HMS Tremendous
HMS Tremendous was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 30 October 1784 at Deptford.[1]
 The Action of 21 April 1806 as depicted by Pierre-Julien Gilbert. In the foreground, HMS Tremendous aborts her attempt at raking Cannonière under the threat of being outmanoeuvred and raked herself by her more agile opponent. In the background, the Indiaman Charlton fires her parting broadside at Cannonière. The two events were in fact separated by several hours. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | HMS Tremendous |
| Ordered: | 1 January 1782 |
| Builder: | Barnard, Deptford |
| Laid down: | August 1782 |
| Launched: | 30 October 1784 |
| Renamed: | HMS Grampus, 1845 |
| Fate: | Sold, 1897 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Ganges-class ship of the line |
| Tons burthen: | 1,65664⁄94 (bm)[2] |
| Length: | 169 ft 6 in (51.66 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam: | 47 ft 8 1⁄2 in (14.542 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 20 ft 3 in (6.17 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Armament: | |
Throughout May 1794 Tremendous, whilst under the command of Captain James Pigott, participated in the campaign which culminated in the Battle of the Glorious First of June. Pigott had kept his ship too far to windward of the enemy to make best use of his guns in the battle; Tremendous's captain was one of several denied medals afterwards.[3]
While operating in the Indian Ocean, on 25 April 1799 Tremendous, Jupiter, and Adamant recaptured Chance as she lay at anchor under the guns of the battery at Connonies-Point, Île de France. The French frigate Forte had captured Chance, which was carrying a cargo of rice, in Balasore Roads. The squadron also recaptured another ship that a French privateer had captured in the Bay of Bengal. Lastly, after the French had driven the American ship Pacific onshore at River Noir, Adamant, Jupiter, and Tremendous came on the scene and sent in their boats, which removed much of Pacific's cargo of bale goods and sugar. The British then set Pacific on fire.[4] On 11 December 1799, she destroyed the Preneuse at the Battle of Port Louis.
On 21 April 1806, she fought the inconclusive Action of 21 April 1806 against Canonnière[5]
On 13 May she was present at the surrender of Naples during the Neapolitan War. A British squadron, consisting of Tremendous, the frigate Alcmene, the sloop Partridge, and the brig-sloop Grasshopper blockaded the port and destroyed all the gunboats there. Parliament voted a grant of £150,000 to the officers and men of the squadron for the property captured at the time, with the money being paid in May 1819.[Note 1]
Early in September 1811, Primus, carrying tar and hemp, Worksam, in ballast, Experiment, carrying iron, Columbus, carrying linseed, Neptunus, carrying timber, and Hector, carrying sundry goods, came into Yarmouth. They were prizes to Tremendous, Ranger, Calypso, Algerine, Musquito, Earnest. and Portia.[7]
Fate
In 1845 she was reduced to a 50-gun ship, and renamed HMS Grampus. Grampus became a powder hulk in 1856, and was eventually sold out of the service in 1897.[1][8]
Notes, citations, references
- Notes;
Citations
- Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p180.
- Winfield (2004) p.47.
- Naval History of Great Britain, Volume I, by William James.
- "No. 15212". The London Gazette. 10 December 1799. p. 1280.
- Naval History of Great Britain, Volume IV Archived 13 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, by William James.
- "No. 17476". The London Gazette. 11 May 1819. pp. 827–828.
- Lloyd's List, no. 4596, - accessed 16 May 2014.
- Ships of the Old Navy, Grampus.
- References
- Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
- Michael Phillips. Tremendous (74) (1784). Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6.