HMS Amphion (1798)

HMS "Amphion" was a 32-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the Napoleonic Wars.

"Amphion" was built by Betts, of Mistleythorn, and was launched on 19 March 1798.

"Amphion"'s first mission was to Jamaica in 1798, but by 1799 she was off Southern Spain under Captain Bennett. That year she captured a Spanish gunboat and remained in the Mediterranean until the Peace of Amiens. In 1802 "Amphion" was employed in attacking British smugglers in the English Channel and later conveyed the ambassador to Portugal to Lisbon.

In 1803 "Amphion" was paid off but later recommissioned and transported Horatio Nelson to the Mediterranean to take command. Remaining in the Mediterranean to join the fleet blockading Toulon, "Amphion" was one of the ships selected to hunt and capture the Spanish treasure fleet destroyed at the Action of 5 October 1804. In October 1805 the captaincy was given to William Hoste at Lisbon, and he sailed to Gibraltar and subsequently Algiers before operating off Cadiz and Sicily.

In May 1808, Hoste was ordered to attack the French frigate "Baleine" off Rosas. "Amphion" succeeded in destroying the vessel without severe loss and in November joined HMS "Unite" off Trieste in the Adriatic. There Hoste operated against French and Italian shipping for the next three years, sailing from Lissa and periodically refitting at Malta. In this time, Hoste managed to capture or destroy huge quantities of French supplies and provoked the attention of a French squadron under Bernard Dubourdieu. In March 1811, Dubourdieu attacked at the Battle of Lissa and was heavily defeated, "Amphion"'s fire killing Dubourdieu and wrecking his flagship. Two other ships were captured, but Hoste was wounded and the ship returned to Britain.

In 1813 "Amphion" was attached to the North Sea fleet and late in the year her crew landed on Schowen in the Netherlands and captured the island. In early 1814 "Amphion" continued to attack French shore positions along the North Sea coast but with the end of the war returned to Britain. In 1818 "Amphion" sailed to Brazil and in 1820 she was decommissioned and in November that year she was sunk as a breakwater at Woolwich. The wreck was subsequently sold in September 1823 to Joiliffe and Banks for breaking up.

References

*Colledge
* [http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=0156 Ships of the Old Navy]