 Lizard was built to the same design asHMS Carysfort (pictured) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg) Great Britain | |
| Name | HMSLizard |
| Ordered | 13 April 1756 |
| Builder | Henry Bird, Globe Stairs,Rotherhithe |
| Laid down | 5 May 1756 |
| Launched | 7 April 1757 |
| Completed | 1 June 1757 at Deptford Dockyard |
| Commissioned | March 1757 |
| Honours & awards |
|
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | 28-gunCoventry-classsixth-ratefrigate |
| Tons burthen | 59487⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 33 ft 11 in (10.3 m) |
| Depth of hold | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 200 |
| Armament |
|
HMSLizard was a 28-gunCoventry-classsixth-ratefrigate of theRoyal Navy, in service from 1757 to 1828. Named afterthe Lizard, apeninsula in southernCornwall, she was a broad-beamed and sturdy vessel designed for lengthy periods at sea. Her crewing complement was 200 and, when fully equipped, she was armed with 24nine-pounder cannons, supported by four three-pounders and twelve1⁄2-pounderswivel guns. Despite her sturdy build, she was plagued with maintenance problems and had to be repeatedly removed from service for repair.
Lizard saw active service between 1757 and 1793, during British involvement in theSeven Years' War, theAmerican Revolutionary War and theFrench Revolutionary War. She assisted in major naval operations in the Caribbean and North America, including the British capture ofQuebec City andMontreal, theSiege of Havana and theBattle of St Kitts. She also secured a total of nine victories at sea over enemy vessels, principally French privateers in action in American and European waters.
Removed from active service in 1794,Lizard was eventually refitted as ahospital ship and assigned to a berth nearBurntwick Island where she received merchant seamen suspected of suffering from diseases includingyellow fever andbubonic plague. What had been intended as a temporary assignment continued for 28 years, withLizard eventually becoming the last of theCoventry-class vessels still in operation. She was removed from service, 71 years after her launch, and was sold for scrap atDeptford Dockyard in September 1828.
Lizard was an oak-built 28-gunsixth rate, one of 18 vessels forming part of theCoventry class offrigates. As with others in her class she was loosely modeled on the design and external dimensions ofHMS Tartar, launched in 1756 and responsible for capturing five French privateers in her first twelve months at sea.[1] The Admiralty Order to build theCoventry-class vessels was made after the outbreak of theSeven Years' War, and at a time in which theRoyal Dockyards were fully engaged in constructing orfitting-out the Navy'sships of the line. Consequently, despiteNavy Board misgivings about reliability and cost, contracts for all but one ofCoventry-class vessels were issued to private shipyards with an emphasis on rapid completion of the task.[2]
Contracts forLizard's construction were issued on 13 April 1756 toshipwright Henry Bird of Globe Stairs,Rotherhithe. It was stipulated that work should be completed within twelve months for a 28-gun vessel measuring approximately 590 tons burthen. Subject to satisfactory completion, Bird would receive a fee of £9.9s per ton to be paid through periodicimprests drawn against the Navy Board.[3][4][a] Private shipyards were not subject to rigorous naval oversight, and the Admiralty therefore granted authority for "such alterations withinboard as shall be judged necessary" in order to cater for the preferences or ability of individual shipwrights, and for experimentation with internal design.[1][2]
Lizard'skeel was laid down on 5 May 1756, and work proceeded swiftly with the fully built vessel ready for launch by April 1757, well within the stipulated time. In final construction the vessel's hull was slightly larger than contracted, at 594 87⁄94 tons, being 118 ft 8 in (36.2 m) long with a 97 ft 3 in (29.6 m) keel, abeam of 33 ft 11 in (10.34 m), and ahold depth of 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m). These minor variations in dimensions did not affect final settlement of the contract, with Bird receiving the full amount of £5,540.14s for his shipyard's work.[1]
The vessel was named afterthe Lizard, apeninsula in southernCornwall that was a maritime landmark for vessels passing along theEnglish Channel. In selecting her name the Board ofAdmiralty continued a tradition dating to 1644 of using geographic features for ship names; overall, ten of the nineteenCoventry-class vessels were named after well-known regions, rivers or towns.[5][6] With few exceptions the remainder of the class were named after figures fromclassical antiquity, following a more modern trend initiated in 1748 byJohn Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich in his capacity asFirst Lord of the Admiralty.[5][6][b]
Lizard's designated complement was 200, comprising twocommissioned officers – acaptain and alieutenant – overseeing 40warrant andpetty officers, 91naval ratings, 38Marines and 29 servants and other ranks.[8][c] Among these other ranks were four positions reserved forwidow's men – fictitious crew members whose pay was intended to be reallocated to the families of sailors who died at sea.[8] Armament comprised 24nine-pounder cannons located along her gun deck, supported by four three-pounder cannons on thequarterdeck and twelve1⁄2-pounderswivel guns ranged along her sides.[1]
In sailing qualitiesLizard was broadly comparable with French frigates of equivalent size, but with a shorter and sturdier hull and greater weight in herbroadside guns. She was also comparatively broad-beamed with ample space for provisions and theship's mess, and incorporating a largemagazine forpowder andround shot.[d] Taken together, these characteristics aimed to enableLizard totack andwear more reliably than her French equivalents,[10] and to remain at sea for longer periods without resupply.[9][11] She was built with broad and heavy masts which balanced the weight of her hull, improved stability in rough weather and allowed her to carry a greater quantity of sail. The disadvantages of this heavy design were an overall decline in manoeuvrability and slower speed when sailing in light winds.[12]
The frigate was plagued with construction and maintenance difficulties throughout her seagoing career, requiring seven major repairs or refits between 1769 and 1793.[1][e] Private shipyards such as Henry Bird's used thinner hull planking than did the Royal Dockyards, producing less robust vessels which further decreased in seaworthiness after every major repair.[13] Privately built vessels during the Seven Years' War were also hampered by the unavailability of seasoned oak, as the Royal Navy's supply was preferentially allocated toships of the line. Smaller vessels such asLizard were therefore routinely repaired with unseasoned timber which could warp as it dried, causing cracks in decks and gun ports and leaks along the hull.[14][15]
Lizard wascommissioned by CaptainVincent Pearce in March 1757, while still under construction at Rotherhithe. She was launched on 7 April and sailed toDeptford Dockyard for fitting-out and to take on armament and crew. This was completed by 1 June andLizard immediately put to sea to join a small squadron under the command of AdmiralSamuel Cornish off the southwest coast of Cornwall.[1] Britain had been at war with the French for more than a year, and Royal Navy vessels in waters surrounding England were routinely deployed to escort merchant fleets and hunt Frenchprivateers.[16] It was in this second capacity thatLizard secured her first victories at sea, with the capture on 12 July 1757 of a 6-gun French privateerL'Hiver, and the recapture of a Britishmerchantman loaded with rum and sugar which the French vessel had in tow. With assistance from members ofLizard's crew, both captured craft were sent in to the Irish port ofKinsale asprizes.[17]
The frigate was reassigned in 1758 to a squadron under the command of AdmiralGeorge Anson, which was blockading the French seaport ofBrest.[1][18] Anson had directed that the 74-gun ship of the lineHMS Shrewsbury maintain a position close to the Brest shoreline in order to observe the French fleet.Lizard was sent in support, accompanied by the 20-gun sixth-rateHMS Unicorn. On 12 September the three Royal Navy vessels were in position when their crews observed an approaching convoy of Frenchcoasters, escorted by the frigatesCalypso andThetis. The French sought to reach Brest without battle, by sailing very close to land to take advantage of their shallow draft. BothLizard andUnicorn moved toward the French withLizard successfully interposing herself between the coasters and their escorting frigates.[18] The French frigateCalypso attempted to manoeuvre aroundLizard but ran aground and was wrecked on the shore. The coasters then scattered, with many forced seaward where they were captured or destroyed by the British. Following this successful actionLizard andUnicorn returned to their station alongsideShrewsbury in close observation of Brest. A further victory was secured on 2 October whenLizard pursued and capturedDuc d'Hanovre', a 14-gun French privateer.[1][18]
Captain James Doake took command ofLizard in mid-October 1758, bringing Admiralty orders reassigning the vessel to North American waters in support of a planned invasion ofQuébec in 1759. The winter idled by as the invasion force was assembled, until on 17 February 1759 theLizard departedSpithead forHalifax, Nova Scotia, accompanied by other Royal Navy vessels. On arrival in Nova Scotia, she joined the combined British fleet of 52 naval vessels and 140 transports, under the overall command of Vice-AdmiralCharles Saunders.[19] On 23 June the fleet passedL'Isle-aux-Coudres on theSt Lawrence River, and three days later had anchored before the French stronghold ofQuebec City. There were few French vessels at Quebec City, and little useful work for frigates such asLizard, though her sister vesselTrent was able to bombard and destroy anartillery battery on the shoreline.[20]Lizard remained below Quebec throughout July and August while other parts of Saunders' fleet reconnoitred and captured the river above the town. On 12 SeptemberLizard's marines were part of a landing below the town as a feint to distract from the real British landing by forces under GeneralJames Wolfe, on thePlains of Abraham upstream.[21] Wolfe's assault was successful, and Quebec City was surrendered on 17 September.[22]Lizard then returned to England with the majority of the fleet.[1][21]
The British campaign in Québec continued in early 1760 with plans for an assault onMontreal. After wintering at Portsmouth,Lizard was back in North American waters by February as reinforcement for a British squadron on the St Lawrence River.[1][23] After the fall of Montreal in September she was reassigned to Britain'sLeeward Islands Station as a privateer hunter and as protection for merchant convoys.[24] The British had set their sights on the French Caribbean stronghold ofMartinique, withSecretary of State for the Southern Department, SirWilliam Pitt, directing that all available resources be committed to its invasion. An army of 13,000 troops was assembled, supported by a fleet under AdmiralGeorge Rodney.[25]Lizard's armament was increased to 32 guns, and she was added to Rodney's sizeable command which sailed as part of theexpedition in January 1762.[1][26] She was present when the British landings commenced, and her crew were among those entitled to a formal share of plunder from the French settlement ofFort Royal when this was distributed by Admiralty in 1764.[1][27]
Lizard then returned to the Leeward Islands to accompany an expected British assault onHavana, Spain's Caribbean capital.[1] In May 1762 a British fleet of around 200 vessels was assembled under AdmiralGeorge Pocock to begin the siege.Lizard joined Pocock's fleet in June, and was designated as the flagship of CommodoreJames Douglas.[28] At around this time James Doake resignedLizard's command and was replaced aboard by Captain Francis Banks.[28] Havana fell to the British at the end of July, and by AugustLizard was released from the fleet.[1] War with France and Spain concluded with the signing of theTreaty of Paris in March 1763.Lizard was declared surplus to Navy requirements, and returned to Portsmouth Dockyard in June to bepaid off.[1]
The frigate was left at anchor for the next six years. A naval survey in 1769 found her unseaworthy and in need of extensive repair. Reconstruction and refitting took 16 months to complete and cost £8,211.16, which was significantly more than the vessel's original construction expense.[1]
On 10 June 1770, a Spanish expedition expelled the British colony atPort Egmont in theFalkland Islands, giving Spain control of the entire British colony. Admiralty ordered a mobilisation of available Navy vessels to escort a British relief expedition to the Falklands.Lizard was one vessel available for this purpose, and she was recommissioned in October 1770 under CaptainCharles Inglis for Falklands service.[1] However her departure from Portsmouth was delayed for further repairs. She was still fitting out at Portsmouth in January 1771 when a treaty between Britain and Spain brought the Falklands dispute to a close.[29]
No longer required for Falklands duty,Lizard made an uneventful return voyage toGibraltar in June 1771, and then remained at Portsmouth until September when she was assigned to patrol and privateer-hunting along the North American coastline.[30][1] After three years at this station she returned to England to be paid off and her crew dispersed.[1]
Lizard was refitted for active service in June 1775, following the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War. Recommissioned under CaptainJohn Hamilton, she was again assigned to service along the St Lawrence River, on the same station that she had occupied in the previous war in 1759.[1] Command was passed to CaptainThomas Mackenzie in June 1776. Six months later, on 4 DecemberLizard encountered and captured the American privateerPutnam. She sailed again for England in early 1777 and was refitted and repaired atPlymouth Dockyard before returning to North American waters for the final time.
On 13 January 1778Lizard captured the brigAnn offStono Inlet, North Carolina.[31] On 21 January, in company withHMS Perseus andHMS Carysfort she captured the French shipBourbon offEdisto Island, South Carolina.[32] Six days later she andCarysfort also seized the French brig 'Flambeau" 19 miles off Charles Town, South Carolina.[33] On 28 January she and HMS Carysfort captured French sloopNotre Dame des Charmes 19 miles off Charles Town, South Carolina.[34] On 1 February, 1778 she and HMS Carysfort captured Dutch brig 'Batavear" off the mouth of theSantee River, South Carolina.[35] On 24 February, 1778 she captured French ship "Glanure" 5-6 Leagues off Charles Town.[36] Further refits were conducted atChatham Dockyard from February to May 1779 and from February to April 1780. These included thecopper sheathing of her hull to protect the timbers fromshipworm. Mackenzie was replaced in command by Captain Francis Parry, andLizard was thereafter assigned to service in theEnglish Channel where, on 18 May 1780, she captured the enemy cutterJackal.[1]
In 1781 Captain Parry was promoted to command of the 44-gunActaeon, and was replaced aboardLizard by Captain Edmund Dod. The frigate was assigned to protect aconvoy of merchant vessels sailing for theWest Indies, departing from England in March.[37] On arrival in April,Lizard was formally added to the Navy'sLeeward Islands Station and took up her post in the waters offMartinique andJamaica. In January 1782 she was assigned to a fleet under Admiral SirSamuel Hood, which had sailed to the relief of the besieged British settlement onSaint Kitts. Whileen route to Saint Kitts at the head of Hood's fleet,Lizard encountered and captured the 16-gun Frenchcutterl'Espion, laden with a cargo of artillery shells and other ammunition. The French vessel was taken as aprize.[38]
Lizard returned to the Leeward Islands following the relief of St. Kitts.peace negotiations with France from 1782 were accompanied by a decline in naval activity, leaving the frigate surplus to Admiralty's needs. In September 1782, she returned to Britain where she was decommissioned and her crewpaid off for transfer to other vessels.[1]
Lizard remained at anchor on theRiver Thames for six years, undergoing desultory repairs to maintain her seaworthiness. Civil unrest in France in early 1790 encouraged Admiralty to increase the number of vessels in active service, andLizard was among those selected for a return to sea. She was refitted at the privately ownedBlackwall Yard from May to August 1790 and recommissioned under CaptainJohn Hutt in early September.[1]
In preparation for war, the frigate spent eight months as areceiving ship for sailors seized by apress gang for compulsory naval service. On returning toSpithead in June 1791 she was joined to a squadron of six ships of the line under the overall command of Admiral Hood, which was sailing forJamaica with two regiments of theColdstream Guards.[39][40] The voyage proceeded without incident, andLizard returned to Britain in September 1791 via the Scottish port ofLeith, where her crew were discharged.[1][41] Refitted atPortsmouth Dockyard, she was returned to sea in December 1792 for service during theWar of the First Coalition against France. Under CaptainThomas Williams, the frigate was assigned to privateer hunting in theNorth Sea. In March 1793 she secured three successive victories, capturing the French privateersLes Trois Amis,Las Vaillant Custine and the 8-gunLe Sans-Cullotte, each of which was sent back to British ports as prize vessels. Despite these successes, the forty-year-old vessel was reaching the end of her seagoing career; after one final year in the North Sea she was returned to Portsmouth in May 1794 and permanently removed from active military roles.[1]
"...two or three old Men of War that will serve as hulks to be fitted up as Lazarettes ... and one of smaller dimensions[Lizard] to be fitted up as an Hospital for the reception of the sick if any such be found on board, (as well as) ... an able medical person... to examine into the health of the crews and other persons on board ships arriving from the Levant."
The ageing vessel lay unused at Portsmouth for the next five years. In 1797 she was placed under the nominal command of Lieutenant John Buller, who was relieved by Lieutenant James Macfarland in the following year.[1] Under Macfarland's command in 1799,Lizard was brought toChatham Dockyard for internal modifications to convert her into ahospital ship.[43] These works coincided with public fears thatyellow fever andbubonic plague could be brought to Britain via vessels from the eastern Mediterranean.[42] On completion of the fitout in 1800Lizard was sailed to Stangate Creek, nearBurntwick Island inKent, to care for sick seafarers discharged from quarantined merchantmen.[42] She was accompanied by two largely derelict Navy vessels –Valiant andDuke – which were refitted as floatinglazarettes.[43][44]
Lizard's hospital ship assignment was intended to be temporary, pending construction of a permanent quarantine station atop the nearby Chetney Hill. However work on this facility was abandoned in 1810 for cost reasons and because the land surrounding the site was swampy and itself a centre for disease.[45]Valiant was returned to sea in 1803, butLizard andDuke remained at Stangate Creek for the next 28 years, catering for patients transferred from vessels under quarantine at other ports.[44][1] The decrepitLizard was finally removed from Navy service in 1828 and towed toSheerness Dockyard for decommissioning. On 22 September 1828 she was sold into private hands for the sum of £810.[1]