HMS Crescent (1784)
HMS Crescent was a Sir John Williams designed, Flora Class, 18 pounder 36 gun Frigate. She was built by M/shipwrights John Nowlan and Thomas Calhoun at Burseldon. Ordered on the 11th of August, 1781, and laid down in the November of that year, she was launched on the 28th of October, 1784 and completed for Ordinary between the 1st of November and the 11th of January, 1785 at Portsmouth at a cost of £5,694. She was fitted for sea in 1790 at a further cost of £2,218.
Flora Class Frigate
HistoryGREAT BRITAIN Name: HMS Crescent Ordered: 11th August, 1781 Builder: John Nowlan and Thomas Calhoun, Burseldon. Launched: 28th October1784 Fate: WR. 6.12.1808. General characteristics Class and type: Flora Class, 18 pounder 36 gun Frigate Tons burthen: 887 85⁄94 (bm) Length: 137ft 21⁄2in (gundeck) Beam: 38ft 51⁄2in Depth of hold: 13ft 3in Propulsion: Sails Sail plan: Full rigged ship Armament:
- UD: 26 × 18 pdr guns
- QD: 8 × 6 pdr guns. (9 pdrs from 1780) + 4 x 18 pdr Carronades
- Fc: 2 × 6 pdr guns. (9 pdrs from 1880) + 4 x 18 pdr Carronades and 12 x 1⁄2 pdr swivels
Service.
HMS Crescent was commissioned under Captain William Young in the May of 1790 for the Spanish Armament. She was recommissioned in January 1793 under Captain James Saumarez for Rear Admiral John MacBrides Squadron's squadron on blockade duty in the Channel, where she narrowly avoided capture on the 8th of June in that year, she managed to escape from the 50 gun French ships, Le Scévola and Le Brutus.
However, on the 22nd of the month, assisted by HMS Hind and the Privateer Lively, she captured the 10 gun French Privateer, le Chib de Cherbourg. Later that month, Crescent and Hind also took the 12 gun Privateer L'Espoir.
Action of 20 October 1793.
On the morning of 20 October, lookouts on board Crescent reported sails off Cape Barfleur, on the Cotentin Peninsular, which were heading towards Cherbourg. Saumarez set a course to intercept, and with the wind in his favour, soon came up on the port side of the two vessels which proved to be the 38 gun French Frigate La Réunion and a 14 gun Cutter Espérance, which were returning from a raiding cruise in the Channel.
Espérance immediately fled towards Cherbourg, leaving Réunion alone to engage in combat with Crescent. Although the French ship was the larger and carried a larger crew, the British ship had a slight advantage in weight of shot, 315 pounds to the 310 pounds of Réunion, and as it turned out was also marginally faster.
After the opening exchanges, Réunion had already lost her fore yard and mizzen topmast whilst Crescent lost only the top off her foremast. Both ships had rigging cut and a number of sails damaged but Crescent was still able to manoeuvre across Réunion's stern and rake her causing massive damage to the French ship and decimating her crew, Although Réunion continued to resist for some time, she was no longer able to manoeuvre effectively so with Saumarez about to cross his bow, and a second Frigate HMS Circe now rapidly approaching due to a strengthening wind, Réunion's captain realised he had no option other than to surrender his vessel. The engagement had lasted two hours and ten minutes during which time the cutter, Espérance, managed to escape to Cherbourg. Apart from the damage Crescent’s sole casualty amounted to one man wounded.
H.M.S. Crescent, under the command of Captain James Saumarez, capturing the French frigate Réunion off Cherbourg, 20 October 1793, att. John Christian Schetky.
Capitulation of Saldanha Bay.
In 1795, Crescent came under the command of Captain Edward Buller for the Channel but on the 7th of March 1796 she was ordered to sail for the Cape of Good Hope to join a squadron commanded by Rear Admiral George Elphinstone, and she was present at Saldanha where a squadron of the Batavian Republic’s Navy capitulated. The Cape had long been important to Britain's marine traffic, providing a convenient stopping point en route to India. In the previous year, fearing that it may fall into the hands of the French, Britain had captured the colony from the Dutch. In the following year of 1796, the Dutch sent a squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Lucas in an attempt to recapture the Cape. Keith's ships trapped the Dutch in Saldanha Bay on the 17th of August, forcing Lucas to surrender without having to open fire upon him.
Crescent remained on station at the Cape, and in 1797 she came under the command of Captain John Murray, who was superseded by Captain John Spranger in the February of 1798, and then, in the June of that year, by Captain Charles Brisbane.
By the Spring of 1798 Crescent was in need of repairs and a refit which on her return to Britain in the June of that year, and having been paid off, were carried out at Deptford from August 1798 until the June of 1799 at a cost of £18,924. During the repairs she was recommissioned in the April of that year, under William Lobb and on completion was sent to the West Indies. Whilst on passage, on the 15th of November she took the 16 gun El Galgo. Then whilst serving on the Jamaica station, in the June of 1800 Crescent took the 12 gun Diligente, which the Royal Navy took into service as a 14 gun transport under her existing name.
Between the 21st of May and the 8th of August, Crescent, in company with HMS Meleager, and HMS Nimrod took a Spanish Felucca sailing between Havana and Vera Cruz, plus a Xebec sailing from Campeachy to Havana.
In the July of 1802 Captain Lennox Thompson took command of Crescent, and in the June of the year following, she was recommissioned under Captain Lord William Stuart.
Crescent returned to home waters in the February of 1806, under Captain James Carthew. She then went on to serve in the North Sea before undergoing general repairs between the June and October of 1808.
Fate.
Recommisioned under George Reynolds in the April of the year she remained in home waters and command passed to Captain John Temple who was still in command when Crescent was wrecked off the coast of Jutland on the 6th of December resulting in more than 220 people being drowned, including Captain Temple.
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