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MONMOUTH
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(64) |
3rd rate
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Built in 1772, Plymouth DY.
Renamed CAPTIVITY, prison hulk, in 1796.
Broken up in 1818. |
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- 1881 Capt, James ALMS, one of the ships that sailed with Commodore Johnstone on an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope and the East Indies. About the middle of April they were attacked by Suffrein at Porto Praya in the Portuguese island of San Jago. Failing to do any damage the French made all sail to attack Ad. Hughes before he could be reinforced. Johnstone left Porto Praya on 5 May and reached Madras on 10 February 1782, 5 days before Suffrein. MONMOUTH had taken Gen. Meadows on board at the Cape and parted from the Commodore, making Port Felix in Madagascar on 21 August. When she sailed for Bombay at the end of September, she was driven towards Arabia Felix. Short of PROvisions, they did not reach Bombay until 6 January. MONMOUTH was not materially involved in the action with Suffrein but on the evening of the 17th she took EXETER, which had been, damaged, in tow and took her into Trincomale on the 24th.
- On 6 April MONMOUTH chased on shore a small, French frigate which had been carrying orders for Suffrein. Off Ceylon on 12 April there was a desperate fight in which MONMOUTH was closely engaged with with the Frech flagship for nearly two hours. Suffrein made his escape when MONMOUTH lost her main and mizzen masts overboard. She had 45 men killed and 102 wounded. Capt. ALMS received two splinter wound on his face and, apart from Lieut. George Murray (First), Mr Tatlock, master and Capt. Pierce of the marines, every other person on the poop and quaterdeck had been killed or wounded. In the evening MONMOUTH struck on a shoal whilst anchoring. Some French ships came up to attack her so she cut her cables and rode over the shoal to seek safety inshore of her Admiral whilst jury masts were rigged.
- On 5 July 1782 MONMOUTH had 14 men wounded, most mortally.
- On 4 August she and SCEPTRE took stores and troops from Madras to Trincomalee.
- In another action on 2 September between Suffrein's 15 ships of the line and Hughes' 12, MONMOUTH received a shot through the hull 9 feet below the waterline, all hands on the lower deck guns had to be put on the chain pumps. She only had two men wounded.
Capt. ALMS died at Chichester on 8th. June 1791, he was 64. - October 1796 Prison Hulk CAPTIVITY.
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