Cormorant, 1796
Type: Post-ship ; Armament 20
Taken from the French 15 Nov 1796 ; Disposal date or year : May 1800
Disposal Details : Wrecked 3� miles from the Bogaz of Rosetta, on the coast of Egypt : crew saved, but made prisoners by the French. Captain Courtney Boyle.
Notes:

Late Etna, corvette, built at Havre de Grace 1793 (NC).

21 Mar 1796 St.-Domingo, W.I., a squadron, including the Cormorant, Captain Francis Collingwood, arrived off town of L�ogane with troops, with a view to reducing the area, but was found to be too strongly defended : however an attempt on Bombarde proved successful.

27 Oct 1798 captured the French privateer Tartar in the Mediterranean.

7 Nov 1798 a part of a squadron which arrived this day for the invasion of Minorca.

19 Nov 1798, off Minorca, with the Leviathan, Centaur, Calcutta, Ulysses, Argo, Aurora, Peterell, and cutter Constitution, Lt. Whiston, in support of the Army during the capture of Minorca. See also the Naval Chronicle pp. 77-80 Vol. 1, 1799.

1 Jan 1799 Capt. Lord M. R. Kerr. In the Mediterranean.

27 Jan 1799 Plymouth, letters from Gibraltar mention that the Cormorant had captured a valuable Spanish packet from Rio di Plata for Barcelona.

Centaur, at Sea, 16 Feb 1799. I proceeded to Sallo Bay after the Spanish frigates, and having been joined by the Cormorant alone, of the squadron under Capt. Bowen, I at length, after beating against heavy gales of wind from the 28th January till the 9th February, reached Sallo Bay, in which I found twenty-one Swedish and Danish merchantmen, but no men of war had been in sight of Sallo since the 2d of February. Having looked into Fangel Bay and Tarragona, also where Lord M. Kerr, in the Cormorant, took a Tartan, and drove another on shore, I proceeded towards Majorca, and at daylight the Cormorant took a settee laden with oil, and I chased two large xebecs and a settee, all privateers in the Royal Spanish service; one of which. La Vierga de Rosario, I captured at two o'clock, mounting 14 brass 12-pounders and 90 men, the other two escaped by the wind shifting at dark when within shot. The same night the Aurora joined and proceeded for Tarragona,. in consequence of intelligence I received of two Spanish frigates being bound there with Swiss troops from Palma. On the 15th I fell in with the Argo and Leviathan, and the next morning stood is for Sallo Bay. Finding the frigates were not in the neighbourhood, I attacked the town of Cambrelles, and the Spaniards having quitted their guns on a tower, sent the boats in under Lieut Grosset, of the Centaur, who, after dismounting the guns, burnt and captured per margin ; La Velon Maria was taken in the offing, from Aguilas bound to Barcelona. The Proserpine frigate, consort to the Santa Teresa, taken by the Argo, after having escaped to Palamor, has since, I am informed by Capt. Bowen, hauled close into the Bar of Barcelona, I have, &c. &c. John Markham.

19 Mar 1799 Cormorant, Collombrettes, W.N.W. 7 leagues. I have the honour to acquaint you, that having parted company with HM ship Centaur on the 16th inst. in chace of a Spanish frigate, I proceeded to the rendezvous ; and on the 19th, perceiving a brig to leeward, I gave chace, and after four hours brought her to. She proved to be a Spanish brig of war, named El Vincelo, mounting 18 six-pounders on her gun-deck, and 6 brass four-pounders on her quarter-deck, and two on her forecastle, and having 144 men on board. During her chace she threw six of her six-pounders overboard. I have the honour to be, &c. M. R. Kerr.

13 May 1799 fell in with the British fleet eight leagues off Cape de Git with a fine breeze at vest.

4 Jun 1799 off Cape Finesterre, sailing for England with dispatches, spoke V.-Adm. Gardner with 17 sail of the line and 4 frigates who then departed for the straits.

15 Oct 1799 Portsmouth, arrived with the Anson, 44, from Weymouth, where they had been attending their Majesties.

1 Dec 1799 Portsmouth, departed with a store ship under convoy for Gibraltar.

2 Dec 1799 the Racoon, with the Cormorant in company, captured the French lugger privateer Vrai Decide, 14 guns, 4 swivels, and 41 men, Citizen Desgardri, of Boulogne, E.S.E. of Portee, in the Channel.

10 Dec 1799 Portsmouth, arrived the Cormorant, 20, from a cruise.

Circa Feb 1800 Lieut. Norman, late of the Cormorant, is appointed to the Arethusa, 38.

20 Feb 1800 retook the Elizabeth Jane, of London, from the Bahamas, with 25 Frenchmen on board ; parted with me on the 24th.

24 Feb 1800 captured the Spanish privateer brig El Batador, 14 guns, 87 men, in lat. 45� 45' N., long. 10� 29' W. Due to the bad weather it was only possible to transfer a small prize crew and whilst transferring prisoners the boat sank : the Spaniards twice attempted to re-take the vessel during the night, but were frustrated in their attempts.

7 Mar 1800 in the Tagus.

10 Apr 1800 The corpse of Mr. Leddy, Surgeon's Mate of the Cormorant, who was drowned on Christmas Eve, at Portsmouth, was found in the harbour on the 10th instant. An inquest was held on the body, by Stephen Barney, Esq., Coroner for that Borough, and a verdict of accidental death returned.

10 Feb 1801 arrived Spithead the Endymion, from Lisbon, bringing home, as passenger, the Hon. Captain Boyle, late of the Cormorant.