Phaeton, 1782
Type: 5th rate ; Armament 38
Launched at Liverpool in 1782 ;
Disposal date or year : 1827
Tons (BM): 944.
Notes:

17 Jul 1785 arrived Portsmouth from the Mediterranean.

15 Sep 1785 Has gone out to Spithead.

22 Sep 1785 Lord Keppel has arrived on board at Portsmouth in preparation for a passage to the Mediterranean.

27 Sep 1785 departed Portsmouth for the Mediterranean, with Lord Keppel.

March 1793 captured the French privateer Aimable Libert� in the Channel.

14 Apr 1793 Whilst with a squadron, en route for the Mediterranean, captured the San-Iago, a large Spanish galleon, under French colours and the French privateer General Dumourier, of 22 long 6-pounders and 196 men, an event which may have had some effect on the resulting war with Spain.

Jun 1793 Phaeton and Weazle captured the French privateers Poisson Volant and General Washington in the Channel.

14 Jul 1793 departed with the Channel fleet from St. Helen's. On the 18th to the west of the Scilly Isles and subsequent manoeuvres.

31 Jul 1793 briefly sighted, but was unable to close the French fleet ; returned to Torbay on 10 Aug.

23 Aug 1793 the Channel Fleet departed to escort the Newfoundland trade, West Indian convoys in home waters.

27 Oct 1793 departed in search of the French fleet and squadrons. 18 Nov brief skirmish with a French squadron : by mid-December the fleet had returned to Spithead.

2 May - 1 Jun 1794 Departure of the Channel Fleet from St. Helen's, and the lead up to actions and manoeuvres with the French fleet. 5 and 19 May looked into Brest Roads to see if the French Fleet was in harbour. 29 May - 1 Jun., what was to be known as the Battle of the Glorious 1st June commences, resulting in the capture of six sail of the line and one sunk. Review of the part performed by each British ship engaged. 13 Jun, the fleet arrived back in home ports.

14 Feb 1795 the Channel fleet departed from Torbay for a brief cruise and to see various convoys safe out of the Channel.

30 May 1795 a squadron under Vice-adm. Hon. Wm. Cornwallis departed from Spithead on a cruise off Ushant. Brief meeting, on 8 Jun off Belle-Isle, of Vice-adm Cornwallis' squadron with French Squadron under Rear-admiral Vence, with a convoy, during which 8 merchant vessels were taken when the French squadron escaped into harbour.

16 Jun 1795 on returning off Belle-Isle Vice-adm. Cornwallis' squadron of 5 ships of the line and 3 frigates, including the Pha�ton, Captain Hon. Robert Stopford, sighted a French Squadron of 12 ships of the line under the command of M. Villaret : on this occasion it was the turn of the British squadron to attempt to escape the advancing French fleet.

6 Mar 1797 captured the French privateer Actif in the Channel.

16 Sep 1797 Phaeton and others captured the French privateer Chasseur in the Channel.

24 Sep 1797 Phaeton and Unlt� captured the French privateer Indian off the Roches Bonnes.

7 Oct 1797 Phaeton, Stag, and Unite captured the French privateer D�couverte in the Channel.

28 Dec 1797 captured the French privateer Hazard in the Channel.

29 Dec 1797 parted from the Anson just prior to her re-capture of the Daphne, late British 20-gun ship ; or, as Captain Durham, imitating the French, describes a ship of only 429 tons, " late his majesty's frigate Daphne, mounting 30 guns." Nice to see Mr James had a sense of humour ;-)

1 Jan 1798 captured the French privateer Aventure in the Channel.

19 Feb 1798 Phaeton and others captured the French privateer Legere in the Channel.

22 Mar 1798 Canada, Anson, and Pha�ton chase the French frigate Charente, which escaped capture.

29-30 Jun 1798 the frigates Jason, Mermaid, and Pique capture the French 40-gun frigate Seine for the loss of the latter, bilged on a sandbank and burnt. The timely arrival of the frigates Pha�ton, San-Fiorenzo, Triton was sufficient to deter French frigates from Rochelle.

31 Aug 1798 Phaeton and Anson captured the French privateer Mercure near Bourdeaux.

7 Sep 1798 Pha�ton and Anson chased and captured the French privateer, late national 32-gun frigate Flore.

8 Oct 1798 captured the French privateer Levrier in the Channel.

24 Nov 1798 captured the French brig privateer La R�solue, 18 guns and 70 men, returning from a cruise during which she had captured one English merchant ship, the General Wolfe, from Pool, bound to Newfoundland and an American sloop from Boston to Hamburgh ; which latter was recaptured by the Stag last night. The Phaeton having continued the chase after the privateer.

6 Dec 1798 Phaeton and Stag captured the French privateer Resource in the Channel.

13 Dec 1798 the Ambuscade, when in company with the Phaeton and Stag, captured the letter of marque brig Faucon, 200 tons, 46 days from Guadaloupe, bound to Bourdeaux, with sugar and coffee &c. Naval Chronicle p. 77 Vol. 1, 1799.

1 Jan 1799 Capt. Hon. R. Stopford. At Portsmouth, to repair.

15 Jan 1799 at Spithead.

19 Mar 1799 in harbour at Portsmouth, and ready to go out to Spithead.

10 Apr 1799 Plymouth, arrived the Bellona Prussian Brig from Lisbon for Hamburgh, with sugar, wool, cocoa, pepper, &c. detained by the Phaeton and Stag frigates.

Extract of a Letter from an Officer on board the Phaeton, at Sea, (May 11). Lat. 49.58. Long. 8�. 10. relative to the sailing of the Brest Fleet. "We are under a press of sail for Ireland, to join Lord Bridport, though we have at present received no new intelligence of either him, or the French. Our squadron is the Stag, Mermaid, and Clyde. Upon the first tidings we received of the French Fleet being out, we made sail for Ushant, to look for Lord Bridport, but not falling in with him, made the best of our way to Ireland, which we hope to reach to-morrow...... We spoke Rear-Admiral Whitshead on the night of the 7th, in the lat. of Ushant. He had four men of war with him." [It transpired that the French had gone south, to the Mediterranean!]

13 Jun 1799 Plymouth, arrived from off Brest.

19 Jun 1799 in Plymouth Sound.

3 Jul 1799 Plymouth, departed the Melpomene, Phaeton, and Doris with several flat-bottomed boats, for the secret expedition fitting out at Portsmouth.

3 Jul 1799 arrived Portsmouth from the westward,

3 Sep 1799 Portsmouth, departed with Lord Elgin and his suite on board, for Constantinople.

16 Feb 1800 arrived off Malta shortly before the end of the blockade of that Island.

Apr-5 Jun 1800 blockade of Genoa and cutting out of the Prima galley.

29 Aug 1800 taken, on the Mediterranean station, the Spanish Schooner St. Raphael, laden with Cocoa, Sugar, Indigo, &c. from Oronooko bound to Cadiz.

30 Sep 1800 taken, on the Mediterranean station, the Swedish Brig Vigilant, laden with Deals, from Louisa bound to Seville.

27-28 Oct 1800 ship's boats capture Spanish national polacre-ship San-Josef.

28 Oct 1800 off Malaga.

16 Feb 1801 arrived in the Tagus at Lisbon the packet Earl Gower, Capt Marston, and whilst there the Phaeton arrived from a cruise.

6 Mar 1801 departed the Tagus, to escort a convoy to Newfoundland.

18 Apr 1801 remained in the Tagus when the Falmouth packet departed for England.

2 May 1801 the Phaeton departed the Tagus with the packet Prince of Wales sailed for Falmouth.

16 May 1801 The boats belonging to the Naiad and Phaeton, manned by volunteer officers, seamen, and marines, under the direction of Lieutenant Marshall of the Naiad, highly distinguished themselves on the night of the 16th, by the capture of La Alcudia, and demolition of El Raposo armed Spanish Corunna packets, in the port of Marin, near the town of Pontevedra, under the protection of a five gun battery, 24 pounders, prepared to receive them. La Alcudia, the largest, commanded by Don Jean Antonio Barbate, a very old Lieutenant in his Catholic Majesty's service, was moored stem and stern close to the fort, and her sails were sent on shore the preceding day. This service was undertaken from information that she was a corvette of 22 guns. I am happy to state that 4 men only, belonging to the two ships, were wounded. P.S. I was under the necessity of setting fire to La Alcudia soon after she was towed out by the boats, the wind setting in strong at S. W.

22 May 1801 in the Tagus when the packet Prince Adolphus arrived from Falmouth.

23 Jun 1801 the Phaeton was in the Tagus when the Walsingham packet arrived from Falmouth.

26 Jun 1801 departed the Tagus with the Plymouth lugger.

25 Jul 1801 the Phaeton was in the Tagus when the Falmouth packet Prince of Wales arrived from Falmouth.

7 Aug 1801 departed the Tagus on a cruise.

26 Aug 1801 departed the Tagus with the Falmouth packet King George, with which she parted off Cape Finisterre.

7 Sep 1801 arrived in the Tagus.

9 Sep 1801 departed the Tagus on a cruise.

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.

31 Dec 1801 arrived Plymouth Sound the Phaeton, 36, Captain Norris, from Malta, with dispatches from Admiral Lord Keith, last from Gibraltar, she was only nine days on her passage, and was put under strict quarantine, and only the Custom House boat allowed alongside ; she left Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, K.B. all well on the 19th instant.

4 Jan 1802 arrived the Tagus the Falmouth packet Walsingham and found the frigates Penelope, Capt Blackwood ; and Constance, Capt Mudge ; along with the Netley schooner, and prior to departing on 13th the Phaeton, frigate, Capt Morris arrived.

31 Jan 1802 arrived Plymouth Sound from Lord Keith in the Mediterranean, last from Gibraltar in 9 days, and put under quarantine.

9 Feb 1802 arrived in the Downs from Portsmouth and departed for Sheerness.

11 Feb 1802 arrived Sheerness, from Portsmouth, last from the Downs and departed later for the River Thames, the Phaeton, Cleopatra, Heroine and Volage, to be paid off.

Circa 28 Feb 1802 paid off.

Dec 1802 - Jul 1803 refit at Deptford.

25 Jan 1803 the Phaeton, at Deptford, is in dock for repair, and not expected to be ready until April.

Circa 27 Jun 1803 Capt G. Cockburn apptd to the Phaeton.

25 Aug 1803 departed the sheerness for the Downs, and passed through on a cruise.

13 Sep 1803 arrived Spithead from the Downs.

17 Sep 1803 has been appointed to take Mr Merry, Ambassador to America, in the next week or so.

25 Sep 1803 departed Spithead the Phaeton, Capt G. Cockburn, with Mr Merry, Ambassador to America, and Mr Moore, Secretary to the Embassy for New York.

May 1805 East Indies

2-3 Aug 1805 action between the Pha�ton, and Harrier and the French 36-gun frigate S�millante.

21 May 1811 arrived Penang, having departed from Madras roads for the conquest of the Dutch island of Java with a convoy of troop ships, curca 24 Apr.

24 May 1811 Caroline and Pha�ton departed from Penang with their convoy, arriving Malacca 1 Jun, and were joined by the Illustrious : departed for High Island, where they arrived 3 Jul.

3 Aug 1811 Illustrious arrived Chillingching, on the coast of Java and disembarked troops, having been joined by the frigates Modeste, and Bucephalus.

4 Aug 1811 detached with the Akbar, Bucephalus, and Sir-Francis-Drake to blockade the French frigates Nymphe and M�duse in Batavia road.

29 Aug 1811 Sir-Francis-Drake, Pha�ton, and the sloop Dasher with the ships' boats and marines of the Hussar, capture the town and fort of Samanap, Madura, Java.

23 Jul 1812 arrived Deal with a convoy of East Indiamen, now departed for the River.

26 Jul 1812 departed Deal for the River.

2 Dec 1812 departed Plymouth for Portsmouth.

29 Jan 1816 departed Portsmouth for St Helen's.

4 Sep 1816 anchored off Lemon Valley.

16 Oct 1816 remains St. Helena.

10 Jun 1819 departed for St Helena and England.

5 Sep 1819 arrived Portsmouth from the East Indies, and has come into harbour to refit.

26 Dec 1819 Will proceed shortly, from Spithead, to the North American station.

17 Apr 1820 departed Cowes for North America with a number of army officers as passengers.

27 Nov 1821 based on Plymouth.

4 Jan 1822 from Plymouth Sound went into Hamoaze.

18 Feb 1822 arrived Spithead from Plymouth.

12 Mar 1822 departed Spithead on a cruise.

24 Mar 1822 will sail from Spithead for Plymouth, in order to pick up the officers and men of the Spencer, and take them to Chatham, to commission the Bulwark for service as guard ship at Plymouth, the Spencer having been condemned to be broken up.

24 Dec 1822 departed Plymouth Dock with the squadron under Commodore Sir E. Owen, K.C.B., thought to be bound for the West Indies.

13 Feb 1823 Refitting in Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes.

5 May 1823 departed Havannah with the Sybille for three days, and then made sail for Jamaica.

16 Jan 1824 went out of harbour to Spithead, and is to be employed in the Channel.