SUPERB 74. (1798 Northfleet. Broken up 1826) 

 

Type: 3rd rate ; Armament 74 

Launched River Thames: 1798 ; 

Disposal date or year : 17 April, 1826 Broken Up
 

1798

Captain. John SUTTON, Admiral With the Channel fleet.

 

1799

 

17 Jan 1799

dropped down to St. Helen's in preparation for a cruise off Brest ;

 

20 Jan 1799

remains at St. Helen's.

28 Jan 1799,

Portsmouth, sailed with the squadron under Queen Charlotte, for a cruise off Brest.

27 Feb 1799,

Plymouth, sailed for Torbay with the Formidable, Canada, Dragon, and Lancaster.

 

25 Apr 1799 

cruising off Brest.

Plymouth

8 Jun 1799,

reports received here advise that 16 ships of the line and 4 frigates were detached by Lord Bridport for the Straits.

7 Jul 1799 

joined the Mediterranean fleet off Minorca. 

Portsmouth
27 Nov 1799,

arrived the Prince, Superb, Pompee and Agamemnon, from the Channel Fleet.

Portsmouth
1 Dec 1799,

arrived from Lord Bridport’s fleet.
 

1800

 

24 Apr 1800,

Torbay, sailed with the Channel Fleet, under the command of Sir Alan Gardner.
 

5 July

She returned to Plymouth to refit and reported that the troops General Maitland had landed on the French islands of Howat and Hedie had been re-embarked when he discovered that the garrison on Belle isle numbered 10,000 men.

12 Oct 1800,

Plymouth, arrived from the secret expedition (The troops went to Minorca).

Circa 1 Nov 1800,

Lieutenant Folvil, of the Superb, is promoted to the rank of Commander, and appointed to the Sally armed ship.

refitted in Portsmouth at the end of November
 

1801

 

25 January

She sailed from Portsmouth to join the Channel fleet

 

12 March.

Returned to Plymouth

 

Captain Richard Goodwin KEATS.

31 March 

SUPERB, VENERABLE and CAMBRIAN sailed with the East Indiamen which had arrived off Portsmouth in a large convoy from the Downs. The first two seeing them as far as Madeira, the CAMBRIAN going on to the Cape.

 

17 April

On the three frigates, lying in wait for a Spanish 74, armed "en route", with money, captured the Spanish ship CARMEN and a brig deeply laden with hides and tallow from the Rio de Plata. The prizes arrived in Plymouth on 23 May.

 

SUPERB and VENERABLE returned to Portsmouth on 27 April.

 

After taking a convoy at Cape Verde, SUPERB returned to Sir James SAUMAREZ's squadron off Cadiz.

 

13 Jun 1801 

chased the two French 40-gun frigates Libre and Indienne in to the road of Cadiz. 

1 Jul 1801 

detached to watch the entrance of the river Guadalquivir, but on the 5th 1801 recalled to join the squadron, but was becalmed and unable to rejoin in time for the action in Algeciras roads. 
 

 

She was blockading the river Gualdalquivir when Lieutenant. Richard JANVRIN from Gibraltar arrived on board CAESAR on 5 July 1801 with the news that a French squadron from Toulon was at Algeciras. Sir James sent PASLEY to recall Captain KEATS and on the 7th VENERABLE, POMPEE, AUDACIOUS, CAESAR, SPENCER and HANNIBAL stood into Algeciras Roads while SUPERB, THAMES and PASLEY continued to watch Cadiz.

 

In the resultant action between the English ships and the French squadron and shore batteries, HANNIBAL was taken by the enemy and the other ships were badly damaged but the French losses were also high and Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois asked the Spanish at Cadiz for help.

 

8 Jul 1801

A Spanish squadron of five line-of-battle ships and a frigate came out at daylight from Cadiz on the 9th and, preceded by the three British vessels, set sail for the Straits of Gibraltar to warn the Admiral.

 

 

Sir James was warned of their arrival by PASLEY and great efforts were made to refit the British ships while SUPERB and THAMES anchored in the Bay.

 

On the morning of the 12th the enemy got under way and, by noon, two of the Spanish three-deckers were off Cabritta Point. CAESAR was still receiving powder and shot but by 7 o'clock the whole British line was in pursuit.

 

At 9.30 the Admiral hailed Captain KEATS and directed him to make sail ahead to try and bring the enemy's rearmost ships to action. In less than two hours SUPERB, now out of sight of the rest of the British squadron, opened heavy fire on the quarter of the 112-gun REAL CARLOS.

 

Some of SUPERB's shot hit the SAN HERMENEGILDO giving the Spaniard the impression that her consort was the enemy. She too opened fire on REAL CARLOS until that ship was on fire. The two Spanish ships then collided and the fire spread to the SAN HERMENEGILDO.

 

Because of the weather SUPERB was unable to send any assistance as the two 1st Rates were destroyed. SUPERB was then in action with the SAN ANTONIO,74, and when the enemy struck, her first lieutenant, Mr Samuel JACKSON, took possession of the prize with one boat's crew, one Marine officer and four marines. his boat was stove in and sunk as he boarded.

 

There were 30O French seamen and soldiers on board and 50O Spaniards. As the prize approached Cape Trafalgar some of the prisoners considered retaking her but the French officers, considering that they had been fairly captured in battle, informed Lieutenant JACKSON and he disarmed the prisoners.

 

When the French and Spaniards started to quarrel the lieutenant put the Spaniards below and gave the French the task of guarding them.

 

The next day SUPERB towed the SAN ANTONIO towards Gibraltar and she was later taken into the Royal Navy but, being an old vessel, she never left Portsmouth after her arrival. Lieutenant JACKSON was promoted to commander but Captain KEATS received no particular praise for his conduct.

 

1802

In October 1802, while SUPERB, DRAGON, TRIUMPH and GIBRALTAR were on passage from Gibraltar to Malta, mutineers took possession of the latter ship and ran her under the stern of the others, cheering them, in the hope that their crews would join.

 

When they were disappointed in this the mutiny was easily suppressed and three of the ringleaders were taken and hanged in Gibraltar after a courts martial.

 

1803

8 Jul 1803 

with the blockading fleet off Toulon.

 

24 Oct 1803, 

sailed for the Magdalena islands for water etc., returned Toulon 23 Nov.

November, 1803, 

Of the weak and ill-provided state of several of his ships, Lord Nelson, in his letters to the admiralty, complained very bitterly, and, as it appears, not without reason. " The Superb, " says his lordship . . . . .

" is in a very weak state, but Keats is so superior to any difficulties, that I hear but little from her. The Kent is gone to Malta, fit only for a summer passage. Every bit of twice-laid stuff belonging to the Canopus is condemned, and all the running rigging in the fleet, except the Victory's. We have fitted the Excellent with new main and mizen rigging: it was shameful for the dock-yard (Portsmouth) to send a ship to sea with such rigging. "

The severity of the weather, coupled with the inefficient state of his squadron, compelled the British admiral, about the 12th of December, to enter the bay of Palma ; where the ships remained until the want of water sent them, on the 21st, a second time to Agincourt sound. In this commodious harbour, Lord Nelson and his squadron lay at anchor at the close of the year ; the port of Toulon, and the force within it, being carefully watched by Captain Ross Donnelly, of the Narcissus, with another frigate or two in company.

12 Dec 1803, 

whilst the Narcissus watched Toulon the Fleet sailed for the bay of Palma and thence to the Magdalena islands for water etc.

1804

4 Jan 1804 

sailed from Sardinia with the Fleet ; on the 9th detached to Algiers, where on the 18th he re-joined the Fleet and returned, with the Fleet, arriving back at Sardinia on 27th. 1 Feb cruised on the French coast, anchoring off Cabrera on the 8th ; cruised again from the 19 Feb to 25 Mar. 

3 Apr 1804 

cruised off the French coast apart from returning briefly to the Magdalena islands to water from 11 to 19 May. 

19 Jul 1804 

following the receipt of supplies from England the fleet sailed for the gulf of Palma to store ship ; returned 26 Aug. 

25 Dec 1804 

detached from the British fleet off Toulon.