A |  B |  C |  D |  E |  F |  G |  H |  I |  J |  K |  L |  M |  N |  O |  P |  Q |  R |  S |  T |  U |  V |  W |  X |  Y |  Z

Use quotes like in "Aboukir Bay" to search phrases.
Use * as a wildcard like in "Trafalg*".



SAPPHIRE (44) 5th rate Built in 1741, Limehouse.
Sold in 1784.

  • 1742 Capt. Charles HOLMES, appointed on 20th. Feb.
  • "Dec. 25th., saw two sail and gave chace. About two o'clock in the afternoon the two sail parted, one keeping her wind, the other bearing away. He continued chasing the former, and about five took her, she being a Spanish privateer of about 50 tons, with eight carriage, six swivel guns, and 52 men. It then being calm, captain Holmes immediately shifted her men into his ship, and put a lieutenant and thirty men on board her to row after the other vessel, which they came up with the next evening and retook, when they found her to be a sloop from Limerick bound to Lisbon with butter.
  • On January 11th. captain Holmes was informed by the master of a Dutch ship, who had been ill-treated by a privateer at Vigo, which place he left on the 8th., that there were five privateers in that harbour, two of them cleaning on the sand, the other three near them at the quay; that in the town, by the church, they had mounted six six-pounders on a new battery; and on the plain, to the southward of the quay, six or eight guns, from three to four pounders. Upon this intelligence captain Holmes sailed for Vigo, and on the 15th. came off that town. When his ship was about half a mile from it, the Spaniards fired from their twenty-four pound battery on the quay. One of the shot dismounted one of the Sappire's lower deck guns, killing one man, shot off another's leg, and the arm of a third, wounding with splinters five or six more. Another shot went through the centre of her foremast, about seven feet above the forecastle; a third took her between wind and water, and lodged in the carpenter's store-room. Captain Homes ran a little farther in and came to an anchor; having brought his broadside to bear on the batteries and privateers, he began firing about twelve o'clock, and between two and three the two privateers which were afloat, sunk, the other privateers which were on the sand, received many shot in them, by which they are rendered unserviceable, at least for some time."
  • 1743 Capt. Charles SAUNDERS, during the following spring he was employed in cruising off the coast of Flanders and watching the port of Dunkirk. On 7th. April 1744 he captured a galliot hoy from Danzig, having on board nearly 200 officers and soldiers raised for Count Lowendahl's regiment at Dunkirk, for the service of the French king.
  • 1744 Capt. KEPPEL, he was promoted out of a sloop on 11 December and employed as a cruiser.
  • On 15 April 1745 he captured a large French ship, the Atalanta with 18 guns plus swivels, from Martinique bound for Rochefort with a valuable cargo of sugar with some coffee and cotton. On the 20th. May he fell in with the Superbe, a Spanish privateer from Bilbao, between the Old Head of Kinsale and Cape Clear. With only about 16 guns she attempted to use her speed to escape, but was captured after a few hours chase.
  • 1745 Capt. FOLKES, November. On Wednesday 25th. December she sailed from the Downs with a squadron of ships under the command of Ad. VERNON. They arrived back in the Downs on Tuesday 2nd January, Ad. VERNON struck his flag before dawn and came ashore at Deal. Ad. MARTIN took over his command.
  • 1756 reduced to 32 guns in June.
  • 1758 Capt. John STRACHAN, Channel. In 1759 he was with a light squadron stationed off the French coast under commodore DUFF. He was still in command at Plymouth in February 1763
  • 1762 Capt. James BAKER, early in the following year he removed to the LOWERSTOFFE and SAPPHIRE was paid off into ordinary.
  • In September 1767, the masters attendant at Chatham visited every ship in ordinary and discovered the boatswain's and the cook's wives on board SAPPHIRE, many of the ships had standing officer's wives living on board. The following month it was discovered that her main topsail yardarm had been cut off.
  • 1780 hulked.


back  |  intro  |  home  |  contact

© 1995, 2007 Michael Phillips