HMS Netley (1798)
| History | |
|---|---|
 UK
|
|
| Name: | HMS Netley |
| Namesake: | Village of Netley |
| Builder: | Hobbs & Hellyer, Redbridge |
| Acquired: | April 1798 by purchase on launch |
| Fate: | Captured |
 France
|
|
| Name: | Duquesne |
| Namesake: | Abraham Duquesne |
| Acquired: | by capture |
| Captured: | September 1807 |
|
UK
|
|
| Name: | HMS Unique |
| Acquired: | September 1807 by capture |
| Fate: | Expended 1809 in a fire ship attack |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 224 64⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: |
73 ft 6 in (22.40 m) (overall); 54 ft 10 1⁄2 in (16.726 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: |
|
| Armament: |
|
73 ft 6 in (22.40 m) (overall);
HMS Netley was launched in 1798 to an experimental design. During the French Revolutionary Wars she spent some years on the Oporto station, where she captured many small privateers. The French captured her in 1806, early in the Napoleonic Wars. They lengthened her and she became the 17-gun privateer Duquesne. In 1807 the British recaptured her and the Royal Navy returned her to service as the 12-gun gun-brig HMS Unique. She was expended in an unsuccessful fire ship attack at Guadeloupe in 1809.
Netley was built to a design by Sir Samuel Bentham. She was a modified and somewhat enlarged version of Milbrook, which was a somewhat smaller version of his Dart-class vessels. Bentham's designs featured little sheer, negative tumblehome, a large-breadth to length ratio with structural bulkheads, and sliding keels. They were also virtually double-ended.
Netley was commissioned in 1798 under the command of Lieutenant Francis Godolphin Bond. Her first recorded prize occurred on 25 September 1798 when she took the French sloop Clementine.
On 1 May 1799, Netley captured Egyptienne, a French privateer schooner. She was pierced for 14 guns but only carried eight, four of which she had thrown overboard while trying to evade capture. She had only 35 men on board, having recently taken four neutral vessels as prizes. Netley had herself recaptured one of these, a galiot carrying a cargo of wine from Oporto. Netley also recaptured an English brig that had been carrying a cargo of provisions from Cork to Oporto when a French privateer lugger had taken her off Viana the day before.
Next, on 14 June during a cruise out of Oporto, Netley recaptured a brig that had been sailing from Lisbon to Oporto when taken. The next day, Netley took possession of a schooner carrying corn. The day after that, Netley took possession of a second schooner carrying corn. All three vessels were part of a Portuguese convoy from Lisbon that had fallen prey to a French privateer. Lastly, Netley burnt a coaster at Vigo and ran a brig ashore a little north of that.
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Wikipedia