Elephant, 1786
Type: 3rd rate ; Armament 74
Launched : 1786 ; Disposal date or year : 1830
Notes:

Circa Jan 1800 Captain Foley, lately returned from the Mediterranean, is appointed to command the Elephant, 74 guns, at Portsmouth.

31 Mar 1800 Portsmouth, the Elephant, of 74 guns. Rear Admiral Sir R. Bickerton, went to St. Helen's, and departed to join the Channel fleet.

24 Apr 1800 Torbay, the Channel Fleet, under the command of Sir Alan Gardner, departed, viz. Ville de Paris, Barfleur, Glory, London, Neptune, St George, Temeraire, Windsor Castle, Ajax, Achilles, Cumberland, Canada, Captain, Centaur, Defence, Defiance, Elephant, Excellent, Hector, Impetueux, Marlborough, Ramilies, Resolution, Robust, Russel, Saturn, Superb, Terrible, Venerable, Warrior, Sheerness, Amelia, Sea Horse, Thames, and Havick.

Circa 24 Mar to 26 Apr 1800 Mr. Winter made Purser, vice Mr. Jones, appointed to the Elephant ; and Messrs. Hannan and Sangster, Lieutenants.

18 May 1800 Plymouth, the Channel fleet passed up for Torbay this morning having experienced the fury of the gale when laying to off Brest, on Friday last under storm stay-sails ; the sea ran mountains high, and the wind suddenly shifted from S. W. to N. W. lay several men of war on their beams ends, but soon righted, though they shipped several heavy seas and a number received damage to their masts. The Warrior, 74, and Elephant, 74 ; Railleur, 18 ; Trompeuse, 18, and Lady Jane cutter, were left off Brest.

23 May 1800 Plymouth, arrived from off Brest the Elephant, 74, Warrior 74, and Dolly cutter. This latter vessel passed under the stern of the Railleur, 18, after the storm of last Friday, laying to under her bare poles, apparently without much damage.

26 May 1800 Plymouth, letters from the Elephant, 74, dated at sea the 24th inst. state the following interesting particulars: That on the 14th instant, Captain Keates, of the Boadicea,38 guns, sent an armed boat with a Midshipman and six men into the Outer Roads of Brest to reconnoitre. At night she fell in with the French guard row boat, full of men. A severe scuffle ensued, and Captain Keates's boat succeeded in beating her off with the loss of one man. The young gentleman who commanded the British row boat behaved with his little crew of six men with great gallantry. He then boarded a small sloop, and got information that the French fleet were in the Inner Road, and the Spaniards very sickly. 17th instant, states that the fleet were all dispersed in the gale of the 16th, at S. W. and N. W. 18th spoke an American bound to Gibraltar with coals which was in great distress, and bearing up for the first port she wanted assistance, but the sea ran so high could not give any : the Lizard then in sight. 24th Elephant off Plymouth, bearing up for Torbay, having experienced dreadful weather in the late gales.

27 May 1800 Plymouth, arrived Warrior, 74, and Elephant, 74, from off Brest.

23 Jun 1800 Plymouth, came in, the Elephant, 74, to refit.

30 Jun 1800 Plymouth, orders came down for the 23d, or Royal Welsh Fuziliers, to embark on board the Elephant, 74 guns, and the Alcmene, 36, to join the troops on the Isles of Hodic and Houat.

12 Jul 1800 Plymouth, letters received from the Elephant, 74, state the fleet was all well the 10th inst. when she departed to join the squadron under Rear Admiral Sir J. B. Warren, off Quiberon.

Circa 1 Aug 1800 ------- Browne, Esq. first Lieutenant of the Elephant, is promoted to the rank of Commander.

Circa 1 Aug 1800 Lieutenant William Wilkinson, who was so severely wounded in the ever-memorable battle of the Nile, on board his Majesty's ship Goliath, and who was first Lieutenant of that ship for many months before she was paid of at Portsmouth, succeeds Mr. Browne as first Lieutenant of the Elephant.

6 Sep 1800 Plymouth, letters from the fleet off Brest, dated Black Rocks, the 2d inst. state that R.-Adm. Sir R. Calder, Bart, is appointed to the command of the in-shore or flying squadron, consisting of the Caesar, 84, Excellent 74, Marlborough 74, Defence 74, and Elephant 74.

13 Sep 1800 Plymouth, arrived La Providence French brig, with wine, soap, and brandy for the Brest fleet. She was discovered under the guns of two batteries near Camaret Point, by the Suwarrow, 14, Lt Nicholson who gallantly resolved to cut her out with his boats, which he effected, notwithstanding the heavy fire of the batteries ; the Elephant, 74, and the Naiad, were in sight in the offing, but have relinquished their share of the prize money in testimony of their approbation of their conduct.

19 Sep 1800 Plymouth, letters from the Caesar, 84, of 16th, state, that she, with the Excellent, 74 ; Marlborough, 74 ; Elephant, 74 ; and Defence, 74, composing the squadron off the Black Rocks, were all well. They had taken possession of a small island about twp miles from the coast, where there was plenty of game, rabbits, pigeons, &c. which, with fish and vegetables, affords, them many comforts.

27 Sep 1800 Plymouth, arrived from off Brest, and anchored in Cawsand Bay, owing to very heavy S. W. gales, the Temeraire, 98, Namur, 98, Prince, 98, Barfleur, 98, Royal George, 110, Neptune, 98, Juste, 84, Russel, 74, Mars, 74, Marlborough, 74, Defence, 74, Elephant, 74, Excellent, 74.

5 Oct 1800 Plymouth, departed from Cawsand Bay to join the fleet in Torbay, the Prince, 98, Prince George, 98, Edgar, 74, Barfleur, 98, Excellent, 74, Neptune, 98, Elephant, 74, and Doris, 36.

22 Dec 1800 arrived Plymouth with the Prince of Wales, Triumph, and London, from the Channel Fleet, which they left off the Eddystone all well this morning, steering for Torbay.

29 Dec 1800 departed Plymouth Sound, with the Montague, to join the Channel Fleet at Torbay.

2 Jan 1801 departed Plymouth to join the Channel Fleet the Elephant, of 74 guns, and Excellent, of 74.

5 Mar 1801 arrived Spithead from the Channel fleet.

11 Mar 1801 departed Spithead for N. Yarmouth.

13 Mar 1801 arrived the Downs from the westward, and sailed for N. Yarmouth.

15 Mar 1801 this evening arrived at N. Yarmouth.

18 Jun 1801 a letter of this date, received from Kioge Bay, in the Baltic, reports the presence of the following fleet, this at about the same time as Lord Nelson departed in the Kite for N. Yarmouth, V.-Adm Pole having arrived here in the Aeolus to relieve Nelson : the St George, Elephant, Defiance, Polyphemus, Edgar, Agamemnon, Defence, Adder, Aeolus, Kite, Dart, Zebra, Terror, Explosion, Sulphur, Discovery, Volcano, Hecla, Wrangler, Cracker, Safeguard, Sparkler, Attack, Tigress, Bruiser, Hasty, Biter, Otter, Force, Pleaser, Teazer.

9 Aug 1801 arrived Spithead, form the North Sea, the St George, Adm Pole ; London, R.-Adm Totty ; Prince George, Warrior, Saturn, Ramillies and Elephant.

31 Aug 1801 departed Spithead the Edgar and the Elephant, to join the Channel Fleet.

5 Sep 1801 SW gales in the English Channel appear to have got up after she departed Spithead and it that the Elephant sheltered in Torbay, and departed this day to join the Channel Fleet off Brest, albeit it was reported at Brixham Quay that the wind was still blowing a strong SW, along with heavy rain.

30 Oct 1801 the Goliath, Elephant, Captain, Ganges, and Brunswick arrived off Madeira and departed the same day.

3 Nov 1801 the Falmouth packet Leicester, Steel, arrived Port Royal, Jamaica, where the Santa Margarita, Crescent, Carnatic, Retribution, Topaze, Mosquito/Musquito, and Abergavenny were present. During the Leicester's stay at Port Royal the HM ships Bourdelais, Snake, Echo, Ambuscade, Tisiphone, Calypso, Juno, Sans Pareil, Melampus, Pelican, Captain, Goliah/Goliath, Brunswick, and Elephant arrived there.

10 Nov 1801 letters received Plymouth from the Captain, dated off Brest, state, that the following ships, with sealed orders, were detached from the Channel fleet, supposed for Jamaica, viz. Goliath, of 74 guns, Commodore Essington ; the Captain, Ganges, Brunswick, and Elephant.

30 Nov 1801 the Ganges, Brunswick, Elephant, Captain and Goliath, ships of the line, and frigate Ambuscade arrived at Port Royal from the Channel fleet in a month and 4 days. The Ambuscade departed Port Royal 7 Dec 1801 and arrived Spithead 19 Jan 1802.

Circa 26 Dec 1801 Captain Dundas, of the Solebay, apptd to the Elephant, vice Foley.

19 Jan 1802 arrived Spithead the Ambuscade, 36, Captain the Hon. John Colvill, from Jamaica. She sailed from Port Royal on the 7th of December, and left there R.-Adm. Montagu, in the Sans Pareil, with H.M. ships Carnatic, Abergavenny, Crescent, Melampus, Juno, Circe, Bourdelais, and Tisiphone. The following ships were also there, having been detached from the Channel fleet, and arrived at Port Royal on the 26th of November, viz. Goliath, Elephant, Captain, Ganges, and Brunswick.

13 May 1802 the Brunswick, Bellona, Vengeance, Orion, Defence, Edgar, Elephant, Powerful, and Carnatic departed Jamaica for England.

Circa 14 May 1802 the Stork, just arrived Jamaica from England, in a letter to Portsmouth, reports the arrival of the Temeraire, Formidable, and Elephant at Jamaica for water, so dates more than a little approximate.

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

28 Dec 1802 when the Falmouth packet Princess Elizabeth arrived at Port Royal, Jamaica the Leviathan, Desiree, Trent, Racoon and Pelican were lying there, and the she departed in company with the Bellerophon and Elephant.

13 Jan 1803 when the Falmouth packet Leicester arrived at Port Royal, Jamaica, she found lying there the Leviathan, 74 ; Bellerophon, 74 ; Vanguard, 74 ; Elephant, 74 ; Desiree, 40 ; and sloops Shark, Pelican and Racoon ; the De Ruyter arriving on the 17 Jan, with the 87th Regt., from Curacoa, and on the 21st the Theseus, 74 ; Cumberland, 74 ; Goliath, 74 ; and Ganges, 74, from a cruise.

14 May 1803 letters are received at Plymouth, reporting the arrival of the Hercule, Capt Ferris, at Guadaloupe on 5 Apr, from Plymouth, and expects to depart shortly for Jamaica. The letters also advise that the Blenheim has recently been ashore and had to throw 18 guns overboard to get off, and has gone to Martinique. The Elephant, Vanguard, and Bellerophon, 74s, and the frigate Desiree, were reported to be at Jamaica. The Goliath, Cumberland and Theseus were on a cruise, as were the Tartar, Shark and Echo, off the North of Jamaica, and the Calypso off Cape Tiberon.

24 Jul - 2 Sep 1803 chase and capture of the French 74 Duquesne, and the escape of the Duguay-Trouin, 74 and the 40-gun frigate Guerri�re.

11 Mar 1804 the Elephant, Theseus, Hercule, and Desiree, were at Port Royal Jamaica ; the Bellerophon and Vanguard, with the Tartar and Eolus, were off the West end of St Domingo ; the Port Mahon, and Papillon brigs, off Port Morant ; the Hunter and Mignonne, off Montego Bay ; and the Flying Fish, and Gipsey, were off the coast of Cuba ; the Fairy had sailed for Honduras, and the Camel for Halifax.

26 Jul 1804 the Elephant, Uranie and Renard, departed Jamaica with a convoy for England.

9 Oct 1804 arrived Spithead, the Inconstant, from the coast of Africa, last from Jamaica with a convoy, which has since arrived in the Downs, with the Elephant ; the Uranie saw the Bristol ships safe and is arrived at Plymouth.

May 1805 Chatham

9-20 Jun 1806 operations in the West Indies.

4-8 Jul 1806 Northumberland, Elephant, Canada, Agamemnon, Ethalion, Seine, Galatea, Circe, whilst protecting a large convoy bound to England, chased a French squadron under M. Willaumez through the Channel between St.-Thomas and Passage island.

Portsmouth 23 Sep 1811 Goes out to Spithead.

Deal 7 Oct 1811 arrived from Portsmouth.

Deal 16 Oct 1811 Is off the North Foreland, and expected to arrive in the Downs this evening.

Deal 27 Oct 1811 departed to cruise off Flushing.

Deal 26 Mar 1812 remains due to contrary winds.

Deal 2 Apr 1812 departed last night for off Flushing.

Portsmouth 28 Jul 1812 departed the for the Downs.

Deal 30 Jul 1812 departed for off Flushing.

Deal 2 Oct 1812 departed for off the North Foreland.

Deal 17 Nov 1812 departed for America.

Portsmouth 19 Nov 1812 arrived off St. Helen's and departed down Channel on being joined by the Hermes.

Portsmouth 13 Jan 1813 arrived from a cruise off the Western Isles, during which she captured an American privateer and chased many others.

28 Dec 1812 the Elephant and Hermes captured a U.S. privateer, the 12 gun schooner Sword Fish, with 82 men.

1830 Portsmouth, 58 guns