Plymouth, 1796
Type: Hired Lugger ; Armament 14
Hired : 1796 ; Disposal date or year : 1801
Notes:

N.B. Lieutenant Elliot / Eliot would appear to have been in command of the Hired Armed lugger John, whilst already in command of the Hired Armed lugger Plymouth, and I therefore suspect that an error might have occurred in the Naval Chronicles data, or a mis-identification of the vessel, although I have no record of the Lugger John, although the John might have replaced the Plymouth for the few weeks, although the data doesn't support this, Lt Eliot being on board the Plymouth supposedly during the period he was onboard the John. I've therefore copied the 2 items for the lugger John dated 5th and 23rd July 1800, to this record, for the Plymouth. A similar error also occurs in 1800 when the cutter Union is replaced by the cutter Unicorn, even during the change over of her commanding officers, and thus would appear to be another problem i.e. I can find no trace of a suitable Unicorn cutter.

21 Mar 1797 captured the French privateer Epervier near the Start Point.

29 Mar 1797 captured the French privateer Amitié near Alderney.

1 Jan 1799 CO : Lt R Elliot ; stationed : Channel (N.C.).

22 Jan 1799, Plymouth, sailed Spider, 14 guns, Lieutenant Harrison, and Plymouth, lugger, 16, with a convoy, to the eastward.

2 Mar 1799, Plymouth, sailed, Plymouth, Lieut. Rob. Elliot, with a convoy for the Downs.

13 Mar 1799, Plymouth, arrived the Plymouth, Lugger, and the Hornet, from the Downs, with a convoy of coasters.

25 Mar 1799, Plymouth, sailed for the Downs with a convoy of 60 sail.

1 Apr 1799, Plymouth, arrived from the Downs, in only 17 hours, the Plymouth, lugger.

1 Jul 1799, Plymouth, arrived the Plymouth, lugger from a cruise. She captured in her late cruise two smugglers, laden with 1,200 ankers of spirits. Spoke the Princess Royal packet from the Leeward Islands, out, 55 days very sickly.

14 Jul 1799, Plymouth, sailed on a cruise.

11 Sep 1799, Plymouth, arrived from a cruise.

13 Oct 1799, Plymouth, sailed with the Voltigeur, 18, on a cruise.

1 Nov 1799, Plymouth, has sent in a smuggling cutter, with 300 anchors of spirits.

9 Nov 1799, Plymouth, She experienced dreadful weather at sea. Spoke a fishing-boat in the Channel, which had humanely picked up the master, his wife, children, and crew of an American schooner from Surinam, laden with cocoa, which was, in the dreadful gale of Sunday last, struck with lightning, which drove through her bottom, when she went down. Providentially the fishing smack was at hand, and saved her whole crew.

22 Nov 1799, Plymouth, the Plymouth, lugger appointed to convoy transports with Russian troops to Guernsey.

7 Dec 1799, Plymouth, arrived, from the Channel Fleet with the Neptune, Russell, Ruby, Swan, and Joseph cutters.

10 Jan 1800, Plymouth, arrived from a six weeks cruise in the Chops of the Channel, the Plymouth lugger. Lt. Eliot. She chased two privateers : one a brig of fourteen guns, which escaped in the night of the 25th ult. ; the other a cutter, got into St. Maloes, by throwing her guns overboard, and getting out her sweeps.

9 Mar 1800, Plymouth, sailed with the Voltigeur, and Sylph, on a cruise.

5 Apr 1800, Plymouth, arrived from a cruise, the Plymouth lugger, Swan and Ranger cutters. The former has captured two smugglers with tobacco and spirits.

5 Jul 1800, Plymouth, arrived from the Channel fleet the John, lugger, Eliot. They were left all well on Wednesday last, at which period the British troops had embarked from Isles of Hodic and Houat, and were gone to the southward, through the Gut of Gibraltar for Minorca, General Maitland finding the garrison of Palais Citadel, in Belleisle, 10,000 effective men, very prudently avoided risking a descent, with an inferior force, and re-embarked the British army without any loss, except two companies of the Royal Artillery, which are left encamped on the Isle of Houat, waiting for orders.

13 Jul 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lieutenant Elliot, arrived from the Downs with a convoy.

23 Jul 1800, Plymouth, arrived the John lugger, Elliot, from Earl St. Vincent, with dispatches. She left the fleet all well on Saturday last. On Sunday, at four P. M. she spoke the Dido, 44, armed en flute, from Minorca, with three sail under convoy. On Monday, at eleven, she spoke the Sheerness, 44, from the Straits ; she had recaptured a valuable ship, called the Pearson of London, which had been in possession of the French ten days.

7 Aug 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lieutenant Elliot, arrived from a cruise off Morlaix.

15 Aug 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lieutenant Elliot, sailed with a convoy for the Downs.

10 Sep 1800, Plymouth, arrived the Polly from Teneriffe, with wine, for Hamburgh, detained by the Plymouth lugger, Lt Elliot.

16 Sep 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lt Elliot, came in from a cruise.

16 Oct 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lt Elliot, arrived from a cruise off Bourdeaux.

16 Dec 1800, Plymouth, a brig, prize to L'Heros, retaken by the Plymouth lugger, Lt Eliot, in trying to weather the May Stone, missed stays and went onshore, and was wrecked. She was from Bristol to London, with iron and potters’ ware.

19 Dec 1800, Plymouth, the Plymouth lugger, Lt Eliot, arrived from a cruise.

5 Jul 1801 joined Sir James Saumarez squadron off Algeziras roads.