HMS Manly (1797)
HMS "Manly (or Manley"), was originally the merchant ship "Experiment", launched in 1792 at Leith. The British Royal Navy purchased her in 1797, used her as a gun-brig escorting convoys, and then sold her in 1802. New owners sailed her between London and Monserrat; she was last listed in 1816. Section::::"Experiment". "Experiment" entered "Lloyd's Register" in 1792 with J. Scougal, owner, G. Norris, master, and trade Leith–Saint Petersburg. In 1797 "Lloyd's Register" still carried "Experiment" with J. Scougal, owner, and trade Leith–Saint Petersburg. Her master was W. Young. HMS Manly. After the  onset of war with France Britain's merchant fleet provided French, and later Dutch and Danish privateers with a target-rich environment. The British Royal Navy needed escort vessels and a quick fix was to buy existing merchant vessels, arm and man them, and then deploy them. Between March and April the Admiralty purchased 10 brigs at Leith, "Experiment" among them. The Royal Navy initially designated these as " GB №__", but then gave them names before they actually sailed. The Royal Navy acquired "Experiment" in April 1797 at Leith and commissioned her as "GB No.37" in May 1797 under the  command of Lieutenant William Malone for the North Sea. She underwent fitting at Leith between May and August, and received her name on 7 August. She spent her brief naval career escorting convoys. After the Treaty of Amiens ended the war with France, the Admiralty in April 1802 gathered more than 20 of its gun-brigs and other small escort vessels at Sheerness and the Nore, and paid them off. It later sold them. The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" offered "Manly", of 157 tons, lying at Sheerness, for sale on 12 December 1802. She was  sold that month. Section::::"Experiment". New owners returned "Experiment" to her original name. The "Register of Shipping" carried stale data for a number of years, but then updated it. "Experiment" became a West Indiaman, trading with Montserrat. She last appeared in the "Register" in 1816. Citations and references. Citations References