HMS Cambrian (1797)
French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
-------------------------

She was first commissioned in April 1797 under Captain [Thomas Williams](/wiki/Thomas_Williams_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer)") on the [Irish station](/wiki/Western_Approaches "Western Approaches"). Then under Captain [Arthur Legge](/wiki/Arthur_Kaye_Legge "Arthur Kaye Legge") she served in the [Channel](/wiki/Channel_Fleet "Channel Fleet"), where she captured a number of French privateers.

On 11 January 1798, in company with  and *Childers*, she captured the French privateer schooner *Vengeur*. *Vengeur* was a new vessel of 12 guns and 72 men. She was eight days out of [Ostend](/wiki/Ostend "Ostend") but had taken no prizes. Pellew sent her into Falmouth.

Five days later, in the evening of 16 January, [Sir Edward Pellew's](/wiki/Edward_Pellew%2C_1st_Viscount_Exmouth "Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth") squadron captured the French privateer *Inconcevable*. She was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 55 men. She was 10 days out of Dunkirk and had taken nothing. Prize money was paid to *Indefatigable*, *Cambrian* and .

On 28 January, *Indefatigable* and *Cambrian* captured the privateer *Heureuse Nouvelle*. She was armed with 22 guns and had a crew of 130 men. She was 36 days out of Brest and during that time had capture only one ship, a large American vessel named *Providence*, which had a cargo of cotton and sugar. The [hired armed](/wiki/Hired_armed_vessels "Hired armed vessels") [cutter](/wiki/Cutter_%28vessel%29 "Cutter (vessel)")  also shared in the capture. Pellew sent *Cambrian* in pursuit of *Providence*, and that same day *Cambrian* and *Indefatigable* recaptured her.

On 27 March 1798, *Cambrian* captured *Cæsar*, a French privateer ship of 16 guns and 80 men. She was from [Saint\-Malo](/wiki/Saint-Malo "Saint-Malo") and 35 days out of [Brest](/wiki/Brest%2C_France "Brest, France"). Six days earlier, *Cambrian* and  had recaptured *William Pen* of Philadelphia. Then three days after capturing *Cæsar*, *Cambrian* captured *Pont de Lodi*, which was also French privateer ship, and which carried 16 guns and 102 men. *Pont de Lodi* was five days out of Bordeaux, on her maiden cruise, and had not yet captured anything.

Near the end of the year, on 8 December, *Cambrian* captured the French privateer brig *Cantabre*. *Cantabre*, which was armed with 14 guns and which carried a crew of 60 men, was, according to Legge, "quite new... on her first Cruize, and a very fine Vessel." Four days later, *Cambrian* recaptured *Dorothea*, a Danish brig sailing from Amsterdam to Tangiers with a cargo of bale goods. Three days earlier the French privateer brig *Rusée*, of [Bayonne](/wiki/Bayonne "Bayonne") had captured her in Lat. 42 Deg. 30 Min, North.

Around 20 January 1799, *Cambrian* encountered a tremendous gale in the Channel, with thunder and lightning. A fireball hit her forecastle, killing two men and wounding seventeen, of whom two were struck blind, and one of whom became "raving mad". All aboard expected immediate destruction.*Naval Chronicle*, Vol. 1, p.339\.

Some months later, on 9 March, , , , and *Cambrian* captured the French merchant ship *Victoire*.

On 9 October 1799, *Cambrian* was among the several vessels that shared in the capture of the Spanish brig *Nostra Senora de la Solidad*. Then on 23 October, *Cambrian* recaptured *Sarah*. *Cambrian* also shared in the capture of the Spanish brig *San Joachim* by *Triton*.

Ten days later, *Cambrian* was in company with  off the entrance to the [Garonne](/wiki/Garonne "Garonne") when they spotted two vessels, which they immediately chased. *Stag* captured one, the [letter of marque](/wiki/Letter_of_marque "Letter of marque") *Heureux Premier*, which was armed with 10 brass 6\-pounder guns, and which was sailing from Cayenne to Bordeaux with a cargo of red dye, cotton, cocoa, coffee, and sugar. *Cambrian* sailed after the second vessel, a privateer of 26 guns, but apparently did not succeed in capturing her. *Stag* did share the prize money for *Heureux Premier* with *Cambrian*.

At the end of the month, on 30 October, the American ship *Sally* came into Plymouth. *Cambrian* had recaptured her after *Sally* had been captured by the French privateer *Vengeance*, of 20 guns and 160 men.*Naval Chronicle*, Vol. 2, p.541\. *Cambrian* sailed in pursuit of *Vengeance*, but did not succeed in capturing her.

On 23 April 1800, *Cambrian* and  were in company when they captured the French schooner *Emelie*. Four days later the two vessels were still in company when *Fisgard* captured the French privateer *Dragon*. Then on 5 May *Cambrian* and *Fisgard* captured the French brig corvette *Dragon*, pierced for 14 guns but armed with 10, and with a crew of 72 men under the command of *Lieutenant de Vaisseau* Lachurie. She was two days out of Rochefort with dispatches for [Guadeloupe](/wiki/Guadeloupe "Guadeloupe").

Eleven months later, on 5 April 1801, *Cambrian* recaptured the letter of marque , which the French privateer [*Braave*](/wiki/HMS_Barbadoes_%281804%29 "HMS Barbadoes (1804)") had captured three days earlier. *Cambrian* shared the prize money with  and . The next day *Cambrian* captured the French privateer lugger *Audacieux*. *Audacieux* was armed with 14 guns and carried a crew of 50 men under the command of S.B. Ant. Candeau. *Audacieux* had left Bordeaux on 30 March and while at sea had captured one vessel, an American. *Cambrian* also shared the prize money for *Audacieux* with *Venerable* and *Superb*.

Lastly, on 28 July *Cambrian* captured the Danish ship *Kron Prinz*. In November 1804 there was a distribution of a £7000 advance on the prize money for her cargo. As captain, Legge would have been entitled to one\-quarter of the [prize money](/wiki/Prize_money%23Distribution "Prize money#Distribution"), an amount equal to some four years of salary. In May 1802 Captain [William Bradley](/wiki/William_Bradley_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "William Bradley (Royal Navy officer)") replaced Legge. That same month *Cambrian* came to serve as flagship to Admiral [Mark Milbanke](/wiki/Mark_Milbanke "Mark Milbanke") and later (July to March 1803\) Vice\-Admiral [Sir Andrew Mitchell](/wiki/Andrew_Mitchell_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "Andrew Mitchell (Royal Navy officer)") while on the [North America and West Indies Station](/wiki/North_America_and_West_Indies_Station "North America and West Indies Station").


Who replaced Captain Legge as captain of Cambrian?