HMS Espoir (1804)
| History | |
|---|---|
 UK
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| Name: | HMS Espoir |
| Ordered: | 7 November 1803 |
| Builder: | John King, Dover |
| Laid down: | February 1804 |
| Launched: | 22 September 1804 |
| Fate: | Broken up 1821 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruizer-class brig-sloop |
| Tonnage: | 385 (bm) |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 30 ft 7 in (9.3 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft 9 in (3.9 m) |
| Sail plan: | Brig rigged |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: | 16 x 32-pounder carronades + 2 x 6-pounder bow guns |
HMS Espoir was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1804. She served during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily in the Mediterranean, and then briefly on the North American station. She was broken up in April 1821.
Commander Joseph Edmonds commissioned Espoir in October 1804. On 22 June 1805 she recaptured the Hannah.
In the autumn of 1805 Espoir was part of Commodore Home Popham and General Sir David Baird's expedition to capture the Cape of Good Hope. The fleet sailed to Madeira and San Salvador. On 5 October Edmonds transferred to command Diomede and Home Popham transferred Lieutenant William King, first lieutenant on Diadem, to (acting) command of Espoir. The fleet reached Robben Island on 4 January 1806. On 5 January Home Popham used Espoir to conduct a reconnaissance of the coast to attempt to find an alternate landing place for the troops than Saldanha Bay. The reconnaissance was unfruitful and the next day Espoir supported the landing there. Commander Henry Hope replaced King later that month, with King assuming command of Diadem.
Because Espoir was part of the squadron, she shared in the proceeds of the vessels the expedition captured, which included the French frigate Volontaire. The Royal Navy took Volontaire into service under her existing name.
Espoir returned to Britain and on 12 April captured the Prussian brig Charlotte Sophia.
By June 1807 Espoir was in Britain, fitting out for the Mediterranean. She sailed for the Mediterranean on the 29th.
On 24 April 1808 Hope received a promotion to post captain. Two days later Admiral Lord Collingwood, Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Fleet, appointed Lieutenant Henry Higgs, Espoir's first lieutenant, as her captain (acting).
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