Hydra, 1797
Type: 5th rate ; Armament 38
Launched at Cleverley's Yard, Gravesend, in 1797 ;
Disposal date or year : 1820
Notes:

Apr ? 1798 Exchange of fire with gun boats.

30 May 1798 French 36-gun frigate Confiante destroyed off H�vre. 5 Jul 1800 prize money resulting due to be paid.

1 Jan 1799 Capt. Sir F. Laforey, Bart. Under orders for the West Indies.

3 Jan 1799 Portsmouth, sailed with the Penelope and Echo with the outward bound West India convoy and with Gen. Trigge, to take a command in the West Indies.

11 Nov 1800 at Martinique the Hydra, Capt Laforey, when the packet Lady Hobart arrived.

16 Nov 1800 in charge of a convoy of West Indiamen when a gale drove some of the vessels off course.

6 Jan 1801 arrived Deal, from the West Indies, with a convoy and the master, William Davis, and crew of the ship Traveller, bound from Martinique to London, which foundered in lat. 48� N. long. 49� 15' W., and were rescued by the Hydra.

21 Jan 1801 departed Deal for Sheerness.

23 Jan 1801 arrived Sheerness from the Westward.

20 May 1801 departed Sheerness for the Downs, Spithead and Weymouth, to attend His Majesty, who has just departed London for Weymouth.

20 May 1801 the Hydra, Hon Capt Paget, arrived at the Motherbank for quarantine, with the Terpsichore, 32, Capt Mackellar ; the Shark, 16, Capt Carthew, and a convoy, from the Downs, with Lord de Grey Wilton as a passenger in the former. The convoy included transports on board of which troops would soon be embarked for Egypt.

27 May 1801 the Hydra was taken out of quarantine at the Motherbank and moved across the Solent to Spithead and made the signal for a convoy for Egypt.

31 May 1801 dropped down to St. Helen's.

5 Jun 1801 returns to Spithead Capt the Hon Charles Paget.

15 Jun 1801 departed St. Helen's with the Argo, on a cruise off Havre.

25 Jun 1801 arrived Spithead from a cruise off Havre, and diffuses rumours that the Loire had been taken by the French, having only just departed from the company of that vessel off Havre.

20 Aug 1801 arrived Spithead with the Fortun�e from Weymouth.

26 Aug 1801 departed Spithead with the Triumph, Solebay, Hydra, and Prevoyante and William store-ships, and with about 120 sail of merchantmen and transports under convoy, for Gibraltar, Minorca, Malta, and Egypt.

10 Sep 1801 this morning, before day, the signal guns were fired as the wind blew gently from the E.S.E., and the Gibraltar and Mediterranean convoys, totalling near 100 sail, departed Torbay with the Triumph, Hydra, Solebay, Hind, Prevoyante, Pandour, and Netley, and by 1 p.m. were clearing land.

11 Sep 1801 passed by Plymouth to the westward, the large East-India, Straits, and Newfoundland fleets, outward-bound, under convoy of the Triumph, and Alcmene, with a fine breeze at S. E.

20 Sep 1801 the Hydra, when in company with the Triumph and a convoy, spoke with the Falmouth packet Prince Adolphus.

24 Sep 1801 the Hydra dropped off a part of her convoy at Lisbon.

31 Oct 1801 the Falmouth packet Prince of Wales arrived in the Tagus and departed for Falmouth on the 16 Nov., and during this period the Superb, Phaeton, Leda, Voltigeur, Calpe, and Hydra, also arrived in the Tagus. The Superb, Leda, Calpe, and Hydra, remained at Lisbon, when the Prince of Wales sailed, the Phaeton and Voltigeur having already departed.

17 Nov 1801 the Falmouth packet Walsingham arrived Lisbon, where she found the Superb, Capt Keats, Hydra, Hon Capt Paget, and Constance, Capt Mudge. The Walsingham departed on 24 Nov., by which time the Superb and Hydra had already departed the Tagus.

4 Oct 1802 arrived Spithead the Hydra, 38, Hon. Captain Paget, from the Mediterranean.

8 Oct 1802 came into Portsmouth harbour to be paid off.

23 Oct 1802 on Thursday a Court Martial was held at Portsmouth on George Dixon, alias George Williams, a seaman of the Leda, for deserting from her and entering on board the Hydra, and was found guilty and sentenced to 200 lashes.

14 Nov 1802 Captain Mundy, late of the Carysfort, has taken the command of the Hydra, vice the Hon. Charles Paget.

25 Dec 1802 has been paid off and recommissioned.

23 Jan 1803 remains in Portsmouth harbour, fitting out.

Circa 28 Jan 1803 a court martial was held on Patrick Smith for deserting from HM Ship Loire, and entering on board HM Ship Hydra. Being found guilty he was sentenced to receive 50 lashes on board the former ship.

11 Mar 1803 is getting ready to go out of harbour to Spithead tomorrow.

13 Mar 1803 has been ordered out of harbour to Spithead.

17 Mar 1803 departed Spithead for the Downs, the Hydra, Capt Mundy.

18 Mar 1803 arrived in the Downs from the Westwards.

7 Apr 1803 departed the Downs this morning to the Northward, the Isis, R.-Adm Thornborough, and Capt Lobb, in company with the Hydra, Capt Mundy ; Minerve, Capt Kittoe ; and the revenue cruisers Swallow, Lively, and Tartar.

28 Apr 1803 the Isis fell in with the Utrecht off Goree, and R.-Adm Thornborough transferred his flag from the Isis to the Utrecht, following which the Isis returned to Spithead, leaving R.-Adm Thornborough in command of a squadron made up as follows : Utrecht, 64, Capt Thomas Rogers ; Africaine, 44, Capt Manbey ; Leda, 38, Capt Honeyman ; Hydra, 38, Capt Mundy ; Ambuscade, 38, Capt Atkins ; Constance, 24, Capt Griffiths ; and 2 revenue cutters.

5 Jun 1803 remain in the Downs, the frigates Leda and Hydra ; the sloops Ranger and Cruiser ; and the bomb Sulphur.

8 Jun 1803 remain in the Downs, the frigates Leda and Hydra ; the gun brig Vixen ; revenue cutters Stag and Swallow, the latter just arrived from the squadron off Goree.

12 Jun 1803 departed the Downs for the Westward.

15 Jun 1803 arrived Spithead, from off Goree, last from the Downs, the Hydra, Capt Munday.

21 Jun 1803 the Hydra, Amazon, and Cerberus departed Spithead for the Channel Isles, where an attack was expected to be made by the French.

25 Jun 1803 Hydra, in company with the hired cutter Rose captured the French privateer Phoebe, 4 guns, 2 swivels, and 33 men, off Cherbourg from which she'd departed 7 days earlier, prior to detaining the Diana of London ; the brig William of Sunderland ; and the brig Egyptian of Waterford, in ballast, all of which were re-captured by the Starling, and are now arrived at Portsmouth.

29 Jun 1803 arrived Spithead from a cruise with a French privateer, and 2 fishing boats, her prizes.

2 Jul 1803 departed Spithead on a cruise.

21 Jul 1803 the Immortalite, in company with the Hydra, and Bloodhound, stood in close to Havre and fired at the gun-boats in the harbour, whilst the Sulphur bomb lobbed several shells into the town. They also detained the Danish ship De Lebre, with wine from Havre.

24 Jul 1803 this evening arrived Portsmouth the Danish ship De Lebre, with wine, from Havre, sent in by the Immortalite, Hydra, Bloodhound, and Sulphur.

1 Aug 1803 ship's boats capture the French armed lugger Favori from off the French coast.

27 Aug 1803 arrived Plymouth from a cruise.

1 Sep 1803 having completed a refit in the Sound departed Plymouth to join R.-Adm Saumarez off Jersey.

14 Dec 1803 arrived Spithead from Guernsey, the Hydra, Capt Mundy.

1 Jan 1804 departed Spithead for Guernsey.

23 Jan 1804 arrived Spithead with the loss of her main yard off Cherburgh in the recent gales.

25 Jan 1804 departed Spithead, the Hydra, and Orpheus, on a cruise off Cherburgh.

31 Jan 1804 when close in with Cherbourg yesterday, at about noon, observed a straggling convoy under the land, to the westward, and succeeded in separating 2 brigs and a lugger from it 1 Feb 1804 departed Spithead, the Hydra, and Busy, on a cruise off Cherburgh.

4 Apr 1804 arrived Spithead from a cruise, the Hydra, Capt Mundy.

16 Apr 1804 departed Spithead to join the squadron off Cherbourg.

8 Jun 1804 the Prospero, Capt C Jones, arrived Spithead from off Cherburgh, where she found it impossible to attack 35 French gun vessels, since they were so defensively moored under the batteries at Cape Barfleur, where they'd been driven by the Tribune, Decade and Hydra, and was obliged to retire.

9 Jun 1804 the Hydra arrived Spithead from off Cherburgh.

16 Jun 1804 the Hydra came into Portsmouth harbour to repair the damage sustained when she attacked the French gun boats.

4 Aug 1804 went out of harbour to Spithead and made a signal for a convoy to the Mediterranean.

25 Aug 1804 departed Spithead the Hydra, frigate, and the William, store ship, with a convoy for the Mediterranean.

15 Oct 1804 the Spencer, off Toulon, reports that she, and several other vessels, were near to cutting off 2 ships of the line and a frigate, which had chased some our frigates off the land ; also the arrival of the Tigre and Conqueror with transports with provisions from Plymouth and the Hydra from Portsmouth.

May 1805 Mediterranean.

28 Sep 1805 the Euryalus and Hydra stationed close off the harbour of Cadiz.

4 Oct 1805 gun-boats pulled out from Cadiz and attacked the Euryalus and Hydra.

May 1805 off Trafalgar

23 Feb 1806 whilst cruising close off the port of Cadiz observed a small squadron of French frigates put to sea. The Moselle was detached to inform the Flag Officer whilst the Hydra maintained contact and on the 27th captured the accompanying brig-corvette Furet, which was taken into the Service.

6 Aug 1807 ship's boats, under the Hydra's guns, destroy a fort, and cut out 3 armed vessels. An Action for which a medal was subsequently granted.

1 Sep 1813 Portsmouth, went out of harbour to Spithead.

16 Feb 1814 departed Portsmouth with the convoy for the West-Indies, which departed from St. Helen's roads at day-light.

26 Jul 1814 arrived Plymouth, from Bordeaux, with troops, and proceeded to the eastward.

30 Aug 1814 departed Portsmouth, for Plymouth, to take troops on board for North America.

17 Sep 1814 Plymouth, has embarked troops and sails for America tomorrow.

18 Sep 1814 departed Plymouth, with a squadron with troops for Bermuda.

14 Dec 1814 distribution of head-money arising from the capture of American gun-boats and sundry bales of cotton, [per London Gazette of 26 Jun 1821].

26 Aug 1815 arrived Plymouth.

2 Sep 1815 departed Plymouth, to the Eastward.

23 Oct 1815 arrived Portsmouth, from Havre.

15 Dec 1816 departed Halifax, for Bermuda.

8 Apr 1817 arrived Halifax, from Grenada, in 21 days, with a detachment of the 15th Regt. on board, and returns to Grenada to bring the remaining companies here.

24 Apr 1817 departed Halifax, for the West Indies, presumably Grenada.

5 Jun 1817 arrived Halifax, from Grenada, with the remaining troops of the 15th Regt..

24 Jun 1817 departed Halifax, for the West Indies with senior army officers.

Early Jul 1817 arrived Barbadoes.

15 Jul 1817 departed Barbadoes with the right wing of the 2d Regiment, for St. Vincent, and was then to call at St. Kitts to take to Barbadoes the right wing of the 63d Regiment.

27 Oct 1817 arrived Portsmouth, with troops from Barbadoes.