View source for HMS Astraea (1810)

{{Short description|Apollo-class frigate of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Astraea}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
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|Ship name=HMS ''Astrea''
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|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]] 1851
|Ship honours=[[Naval General Service Medal (1847)|Naval General Service Medal]] with clasp "Off Tamatave 20 May 1811"<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20939|page=244|date=26 January 1849}}</ref>
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[[File:EURYALUS 1803 RMG J5673.jpg|thumb|Plan of an ''Apollo-class frigate'' dated 1803]]
'''HMS ''Astraea''''' (frequently spelled '''HMS ''Astrea''''') was a [[Royal Navy]] 36-gun [[fifth rate]] {{sclass|Apollo|frigate|0}} [[Sailing frigate|frigate]], [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]]- in 1810 at [[Northam, Southampton|Northam]]. She participated in the [[Battle of Tamatave]] and in an inconclusive single-ship action with the French frigate {{ship|French frigate|Etoile||2}}. ''Astrea'' was broken up in 1851.

==Indian Ocean==
''Astraea''{{'}}s first deployment was to the [[Cape of Good Hope]] under Captain [[Charles Marsh Schomberg]]. Shortly after his arrival, Schomberg was ordered to join the [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] of Captain [[Philip Beaver]] on the newly captured [[Mauritius]]. When Beaver sailed for the [[Seychelles]] in March 1811, the command of the naval forces on the island devolved to Schomberg.

On 6 May 1811, a French squadron of frigates under the command of Commodore [[François Roquebert]] in ''[[HMS Java (1811)|Renommée]]'' approached [[Grand Port]], not realizing that [[Isle de France (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] (now Mauritius) had fallen to the British. A squadron under [[James Hillyar]] chased them off. They also escaped an encounter with squadron under Captain Schomberg.<ref name=LG16540/>

Schomberg took command of Hillyar's squadron and pursued the French to [[Tamatave]] on [[Madagascar]]. Between 7 and 9 May the frigates {{HMS|Galatea|1810|2}} and {{HMS|Phoebe|1795|2}}, under [[James Hillyar]], and the [[brig-sloop]] {{HMS|Racehorse|1806|2}}, sighted the French 40-gun frigates ''Renommée'', {{ship|French frigate|Clorinde|1808|2}} and ''Néréide'' off the Isle de France, whilst ''Astraea'' was lying in [[Port Louis]].<ref name=LG16540/>

[[File:Battle of tamatave.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Battle of Tamatave (Action of 20 May 1811)]]
On 14 May ''Astraea'', ''Phoebe'', ''Galatea'', and ''Racehorse'' sailed from Port Louis for Tamatave, Madagascar and arrived on 20 May. The British squadron sighted the French squadron and made chase. A severe engagement, the [[Battle of Tamatave]], ensued. During the battle, ''Renommée'' and ''Clorinde'' badly battered ''Galatea'', with the result that she lost 16 men killed and 46 wounded – the largest number of casualties of any vessel in the squadron.<ref name=LG16540>{{London Gazette|pages=2185–2192|issue=16540|date=12 November 1811}}</ref> ''Astraea'' too was heavily engaged and the British captured ''Renommée''. Roquebert had sacrificed his [[flagship]] and ultimately his life to allow the frigates ''Clorinde'' and the badly damaged ''Néréide'' to escape. ''Astrea'' lost two men killed and 16 men wounded. In 1847 the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] authorized the award of the [[Naval General Service Medal (1847)|Naval General Service Medal]] with clasp "Off Tamatave 20 May 1811" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Five days later, Schomberg's squadron rediscovered ''Néréide'' at Tamatave. The British persuaded the town's commander to surrender the town and ''Néréide'' without any further fight.<ref name=LG16540/> The British took ''Néréide'' as {{HMS|Madagascar|1811|2}}. The battle was the last action of the Mauritius campaign.

On 19 September she and ''Racehorse'' captured the French slaver [[brig]] ''Eclair''.{{efn|A first-class share of the bounty money for the slaves was worth [[£sd|£]]154 9[[shilling|s]] 9[[pence|d]]; a sixth-class share, that of an ordinary seaman, was worth £1 2s 8d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17071|page=2109|date=17 October 1815}}</ref> A first-class share of a subsequent payment for the hull and stores was worth £105 7s 6d; a sixth-class share was worth 15s 5½d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17748|page=1908|date=22 September 1821}}</ref>}}

After Beaver died in April 1813, Schomberg moved to Beaver's flagship, {{HMS|Nisus|1810|6}}. Captain John Eveleigh then took command of ''Astraea''.

==''Astrea'' vs. ''Etoile''==
{{main|Battle of Maio}}

In early 1814 ''Astrea'' was in company with {{HMS|Creole|1813|2}}, which was under the command of Captain George Charles Mackenzie, who was Eveleigh's senior. The two frigates sailed for the [[Cape Verde Islands]]; they reached [[Maio, Cape Verde|Maio]] early on 23 January 1814.<ref name=James6>James (1837), Vol. 6, p. 261-264.</ref>

Off the Cape Verde Islands they encountered two frigates and two merchant ships, one a [[brigantine]] and the other a [[schooner]], all at anchor. The French frigates did not respond to the Portuguese and Spanish flags that the British set and instead set sail as the British frigates approached; the British frigates then pursued them. ''Astrea'' had problems with her sails so ''Creole'' pulled ahead. She exchanged some shots and eventually four broadsides with the rearmost French frigate, which would turn out to be ''Sultane''. ''Astraea'' then sailed between ''Creole'' and her opponent, coming alongside the French frigate. Two broadsides from ''Astrea'' then temporarily silenced the French frigate as fires aboard ''Creole'' took her out of the action for a while. She re-engaged ''Sultane'', but then disengaged and sailed towards [[Santiago, Cape Verde|Santiago]].<ref name=James6/>

''Astraea'' went ahead in pursuit of the first French frigate, which turned out to be the ''Etoile''. ''Astraea'' exchanged a broadside and then crossed ''Etoile{{'}}''s bow and raked her. At this moment a shot took away ''Astraea''{{'}}s wheel and killed both quartermasters, causing ''Astraea'' to lose direction and momentum. Now the situation reversed, with French guns nearly touching ''Astraea''{{'}}s taffrail. She received broadsides that tore away her lower rigging, scarred her deck and destroyed one of her carronades. However, she suffered no damage forward. ''Astrea'' was able to get starboard to starboard with her opponent. The two vessels exchanged broadsides at close range for two hours until ''Etoile'' sailed off. During the engagement a pistol shot hit Eveleigh below the heart, mortally wounding him. ''Sultane'' came up and also exchanged a broadside with ''Astrea''. ''Astrea'', much damaged, broke off the engagement as the two French frigates too sailed away. ''Creole'' had suffered ten men dead and 26 wounded; ''Astrea'' lost nine men dead and 37 wounded.<ref name=James6/>

That evening the two British ships anchored in [[Porto Praya]] on Santiago to effect repairs.<ref name=James6/> ({{HMS|Hebrus|1813|2}} later captured ''Etoile''.<ref>{{London Gazette|page=678|issue=16875|date=29 March 1814}}</ref>) Command of ''Astraea'' passed to Captain William Black.

On 6 June, ''Astrea'' and ''Creole'' were in company when they captured the Spanish [[slave ship]] ''Gestruydis la Preciosa'', and her cargo of slaves. At this time ''Astrea'' was under the command of Captain Benjamin Askley.{{efn|''Gertrudis (a) la Preciosa'', Jose Torne, master, Manuel de Ondarza, owner, arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 1 July 1814 with 482 slaves. The [[Vice admiralty court]] there condemned her.<ref>[https://www.slavevoyages.org/voyage/7510/variables Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – ''Gertrudis (a) la Preciosa'' voyage #7510.]</ref>}}{{efn|A first-class share of the prize money for the vessel and her cargo of slaves was worth £617 17s; a sixth-class share was worth £4 4s 1d.<ref>{{London Gazette|date=17 November 1818|issue=17419|pages=2051–2015}}</ref>}}

==Fate==
Following the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], ''Astraea'' spent seven years [[Reserve fleet|in ordinary]]. In 1823 the Navy converted her into [[hospital ship]], in which state she remained until she was broken up in 1851.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==Citations==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* {{cite book| last = James| first = William| author-link = William James (naval historian)| year = 1837| title = The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793, to the Accession of George IV.| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_PSwOAAAAQAAJ| publisher = R. Bentley}}
* {{cite book |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-1-86176-246-7}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=0239 Ships of the Old Navy]
{{Apollo class frigate}}
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[[Category:Frigates of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Southampton]]
[[Category:1810 ships]]
[[Category:Apollo-class frigates]]