Spanish frigate Hermione

The Spanish ship Hermione was a 26-gun frigate of the Spanish Navy, draughted by a British designer at Cadiz.[1] Opinions differ on the age and provenance of this ship. Some claim it to have been the Hermione bought in 1730.[2] Others believe it to have been the Hermione constructed in the Arsenal de la Carraca, Cadiz in 1752.[3]

The 'Favourite' and 'Active' taking 'Hermione' by Richard Wright
History
Spain
Name: Hermione
Homeport: Cadiz
Captured: 31 May 1762
General characteristics
Class and type: 26-gun frigate
Armament: 26 x 9-pounder guns

Notable incidents

The ship fired several broadsides into the privateer Antigallican when held at Cadiz in 1756 at the beginning of the Seven Years' War, at that time armed with 32 nine-pounders.[4][5]

Hermione engaged Captain Herbert Sawyer's frigate, the 28-gun HMS Active, and the 18-gun sloop-of-war Favourite under Captain Philemon Pownoll, off the coast of Spain near the port of Cadiz in the action of 31 May 1762.[6][7] The British captured Hermione, with the capture being notable for the size and value of the bounty seized and the subsequent prize money awarded, possibly the largest ever in a single haul.

William Cole, on a visit to his friend Horace Walpole, noted the suicide of Walpole's neighbour, Isaac Fernandez Nunez, in the summerhouse of Cross Deep House, following Nunez's ruin as insurer of Hermione.[8][9]

Hermione features in a picture by Richard Wright, dated November 1762, depicting the capture and dedicated to the victorious captains by the artist.[1]

References
  1. Wright, R. (1 November 1762). "View of the Hermione" (print). Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. "Historia de las embarcaciones menores de la Real Armada. Historia de Fragatas (por letra H)" [History of vessels under the Royal Navy. History of Frigates (by letter H).] (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  3. "Hermione (1752)" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  4. The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1762. 1763. p. 97. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  5. "Historical Chronicle - August 12 1762". The Gentleman's Magazine. Vol. 32. 1762. p. 387.
  6. Laughton, J. K.; Gwyn, rev. Julian. "Sawyer, Herbert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  7. Wareham, Tom. "Pownoll, Philemon". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  8. Sabor, Peter (2013). Horace Walpole: The Critical Heritage (reprint, revised ed.). Routledge. p. 244. ISBN 9781136172106.
  9. "Cole visits Walpole". 30 October 1762. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
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