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MINERVE
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Taken by Capts. MIDDLETON and TOWRY in LOWESTOFFE and DIDO in the Mediterranean on 24 June 1795 (See DIDO). |
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- Captured 1778.
- Recaptured 1781 and renamed RECOVERY.
- 1795 Capt. TOWRY was appointed to command her in September 1795.
- 1796 Capt. Charles OGLE, 05/1796. Capt. George COCKBURN, Commodore Horatio NELSON, who hoisted his broad pennant on 10 December, Mediterranean.
- On 19 December MINERVE and BLANCHE fell in with two Spanish frigates off Cartagena. MINERVE engaged the SABINA (40) Capt. Don Jacob Steuart, (the great-grandson of James II of England) which struck after two and three quarter hours, during which she had lost her mizzen-mast. MINERVE lost 7 killed and 34 wounded. SABINA lost 164 killed and wounded according to NELSON, the Spanish put the figure at 10 killed and 45 wounded, two mortally. Lieutenants Thomas HARDY and John CULVERHOUSE were put on board with 40 men and MINERVE took the prize in tow only to cast her off whilst the second Spaniard, MATILDA (34) was engaged and driven off after half an hour with the loss of 10 wounded. The approach of a Spanish squadron meant that MINERVE had to look to her own safety and the two lieutenants deliberately drew attention to themselves by hoisting English over Spanish colours but when their masts fell they were obliged to surrender. MINERVE reached Porto Ferrajo on 27 December and she was repaired there.
On 29 January 1797 Sir Gilbert Elliot, late Viceroy of Corsica, and other officials embarked and MINERVE, the squadron and the transports sailed for Gibraltar. Off the straits MINERVE was chased by two Spanish ships of the line, part of a straggling Spanish fleet which had left Cartagena for Cadiz. She escaped them and arrived in Gibraltar on the 10 February where Lieuts. CULVERHOUSE and HARDY, having been previously exchanged, were able to rejoin MINERVE.
On the 13th., NELSON brought Ad. Sir John JERVIS off Cape St. Vincent, the first news that the Spaniards were at sea. NELSON shifted his flag back to CAPTAIN and on the 14th. JERVIS fought the battle of St. Vincent. - On the 15th. EMERALD (36), MINERVE (38), NIGER (32), BONNE CITOYENNE (20), and the sloop RAVEN, were sent in search of the Spanish 4-decker SANTISIMA TRINIDAD (130), which was disabled and being towed by a frigate. The Spanish ship was sighted on the 20th. some 80 miles S. S.E. of Cape St. Vincent but Capt. BERKELEY of EMERALD kept his ships headed north, they did not engage and soon lost sight of her. The affair is still unexplained, BERKELEY resigned his command shortly afterwards.
- On 28 May 1797 MINERVE and LIVELY discovered a French brig lying close inshore in the road of Santa Cruz and their boats under Lieut. HARDY were ordered into the bay to cut her out. She was boarded and carried under a heavy fire of musketry from the brig and artillery from the shore. British losses were 15 wounded. The prize was LA MUTINE with 12 long 6-pounders and 2 brass 36-pounder carronades. HARDY was promoted and given command of MUTINE when she was taken into the Royal Navy.
- On 16 September 1800, in company with DORIS, MINERVE recaptured the Spanish packet EL REY CARLOS loaded with sugar, indigo and cochineal. The French merchant brig VICTORIEUX, with cotton, coffee and sugar from Cayenne was taken on the 26th., and two days later MINERVE captured the French letter of marque ACTIVE off Cape Finisterre. She was bound for Bordeaux with a cargo of sugar and coffee from Guadeloupe
- 1801 A French squadron of seven sail of the line, three frigates and 3 merchantmen sailed from Toulon on 15 March, apparently making for Egypt. They lost touch with one of the merchantmen in a gale and she was taken by MINERVE.
In May three French frigates blockaded Porto Ferrajo in Elba, two of them were driven off in August and took refuge in Livorno but they were ordered out to attempt to capture a single British frigate, PHOENIX, at anchor off Piombino, later joined by POMONE. As they set out the French were chased by MINERVE which signalled to PHOENIX and POMONE which joined in the chase. One frigate LE SUCCES, ran herself ashore and struck, the other,LA BRAVOURE, grounded off Livorno and was wrecked. LE SUCCES, formally the British SUCCESS, was returned to the Royal Navy. - Towards the end of 1801 MINERVE returned to England with the flag of Sir John WARREN.
- 1803 Capt. Jahleel BRENTON. She ran aground in a thick fog on the western point of Corries near Cherbourg on the evening of 2 July 1803 while in charge of the pilot and was captured. The crew were saved but made prisoners after being under fire for some hours. Capt. BRENTON and his officers were tried by court martial on board GLADIATOR on 7 February 1807 and were honourably acquitted.
She was re-floated, renamed CANNONIERE, (later CONFIANCE) by the French and armed en flute. She was retaken by Capt. John BLIGH in VALIANT (74) off Belle Isle on 3 February 1810. She had been lent to the merchants of Mauritius for the purpose of transporting a valuable cargo of colonial PROduce to France and was armed with 14 guns and carried a complement of 137 men.
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