HMS Cambrian (1797)
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
---------------

[thumb\|upright\=1\.5\|Deck, quarter and [forecastle](/wiki/Forecastle "Forecastle") of *Cambrian*](/wiki/File:CAMBRIAN_1797_RMG_J5506.png "CAMBRIAN 1797 RMG J5506.png")
In March 1804, *Cambrian* was under the command of Captain [William Bradley](/wiki/William_Bradley_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "William Bradley (Royal Navy officer)") and on her way to Bermuda when she captured two French privateers. On 22 March she captured the schooner *Tison* after a chase of 25 hours. *Tison* had been armed with six 9 and 12\-pounder guns, which she threw overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 59 men under the command of Joseph Kastique, and had been out of Guadaloupe for 11 days buy had not captured anything. Four days later *Cambrian* captured the schooner *Alexander* (or *Alexandre*), which was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 68 men under the command of Charles La Marque. She had been cruising for 11 days but had not taken anything. Head money was paid in June 1827\.

In October 1804 *Cambrian* came under the command of Captain [John Beresford](/wiki/Sir_John_Beresford%2C_1st_Baronet "Sir John Beresford, 1st Baronet"). From June to November 1804, *Cambrian* and  had blockaded two French frigates in the port of New York. In November, the French vessels succeeded in escaping.*Naval Chronicle*, Vol. 13, p.64\. The two were the [*Président*](/wiki/French_frigate_Pr%C3%A9sident "French frigate Président") and the other was supposedly the *Revolutionnaire*.*Naval Chronicle*, Vol. 13, p.161\.

Then in May 1805, *Cambrian* transferred to the Halifax station, where she harassed French and Spanish shipping and captured several privateers and merchantmen. On 13 June her boats, under the command of Lieutenant George Pigot, boarded and captured the Spanish privateer schooner *Maria*, of 14 guns and 60 men. Somewhat uncharacteristically for privateers, the Spanish resisted, with the result that *Cambrian* sustained casualties of two dead and two wounded.

Next, *Cambrian* captured the French privateer schooner *Matilda* on 3 July, after a chase of 22 hours. *Matilda*, of 200 tons (BM), was armed with twenty 9\-pounder guns and had a crew of 95 men. She surrendered in shoal water and if not for the efforts of Lieutenant Pigot in one of *Cambrian*s boats, *Matilda*s entire crew might have been lost. *Matilda* had earlier captured the [letter of marque](/wiki/Letter_of_marque "Letter of marque") *Clyde*, which had been on her way to Liverpool. Prior to her capture by *Cambrian*, *Matilda* had evaded capture by [*Heron*](/wiki/HMS_Volcano_%281804%29 "HMS Volcano (1804)").

### Boat service

Then on 7 July Lieutenant Pigot again distinguished himself. He arrived off the harbour the day before and took the *Matilda* twelve miles up the [St Marys River](/wiki/St._Marys_River_%28Florida%E2%80%93Georgia%29 "St. Marys River (Florida–Georgia)") to attack three vessels reported to be there. All long the way militia and riflemen fired on *Matilda*. Eventually the British reached the vessels, which were lashed in a line cross the river. They consisted of a Spanish privateer schooner and her two prizes, the ship  and the British brig *Ceres*, which the Spanish privateer had captured some two months earlier. The Spaniards had armed *Golden Grove* with eight 6\-pounder guns and six [swivels](/wiki/Swivel_gun "Swivel gun"), and given a crew of 50 men. The brig too was armed with swivels and small arms. The Spanish schooner carried six guns and a crew of 70 men.

Pigot engaged the vessels for an hour, and after *Matilda* had grounded, took his crew in her boats and captured *Golden Grove*. The British then captured the other two vessels. Lastly, Pigot fired on a group of 100 militia and a field gun, dispersing them. The British had two men killed, and 14 wounded, including Pigot, who had received two bullet wounds to his head and one to a leg. Spanish casualties were reportedly 25 men killed (including five Americans) and 22 men wounded. A crowd of Americans on the Georgia side of the river watched the entire battle. Pigot was unable to extricate himself and his prizes from the river until 21 July, but during the entire period he remained in command except when he was getting his wounds dressed. For his efforts Pigot received a promotion to commander, and the [Lloyd's Patriotic Fund](/wiki/Lloyd%27s_Patriotic_Fund "Lloyd's Patriotic Fund") awarded him a medal and a plate worth [£](/wiki/%C2%A3sd "£sd")50\.Long (1895\), pp. 421\-2 \& 435\.

*Cambrian* arrived at Bermuda on 4 August, in company with *Golden Grove*, *Ceres*, and the privateer *Matilda*.

On 1 November, *Cambrian* captured *Adeline*.

### *Leander* affair

In 1806, *Cambrian* came under the command of Captain John Nairne (acting). While under his command she, along with *Leander* and the ship\-sloop , was engaged in searching American vessels coming from foreign ports, for enemy property and contraband.James (1837\), Vol. 4, p.236\. This gave rise to the so\-called [*Leander* affair](/wiki/HMS_Leander_%281780%29%23The_Leander_Affair "HMS Leander (1780)#The Leander Affair") with the result that on 14 June President [Thomas Jefferson](/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson "Thomas Jefferson") issued a proclamation ordering *Leander*, *Driver*, and *Cambrian* immediately to quit US waters and forbidding them ever to return. He extended the same prohibition to all vessels that their respective captains might command.*Draft of Proclamation concerning "Leander"* \- Thomas Jefferson, *The Works of Thomas Jefferson*, vol. 10 (Correspondence and Papers 1803\-1807\) \[1905], Ed. Paul Leicester Ford, Federal Edition (New York and London, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1904\-5\). On 26 April, the day after the affair, *Leander*, *Cambrian*, and *Driver* captured the American ship *Aurora*.

*Cambrian* continued to cruise, including sailing to [Charlestown](/wiki/Charlestown%2C_South_Carolina "Charlestown, South Carolina") to lift a blockade of the port by three French privateers.Ralfe (1828\), p.6\. Later, Nairne sailed *Cambrian* back to Britain in order to be a witness at the court martial of Captain Henry Whitby of *Leander* for the murder of John Pierce, the American supposedly killed by a shot from *Leander*, which was the substance of the affair. (Whitby was acquitted.) Between April and June 1807 *Cambrian* was at Portsmouth, refitting.

### Copenhagen

Captain the Honourable [Charles Paget](/wiki/Charles_Paget_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "Charles Paget (Royal Navy officer)") took command in May 1807\.
 *Cambrian* then participated in the [Expedition to Copenhagen](/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_%281807%29 "Battle of Copenhagen (1807)"). In October her captain was [James Deans](/wiki/James_Whitley_Deans_Dundas "James Whitley Deans Dundas") (acting), while Paget took up Admiral [Gambier's](/wiki/James_Gambier%2C_1st_Baron_Gambier "James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier") offer to let him return to Britain in  with the duplicate despatches announcing Denmark's capitulation.Paget \& Paget (1896\), Vol. 2, pp.352\-3\. Paget later resumed command. On 14 January 1808, *Cambrian* was under Paget's command when she captured the French ship *Aeleon*.

### Spain's Mediterranean coast

On 9 May Paget sailed *Cambrian* for the Mediterranean. The next month he transferred to . His successor was Captain Richard B. Vincent.

Captain [Francis William Fane](/wiki/Francis_Fane_%28Royal_Navy_officer%29 "Francis Fane (Royal Navy officer)") replaced Vincent in 1809\. On 5 September 1810 *Cambrian* sailed from [Tarragona](/wiki/Tarragona "Tarragona") with General Doyle and two [xebecs](/wiki/Xebec "Xebec") carrying Spanish soldiers and some cannons. Their objective was the fort on Meda Gran in the [Medes Islands](/wiki/Medes_Islands "Medes Islands"), in the [Bay of Rosas](/wiki/Roses%2C_Girona "Roses, Girona") near the mouth of the [River Ter](/wiki/River_Ter "River Ter"). The next day the Spanish frigate *Flora* joined them. When it turned out that an assault on the fort was impossible, on 10 September Doyle led a landing party of soldiers and marines from the frigates to attack a battery of four 24\-pounder guns (two mounted) at [Bega (or Bagur)](/wiki/Begur%2C_Spain "Begur, Spain"). The attack was successful with the attackers capturing 36 men while sustaining no casualties. Then on 14 September boats from *Cambrian* assisted the Spanish in their attack on [Palamós](/wiki/Palam%C3%B3s "Palamós"). The attack cost *Cambrian* three men wounded and the loss of a launch to fire from a French battery. On 17 September *Cambrian* left Palamós with the French cannon and prisoners that had been captured, together with Spanish [General O'Donnell](/wiki/Henry_O%27Donnell%2C_1st_Count_of_la_Bisbal "Henry O'Donnell, 1st Count of la Bisbal"), who had been shot in the leg during the battle. *Cambrian* returned him to Tarragona on 17 September. General O'Donnell had the Spanish government strike a medal for the British officers involved in the two actions (in gold), and the same medal in silver for the Royal Marines at Bagur and the sailors in the boats at Palamós.

On 13 December British 350 sailors and 250 marines from *Cambrian*, the [74\-gun](/wiki/Seventy-four_%28ship%29 "Seventy-four (ship)") [third rates](/wiki/Third_rate "Third rate") *Kent* and  again attacked Palamós. (The sloops  and  covered the landing.) The landing party destroyed six of eight merchant vessels with supplies for the French army at Barcelona, as well as their escorts, a national ketch of 14 guns and 60 men and two xebecs of three guns and thirty men each. The vessels were lying inside the mole under the protection of 250 French troops, a battery of two 24\-pounders, and a 13" mortar in a battery on a commanding height. Although the attack was successful, the withdrawal was not. The British lost 33 men killed, 89 wounded, and 86 taken prisoner, plus one seaman who took the opportunity to desert.James (1837\), Vol. 5, pp.259\-60\. *Cambrian* alone lost one man killed, seven wounded, and four men missing, among them Fane, who had been taken prisoner. Captain [Charles Bullen](/wiki/Charles_Bullen "Charles Bullen") of *Volontier* then took command of *Cambrian* on 1 January 1811\.Broadley \& Bartelot (1906\) p.255\-6\.

Bullen continued to support the Spanish in operations along the Catalan coast. On 14 April boats from *Cambrian* cut out a [settee](/wiki/Settee_%28sail%29 "Settee (sail)") carrying grain from Port Vendee to Barcelona that had sheltered under the protection of batteries on the [Medes Islands](/wiki/Medes_Islands "Medes Islands"). More importantly, on 12 and 14 April, *Cambrian* and *Volontaire* took possession of St. Philion and [Palamós](/wiki/Palam%C3%B3s "Palamós"). There they destroyed the batteries and took out their guns. This, together with the Spanish capture of Figueras, gave the Spanish control of almost all Catalonia, save Barcelona.

Returning to the [Bay of Rosas](/wiki/Gulf_of_Roses "Gulf of Roses"), Bullen captured 19 merchant vessels off [Cadaques](/wiki/Cadaques "Cadaques"). He sent six, which were loaded with wine and grain to Tarragona for the garrison there. In June, while serving in a battery ashore at [Selva](/wiki/Selva "Selva"), he was badly wounded.Heathcote (2005\) p.20\. Bullen quit *Cambrian* on 9 December and returned to England invalided.

*Cambrian* refitted at Gibraltar and then sailed to Malta. From there she convoyed a large number of French prisoners to Britain. On 20 November 1811 *Cambrian* arrived in [Portsmouth](/wiki/Portsmouth "Portsmouth"). She was then paid off at Plymouth in December. She underwent substantial repair at Plymouth between May 1813 and September 1814, but then was laid up.


What happened to Cambrian after she arrived in Portsmouth?