HMS Hinchinbrook (1778)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain
|
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| Name: | Hinchinbrook |
| Launched: | 1778 |
| Acquired: |
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| Commissioned: | December 1778 |
| Fate: | Wrecked 19 January 1782 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 28-gun sixth rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 557 (bm) |
| Length: | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 200 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Hinchinbrook was the French privateer Astrée, which the British captured in 1778 and took into the Royal Navy as a 28-gun sixth-rate frigate. She was Captain Horatio Nelson's second navy command, after the brig HMS Badger, and his first as post-captain. She was wrecked, with no loss of life, in January 1783.
Hinchinbrook started life as the French merchant vessel Astrée, built in 1778 at Nantes, and her owners were Guilliaume and Son, of that city. She was carrying a cargo of bricks and bale goods from Nantes when a British squadron under Captain Joseph Deane in HMS Ruby captured her off Cape François, on 13 October 1778. She was described as being a ship of 650 tons, armed with 14 guns, and under the command of Louis David, master. A prize crew then took her into port, where the Royal Navy purchased her for the sum of £5,650 on 1 December 1778, renaming her as a courtesy to Viscount Hinchinbroke, eldest son of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty in Lord North's administration.
Admiral Sir Peter Parker had intended to have Hinchinbrook upgraded to a 32-gun fifth rate, but this never came about. Instead, she became a 28-gun sixth rate, with a crew of 200 men. She was commissioned that December at Jamaica under Commander Christopher Parker. In May 1779, Captain Charles Nugent replaced Parker, who had been promoted to post captain in March. In September, Captain Horatio Nelson took command of Hinchinbrook and escorted a convoy to Greytown, Nicaragua.
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