HMS Siren (1773)
_(1773);_Fox_(1773);_Enterprize_(1773)_(alternative_spelling-_Enterprise);_Surprize_(1774)_RMG_J6308.png) Siren, a 28-gun, sixth-rate frigate, as built by Henri at Chatham[1]
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Siren |
| Ordered | 25 December 1770 |
| Builder | John Henniker & Co, Chatham |
| Laid down | April 1771 |
| Launched | 2 November 1773 |
| Completed | 5 October 1775 at Chatham Dockyard |
| Commissioned | August 1775 |
| Fate | Grounded and abandoned under fire, 6 November 1777 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen | 603 40⁄94 bm |
| Length |
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| Beam | 33 ft 9 in (10.3 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 200 officers and men |
| Armament |
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HMS Siren (or Syren[Note 1]) was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Siren was first commissioned in August 1775 under the command of Captain Tobias Furneaux, her only commanding officer.
Service
[edit]She took part in the Battle of the Rice Boats on 2–3 March 1776 on the border between the Province of Georgia and the Province of South Carolina and in the Battle of Sullivan's Island of 28 June 1776 upon Charleston, South Carolina. On 5 June 1777 she captured Jammy off Cape Sambro. Sometime in September 1777 she captured Batchelor off Block Island and sometime in the 1st week of November she captured Success also off Block Island.[2]
Fate
[edit]Siren, escorting a convoy in poor visibility, ran aground at about 6:00 am on 6 November 1777 near Point Judith, along with two other ships. Efforts were made to bring her off, but American forces ashore brought up field artillery and prevented salvage operations. Siren was abandoned with the loss of 2 killed and 5 wounded.[3] [4][Note 2]
Post script
[edit]The sloop Mary Ann, which had a diving machine, arrived at Newport, Rhode Island on 24 July 1815. She had retrieved Syren's best bower anchor and a quantity of iron knees.[6]
Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ "Syren/Siren (1773) | Royal Museums Greenwich".
- ^ "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ David J. Hepper (1994). British warship losses in the age of sail, 1650-1859. Jean Boudriot. ISBN 978-0-948864-30-8.
- ^ a b Winfield (2007)
- ^ Robert F. Marx (1987). Shipwrecks in the Americas. Courier Dover Publications. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-486-25514-9.
- ^ 5 August 1815, Providence Patriot, Columbian Phenix (Providence, RI, United States), Volume: 13, Issue: 30.
Bibliography
[edit]- Robert Gardiner, The First Frigates, Conway Maritime Press, London 1992. ISBN 0-85177-601-9.
- David Lyon, The Sailing Navy List, Conway Maritime Press, London 1993. ISBN 0-85177-617-5.
- Rif Winfield, British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1714 to 1792, Seaforth Publishing, London 2007. ISBN 978-1-84415-700-6.
External links
[edit]
Media related to HMS Siren (ship, 1773) at Wikimedia Commons
