HMS Lively (1804)

HMS "Lively" was a 38-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 July 1804 at Woolwich Dockyard, and commissioned later that month. She was the prototype of the eponymous "Lively" class of 18-pounder frigates, designed by the Surveyor of the Navy, Sir William Rule. Probably the most successful British frigate design of the Napoleonic Wars, to which fifteen more sisterships would be ordered between 1803 and 1812.

In October of that year, under the command of Captain (later Vice-Admiral Sir) Graham Eden Hammond, she joined a squadron commanded by Graham Moore consisting of four frigates, which intercepted and captured a treasure fleet of four frigates carrying bullion from South America back to Spain, which was, at that time, neutral. In the action that followed one of the Spanish frigates, "Clara" struck her colours to "Lively".

These events would later be fictionalised in Patrick O'Brian's novel "Post Captain", in which Captain Aubrey is in temporary command of "Lively".O'Brian, "Post Captain".]

In March 1805, she was attached to Sir James Craig's military expedition to Italy. Along with HMS|Dragon|1798|6, Craig's flagship, and HMS "Ambuscade", "Lively" escorted the fleet of transports to Malta.von Pivka, "Navies".]

On 26 August 1810, while escorting another convoy to Malta, HMS "Lively" ran aground on rocks near Point Coura, Malta, and was wrecked; no lives were lost.Ships of the Old Navy, "Lively".]

Citations and notes

References

*
*Winfield, Rif (2007). "British Warships in the Age of Sail: 1793 to 1817." Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-717-4.
*Michael Phillips. [http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=1346 "Lively" (38) (1804)] . Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
*O'Brian, Patrick (2002) "Post Captain". HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-649916-3.

External links

* [http://members.aol.com/batrnq/ The Ships of Jack Aubrey]