French frigate Melpomène (1812)

Melpomène was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy, designed by Sané. She was launched in 1812. In 1815 HMS Rivoli captured her. The Royal Navy never commissioned Melpomène and in 1821 sold her for breaking up.

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Melpomène and HMS Melpomene.
Clorinde, sister-ship of French frigate Melpomène (1812)
History
France
Name: Melpomène
Namesake: Melpomene
Builder: Toulon
Laid down: 1811
Launched: 17 May 1812
Out of service: 30 April 1815
General characteristics
Class and type: Pallas-class frigate
Displacement: 1,080 tonnes
Length: 46.93 m (154 ft 0 in)
Beam: 11.91 m (39 ft 1 in)
Draught: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Propulsion: 1,950 m2 (21,000 sq ft) of sail
Complement: 326
Armament:
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Melpomene
Acquired: 1815 by capture
Fate: Sold 1821 for breaking up
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen: 1087​10⁄94 (bm)
Length:
  • Overall: 152 ft 10 1⁄2 in (46.6 m)
  • Keel:127 ft 0 7⁄8 in (38.7 m)
Beam: 40 ft 1 1⁄4 in (12.2 m)
Depth of hold: 12 ft 6 1⁄4 in (3.8 m)
Propulsion: Sail
Complement: 300
Armament:
  • Upper deck:28 × 18-pounder guns
  • QD:14 × 32-pounder carronades
  • Fc:2 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 × 9-pounder chase guns

Career

Melpomène was commissioned on 1 June 1812 in Toulon under Commander Charles Béville.[2] She took part in the Action of 5 November 1813, where she sustained light damage and had one wounded.

She was decommissioned on 21 February 1814, but reactivated in January 1815 under Captain Joseph Collet, at Toulon.

On 24 April, during the Hundred Days, she was sent to Napoli to transport Letizia Ramolino. Six days later, at 6a.m. on the 30th, she encountered the 74-gun HMS Rivoli off Ischia,[3] commanded by Captain Edward Stirling Dickson.[4] After a 35-minute fight, Melpomène struck to the ship of the line.[5]

Although a key French source states that Melpomène was scuttled,[6] she was not. The Royal Navy sailed her to Portsmouth, where she arrived on 28 December 1815. There she was laid up. She was not commissioned and was not fitted for sea. She was sold on 7 June 1821 at Portsmouth to a Mr. Freake for £2,460.[1]

In May, the frigate Dryade brought Ramolino to France, along with Prince Jérôme Bonaparte.[5][7]

Citations and references

Citations
  1. Winfield (2008), p.182.
  2. Fonds Marine, p.459
  3. Fonds Marine, p.502.
  4. Troude, op. cit., p. 201
  5. Troude, op. cit., p. 202
  6. Roche, op. cit.
  7. Roche, op. cit., p. 158

References
  • Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome deuxième : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826)
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 304. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
  • Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France. 4. Challamel ainé. pp. 152–153.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.