HMS Speedy (1782)
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Speedy |
| Launched: | June 29, 1782 |
| Fate: | Captured by French, July 3, 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 208 long tons (211 MT) |
| Length: | 78 feet 3 inches (23.9 m) |
| Beam: | 25 feet 9 inches (7.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | two-masted brig |
| Complement: | 90 |
| Armament: | 14 x 4-pounders, 12 x swivel guns |
HMS Speedy was a 14-gun brig of the Royal Navy, launched in 1782.
[edit] Career
She was captured by the Sérieuse in 1794, retaken by HMS Inconstant in 1795, and from 1801 was commanded by the famous Thomas Cochrane.
Cochrane achieved his most famous exploit on Speedy, the capture of the Spanish xebec El Gamo on 6 May 1801; El Gamo had 32 guns and 319 men as compared to Speedy's 14 guns and 54 men.
On July 3, 1801, while escorting a slow transport in the Mediterranean, Speedy was attacked by three French frigates commanded by Admiral Linois and after several hours of combat Cochrane was forced to surrender. Speedy's subsequent career is unknown, but it is doubtful that she entered French service.
[edit] Popular culture
The plot of the novel Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian was in part modelled on the story of HMS Speedy.
[edit] References
- Vale, Brian (2004). The Audacious Admiral Cochrane: The True Life of a Naval Legend. Conways. ISBN 0851779867.
- Lyon, David (1997). The Sailing Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy Built, Purchased and Captured, 1688-1860. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0851778976.
- Colledge, J. J. and Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy, Rev. ed., London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475.
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