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POWERFUL
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(74) |
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Built in 1783, Blackwall.
Broken up in 1812. |
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- 1799 Capt. O'Bryen DRURY, Lisbon.
- 1800 re-fitting at Chatham.
On 15 January 1801 the Comptroller, the Clerk of the Acts and the Surveyor of the Navy Board arrived at Chatham Dockyard and after inspecting the ships in the harbour, ordered the whole, including POWERFUL, to be made ready for sea. She was commissioned by Capt. Sir P. LAFOREY, for service with the fleet being assembled for the Baltic. - 1805 Capt. Robert PLAMPIN, Nore.
At the end of the year with Sir John DUCKWORTH's squadron which had been detached by Lord COLLINGWOOD in quest of a French squadron known to be at sea.
He lost the French near the Cape Verde Is.
and sailed for the Leeward Is.
in search of them.
Receiving no tidings there he despatched POWERFUL to the East Indies with the news that the French were at sea.
(The French squadron was destroyed off San Domingo in February.) - Capt. PLAMPIN was ordered by Rear Ad. PELLEW to sail from Madras on 4 June 18 1806 in pursuit of a privateer.
When he arrived at Trincomalee on the morning of the 11th. he received news that his quarry had been seen in vicinity of Batecato.
He sailed the same afternoon and at daybreak on the 13th. discovered a ship on the lee quarter.
After a chase of 11 hours, during the last hour of which she continued firing her stern-chasers over POWERFUL, she was brought to and struck her colours. She was the HENRIETTE mounting four 12-pounder carronades, two 9-pounders and fourteen 6-pounders (four of the latter were hove overboard during the chase.) With 124 on board she had sailed from the Ile de France on 7 April. - When he returned to Trincomalee Capt. PAMPLIN received information on 9 July that the notorious privateer BELLONE had returned to her cruising ground off Dondra Head.
Directing RATTLESNAKE to follow him he put to sea and between them they forced the privateer to strike after a running fight of nearly two hours during which POWERFUL lost 2 men killed and 11 wounded. - On 26 November Rear Ad. Sir Edward PELLEW in CULLODEN led a squadron consisting of POWERFUL, RUSSEL, BELLIQUEUX, SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, TERPSI CHORE and SEA FLOWER through the Sunda Straits to Batavia where they destroyed Dutch warships and merchantmen.
- 1808 Capt. Charles James JOHNSTON.
He joined her at Madras on 18 February 1808 after returning from a 12 month cruise to South America in CORNWALLIS.
POWERFUL was in a very poor condition; the carpenter reported among other faults that the frame, where it could be seen, was very rotten, five of the lower deck beams were rotten right through and others very decayed, the sides were decayed and she needed caulking inside and out, the step of the fore-mast was so rotten that the mast was unsafe, the copper was off the bottom, the ship was extremely weak and the lower-gun-deck worked at sea.
Nevertheless she successfully weathered two heavy gales off the Lagullas bank while searching for two French frigates. - Because of her condition she was sent home to England but, instead of paying off immediately, she was pressed into service for the expedition to Walcheren. She paid off in October 1809 and then remained out of commission at Chatham until being broken up.
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