with about 1100 men killed. Three days later the blockade was resumed, reinforced by Rear Ad. CORNISH, and on the 16th. the French surrendered.
- 1762 Capt. Hyde PARKER. He had been captain of NORFOLK, but soon after his arrival in the East Indies she was taken by Adm. CORNISH to be his flagship. He moved first to GRAFTON and then to PANTHER. On 1st. August 1762 PANTHER sailed with Rear Adm. CORNISH's fleet for the assault on Manilla.
- PANTHER was detached by Rear Adm. CORNISH on 4th. October, with Capt. KING of ARGO to search for a Spanish galleon bound for Manilla.
- Letter from Vice Adm. CORNISH to Mr Cleveland
- Bay of Manilla, November 10th. 1762.
- In my letter of 31st. October, I acquainted you of my having sent Captain Parker with the Panther and Argo in quest of the galleon, St. Philippina, from Acapulco, bound for Manilla.
- On the 7th. inst. Capt. King in the Argo returned with a letter from Capt. Parker, acquainting me that in consequence of my orders, having the 30th. October got the length of the island of Capul, near the entrance into the Embocadero, in pursuit of the the St. Philippina, where the Argo had come to an anchor (and which he intended to do for that night) just as the day closed saw a sail, and standing to the northward, at eight in the evening he got a sight of the chace, about two leagues to leeward, but unluckily, by the rapidity of a counter current, to what the chase was in, drove among the Narrago's in the utmost danger of being lost, and obliged to anchor; the frigate having the danger, got up with the chace, and engaged her near two hours, but was so roughly handled that Capt. King was obliged to bring too to repair his damages. By this time the current slackened, which enabled Capt. Parker to get under sail with the chace in sight; about nine the next morning he came up with her, and after battering her two hours within half musket shot, she struck. The enemy made little resistance, trusting to the immense thickness of the side of their ship, which the Panther's shot was not able to penetrate, except her upper works. Capt. Parker was no less disappointed than surprised, when the General came on board, to find, that instead of the St. Philippina, he had engaged and taken the Santissima Trinidad, who departed from Manilla the 1st. August for Acapulco, and had got 300 leagues to the eastward of the Embocadero ; but meeting with a hard gale of wind, was dismasted and and put back to refit; she had 800 men on board, and pierced for 60 guns, but when Capt. King engaged her, had only six mounted, and but 13 when taken; she draws 33 feet of water, and a much larger ship than the Panther. I cannot ascertain the value of the cargo, but there is to the amount of one million and a half of dollars registered, and she is reputed to be worth three million
- Capt. King left the Panther with her prize at anchor about three leagues south of the Corrigedow, at the mouth of this bay; and I have sent a reinforcement of men with launches and warps, I hope very soon to have her in safety.
- I am & c. S. CORNISH
- 1765 PANTHER arrived at Spithead on 12th. June. On 22nd August it was proposed to dock PANTHER at Chatham during the next spring tides to stop her leaks, kill the worm and survey her.
- 1765 Capt. John Blaydon TINKER, on 1st. July the officers of PANTHER were tried by court martial on charges brought by the captain. The charges against the first and second lieutenants were fully proved and they were dismissed the service. They were part proved in the case of the 3rd. lieutenant, and he was reprimanded. The master was acquitted.
- On 25th. March 1766 Capt. TINKER was tried by a court martial held on board SUPERB at Spithead on charges concerned with the time he commanded MEDWAY in the East Indies. He was honourably acquitted.
- In 1773 the DISPATCH sloop of war, which had been sent to England with news of the hurricane which had hit the West Indies on 31st. August, foundered in the Atlantic, her crew were saved by the PANTHER, which had fortunately fallen in with her on her passage from Newfoundland.
- 1777 Flagship of Rear Adm. Robert DUFF at Gibraltar.
- 1780 Capt. J. HARVEY. He sailed from England with Rear Adm. Samuel HOOD on 29th. November and they arrived in Barbados on 7 January 1781. The squadron included seven warships, GIBRALTAR (80), INVINCIBLE (74), PRINCESSA (70), PANTHER (60), and the frigate SYBIL (28), and had convoyed a large fleet of more than 100 merchantmen and transports with 2000 troops and stores to refit RODNEY's fleet, badly damaged in a hurricane the previous October. HOOD's warships would also go some way to replacing the 13 of RODNEY's ships which had been lost in the hurricane.
- On 28th. January RODNEY learnt that Great Britain was now at war with the Dutch, and he was directed to attack St. Eustatius and St. Martin. On 3rd. February the fleet appeared off the islands and demanded immediate surrender from the unsuspecting inhabitants. Over 150 merchant ships were taken at the island and MONARCH, Capt. Francis REYNOLDS, PANTHER and SYBIL, Capt. Lord Charles Fitzgerald, were sent in chase of a Dutch convoy which had sailed two days previously. The Dutch admiral's ship, MARS,was sighted early on the morning of 4th. February and after a short engagement with MONARCH, and with PANTHER and SYBIL stationed off her Starboard bow, she struck, as did a merchantman with her. The Dutch admiral, KRULL, was mortally wounded. The rest of the convoy, not knowing of the state of war, hove to, instead of scattering and were also taken as prizes.
- 1791 Hospital Ship.
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