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MONTAGU (74) Built in 1779, Chatham.
Broken up in 1818.

  • 1797 Capt. John KNIGHT, North Sea station. She took part in the Battle of Camperdown (Kamperduin) on 11 October 1897.
  • 1799 off Cadiz.
    In 1800, when Capt. KNIGHT was senior officer of the inshore squadron off Brest, MONTAGU brought some French frigates to action in Bertheaume Bay on 12 April but they were too well protected by numerous batteries.
  • Off L'Orient on 12 October 1800 a small convoy of brigs and sloops was seen taking refuge in Port Danenne.
    Lieuts. BYSETT and KNIGHT in MONTAGU's boats followed by Lieuts. DUNLOP and GRIFFITHS in those from MAGNIFICENT went in under cover of MONTAGU and, in spite of round and grape from a shore battery and two of the vessels, they boarded and brought out eleven of them and burnt another.
    Another was sunk by the enemy's own shot and one was too far up the creek to be got out.
    Lieuts. ALEXANDER, MONTGOMERIE, MITCHELL and JORDON of the marines and Lieut. SAMARIN of the Russian navy accompanied MONTAGU's boats.
    One seaman was killed and two wounded from MONTAGU.
  • Later in the same month her boats under acting Lieut. WELLS took a large brig laden with wine and brandy from under the walls of Port Louis.
    MONTAGU received two shots in the hull while covering this operation.
    A lugger going into Palais with firewood was cut off and destroyed.
    When MONTAGU was hauling round the Pointe du Croisic from the shallow mouth of the Loire several batteries opened fire to defend a brig and a sloop waiting for the flood tide.
    As MONTAGU's boats went in under the fire the brig hauled down French colours and hoisted those of Hamburg before the two crews abandoned their vessels.
    One seaman from MONTAGU was killed, a seaman and a marine badly wounded and two others slightly wounded.
  • On 28 October a small ship and a few chasse-maree were the only vessels above Point Nazaire in the Loire.
    In the Baie de Bourgneuf, inside the Ile de Noirmoutier, were two brigs and a galliot which the boats of MONTAGU boarded.
    Although they were held for a full tide they lay among intricate channels in the mud flats and it was impossible to bring them out so they were burnt.
  • Early in 1801 under the temporary command of Capt. Robert CUTHBERTSON she was detached with other ships under Sir Robert CALDER to look for a French squadron but was dismasted off Cape Ortegal during a gale. She put into the Tagus for repairs and was then sent to Martinique, returning as escort to a convoy.
  • 1801 Capt. CURZON.
    During a gale on 23 January 1801 a French squadron under Gantheaume escaped from Brest through the Passage du Raz and was chased by a detachment of the Channel fleet under Rear Ad. CALDER which was also blown off the coast.
    The British ships were: PRINCE OF WALES, POMPIE, LA JUSTE, MONTAGU (under the temporary command of Capt. Robert CUTHBERTSON) SPENCER, COURAGEUX, CUMBERLAND, THAMES and MAGICIENNE.
    MONTAGU was dismasted off Cape Ortega and had to put into the Tagus for repairs. She then sailed for Martinique and returned with the West Indies convoy.
    At the end of June to the beginning of July the convoy was repeatedly attacked off the south of Ireland over four nights by the French privateer BRAAVE which managed to escape by using her sweeps when chased by MONTAGU and GLENMORE.
    MONTAGU sailed from Plymouth on 7 July for Portsmouth to be repaired and arrived the next day. She carried newly raised men for DREADNOUGHT fitting out for sea there.
  • 1803 Out of commission at Chatham.
  • 1805 Capt. Robert Waller OTWAY.
    Channel fleet.
    On 21 August twenty-one sail of the French fleet at Brest stood out of the Goulet and anchored in the mouth of the estuary.
    MONTAGU was then off Ushant with 16 other vessels under Ad. CORNWALLIS who immediately sailed to reconnoitre the enemy.
    The British fleet anchored south of the Black Rocks for the night and early the next morning stood in for Camaret Bay, in close order of battle, VILLE DE PARIS leading, followed by CAESAR and MONTAGU.
    They tacked in succession twice before the INDEFATIGABLE frigate engaged the French 80-gun ALEXANDRE.
    VILLE DE PARIS, MONTAGU, CAESAR, NAMUR and three others made sail towards the French fleet, the rest being several miles astern.
    As the French retreated towards the harbour mouth MONTAGU and CAESAR hauled out of line to attack ALEXANDRE and the whole British van came under fire from shore batteries which caused some damage.
    MONTAGU had the heel of her fore-top-mast shot away but suffered no casualties.
    The British ships wore and stood out to sea about midday.
  • 1807 Mediterranean.
  • 1808 Capt. MOUBRAY, Mediterranean.
    On 18 March 1810 Capt. EYRE in MAGNIFICENT assembled a squadron at Zante, consisting of MONTAGU, BELLEPOULE, LEONIDAS and IMOGEN, to attack the island of St. Maura (Levkas).
    While MONTAGU was working into the Road under the direction of a pilot she ran on to a shoal and knocked her rudder off.
    Because of this accident she was unable to take part in the attack so the troops and her marines were divided amongst the other vessels.
  • The troops with the marines of MAGNIFICENT, MONTAGU and BELLE POULE were disembarked on the morning of the 22th. and soon took possession of the town and stormed the redoubts protecting the citadel.
    Meanwhile Capt. MOUBRAY had rehung the rudder and joined Capt. EYRE on the 30th.
    As soon as MONTAGU arrived two of her lower-deck guns were landed with 100 of her seamen to do duty on shore.
    On 6 April Capt. EYRE left MONTAGU in charge of the transports, withdrew MAGNIFICENT's seamen from the shore and moved round to the opposite side of the island.
    More men from MONTAGU were landed to compensate, the whole being under the command of Lieut. LYONS.
    KINGFISHER arrived from Malta on the 5th. with news that the enemy was planing to land reinforcements so she was ordered to keep under weigh in the offing.
    A heavy exchange of fire between the citadel and the batteries of the besiegers lasted until the 16th. when the enemy capitulated.
  • MONTAGU lost four killed: William QUIN, quarter-master's-mate, and three marines, John Williams, Thomas Seager and Charles Gay.
    Twenty one were wounded.
  • MONTAGU returned to Malta where, on 12 May, a gunner's mate named William ELDEN was ashore on the last night of his leave.
    On his way back to the ship he called at a public house to look for some shipmates and had a drink there with two men in livery.
    One drink led to another and, as he deposed at a court martial in Port Mahon in February 1811, he remembered nothing more until the following morning when he found himself, in the pump-well of a vessel under weigh.
    with two shipmates,T. FISHER who was coxswain of the MONTAGU and BROWN.
    On going on deck he found other seamen there and learnt that he was on a ship named PYLADES belong to a young nobleman, the Marquis of Sligo, who was travelling in the Mediterranean.
  • On 30 May PYLADES was boarded by a boat from ACTIVE and searched by a lieutenant and a midshipman but they failed to find any deserters who were secreted by the Marquis's men. She then sailed to Patmos where ten of the crew were allowed ashore and told that the ship would not sail for thirteen days; however that evening she sailed leaving them stranded.
    The British consul at Scio tried to put them on board but they were turned back.
    William EDEN was charged with desertion and sentenced to 200 lashes but the sentenced was remitted and he later appeared as a witness in a specimen charge against the Marquis at the Old Bailey on 16 December 1812.
    The Marquis was found guilty of enticing EDEN on board and persuading him to desert and was fined 500 pounds and sentenced to four months imprisonment in Newgate.
  • 1811 Out of commission at Chatham.
  • 1812 Capt. Manley DIXON, 06/1811.
    with the flag of his father Rear Ad. Manley DIXON on the Baltic and South American stations until July 1813 when he exchanged with Capt. Peter HEYWOOD of NEREUS (42), in July 1813.
  • 1814 off the Scheldt.
  • 1815 Ditto, Spithead for America.
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