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VENERABLE
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(74) |
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Built in 1784, Blackwall.
Wrecked in 1804. |
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- 1794 Capt. Sir John ORDE.
- 1795 Capt. HOPE, 01/1795.
Shortly after Vice Ad.A. DUNCAN hoisted his flag in her.
Capt. BISSET was appointed his flag captain September. - 1796 Capt. Sir W. G. FAIRFAX, 11/1796.
- At the beginning of October 1797 VENERABLE anchored off Yarmouth after a cruise which had lasted nineteen weeks.
On the 9th. the SPECULATOR lugger brought the news that the Dutch were at sea and Ad. DUNCAN sailed with 11 of his line-of-battle ships.
He met with VESTAL and ACTIVE who confirmed that De WINTER had sailed two days earlier from the Texel with 16 sail of the line, 5 frigates and 5 brigs and had followed a course along the Dutch coast. - De WINTER soon heard that DUNCAN was at sea and decided to return but his fleet was sighted by CIRCE on the 12th. about five miles from the shore between Egmont and Camperdown and fifteen miles from the Texel.
- DUNCAN attacked centre and rear the Dutch line of battle in two groups.
One led by Vice Ad ONSLOW in MONARCH the other by DUNCAN himself.
The ships in the two groups were: VENERABLE (DUNCAN), TRIUMPH, ARDENT, BEDFORD, BELLIQUEUX, ISIS and LANCASTER.
CIRCE frigate.
MONARCH (ONSLOW), VETERAN, POWERFUL, DIRECTOR, MONMOUTH, RUSSELL, MONTAGUE, ADAMANT and AGINCOURT.
BEAULIEU frigate.
Eleven of the Dutch capital ships were captured in a hard fought battle.
VENERABLE, supported by TRIUMPH and ARDENT, first attacked the Dutch flagship VRIJHEID but could not break through the line so she ran under the stern of the STATES GENERAL and forced her out.
This left VENERABLE surrounded by four Dutch ships and if other British ships had not engaged at the same time she would have been captured. - 1800 with Rear Ad. WHITSHED in the Channel.
On 10 January, while VENERABLE was lying at St. Helen's, a boat with 18 persons on board was overset as it made for the ship.
B. C. Meredith lieutenant of marines, Mr STOKES, midshipman, ten seamen, three boys and one woman, all belonging to VENERABLE, were drowned.
Two men were saved, one by clinging to the trunk of an officer who had got out of the boat a few minutes before it left the Sally Port.
They were picked up by a wherryman and attended to by Mr Sharp, a surgeon in Broadstreet. - 1801 Capt. Sir Samuel HOOD.
VENERABLE was with the Channel fleet at the beginning of the year. She arrived in Plymouth on 20 February 1801 and while in Cawsand Bay on 7 March her crew got up sheer legs on board her, took out the main mast and dropped it alongside, then replaced it after examination. She sailed again for Torbay in a gale on 21 March for Portsmouth and VENERABLE, SUPERB and CAMBRIAN sailed from there on the 31st. with the East India convoy. - On 17 April VENERABLE, SUPERB and CAMBRIAN captured the Spanish ship CARMEN and a Spanish brig in the Western Ocean.
They were deeply laden with hides and tallow from the Rio de la Plata and arrived in Plymouth on 23 May.
The three British ships remained cruising in the area to search for a Spanish 64 with money and four ships with cargoes similar to that of CARMEN which they learned were to sail from Rio de la Plata a few days after the above prizes. - In June the VENERABLE, SUPERB, CAMBRIAN and the 36-gun CARMEN chased three French frigates into Cadiz Bay where they were blockaded by Rear Ad. Sir James SAUMAREZ's squadron.
They were carrying seamen for the 12 Spanish sail-of-the-line fitting out there.
On 5 July Lieut. JANVRIN arrived from Gibraltar with the news that a French squadron, by-passing Cadiz, had arrived at Algeciras.
Sir James immediately sailed with the intention of attacking three French line-of-battle ships and a frigate at anchor off Algiciras on the 7th.
Capt. HOOD, because of his local knowledge, was instructed to lead the squadron in, followed by POMPEE, AUDACIOUS, CAESAR, SPENCER and HANNIBAL, the ships to engage as they arrived.
The French, moored in line ahead, consisted of FORMIDABLE, DESAIX, INDOMPTABLE, MURION and 14 gunboats. - When the wind dropped Capt. HOOD was obliged to bring VENERABLE to anchor and POMPEE, which had run in on a fine breeze, followed his example.
AUDACIOUS passed them but CAESAR and the two other ships were a long distance astern.
When the French cut and ran inshore DESAIX and INDOMTABLE grounded on shoals and Sir James ordered his ships to follow them in but VENERABLE, SPENCER and POMPEE were prevented by the lack of wind from attacking the enemy.
AUDACIOUS and CAESAR were much damaged by a shore battery and HANNIBAL, dismasted and badly shattered by fire from the batteries, ships and gunboats, was captured.
VENERABLE lost W. GIBBONS, midshipman, and 7 seamen killed and Silvester AUSTIN and Martin COLLINS, midshipmen, 20 seamen and 3 marines wounded.
The loss to the squadron was 121 killed, 240 wounded and 14 missing. - During the battle a nineteen year old seaman named COLLINS from CAESAR stripped and, taking orders from Sir James SAUMAREZ in his mouth, swam through a sea splashed with shot and shell to VENERABLE and returned with a reply.
- Sir James reported that all the enemy ships had been rendered totally unserviceable but Ad. Linois soon got his ships afloat and asked the French admirals at Cadiz for help.
On the 9th. six Spanish sail of the line and some frigates rounded Cabritta Point preceded by SUPERB, THAMES and PASLEY, the latter flying the signal for the enemy.
The Spaniards anchored in Algeciras Bay and the three British ships stood into Gibraltar where great efforts were being made to refit the ships there.
The wounded sailors in the hospital at Rosia Bay, when they heard that the squadron was preparing to fight the enemy, came down to the Pier Head begging admission into the boats so that they could have a 'lick at the Dons,' those that were convalescent were taken on board their respective ships. - On the 12th. CAESAR followed by VENERABLE, SUPERB, SPENCER, AUDACIOUS, THAMES, CALPE, LOUISA and the Portuguese frigate CARLOTTA, cleared the mole and formed line ahead in pursuit of the Franco-Spanish combined squadron.
- The SAINTE ANTOINE struck to SUPERB but as a broad pennant was still flying at her masthead VENERABLE and CAESAR fired into her as they came up.
CAESAR, VENERABLE, SPENCER and THAMES then went in pursuit of FORMIDABLE and the enemy shot away VENERABLE's mizzen-topmast as she got within musket shot.
VENERABLE continued the chase but the enemy stern guns sent her fore-mast over the side and she struck on some rocks off San Pedro.
When the mizzen mast went overboard Capt. HOOD was ordered to destroy his ship if an attack was made by the combined fleet.
When the arrival of AUDACIOUS and SUPERB forced the enemy to enter Cadiz, THAMES took VENERABLE in tow and within a few days she had been repaired at Gibraltar.
The two actions prevented a Franco-Spanish attack on Lisbon. - VENERABLE lost John WILLIAMS, master, 15 seamen and 2 marines killed, and Lieut. Thomas CHURCH, John SNELL, boatswain, George HESSEY and Charles PARDOE, midshipmen, 73 seamen and 10 marines were badly wounded.
- 1803 Capt. J. C. SEARLE, Torbay. She was employed as a Channel cruiser and with the fleet off Brest.
- 1804 By 3 January VENERABLE was completely stripped and waiting to go into the first vacant dock at Plymouth but these were all full of ships under repair for active service. She was finally towed into dock by torchlight during the evening of the 16th., her officers and crew were put on board RIPPON while their ship was surveyed.
At the beginning of February she was in the Hamoaze fitting out and Rear Ad. COLLINGWOOD shifted his flag from her to CULLODEN and sailed for Ad. CORNWALLIS's fleet with naval stores.
Capt. DACRES was appointed to command VENERABLE and James WOOLDRIDGE, late of CULLODEN, was appointed her first lieutenant.
On 3 March Rear Ad. BRINE shifted his flag from TEMERAIRE to VENERABLE as second in command and on the 5th. and 6th. she took in her upper and lower deck guns preparatory to taking in her powder and going into Cawsand Bay to receive bullocks and vegetables. She warped out of the bay to the outer sailing moorings on the 26th. before finally sailing to join the fleet. - In April VENERABLE, under the command of Capt. REYNOLDS, was with the inshore squadron off Brest in sight of the French fleet.
When Rear Ad. Sir T. GRAVES arrived in AURORA he shifted his flag to VENERABLE.
The other ships in the squadron were IMPETUEUX, MONTAGUE, COLOSSUS, INDEFATIGABLE, ACASTA, AIGLE and three cutters.
The frigates and small craft stood in every day within range of shells and shot from the batteries. - Capt. John HUNTER, Channel.
VENERABLE was wrecked off Roundham Head, Torbay, on 24 November 1804.
The evening was dark and foggy when VENERABLE, in a fresh wind touched on a ridge of rocks.
Every effort was made to get her off but to no avail so guns were fired as a signal of distress.
These were heard by IMPETUEUX and GOLIAH which immediately stood back into the bay and sent their boats to assist VENERABLE.
By 9 o'clock the ship was bilged against the rocks, her masts had been cut away and she was nearly on her beam ends with waves breaking over her.
The crew were subjected to driving sleet as they attempted to board the rescue boats.
When some people came down to the shore a line was passed to them but some of the crew who attempted to haul themselves ashore on it were drowned in the surf.
At about 5 a.m.
the following morning, apart from a few drunken wretches lying on the deck, there were but 17 men left with the officers.
Led by a junior lieutenant they descended by single ropes over the stern to gain the boats and, cold and wet, they reached safety in IMPETUEUX about 6 o'clock.
At daylight they could see that the ship had gone to pieces and the people ashore were plundering the wreckage as it drifted in. - At a court martial in Plymouth on 11 December Capt. HUNTER, his officers and crew were acquitted of blame except for one man
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