HMS Armada (1810)
HMS "Armada" was a Royal Navy 74-gun third-rate ship of the line, launched in 1810. She was the first ship to carry the name. After a relatively undistinguished career, "Armada" was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth. Service. Mrs Pridham, the wife of the Mayor of Plymouth, Mr Joseph Pridham, launched her on 23 March 1810. Captain Adam Mackenzie commissioned her for the Texel. On 9 November 1810, "Armada" was among the vessels in sight when the 36-gun fifth rate captured the  French privateer "Venus". Then on 22 November, "Armada" was in the company of the 74-gun when "Northumberland" captured the 14-gun French privateer ketch "Glaneuse" of Saint Maloes, which was under the command of a Dane, Mr. Anthe Haste. "Glaneuse" was only six months old and was six weeks into her first cruise, having made no captures. On 1 February 1811 "Armada" was one of a number of vessels that were in company when captured the American schooner "Beauty". In January 1812 Captain R.F. Devonshire briefly took command. That same month Captain Charles Grant replaced him. On 23 July  1813, the seas pushed "Armada" into range of French batteries at Borgidhero. The batteries opened fire but the shots went over "Armada". "Armada" landed her marines who captured the eastern battery and then entered the battery on the point of Borgidhero after the French had tried to blow it up. The marines spiked the guns. The landing party took fire from the nearby town so the frigates accompanying "Armada" fired on the town while the landing party burnt some vessels on the shore. "Armada" suffered two men wounded in the engagement. On 4 November 1813 "Armada" arrived off Cap Sicié  and the next day was involved in a skirmish with a French squadron off Toulon. Admiral Sir Edward Pellew's inshore squadron consisted of the 74-gun third rates , , , and "Armada", Captains Henry Heathcote, Thomas James Maling, James Brisbane, and Charles Grant. The 74-gun third-rate , Captain Sir James Athol Wood, joined them. These vessels opened fire on the French fleet consisting of 14 sail of the line and seven frigates, which had sortied from Toulon on a training exercise. Pellew and the main body of his force soon arrived to join the fray. Neither side accomplished much as  the French rapidly returned to port. "Armada" had no casualties though one shot did hit her, and in all the British suffered 12 men wounded by enemy fire and one man killed and two wounded in an accident. Pellew mentioned in his letter that the only reason he had reported the incident was to provide an accurate account to counteract French propaganda. The French suffered 17 wounded. On 9 December "Armada" was with a squadron under Captain Josiah Rowley of and assisted in supporting the landing of troops at Via Reggio. "Armada" had met up with the squadron, which had  sailed up from Palermo, off Corsica a few days earlier. The troops, 1000 men of the Italian Levy under the command of Lieut-Colonel Catanelli, marched inland and captured Lucca. They then returned to Via Reggio. There was further fighting around Pisa and Via Reggio before the expedition re-embarked aboard the British warships. In November and December and made a number of captures. "Armada" shared in the prize money by agreement with "Berwick". "Armada" benefited from the capture of the "St Anne" and two French ships taken on 13 and 16 November, the schooner "Air" taken on 11 December , and the "Antoine Camille" and "Resurrection" taken on 17 December. On 12 February 1814 "Armada" was a part of the fleet off Toulon that chased a French squadron into that port. "Armada" herself did not take part in any action. On 23 April, "Armada" and "Curacoa", together with 12 Sicilian gunboats, arrived at Savona to support a British and Sicilian force besieging the fortress there. When the French commander declined to surrender, the British warships, the gunboats and a battery commenced a cannonade. After an hour the French capitulated. Under the terms of surrender they were permitted to march out  and return to Italy. The British and Sicilian force captured 110 cannon. On 1 September "Armada" was escorting ten merchant vessels to Gibraltar. Some 200 miles west of Ushant, the convoy encountered the sloop USS "Wasp", which was operating out of Lorient. "Wasp" made for the convoy and singled out the brig "Mary", laden with iron and brass cannon and other military stores, which she quickly captured, carrying off "Mary"s crew as prisoners before burning her. "Wasp" then attempted to take another ship in the convoy, but "Armada" was able to chase her off. Fate. By 1815 "Armada" was out  of commission at Plymouth, and remained so for the rest of her life. The Admiralty used her as a powder hulk at Keyham Point from April 1844. An Admiralty order in 1862 mandated that her sister ship would replace her. "Armada" was sold out of the Navy in 1863 and broken up at Marshall's ship breaking yard in Plymouth.