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SPARTIATE
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Taken in Aboukir Bay by Rear Ad. Sir Horatio NELSON on 1 August 1798.
Hulk in 1842. |
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- Capt. Hon. C. H. PIERREPOINT, 01/1799.
Capt. Lord W. STUART, 11/1799.
Plymouth. - 1800 Out of commission at Plymouth.
On 30 July 1801 SPARTIATE was hauled alongside the Jetty Head previous to going into dock during the afternoon of 1 August. She came out after a complete repair on 31 December and went up the harbour to the highest moorings to be laid up in ordinary. - 1803 Capt. George MURRAY, 03/1803, Plymouth.
On 10 March an Admiralty messenger arrived at Plymouth from London in 32 hours with dispatches for the Port Admiral, Rear Ad. DACRES.
Within minutes preparations for war were under way with press gangs finding more than 400 seamen in the three towns during the following night and ships, SPARTIATE among them, being ordered to be made ready for commissioning.
On the afternoon of 16 March a Captain and 100 Royal Marines embarked from the north stairs of the dockyard for SPARTIATE. - By the 23rd. she had all her lower rigging overhead and her top-masts up and on 2 April the rigging was completed with all the lower and upper masts up, capped and rigged over-head and with all the standing and running rigging set up. She was nearly provisioned and stored and only awaited the arrival of her crew.
PLANTAGENET, TONNANT, MARS and MALTA were all at the same stage of preparation. - At 6 o'clock on the morning of the 10 April several ships in the Hamoaze made signals for going down the harbour.
These were answered by Admiral Lord KEITH and the boats of the fleet assembled with the Master, Attendants and the King's Pilots.
At seven o'clock MALTA, TONNANT and SPARTIATE got under weigh, with the wind from the N. N.W.
being just enough to swell their sails, and they passed down the harbour before the spectators gathered along the shore to Cawsand Bay. - Capt. MANLEY, 06/1803, Plymouth.
On 1 June TONNANT, SPARTIATE and MARS sailed for their first cruise accompanied by BOADICEA (38) HAZARD (18) SEAGULL (18) and RAMBLER (14). - On 13 September 1803 SPARTIATE came into Plymouth for a refit before sailing to rejoin the inshore squadron of observation off the Black Rock.
- 1804 At the beginning of April SPARTIATE sailed from Plymouth to join the blockading squadron off Ferrol and Coruna bringing the number of ships of the line on that station to nine, besides frigates and cutters.
- Capt. Sir Francis LAFOREY.
SPARTIATE, re-fitting in the Hamoaze on 165 December for her station off Ferrol took on board twelve months' provisions and stores - She went missing from from Sir Edward PELLEW's squadron off Ferrol and Corunna on 24 December 1803, the day previous to a severe hurricane. She had been last seen to leeward by a part of the squadron and great fears were expressed for her safety. She eventually arrived in Beerhaven Bay on 16 January after experiencing severe weather for more than three weeks in the Western Ocean. She returned to Plymouth on 10 March and sailed again at the end of the month.
- 1805 re-fitting in the Hamoaze, During January a seaman fell to his death from the main-yard.
It was assumed that his fingers were benumbed by the excessive cold and he lost his hold.
In the spring SPARTIATE sailed for the West Indies from which she returned with Lord NELSON in pursuit of the combined fleet. - At Trafalgar SPARTIATE was in NELSON's weather column. She and MINOTAUR, one on each side, poured shot into the Spanish NEPTUNO (80) for an hour.
The enemy ship surrendered at ten minutes past five but then drifted out of control into the TEMERAIRE which had two prizes lashed to her sides.
NEPTUNO had 73 casualties, SPARTIATE lost 3 killed and 20 wounded. - Capt. LAFORY sat in the mourning coach which carried the standard at Lord NELSON's funeral on 9 January 1806.
- SPARTIATE was then employed guarding the coasts of Sicily until Capt. LAFOREY was promoted to Rear Admiral in July 1810.
- On 11 June 1809 Ad. George MARTIN in CANOPUS sailed from Melazzo with his majesty's ships SPARTIATE, WARRIOR, CYANE and ESPOIR, transports and British and Sicilian gunboats; the whole amounting to 133 sail.
He sailed into the Gulf of Eufemia and close along the coast of Calabria to draw attention from Lower Calabria where PHILOMEL had landed two regiments of infantry to destroy enemy batteries. - On the 15th. they were joined by 100 sail from Palermo accompanied by ALCESTE and two Sicilian frigates.
Sicilian troops under Gen. Boucard were landed in Calabria as a diversion while the the British and Sicilians from Melazzo attacked the islands of Ischia and Procala.
The latter capitulated on the 25th. and the last castle on Ischia surrendered on 1 July. - 1811 Out of commission at Plymouth.
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