HMS Beaulieu
HMS "Beaulieu" was a 40-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The ship was laid down in 1790 as a private enterprise by the shipwright Henry Adams and purchased by the Royal Navy in June of the same year. A well-armed and large ship, "Beaulieu" was built to the dimensions of a merchant ship and did not have good sailing qualities. Commissioned in January 1793 by Lord Northesk, the frigate was sent to serve on the Leeward Islands Station. She participated in the capture of Martinique in February 1794, and then was similarly present at  the capture of Saint Lucia in April. The frigate also took part in the start of the invasion of Guadeloupe. Later in the year the ship's crew was beset by yellow fever and much depleted. "Beaulieu" was sent to serve on the North America Station to recuperate, returning to the Leeward Islands in 1795. In the following two years the ship found success in prizetaking and briefly took part in more operations at Saint Lucia. She returned to Britain at the end of 1796. In 1797 "Beaulieu" joined the North Sea Fleet, in which she found herself part of  the Nore mutiny. Her crew mutinied twice, once in May and once in June, but both attempts were defeated. Four members of the crew were executed for their participation. "Beaulieu" then fought at the Battle of Camperdown in October as a repeating frigate, unsuccessfully chasing the escaping Dutch ship of the line "Brutus" after the battle. After brief service in the Mediterranean Sea "Beaulieu" began to serve in the English Channel in 1800. By July of the following year she was a part of a frigate squadron based off Brest, and the boats of that squadron completed a hard-fought  cutting out expedition against the French corvette "La Chevrette" in Camaret Bay. "Beaulieu" was put in ordinary for the duration of the Peace of Amiens, but was brought back into service in 1804. The frigate was sent to serve in the Leeward Islands again, re-capturing one British merchant ship before returning home in 1806. She was paid off in March or April of that year, and sent to Deptford Dockyard where she was broken up in 1809. Design and construction. "Beaulieu" was a 40-gun, 18-pounder, fifth-rate frigate. She was designed and built by the shipwright Henry  Adams at his shipyard, Buckler's Hard, during the peace between the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary War. There being a slump in ship construction between the wars, the ship was a private venture by Adams to ensure that his workmen were kept in employment. She was the only 18-pounder frigate procured by the Royal Navy during this period and would continue to be a rarity; in 1793 she was one of only eight serving British frigates to have thirty-eight or more guns. "Beaulieu" was laid down some time in the first half of 1790, and was  purchased by the Royal Navy on 16 June mid-way through construction, after an Admiralty Order was finalised on 2 June as part of the navy's reaction to the Spanish Armament that saw it begin to bolster the fleet. Adams had named the ship after the river on which she was being built, the Beaulieu River, and this name was kept on by the Royal Navy. She was launched on 4 May 1791 with the following dimensions: along the upper deck, at the keel, with a beam of and a depth in the hold of . Her draught was forward  and aft, with the ship measuring 1,019 tons burthen. "Beaulieu" was fitted out to go in ordinary at Portsmouth Dockyard because the navy was on peacetime mobilisation levels, and this work was completed on 31 May. She stayed in ordinary until the French Revolutionary War began, and was finally fitted for sea on 14 March 1793. Her construction and initial fittings costed a total of £17,788. While the ship was fitted out to Royal Navy standards after her purchase, the initial design had been down to Adams. As such, "Beaulieu" was not built in the slim fashion of other  frigates, and was instead closer in proportion to a merchant ship of the period. This meant that her hold space was much greater than the average frigate, allowing her to take on around double the amount of water and ballast. The unusual proportions of the frigate did negate her sailing qualities, however. While no official report on "Beaulieu"s sailing survives, naval historian Robert Gardiner suggests that it is "unlikely she was much of a sailer". The frigate was crewed by 280 men (from 1794 this was lowered to 274), and she held forty long guns. The ship was internally laid  out in the standard fashion for a 38-gun frigate, but with the addition of two extra gun ports. Twenty-eight 18-pounders were held on the upper deck, with eight 9-pounders on the quarterdeck and a further four on the forecastle. On 20 February 1793 an Admiralty Order had "Beaulieu" take on a number of carronades, with two 32-pounders on the upper deck and six 18-pounders on the quarterdeck. On 29 December six of the carronades were replaced with newer models, but they were all removed from the ship later on. "Beaulieu"s upper deck had fifteen  gun ports on each side, but only fourteen of these were ever put into regular use, with the final pair briefly holding the 1793 carronades but otherwise being left empty. Service. West Indies. "Beaulieu" was commissioned in January 1793 by Captain Lord Northesk, under whom she sailed to serve on the Leeward Islands Station on 22 April. At a time when the Royal Navy was bolstering its forces against France and was looking to keep its most powerful frigates close to home, Gardiner posits that the Royal Navy chose not to keep "Beaulieu" there, despite her being one of the  larger frigates, because she was "never highly regarded". By November Northesk had been replaced in command by Captain John Salisbury, and "Beaulieu" formed part of Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis's Leeward Islands fleet; she then captured the French merchant ship "America" on 31 December. "Beaulieu" sailed from Bridgetown on 2 February 1794 as part of an expedition containing 6,100 troops for the capture of Martinique. They arrived on 5 February and by 16 March all but two fortifications on the island had been successfully captured by the landing forces; seamen were used to move and operate gun batteries and  mortars in the fighting. "Beaulieu" continued on with the expedition, arriving off Saint Lucia on 1 April to similarly capture that place. Saint Lucia surrendered on 4 April, and Jervis moved on to invade Guadeloupe, a campaign that would end in December. In November Salisbury handed command of the ship over to Captain Edward Riou, who brought with him several new officers because "Beaulieu" had taken severe losses from yellow fever in the previous three months. "Beaulieu" was then sent to serve on the North America Station temporarily, so that her crew could recover from their illnesses and to bolster  the station amid fears that a heavy squadron of French frigates was sailing for Newfoundland. On 2 December the frigate captured a fast sailing French 10-gun privateer sloop, which was taken into Barbados. "Beaulieu" spent her time in North America patrolling off the coast of Virginia, before returning to the Leeward Islands. The ship then began a period of cruising throughout the West Indies, and she captured the French privateer schooner "Le Spartiate" on 14 April 1795. Also under Riou, at an unknown date, "Beaulieu" encountered a French 18-gun store ship grounded under the cover of a battery  near Saint-François. The frigate sailed up to the French vessel, and Lieutenant Bendall Robert Littlehales boarded her via "Beaulieu"s hawser. He attempted to dislodge the ship from her position, but she would not move, and so he took the crew as prisoners of war and set her on fire. For this Littlehales was promoted to serve in the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Majestic". Riou was invalided home and replaced by Captain Henry William Bayntun in September, and in turn Captain Francis Laforey took over from him in December of the same year. This quick turnover of  captains for "Beaulieu" continued into 1796, with Captain Lancelot Skynner assuming command in March when Laforey was translated into the 64-gun ship of the line HMS "Scipio". Under Skynner the frigate captured the French 26-gun flûte "Le Marsouin" on 11 March off Guadeloupe while in consort with the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Ganges"; she was bought in by the Royal Navy but never commissioned. With resistance and fighting on Saint Lucia having continued since the initial invasion, "Beaulieu" participated in further operations there. Towards the end of April the frigate was sent to support landings  at Anse La Raye, but these were called off because of bad sea conditions. On 3 May the ship supported an attack by three columns of soldiers against two French batteries, but the endeavour was unsuccessful, with "Beaulieu" having three men wounded and her foremast damaged. "Beaulieu" was then present at the capture of the Russian hoy "Leyden and Fourcoing" by the 18-gun brig-sloop HMS "Harpy" on 8 May, sharing in the capture with the 14-gun sloop HMS "Savage". On 8 August she arrived at the aftermath of an inconclusive duel between the 32-gun frigate HMS  Mermaid and the French 40-gun frigate "Vengeance" off Basseterre, with her presence forcing the French vessel to disengage and retreat to safety under the guns of a battery in Basseterre Roads. Towards the end of the year "Beaulieu" returned to Britain, carrying as passengers Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Christian, who had been replaced as commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, and Rear-Admiral Charles Pole. Nore Mutiny. "Beaulieu" received a refit at Plymouth Dockyard between December of the same year and February 1797, at the cost of £7,315. In July Captain Francis Fayerman assumed command of the  rejuvenated frigate, and "Beaulieu" joined Admiral Adam Duncan's North Sea Fleet. The fleet, based at the Nore, mutinied in April in the Nore mutiny. "Beaulieu" was not present with the fleet at the time, being instead in the Downs. Despite this her crew went into a state of mutiny on 20 May, with this being quelled on 16 June. Fayerman kept a number of men imprisoned after the mutiny, and in order to have these released, the crew mutinied again on 25 June under the control of their boatswain, Mr Redhead. Redhead announced that his aim was "to turn  every bastard of an officer on shore, and if any of the seamen were not true to the cause to hang them immediately". The officer of the watch called the alarm to "Beaulieu"s officers and marines, and they engaged the mutineers. In the ensuing fight thirteen men were wounded, of which one later died, and the mutineers were defeated. The loyal members of "Beaulieu"s crew were assisted in the fight by the 40-gun frigate HMS "Virginie", which saw the plight of "Beaulieu" and sailed up to her, providing thirty marines to assist and having her band play God Save  the King. In the aftermath thirteen seamen were identified as mutineers, and ten of these were brought to court martial. Four were executed, with another four imprisoned. Of the final two, one was flogged and the other given a lesser punishment. The rest of the crew were pardoned. Lieutenant John Burn of "Beaulieu" was awarded a silver-gilt presentation sword by the Committee of London Merchants for his heroic conduct during the mutiny. Camperdown. On 9 October news reached Duncan that the Dutch fleet was at sea, and his fleet sailed from Yarmouth Roads to meet them. "Beaulieu" was already  at sea, having been sent in advance with the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Russell" and 50-gun fourth rate HMS "Adamant" to patrol off the Texel. Duncan had them follow the Dutch, expecting that the fleet would attempt to sail towards the British coast. At 7 a.m. on 11 October the three ships signalled a sighting of the enemy fleet to Duncan. The Battle of Camperdown began at around 11:30 a.m., with "Beaulieu" one of only two British frigates present, alongside the 28-gun HMS "Circe". Tasked as a repeating frigate, she was assigned to Duncan's  larboard division of the fleet during the battle, with the Dutch commander surrendering his ship at 3 p.m. "Beaulieu" received no casualties while performing her duties. One of the Dutch ships taken in the battle was the 44-gun frigate "Monnikkendam". "Beaulieu" was sent to secure her, putting a prize crew on board for the journey back to Britain under the command of Lieutenant James Robert Philips. While making this journey the frigate was wrecked on sands off West Capel. Philips and his crew survived, but were all taken as prisoners of war. After the battle bad sea conditions meant  that many damaged warships were struggling to stay away from the shore, and "Beaulieu" was sent off by Duncan to search out and assist any distressed ships that she could find. The 40-gun frigate HMS "Endymion" had joined the fleet after the battle, and on 12 October discovered the Dutch 74-gun ship of the line "Brutus", which had escaped the battle, close to shore. "Endymion" was unable to attack her because of the Dutch ship's well-chosen position, and she looked for assistance. "Endymion" sailed back towards Duncan's fleet firing rockets to attract attention, and at  10:30 p.m. on 13 October these found "Beaulieu". Together the frigates returned to "Brutus", arriving at 5 a.m. on the following day. The two frigates chased the ship of the line, but she succeeded in reaching the safety of the port of Goree before they were able to engage her; "Brutus" was one of seven ships to escape Camperdown. "Beaulieu" was sent out again by Duncan to assist damaged ships on 15 October, in company with the 64-gun ship of the line HMS "Lancaster". Having completed these duties, she was subsequently sent to join a squadron commanded by Captain  Sir Richard Strachan in 1798. English Channel. On 1 June 1799 Fayerman sailed "Beaulieu" to the Mediterranean Sea; she recaptured the merchant brig "Harriet" on 3 December, and soon afterwards began serving with the 36-gun frigate HMS "Amethyst". Together they recaptured the merchant ships "Cato", on 6 December, "Dauphin", on 14 December, and "Cabrus" and "Nymphe", on 15 December. Continuing their spree of recaptures, the two frigates took the merchant brig "Jenny" on 18 December. Some time before 24 December "Beaulieu" also recaptured the American merchant ship "Nonpareil". In the following year she moved to serve in the Channel  Fleet, and on the morning of 27 August she was sailing in company with the 18-gun sloop HMS "Sylph" when they captured the French letter of marque sloop "Dragon", which had been attempting to reach Bordeaux with a cargo of sugar, coffee, and cotton. "Beaulieu" was then present at, but did not participate in, the capture of the French 16-gun privateer "Le Diable á Quatre" by the 32-gun frigate HMS "Thames" and 40-gun frigate HMS "Immortalite" off Cordouan Lighthouse on 26 October. Still serving there in 1801, on 1 January Fayerman was replaced by Captain Stephen  Poyntz. Section::::"La Chevrette" action. By July "Beaulieu" was serving on the blockade of Brest in a frigate squadron that also included the 36-gun HMS "Doris" and 40-gun HMS "Uranie". Sailing off Pointe Saint-Mathieu, the squadron discovered that the French 20-gun corvette "La Chevrette" was at anchor in the nearby Camaret Bay, under the cover of a shore battery. The British decided to make an attempt to capture the corvette, and Admiral William Cornwallis sent out Lieutenant Woodley Losack from his flagship to undertake the cutting out expedition. With volunteer boat crews from "Beaulieu" and "Doris" under  his command ("Uranie" having left the station), Losack set out on 20 July for "Chevrette". While rowing for the bay the group of boats was split up, and some returned to the frigates instead of continuing on. Not being aware of this, the remaining boats waited until the morning of 21 July for the others, at which point the daylight revealed them to "Chevrette", which began to prepare to defend herself. "Chevrette" sailed a mile closer to Brest, taking advantage of the protection of more gun batteries on shore, and brought on board a group of soldiers that increased her  complement to 339 men. The French also set up temporary fortifications along the coast, and set a small guard boat between the boats and "Chevrette" to warn the French of any advance by the British. Some time later in the day "Uranie" returned to the squadron and she added her manpower to the expedition, alongside that of two boats from the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Robust". This gave Losack a total force of 280 men in fifteen boats, with which he set out from "Beaulieu" for a second attempt at the bay at 9:30 p.m. Soon after  this Losack took six of the boats in chase of a French lookout boat that was sailing close to the shore. With the element of surprise provided by the night dwindling as time went on, the senior officer of the remaining boats, Lieutenant Keith Maxwell of "Beaulieu", continued the journey without Losack. This meant that the cutting out force now consisted of only 180 men. They arrived at "Chevrette" at 1 a.m. on 22 July, and the French ship began to fire at the boats with grape shot and muskets. The boats containing "Beaulieu"s crew rowed up to the starboard  side of the French vessel, with the remainders of the British force going to her port side. The French resisted the boarding in hand-to-hand fighting, by both attacking the British as they came aboard and by attempting in turn to board their boats. Despite this, members of the British force succeeded in both cutting her anchor cable and in setting her sails. Maxwell's force having been on board "Chevrette" for only three minutes, the ship began to drift out of the bay. A quartermaster from "Beaulieu" took control of the helm, and the remaining French defenders chose  to either jump overboard or run below into the ship. Those defenders hiding below deck began to fire up at the British with muskets, but they were forced to surrender upon the threat of them all being killed. "Chevrette" resisted the fire of the French batteries on the coast and successfully left the bay. Here Losack joined the ship and took command. In the battle the British had lost eleven men killed, with a further fifty-seven wounded and one drowned when one of "Beaulieu"s boats was sunk by "Chevrette". Ninety-two Frenchmen were killed with sixty-two wounded. "Chevrette  was taken to Plymouth, arriving on 26 July. Historian Noel Mostert describes the event, with its high casualties and zeal demonstrated by the British in pushing forwards with an attack that the French were fully prepared for, as an episode without parallel". Losack was promoted to commander for his part in the affair, but a controversy ensued when Maxwell was not also rewarded for his service despite having been the officer actually in command at the capture. The letter published in the "London Gazette" outlining the action named Losack as the commander, and Maxwell wrote to Cornwallis explaining the unfairness  of the situation. The admiral held a court of enquiry on board the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Mars" to investigate Losack's conduct on 9 August. Both lieutenants were found to have behaved correctly, and Maxwell too was promoted. Later service. "Beaulieu" continued to serve in the Channel until the end of the French Revolutionary War. With the Peace of Amiens coming into effect, she was put back in ordinary at Portsmouth in April 1802, with Poyntz leaving her in May. The Peace having expired, she was fitted for service again between January and May 1804, being  recommissioned by Captain Charles Ekins on 16 April. "Beaulieu" sailed to again serve in the Leeward Islands in June, and in January 1805 she recaptured the merchant brig "Peggy". Captain Kenneth Mackenzie replaced Ekins a month later when the latter was appointed to the 74-gun ship of the line HMS "Defence". Still serving in the Leeward Islands by October, the frigate returned to Britain some time after this and was paid off in March or April 1806. She was sent to Deptford Dockyard to be broken up on 3 June; this was completed some time during 1809. HMS Beaulieu