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ANTELOPE (54) 4th rate Built in 1741, Woolwich DY.
Sold in 1783.

  • 1742 Capt. Robert MAYNARD, March.
    In January 1745 he was in the Mediterranean as one of the members of the court martial on Capt. Richard NORRIS.
  • 1746 Capt. Giles Richard VANBURGH, Mediterranean.

    Florence April 11th. N. S.
    Commodore Townsend having been driven off the Coast of Corsica, by a violent Storm, and being under the Necessity of putting into Port Mahon to repair the Damage which his own and other Ships of his Squadron had received, he left Captain Vanburgh to command in his Absence; but he likewise was blown off the Coast, which were obliged to put into Leghorn, and before they could return the Genoese had found means to send three Large armed Barks to Bastia, to conduct 20 of the principal inhabitants (Malcontents) to Genoa. They were met at sea by the Postilian Xebec of War, with whom they engaged for a considerable Time, but were too strong for that small Vessel, which was so much damaged, that the Captain was obliged to put into Port Ferraro, and thence proceeded to Mahon to refit. The Antelope has been ordered to cruise off Cape Noli.

    From the London Gazette.
  • Some time after Capt. VANBURGH, visiting another ship of his squadron at sea, left after dark to return to ANTELOPE. Neither he, the boat's crew or the boat, were heard of again.
  • 1747 Matthew BARTON. He was promoted to post-captain out of the DUKE fire-ship by Ad. MEDLEY on 7 February 1747 and removed to the POSTILLION zebeck in April.
  • 1756 She sailed from England on 16 June for Gibraltar with Vice Ad. Sir Edward HAWKE and Rear Ad. Charles SAUNDERS and arrived there on 3 July with an order to supersede Ad. John BYNG. BYNG returned to England in ANTELOPE, sailing on 9 July and arriving at Spithead on the 26th. Here he was arrested before being landed on 19 August. (His trial started on board MONARCH on 27 December)
  • 1757 Capt. Alexander Arthur HOOD, cruising off Brest.
    After a short action on 15 May with the French AQUILON (50) the enemy was driven on to rocks in Audierne Bay where she was wrecked.

    His Majesty's Ship Antelope, Spithead, June 1st. 1757.
    On the 13th. of May AM in Latitude 47 Degrees 50 Minutes, I saw three Sail to the Windward, and gave Chace to them. At noon they brought to, hoisted French Colours, and made Signals to one another; and upon my hoisting French Colours also, they made Sail and edged down to me. About One o'clock the largest Ship hoisted a Pendant, and fired a Gun to Leeward, and about Half an Hour after, another; which not being answered by me, she soon after fitted two Shot, hauled her Main-sail up, took in her Top-gallant Sails, and bore directly down, being then not two Miles off, upon which I hoisted my proper Colours and shortened Sail to the Fore-sail and Top-sail, expecting to be attacked; but in a few minutes after s he hauled up, and made all the sail she could. The other two, one a Frigate-like Ship, the other a Snow, continued before the Wind. I pursued the War-like Ship as fast as possible, and before Four was in point-blank shot of her. About 20 Minutes after we brought our Broadside to bear, and was very close, and kept a continual Fire upon her till 40 Minutes after Five, when we had the Breakers so near under our Lee, that we could not wear, and had but barely Room to stay clear of the Enemy; but she came about, and while in Stays, the French Ship struck upon the Rocks, and lost her mizzen-mast. I stood off for near an Hour, to put the Ship in a workable state, then stood in again, with an Intention to run as close to the Enemy as possible, in order to destroy her, but found that Business to Appearance done, as she had beat over a Ridge of Rocks, which were too far without her for me to do her further injury. Where the French Ship struck is the North Part of Hodierne Bay. I had three men killed and 13 wounded, and much shattered in my Rigging and Sails, the mizzen-mast shot though.
    On the 14th. I took a small Snow from Bordeaux for Canada, with Wine, Brandy and Flour; and the next Day a small Privateer of six Guns, ten Swivels and 50 men, which came out of Port Louis the Evening before, and was the Snow in company with the Man of War the Day I drove her on Shore. That she was called the Aquilon mounting 48 Guns, although pierced for 56, and had on board 450 men, 30 of whom were killed and 25 wounded, among the latter was the Captain. That the Rocks had pierced her bottom in several Places, and that she was irrecoverably lost.


    In 1758 he removed to MINERVA.
  • 1758 Capt Thomas SAUMAREZ, stationed as a cruiser in the Bristol Channel.
    In November Capt. SAUMAREZ was at an assembly when news was received that the French BELLIQUEUX (56), was in the Irish sea. Declaring that he would capture the enemy before the following night, he quit the party with the utmost dispatch and was alongside the BELLIQUEUX by the morning. The resistance was trivial, the French surrendering on the appearance of ANTELOPE. Capt. SAUMAREZ carried his prize into port where she was purchased into the Royal Navy.
    He was afterwards promoted to command BELLIQUEUX and took her to the West Indies in 1761.
  • 1759 Capt. James WEBB, with Commodore William BOYS's squadron which blockaded THUROT in Dunkirk throughout the summer and early autumn. It was known that the French had assembled an expedition here to attack an unknown destination and on 15 October, when BOYS had been driven off station during a gale, THUROT made his escape with six frigates and corvettes carrying 1,300 troops and sailed to Gothenburg in Sweden.
  • 1761 Capt. Thomas GRAVES. He took her to North America to protect the Fishery and continued during the remainder of the war as governor and commander in chief at Newfoundland.

    On his arrival off the American coast in 1762, he learned that a French squadron under M. de Tiernay, with a body of land forces had taken St. John's and were meditating the conquest of the whole island. Upon this intelligence he pushed through a frozen sea, filled with dreadful floating islands of ice, and at great risque for Placentia. He directly sailed into the harbour, and, contrary to the advice of the captain of the man of war there, as well as the lieutenant governor and all the officers, landed and assumed the supreme command. By his spirit he encouraged the military of both services into a resolution to defend the place against the French forces, should they march, as was expected, to its attack. He instantly set about repairing the old fortification and erecting a new fort, forwarding a detail of his situation to General Amherst and Lord Colville in America, praying their united aid towards the recovery of St. John's and, if possible, the capture of the enemy's squadron. The General and Admiral lost no time in supplying a force for this purpose, Lord Colville coming himself with his squadron and the General sending his brother with a body of troops. So soon as they arrived off St. John's Colonel Amherst called a council to determine the proper place for landing his soldiers, but adopted the advice the Commodore gave, though different from that of the other officers, and succeeded in all his operations. The French were defeated, and the town with the whole garrison taken; M. de Tierney, under favour of a dark night, and the commencement of a north west breeze, stole out of the harbour with all his ships and made the best of his way for France although they were much superior in force to the English.
  • 1762 Capt. Thomas GRAVES, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, where he acted as Governor of the island.
    A French fleet from Brest under M. de Ternay, with 1,500 troops commanded by the Comte d'Haussonville, sailed into St. John's and captured the town on 24 June. Capt. GRAVES immediately sent word to Commodore Lord Colville at Halifax who joined him in blockading the French and troops were brought over from Louisbourg on Cape Breton Is. on 11 September. During a gale on the 16th. de Ternay evaded the blockade and, abandoning the troops, sailed back to France.
  • On her way home to England ANTELOPE encountered MARLBOROUGH (90), Capt. Thomas BURNETT, which had sailed from Havana as part of the escort of a convoy of prizes and transports, but had become separated in very heavy weather. She was leaking so badly that her guns had to be thrown overboard and the pumps kept working. ANTELOPE took all her people off on 29 November when she started to founder and she was allowed to sink.



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