HMS Ambuscade (1773) explained

HMS Ambuscade was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built in the Grove Street shipyard of Adams & Barnard at Deptford in 1773. The French captured her in 1798 but the British recaptured her in 1803. She was broken up in 1810.

American Revolution

Sometime in June, 177 she captured the sloops 2 Brothers and Succsess in Massachusetts Bay. On 3 June she captured Swallow in Casco Bay, Massachusetts.^[1] On 18 June, 1777 she captured Hope in Boston Bay.^[2] Sometime in September, 1777 she recaptured Restoration in Boston Bay.^[3] On 1 October, 1777 she captured S. W. Erskine.^[4] On 19 May 1778 she recaptured the brig Mary.^[5] On 31 May 1778 she captured the American brig Charming Sally near Cape Sambro.^[6]

On 22 June 1779, after a short action, Ambuscade captured the French brig Hélene, which was the former Royal Navy 14-gun sloop . The Royal Navy took her back into service under her original name. Six days later Ambuscade captured the French privateer Prince de Montbray. The privateer was possibly out of Granville and under the command of Captain Boisnard-Maisonneuve.

captured the private man of war Américaine on 26 January 1781. She was armed with 32 guns and carried a crew of 245. Ambuscade shared in the proceeds of the capture.

French Revolutionary Wars

Circa June 1797, in the Caribbean, Ambuscade captured the 32-ton, 3-gun privateer cutter Buonaparte, from Saint-Malo. She had a crew of 32 men under Captain F. Roussel.

In August 1798 Ambuscade, commanded by Captain Henry Jenkins,^[7] with and the hired armed cutter captured the chasse maree Francine . Then Ambuscade shared with and Stag, in the capture on 20 November of the Hirondelle.On 13 December 1798, Ambuscade captured a French merchantman, Faucon, with a cargo of sugar and coffee bound for Bordeaux.^[8]

Disaster struck the following day. Ambuscade was blockading Rochefort, when the smaller French corvette captured her at the action of 14 December 1798. The court martial exonerated Captain Henry Jenkins of Ambuscade, though a good case could be made that he exhibited poor leadership and ship handling.^[9] The French brought her into service as Embuscade.

Napoleonic Wars

On 28 May 1803, recaptured her. She had a crew of 187 men under the command of capitaine de vaisseau Fradin, and was 30 days out of Cap Francais, bound for Rochefort. The Royal Navy took her back into service as Ambuscade.

In March 1805, she was attached to Sir James Craig's military expedition to Italy. Along with, Craig's flagship, and, Ambuscade escorted a fleet of transports to Malta.^[10]

On 4 March 1807, Ambuscade captured the ship Istria. Unité,, and (or Weazle) were in company and shared in the prize money.

Fate

Ambuscade was broken up in 1810.

References

• Book: Demerliac, Alain . La marine de Louis XVI : nomenclature des navires français de 1774 à 1792 . Omega . 1996 . 1254967392 . fr .
• Book: Demerliac, Alain . La Marine de la Révolution: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1792 à 1799 . 1999 . Éditions Ancre . French . 9782906381247 . 492783890 .
• Book: Hepper, David J.. 1994. British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859. Jean Boudriot. Rotherfield. 0-948864-30-3.
• The Monthly Register of Naval Events . The Naval Chronicle . 1 . Cambridge University Press (reprint). United Kingdom . 2010. 700504496 .
• Book: Otto von Pivka . Navies of the Napoleonic Era . David & Charles . 1980 . 0-7153-7767-1.
• Wareham, Tom (2001) The star captains: frigate command in the Napoleonic Wars. (Annapolis, Md. Naval Inst. Press).
• Michael Phillips' ships of the old Navy
• Naval history of Great Britain, by William James

Notes and References

1. Web site: Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 . U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio . 27 September 2023.
2. Web site: Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 . U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio . 27 September 2023.
3. Web site: Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 . U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio . 12 October 2023.
4. Web site: Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 . U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio . 27 September 2023.
5. Web site: NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution . history.navy.mil . 24 October 2021.
6. Web site: NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution . history.navy.mil . 7 November 2021.
7. Wareham (2001), p. 137.
8. Correspondence, Lord Bridport to Evan Nepean, 22 December 1798. Cited in Naval Chronicle Vol. 1, 1799, p. 77
9. Hepper (1994), p. 89.
10. von Pivka, Navies.