HMS Magnanime

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Magnanime, 1780
Type: floating battery or blockship (1803) ; 5th Rate, late 3rd rate ; Armament 64 �
Built at Deptford in 1780, and reduced from a 64 Gun Ship in September 1794.
Notes:

� 1794-95 Anson, Indefatigable, and Magnanime, cut down from 64s, retaining their 26 long 24s on their main deck, and fitted with 12 long 12-pounders and six 42-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck and forecastle ; with a complement at first of 310, but afterwards of 330 men..

22 Jun 1797 captured the French privateer Triton seventy leagues west of Cape Clear.
The following appeared in the London Gazette :
Extract of a Letter from Vice-Admiral Kingsmill, Commander in Chief of HM Ships at Cork, to Evan Nepean, Esq., dated July 20, 1797.
Please to inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that His Majesty's Ship Magnanime arrived here last Night, and has brought in a fast-sailing coppered Ship Privateer the Triton, of which a further Account is given in the enclosed Letter to me from the Hon. Captain De Courcy.
Magnanime, at Sea, July 17, 1797.
Sir, Cruising Seventy Leagues Westward of Cape Clear, in compliance with your Instructions of the 22d Ult. HM Ship the Magnanime, under my Command, amidst thick and stormy Weather, fell in with and captured Le Triton, a French Privateer, Nineteen Days from Nantz, pierced for 18 Guns. though only mounting 8 Twelve-Pounders, and manned with 180 Men. Upon her Cruize she appears to have taken One American Schooner. I have the Honor to be, &c. (Signed) M. De Courcy.
Vice-Admiral Kingsmill.

15 Aug 1797 captured the French privateer Tiercelet on the Irish station.

16 Mar 1798 captured the French privateer Eugenie.

2 Apr 1798 captured the French privateer Audacieux.

16 Aug 1798 captured the French privateer Colombe on the West Indies station.

22 Aug 1798 Naiad, joined by the Magnanime, chased and captured the French 36-gun frigate, D�cade, which was added to the navy as a 12-pounder, 36-gun frigate.

23 Sep 1798 departed from Cawsand bay with a squadron to search for French squadron reported to be heading for Ireland, making contact with the observing frigates on 11 Oct.

11-12 Oct 1798 signal for a general chase made by the Commodore. Commodore Warren's action with French squadron, and capture of the Hoche, 74, and frigates: Embuscade, Coquille, Bellone. And taking of the R�solue by the Melampus. See also p. 71-> www.naval-review.org/issues/1928-1.pdf.

1 Jan 1799 Capt. Hon. M. de Courcy. Refitting at Plymouth.

5 Mar 1799 Plymouth, went into the Sound from Cawsand Bay.

12 Mar 1799 in the Sound.

19 Apr 1799 Plymouth, arrived from a cruise.

7 May 1799 in Plymouth Sound,

19 Jun 1799 in Plymouth Sound.

21 Jun 1799 departed Plymouth Sound the Saturn, Amelia, Magnanime, and the sloops of war Telegraph and Spy with a lugger and a cutter, on a cruise off Brest.

30 Jul 1799 arrived Plymouth Sound, from Ireland.

27 Aug 1799 in Plymouth Sound.

9 Nov 1799 arrived Spithead from a cruise, via the Needles, but struck the ground, although she soon got off without receiving material damage.

13 Feb 1800 departed Spithead with the Melpomene, and Snake, with the East India and African trade.

4 Apr 1800 with the Ruby and Magnanime. The 3 French frigates reported to be at anchor under the forts of Goree, had left the island, so summoned the island to surrender to me, which was accepted and landed the marines of the squadron and took possession of the garrison. Mr. Davis, of the Magnanime, being the only person wounded before our flag of truce was observed from the forts.

13 Apr 1800 sent Mr. Palmer with two boats and thirty men to Jool (a factory dependant on Goree); he returned on the 22d, having executed his orders, and bringing with him a French brigantine and sloop loaded with rice.

3 Jul 1800 arrived Spithead the Melpomene, from the coast of Guinea, with the account of his having taken Goree, in company with the Magnanime and Ruby.

5 Jan 1802 arrived Plymouth Sound the Magnanime, 44, Captain Taylor, from the Leeward Islands, after a passage of forty-one days, with only a few of her convoy, which was dispersed by bad weather during the passage. The Magnanime was so badly manned, having only eighty-four men fit for duty, she could not come to in the Sound, but rowed up the harbour. The Magnanime received considerable damage due to the gales they encountered during the passage and had several feet of water in the hold on arrival at Plymouth, with the pumps choked and the crew having to bale the ship out with buckets, and were obliged to run into harbour on arrival. The sick men, 84 in number, were landed this afternoon at the Royal Naval Hospital, and conveyed to different wards ; they are mostly scorbutic (scurvy) complaints and dysentery ; there are only two fever cases. When she left the Islands, Guadaloupe was completely in possession of the Blacks and Mulattoes, who had driven all the whites away in circumstances of great distress.

18 Jan 1802 it is reported in some papers that because the Magnanime was so leaky a number of her convoy, including the Charming Eliza, Lendrich ; and the Castle, Anderson ; from Martinique to London, and the Patience, Dickinson, from St Vincent's to Dublin, parted the convoy soon after leaving the Islands and went back under the protection of HM ships Aimable, Hawke and Drake, who presumably remained in the West Indies.

8 Feb 1802 is reported to be stripping at Hamoaze.

10 Feb 1802 to be paid off this week and her crew discharged to shore.

13 Feb 1802 was paid off in Hamoaze.

Circa 17 Sep 1803 Capt J. Broughton, to the Magnanime.

30 Oct 1803 has been fitting in Hamoaze, at Devonport, for a floating battery, and is reported ready for sea and will drop down this week into the Sound.

6 Nov 1803 has warped down to the Lower Moorings, and on the next tide into the Sound, and departed last night for Kings Road, Bristol, where she is to be moored as a floating battery or blockship.

14 Nov 1803 has arrived at Bristol and has been moored off the Holmes, as a protection for the port.

28 Jun 1804 arrived Spithead, the Magnanime, Capt Broughton, from King's Road, Bristol, where she'd been lying as guard ship.

6 Jul 1804 the Argo departed Spithead in company with the Magnanime, with a convoy for the Downs.

Circa 28 Jul 1804 the Pluto, Capt Janverin, brings an account of a more serious attack being made by Capt Oliver, of the Melpomene, and the Havre squadron, on the gun boats of that port, than any yet effected. The Squadron has been strengthened by the Trusty, Magnanime, Locust, Gun vessels, and Explosion, Zebra and Hecla, bombs.

31 Jul 1804 in company with the Melpomene, Trusty, Ariadne, Pluto, Meteor, Favorite, Merlin, Hecla, and Zebra, Locust Brig, and Nancy and King George Cutters captured the Postilion.

1805 Sheerness ; Receiving Ship