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UNITE
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The French L'IMPERIEUSE taken off La Spezia on 11 September 1793 by Ad. GELL. Renamed UNITE in 1803.
Broken up in 1858. |
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- 1795 Capt. FORBES, 03/1795.
- 1796 Capt. Lord FITZROY, 01/1796.
- 1799 Capt. John Poo BERESFORD, with Vice Ad. Lord Hugh SEYMOUR's naval force which sailed from Port Royal, Martinique on 31 July to reach Surinam on 11 August. J. ROWLEY, 06/1799, East Indies.
- 1803 Deptford.
- 1805 Capt Charles OGLE, Portsmouth, preparing for foreign service.
- 1807 Capt. Patrick CAMPBELL, Mediterranean.
On 18 March 1808 he captured the French xebec ETOILE DE BUONAPARTE off the island of Lissa. She was armed with 6 guns and had only 21 men on board, 15 having deserted the evening before sailing.
An aide-de-camp of Gen. Berthier was aboard her carrying dispatches from Corfu to Ancona. - UNITE was in the northern Adriatic in May 1808 and on the 2nd she captured the 16 gun-brig of war RONCO off Cape Promontoro, the southernmost point of Istria.
The prize was taken into the Royal Navy as TUSCAN. - On the 28th. she was forced to take shelter from a N. E. gale under the island of Lusin (Losinj).
When the gale abated on the afternoon of the 31st. she continued south and sighted three brigs of war close under the island of Premuda.
Capt. CAMPBELL immediately gave chase as they attempted to gain the Zara (Zadar) Channel. - Although the navigation was intricate it was a clear night so, relying on the lead and a good look-out, he came up with two of them a little after 3 o'clock the following morning, about 2 miles on the lee beam.
The helm had scarcely been put up when a third brig was seen on the larboard bow. She was given a broadside from within musket shot range and immediately struck without firing a gun.
Boats were sent to bring off the officers and secure her and sail made after the other two.
There being little wind they were using their sweeps to try and get out to sea through one of the passages.
It was nearly seven when they got within range of the sternmost and opened fire.
The enemy, seeing no chance of escape, fired one broadside, struck and ran ashore.
The other brig escaped by sweeping among a cluster of small islands. - The brig was got off without any damage.
The two prizes were the NETTUNO and the TEULIE each armed with sixteen brass 32-pounder carronades and carrying 115 men.
They had been sent from Zara the previous day when they had heard that UNITE had so many men absent or sick that she would be easy prey.
UNITE had no casualties - They were both taken into the Royal Navy.
NETTUNO as CRETAN and TEULIE as ROMAN. - Capt. CAMPBELL removed into LEVIATHAN (74).
- 1811 Capt. CHAMBERLAYNE, Mediterranean.
On 26 March 1811 AJAX and UNITE received orders to search for French frigates reported to have escaped from Toulon to the eastwards.
AJAX pushed through the Straits of Bonifacio and directed UNITE to go round by Cape Corse.
UNITE sighted three frigates, EMILY (40), ADRIAN (40), and DROMADAIRE (20) working through the Piombino Passage.
Because they were so near the land only the rearmost, DROMADAIRE could be cut off, the other two escaping into Porto Ferrago.
The prize was only five months old and had been built for the express purpose of carrying stores.
Her cargo consisted of 15,000 shot and shells and 90 tons of gunpowder bound for Corfu. - On 23 April Capt. BARRIE in POMONE received intelligence of the French force at Sagone in Corsica.
He arrived off the Bay on the evening of the 30th. with UNITE and SCOUT in company.
At sunset UNITE made the signal for an enemy frigate at anchor.
At daybreak the following morning POMONE was close off Liamone and could see three frigates at anchor in the bay but the variable winds during the night had pushed UNITE a long way astern.
The enemy appeared to have about 200 regular troops with a battery of four guns and one mortar on the heights covering the small bay and a gun was mounted in a martello tower above the battery.
The three captains agreed that nothing would be accomplished by landing and that it would be madness to send in the boats. - A calm continued all afternoon until, at half past five, Capt. BARRIE resolved to tow the ships in.
After half an hour they were in grape-shot range and the action commenced.
At half past seven smoke was seen issuing from one frigate, the GIRAFFE, and soon after another, the NOURRICE was ablaze.
Brands from the NOURRICE set a merchantman on fire.
About this time the battery and the tower were silenced and the three British ships made haste to tow out to sea. - The GIRAFFE blew up first, at about ten minutes to nine, NOURRICE followed soon afterwards, some of her blazing timbers demolishing the tower.
UNITE's casualties were: Mr Richard GOODRIDGE, midshipman, slightly wounded, as were Thomas M'BRAY, captain of the foretop and coxswain of the barge, and John DAY, marine.
POMONE and SCOUT lost 2 killed and 22 wounded. - On 2 July AJAX brought orders from Ad. Sir Charles COTTON to proceed to Port Hercole near the mouth of the Tiber.
At daylight on the 4th. Capt CHAMBERLAYNE discovered a brig at anchor and part of the boats under Lieut. CRABB were sent in to cut her out.
He was assisted by 2nd Lieut. Victor of the marines, Mr M. DWYER, Mr Mr H. COLLINS, master's mate, and Mr HUTCHINSON, midshipman. - The boats came under fire from four 6-pounders, four 3-pounders and small arms in the brig and from two 9-pounders on the beach.
Light, variable winds prevented the ship closing so the launch under Lieut. M'DOUGALL was sent in support but before he could reach them the brig had been taken. She was the ST. FRANCOIS DE PAULE partly laden with ship's timber. - CEPHALUS joined about this time and together they sailed along the coast to discover several vessels at anchor between Civita Vecchia and the mouth of the Tiber.
Capt. CLIFFORD led the way in CEPHALUS, signalling soundings as he went.
UNITE anchored in four fathoms and together they drove the enemy from their guns.
UNITE's boats were sent to Capt. CLIFFORD and three prizes were brought out under musket fire. - On 29 November 1811 a French squadron sailing from Corfu to Trieste was intercepted by UNITE, ALCESTE and ACTIVE.
The enemy ships had been sighted by Lieut. M'DOUGALL of UNITE who was on passage to Malta in a neutral vessel and he had immediately put back to inform Capt. Murray MAXWELL off Lissa.
The PESANNE (29), a storeship, was chased and captured by UNITE after a long run of nearly four hours during which the enemy fire did much damage to UNITE's masts, rigging and sails.
When part of UNITE's broadside were fired at him he replied and then, to Capt. CHAMBERLAYNE's astonishment, struck.
PESANNE had 125 men and 65 soldiers on board and was carrying in the hold 129 iron, and a few brass, ordnance.
The only casualty was Thomas TATE, ordinary seaman, who was severely wounded. - The POMONE (40), was captured by the other two after a severe action with heavy British losses.
The third, the PAULINE, escaped.
Medals were granted in 1849 for this action. - UNITE escorted PESANNE into Lissa and rejoined Capt. MAXWELL on 1 December, her damage already repaired and the ship fit for service.
- On 16 June three vessels of between eighty and one hundred tons were captured at the small port of Badisea near Otranto, by the boats of UNITE, Orlando and CERBERUS, under the direction of Lieut. M'DOUGALL.
- 1815 Ditto, Deptford.
- 1816 Out of commission at Deptford.
- Harbour service 1832.
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