HMS Mermaid (1761)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Mermaid.

Drawing depicting the inboard profile plan as proposed and approved for the Mermaid, 1760
History
Royal Navy Ensign (1707–1801)Great Britain
NameHMS Mermaid
Ordered24 April 1760
BuilderHugh Blaydes, Hull
Laid down27 May 1760
Launched6 May 1761
CompletedSeptember 1761
CommissionedApril 1761
FateDriven ashore 8 July 1778 to avoid capture
General characteristics
Class and typeMermaid-class frigate
Tons burthen613 85⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 124 ft 0 in (37.80 m) (gundeck)
  • 102 ft 8.25 in (31.2992 m) (keel)
Beam33 ft 6.375 in (10.22033 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement200 officers and men
Armament
  • 28 guns comprising
  • Upper deck: 24 × 9-pounder cannon
  • Quarterdeck 4 × 3-pounder cannon
  • 12 swivels.

HMS Mermaid was a Mermaid-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was first commissioned in April 1761 under Captain George Watson and built in Blaydes Yard in Kingston-Upon-Hull.[1]

Sometime in May, 1777 she captured "Elizabeth". On 5 June, 1777 she recaptured "2 Betsys" off Cape Negro, Nova Scotia.[2] On 30 July, 1777 she captured "Hero" off Cape Sable.[3] On 29 August, 1777 she recaptured "Fanny" off the Seal Islands. Sometime in September, 1777 recaptured "Sophia" off Barrington.[4] On 1 March, 1778 she captured schooner Rebecca off St. Georges Bank.[5] On 8 July 1778, the 50 gun Sagittaire and the 64-gun Fantasque forced HMS Mermaid to beach herself at Cape Henhlopen.[6]

  1. ^ "Hugh Blaydes (1686-?)".
  2. ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 European THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 American: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  6. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 154.