British Sixth Rate frigate 'Mercury' (1779)

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Mercury	5363
Nominal Guns	28	BWAS-1714
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	22.1.1778	BWAS-1714
Keel Laid Down	25.3.1778	BWAS-1714
Launched	9.12.1779	BWAS-1714
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1714
Shipyard	King and Queen Dock - Rotherhithe	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Enterprise Class (1771)	BWAS-1714
Designed by	John WilliamsBritish Designer Ship Builder Service 1762-1784	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Peter Everitt MestaerBritish Ship Owner Ship Builder Service 1800-1801	BWAS-1714
Category	Sixth Rate	BWAS-1714
Ship Type	Frigate	BWAS-1714
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1714
Broken Up	1.1814	BWAS-1714

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1714
Length of Gundeck120' 9 ¾"Imperial Feet36.5951
Length of Keel99' 10 ½"Imperial Feet30.1879
Breadth33' 9"Imperial Feet10.1346
Depth in Hold11' 0 ½"Imperial Feet3.3655
Burthen605 ¹²⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

9.12.1779Broadside Weight = 177 Imperial Pound ( 80.2698 kg)BWAS-1714
Upper Gun Deck24 British 9-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck12 British 1/2-Pound Swivel
Quarterdeck4 British 18-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck4 British 6-Pounder
Forecastle2 British 18-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
3.1.1771200Design Complement

16 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
27.10.1779 - 1.1.1780Captain Transfered ADM 6/22/41ADM 1041.1.1780 - 16.5.1782Captain ADM 6/22/74BWAS-171424.5.1782 - 24.9.1782Captain Transfered ADM 6/22/472BWAS-171424.9.1782 - 10.4.1783Captain ADM 6/22/520BWAS-171410.4.1783 - 11.7.1786Captain ADM 6/23/47ADM 6/2323.5.1788 - 6.5.1791Captain ADM 6/23/463BWAS-171410.1795 - 4.1797CaptainBWAS-17144.1797 - 1801CaptainBWAS-17141.4.1803 - 8.1805CaptainBWAS-17148.1805 - 6.1807CaptainBWAS-17146.1807 - 11.1808CaptainBWAS-171411.1808 - 3.1810CaptainBWAS-17145.1810 - 6.1810LieutenantBWAS-17146.1810 - 11.1811CommanderBWAS-171411.1811 - 8.1813CommanderBWAS-17148.1813 - 1814CommanderBWAS-1714

7 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
19.4.1783 - 21.4.1785Second Lieutenant ADM 6/23/52ADM 6/2321.4.1783 - 11.7.1786First Lieutenant ADM 6/23/53ADM 6/2321.4.1785 - 11.7.1786Second Lieutenant ADM 6/23/332
Issued by , Nova Scotia - Canada - Saint Lawrence & Nova Scotia
Confirmed 8.5.1786ADM 6/239.1.1791 - 8.8.1791Acting Lieutenant Transfered ADM 6/24/186NBD18491798 - 11.9.1798Lieutenant†TNC1809LieutenantTRN51809LieutenantTRN5

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
22.8.1805 - 16.3.1806MasterADM 29-1

2 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
12.7.1803 - 1804MidshipmanNBD184910.1809 - 3.1810MidshipmanNBD1849

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
1.4.1800 - 6.18031st Class VolunteerNBD18499.5.1803 - 12.7.18031st Class VolunteerNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
9.12.1779building at Rotherhithe - London - Surrey at a cost of £6805.7.0dBWAS-1714
9.12.1779Began fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
24.2.1780Completed fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford at a cost of £6797.19.0dBWAS-1714
6.4.1780Sailed for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
12.1782Paid offBWAS-1714
4.1783RecommissionedBWAS-1714
27.6.1783Sailed for Nova ScotiaBWAS-1714
11.7.1786

Paid off

BWAS-1714
8.1787Began small repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
1.1788Completed small repair at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £5361.0.0dBWAS-1714
5.1788RecommissionedBWAS-1714
5.1788Began fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich BWAS-1714
7.1788Completed fitting at Woolwich Dockyard - Woolwich at a cost of £3463.0.0dBWAS-1714
12.9.1788Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
6.5.1791

Paid off

ADM 51
7.1795Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
10.1795RecommissionedBWAS-1714
2.1796Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £6151.0.0dBWAS-1714
1798On the Lisbon StationBWAS-1714
5.1.1798Took the Privateer on the Lisbon Station
15.1.1798Took the Brig on the Lisbon Station
17.1.1798Took the Brig
25.1.1798Took the Privateer on the Lisbon Stationref:692
6.1798Sailed to NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
2.1799Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1714
5.1799Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £6973.0.0dBWAS-1714
6.1799Sailed to NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
5.2.1800Took the Privateer off the Isle of Wight
5.5.1800Sailed to the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
31.7.1800Arrived off AlexandriaBWAS-1714
20.1.1801Took the Corvette in the Mediterranean
27.6.1801Took the Privateer by boat off Venice
4.1803Refitted as a 28 gun Sixth Rate Floating Battery
5.1803fitting at Deptford Dockyard - Deptford BWAS-1714
4.2.1805Took the Unrated
12.5.1806Sailed for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
9.1807Sailed with a convoy for NewfoundlandBWAS-1714
6.3.1808Sailed for the MediterraneanBWAS-1714
4.4.1808Action off Rota
4.5.1808In action with gunboats off CadizBWAS-1714
1.4.1809The boats of the Mercury, under Lieutenant , rowed into the port of Rovigno under a heavy fire, and boarded and carried the French gunboat Leda, with a loss of 5 killed and woundedTRN5
1.4.1809Took the Gunboat port of Rovigno
23.4.1809Bombardment of Pesaro
2.5.1809In company with , landed men at Cesenatico, seized the town and captured twelve coasters without lossTRN5
15.5.1809A party under Lieutenant , destroyed seven coasters in the Italian harbour of RodiTRN5
7.9.1809Took the Schooner cut out from Barletta
3.1810Paid offBWAS-1714
5.1810RecommissionedBWAS-1714
5.1810Refitted as a 16 gun Unrated Troop Ship
1811On the Lisbon StationBWAS-1714
11.1811Commissioned for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
8.1813Commissioned in the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1714
1.1814Broken up at WoolwichBWAS-1714

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 16th of July 2026 11:40

Prize Money: Mercury – On Friday next, by Noble, Pinson, and Son, of Dartmouth, for the capture of the French privateer Le Pegasse, and the recapture of the Swedish ship, Justina Sophia. [Hampshire Telegraph, 25 May 1801]

Posted by Johnathan Bull on Monday 21st of April 2025 06:20

I have her in Jersey in Dec 1803, mentioned a few times in HMS Severns logs.

Posted by Tim Oakley on Saturday 25th of December 2021 09:40

25 May 1801 captured a small vessel just out of Ancona, and attempted to re-capture the late British bomb-vessel Bulldog the names of the men killed and wounded were: John Gray, seaman; Morgan Davis, marine, killed. Wm. Haines, Thomas Guillain, Wm. Morris, Henry Mew, wounded. The Bulldog was subsequently recaptured in Sep 1801

Posted by Tim Oakley on Saturday 25th of December 2021 04:53

5 Apr 1800 a court martial was held on board the Gladiator, on Mr. John Hopgood, Boatswain of the Mercury, for absenting himself without leave. Having been found guilty he was sentenced to be dismissed from his present post and to serve in the Navy as the Lords of the Admiralty shall direct.

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