HMS Santa Dorothea ( 1798 ) HMS " Santa Dorothea " was a Royal Navy 34 - gun fifth rate . This frigate had previously served in the Spanish Navy under the name " Santa Dorotea " . Built in Spain in 1775 , she served during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars until being captured while sailing as part of a squadron off Cartagena . Taken into British service she spent the rest of the French Revolutionary and most of the Napoleonic Wars under the white ensign , until being broken up in 1814 . Spanish career and capture . " Santa Dorotea " was built in Ferrol in 1775 . In 1798 she was assigned to a small frigate squadron under Commodore Don Felix O ' Neil and departed Cartagena in company with the frigates " Pomona " , " Proserpine " and " Santa Cazilda " on 8 July . " Santa Dorotea " s captain for the expedition was Don Manuel Gerraro . Their attempts to raid shipping in the area were unsuccessful , and while returning to port at 09 : 00 on 15 July , they were spotted by the 64 - gun HMS " Lion " , under Captain Manley Dixon . Dixon approached the squadron , closing on the " Santa Dorotea " , which had begun to fall behind her consorts , having lost a topmast sometime earlier . Realizing that Manley was attempting to cut - off and engage " Santa Dorotea " , O ' Neil ordered the front three frigates to turn around and sail to her defence . They passed close to " Lion " commencing fire at 11 : 15 . " Lion " replied , and O ' Neil made two further attempts to distract " Lion " , while " Santa Dorotea " tried to damage her pursuer with her stern guns . The Spanish broadsides had no real effect , and Dixon was able to come alongside and exchange broadsides with " Santa Dorotea " . The larger and more powerful British ship was able to rapidly inflict severe damage to the " Santa Dorotea " , which was outgunned nearly two to one . Within minutes her mizzenmast had fallen and her mainmast and rudder were severely battered . O ' Neil gave up attempting to relieve the beleaguered " Santa Dorotea " and made for Cartagena at 13 : 10 . Isolated and unable to escape , Gerraro surrendered . " Santa Dorotea " had been badly damaged with at least 20 men killed and 32 wounded from a crew of 371 . " Lion " had lost just two men wounded in the exchange : a seaman lost a leg and a midshipman was shot in the shoulder . Although " Lion " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s rigging had been badly torn , there was no structural damage at all . Securing his prize , Dixon spent the next day conducting extensive repairs before sending " Santa Dorotea " to Earl St Vincent off Cadiz . In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp " LION 15 JULY 1798 " to the remaining British survivors of the action . British career . " Santa Dorothea " was registered on 25 December 1798 and commissioned for service that month in the Mediterranean under Captain Hugh Downman . On 28 November that year " Santa Dorothea " , operating in company with , and captured the 16 - gun " San Leon " on the Lisbon station . Captain William Brown was to have succeeded Downman in 1799 , but he was given another ship instead , and Downman retained " Santa Dorothea " . He cut out vessels from Bordiguera on 11 January 1800 and Hospitallier on 11 February 1800 , before taking command of a small squadron blockading Savona . The town surrendered after 41 days , on 15 May . Downman then destroyed all the fortifications on the Gulf of Spezia . He went on to land the Duke of Savoy at Naples and evacuated the gallery of Florence to Sicily , ahead of the invading French . In July 1800 he conveyed troops to Egypt and received the Order of the Crescent . Also during this time Downman captured three vessels sailing from Egypt carrying General Dessaix and some of Napoleon ' s staff . Because " Santa Dorothea " served in the navy ' s Egyptian campaign ( 8 March to 2 September 1801 ) , her officers and crew qualified for the clasp " Egypt " to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorised in 1850 to all surviving claimants . Fate . Captain Jahleel Brenton took command in 1802 , and took " Santa Dorothea " back to England , arriving at Portsmouth on 30 April . She was laid up there in ordinary , moving to Plymouth , still in ordinary , between 1807 and 1813 . She was broken up at Portsmouth in June 1814 .