HMS Blanche

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Blanche, 1800
Type: Frigate ; Armament 36
Launched : 1800 ; Disposal date or year : 19 Jul 1805
Disposal Details : Captured by a French frigate Topaze, two corvettes, and a brig, West Indies. Capt Zachary Mudge
BM: 951 tons
Complement: 261
Notes:

End of Feb 1801 departed for Copenhagen with a diplomat onboard.

23 Mar 1801 returned to the fleet, having on board, with Mr. Vansittart, Mr. Drummond, the British charge d'affaires at Copenhagen.

30 Mar the vessels initially detailed to take part in the forthcoming Battle of Copenhagen. 1 Apr the vessels detailed sail for Copenhagen ; the British ships held in reserve ; the Danish positions : 2 Apr the battle commences : the truce : the casualties : the wash-up :

12 Apr 1801 the fleet departed from Copenhagen into the Baltic.

Circa 5 May 1801 Admiral Sir Hyde Parker departed for England in the Blanche.

14 May 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth from the Baltic with Adm. Sir Hyde Parker on board, who is expected to depart for town (London) this evening.

23 May 1801 arrived Plymouth Sound from N. Yarmouth, and went up the harbour to refit.

26 May 1801 in Hamoaze, with several small vessels to refit.

6 Jun 1801 departed Plymouth Sound on a cruise to the Westward.

19 Sep 1801 came into Plymouth Sound, the Blanche, Capt G E Hammond, from a cruise to the Westward.

Sep 1801 Lt Boult apptd to the Blanche.

25 Sep 1801 departed Plymouth Sound, with the Amethyst, on a cruise.

27 Nov 1801 came into Plymouth Sound, from a cruise.

Circa 24 Apr 1802 Captain B. Dacres to the Blanche, vice Hammond, absent on leave.

26 Jan 1802 at Plymouth leave for the Immortalite, Fisgard, Amelia, Amethyst, Cambrian, Imogene has been stopped and their women sent ashore, while the ships are victualled, watered and stored for 3 months in preparation for a major effort, it is said, for the frigates to reduce the amount of smuggling on the coast, which, since the peace has increased considerably, and the vessels are to cruise off the Start Point, the Praule, Ram Head, the Deadman's Point, the Lizard, and off Mount's Bay. Lighters are now alongside discharging their provisions, beer and water. [In the rush to get this printed in time this item appears to have incorrectly applied to the Cambrian and Imogene, and not the Blanche, so I've taken the liberty of including it for the Blanche. Ed.]

27 Jan 1802 departed Plymouth Sound on a cruise against the smugglers, Blanche, 36, Captain Hammond. It is reported that the smugglers have taken to using larger vessels, lately used as privateers until the peace, which are larger and better armed than the revenue cruisers, a large lugger having recently fired into 2 revenue cruisers, and hence the use of frigates and sloops, waiting to be paid off, to deal with the problem that has now arisen.

12 Feb 1802 departed Falmouth on a cruise.

21 Mar 1802 arrived Plymouth Sound.

20 May 1802 departed Plymouth Sound the Blanche, 36, Captain Dacres, with discharged Scotch seamen for Leith, and other Scottish ports.

31 May 1802 passed through the Downs from Leith for Plymouth.

5 Jun 1802 arrived Plymouth Sound from Leith.

11 Jun 1802 is ordered to embark victuals for two months and to cruise with other vessels between Berry Head to Mount's Bay to deal with the smugglers said to be infesting that area.

19 Jun 1802 arrived Torbay yesterday evening, and departed this afternoon, the weather fine, with "a light air of variable winds."

3 Jul 1802 the Resistance, Hon Capt Wodehouse, and the Blanche, Capt Hamond, have been appointed to attend HM at Weymouth.

19 Jul 1802 head money for those present at the Engagement at Copenhagen on the 2d April 1801, due for payment.

2 Sep 1802 came into Plymouth Sound the Blanche, 36, Captain Hammond, after a short passage of a few hours, from Weymouth, where she had been to attend their Majesties during the summer.

13 Sep 1802 departed Plymouth Sound for Spithead, with 120 Marines, paid off from the Sans Pareil, 84. They belong to the Portsmouth Division, and have been abroad five years in the West Indies.

14 Sep 1802 passed through the Downs for Sheerness.

22 Sep 1802 had arrived Sheerness, and remained.

Circa 20 Oct 1802 Captain Mudge, to the Blanche frigate.

6 Jan 1803 the Blanche, Capt Z. Mudge, lying at Sheerness.

7 Feb 1803 passed through the Downs to the Westward. Wind NE, with snow.

8 Feb 1803 arrived Spithead from the Eastwards.

24 Mar 1803 arrived Torbay (Brixham Quay), this morning, presumably on the impress service, if not to pick up men ashore, then to take men of any passing merchant ship or vessels that either call at Brixham or shelter from any bad weather, (and only living across the other side of Lyme Bay I can confirm, as I write this 210 years later, that strong SW gales can still pop up out of nowhere at this time of the year).

12 Apr 1803 arrived Plymouth from Guernsey.

16 Apr 1803 departed Plymouth on a cruise.

29 Apr 1803 reports at Brixham, that since his last the Blanche had arrived from a cruise and sailed again.

6 May 1803 arrived Torbay.

9 May 1803 the frigates Blanche, Doris and sloop Hazard have departed Torbay on a cruise.

21 Jun 1803 arrived Spithead from a cruise off Havre, the Blanche, Capt Mudge.

Circa 6 Jun 1803 has sent into Portsmouth French Cheveter galliot, bound from Genoa to Havre, with slabs of marble and oil ; and the John schooner, from New Orleans, bound to Havre, laden with cotton, &c., prizes to the Blanche.

6 Jul 1803 departed Spithead with the convoy for the West Indies.

10 Jul 1803 it would appear that the Blanche had came into anchor in Torbay, since she is noted as departing Torbay last night with her convoy and a fine breeze from the north.

13 Jul 1803 the fleet for the West Indies with 18 sail under the convoy of the Blanche passed Falmouth. The Falmouth packet Princess Elizabeth is noted as departing Falmouth for Halifax and New York at the same time, and one wonders if she may have joined the convoy for a part of her passage ? The Minerva, hired armed cutter, Lt Talbot, also accompanied the convoy, with the Blanche, to lat 45� long 9� 30', before returning to Spithead on 27 Jul.

3-5 Nov 1803 ship's boats cut out the French cutter Albion.

4 Nov 1803 ship's launch captured a French ballahou-schooner.

A day or two later ship's boat captured another schooner.

Dec 1803 preparations made for an attack on the island of Cura�oa 31 Jan 1804 Dutch refused to surrender. Seamen and marines landed and operations continued until the 25 Mar when the operation was abandoned.

24 Jan 1804 the Cumberland, Capt Sorrell, arrived at Spithead from Jamaica with dispatches and news regarding the surrender and evacuation of St Domingo. The frigates Cloriade, Servillante, and Jerneas, and 17 sail of merchantmen, laden with merchandise were captured in the harbour and taken to Jamaica ; along with Gen Rochambeau and 5-6,000 prisoners ; 100,000 gold dollars. The French officers were landed at Portchester, along with 250 Frenchmen from an accompanying transport. The Creole, French frigate accompanied the small squadron, but became so leaky she was emptied of anything of value and allowed to sink. The Cumberland lost most of her convoy in the recent gales, and some of them have been observed at Portsmouth passing up the Channel for the River. In addition to the Cumberland the French also surrendered to the Bellerophon, Capt Loring ; the Vanguard, Capt Walker ; Hercule ; Capt Dunn ; and the frigate Blanche, Capt Mudge.

Circa Mar-Apr 1804 destroyed a French privateer of 2 guns and 17 men in the West Indies.

29 Jun 1804 whilst lying to under the guns of St Cruz, Corosos, at 4 p.m. observed an armed schooner standing in from sea, as soon as she was hull out made sail, and after a hard chase, running 11 knots under royals and top gallant studding sails, at 9 pm captured the Dutch schooner Nimrod, 4 x 4 pdr, 50 men, copper bottomed and fastened, and 2 years old, she was the fastest vessel Capt Zachary Mudge had met on the West Indies station.

21 Oct 1804 captured the French privateer Gracieuse.

5 Apr 1805 captured the French privateer Hazard on the Jamaica station.

19 Jul 1805 captured by a small French squadron. Ship burnt.

Circa 20 Aug 1805 Captain and a part of the crew of the Blanche released at Lisbon. 14 Oct Court martial of officers and crew of Blanche.