Author Topic: HMS Ceres/HMS Raven (1777 - 1791)  (Read 1865 times)

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: HMS Ceres/HMS Raven (1777 - 1791)
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2020, 10:41:20 PM »
Restored..
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

Offline stuartwaters

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HMS Ceres/HMS Raven (1777 - 1791)
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2019, 10:25:04 PM »

HMS Ceres was a quarterdeck-built 18 gun ship-rigged sloop of war built at Woolwich Royal Dockyard. Designed by Nicholas Phillips, Master Shipwright in the Sheerness Royal Dockyard, HMS Ceres was a one off, the only vessel built to that design.


The term "Sloop of war" was used to classify an ocean-going warship which carried less than the minimum of 20 guns needed to be included in the Royal Navy's rating system. The quarterdeck-built sloop of war resembled a small frigate in that her gundeck was partially enclosed by a quarterdeck aft and a forecastle. Sloops-of-war like HMS Ceres tended to be commanded by an officer in the position of "Master and Commander", abbreviated to "Commander". It combined the positions of Commanding Officer and Sailing Master. Commander wasn't a formal rank as it is today and an officer in such a position held a substantive rank of Lieutenant. That stated, the Master and Commander would receive a substantially higher salary than a Lieutenant and would also receive the lions share of any prize and head money earned by his vessel and crew. If he was successful, he would be "Posted", or promoted to Captain and would either remain in command of the sloop or would be appointed to a rated vessel. If a war ended and the vessel was paid off, unless he was lucky and well-connected enough to receive another command appointment, the commander would revert to his substantive rank of Lieutenant and receive half-pay accordingly. Sloops-of-war therefore were generally commanded by ambitious, well-connected young men anxious to prove themselves.


The ship was ordered from the Royal Dockyard at Woolwich on 16th July 1774, as the unrest in the American colonies was progressing into a full-scale armed insurrection. She was laid down on 27th May 1776 and was launched on 25th March 1777. The ship was a one-off, built to a design by Nicolas Phillips, then Master Shipwright at Sheerness. By the time she was complete, she had cost £9,344 4s 6d. On completion, she was 108ft long on her main deck and was 27ft 5in wide across the beam. Fully loaded, she was a ship of 361 tons. She was armed with 18 6pdr long guns on her main deck and carried 8 half-pdr swivel guns on her quarterdeck and a further 4 such guns on her forecastle. She carried a crew of 125 men.


HMS Ceres sheer plan and lines:





Her fitting out at Woolwich was supervised by Commander Samuel Warren, but before she sailed for the Leeward Islands, command was passed to Commander James Dacres. The ship arrived in the West Indies in December 1777 and was immediately put to work in the typical duties of a ship-sloop, those of patrolling and running dispatches for the fleet.


On 9th March 1778, HMS Ceres, in company with the 20 gun post-ship HMS Ariadne, captured the American 30 gun merchantman Black Prince. That ship was taken into Royal Navy service and was renamed HMS Alfred. On 18th October 1778, HMS Ceres captured the French privateer Le Tigre.


In December 1778, as the French intervened in the American War of Independence, HMS Ceres was part of the expeditionary force which attacked St Lucia. Despite the arrival of a French force carrying 7000 troops, the island surrendered and was occupied by the British from 15th December.


On 17th December, HMS Ceres encountered the French 32 gun frigate Iphigenie. Outgunned and unable to escape, Commander Dacres had no choice but to strike his colours and surrender his ship to the enemy. Dacres and his crew were taken prisoner by the French and his ship was taken into French service. The ship continued to be known as Ceres and was used in the same role.


Her service in the Maritime Nationale continued until 9th February 1782 when she was recaptured by the British. The ship was taken back into the Royal Navy and was renamed HMS Raven. This was because while the ship was in French service, the Royal Navy had commissioned a new HMS Ceres, a Liverpool-built 32 gun frigate.


By June 1782, HMS Raven had returned to the UK and began a refit at Plymouth. This included sheathing her bottom in copper. In July 1782, she recommissioned under Commander William Domett. He only remained in command for two months in order to oversee the refit and coppering which was completed in September 1782. He was replaced in command of HMS Raven by Commander John Wells. After the refit was complete, the ship joined the Channel Fleet and resumed her former role of patrolling and running dispatches for the fleet. Her small size meant that she could patrol close inshore and keep a watch on the French in their ports. This was risky work since ships could be surprised by the enemy with little or no warning. This, unfortunately, is what happened to HMS Raven on 7th January 1783, when she was surprised by two much more powerful French frigates, the 36 gun La Nymphe and the 32 gun La Concorde. Once again, the ship found herself surrendering to the enemy and Commander Wells and his crew were taken into captivity until the end of the war later that year.


Once in French service again, the ship was renamed, back to her former name Ceres. The ship remained in French naval service until 1791, when she was sold at Brest.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.