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Terpsichore, 1780
Type: 5th rate ; Armament 32
Launched : 1780 ; Disposal date or year : 1832
Notes:

10 Dec 1794 Captain Richard Bowen, recently promoted to the Terpsichore frigate, extracts troops defending Fort Matilda, Guadeloupe.

13 Oct 1796 capture by the Terpsichore, Captain Richard Bowen, while cruising off the port of Carthagena, of the Spanish frigate Mahonesa.

12 Dec 1796 some 20 leagues to the west of Cadiz, sighted the French frigate Vestale, and went in chase, which continued into the following day, when, after a hot action, the French frigate was taken. Unfortunately, in the days following, due to various factors, control of the Vestale was recovered by her French crew and she was taken into Cadiz.

16 Feb 1797 Emerald, Minerve, Niger, Bonne-Citoyenne and Raven detached to look after the Santisima-Trinidad, subsequently joined by the Terpsichore, which would appear to be the only vessel to comply with these instructions.

31 Mar 1797 sailed from Lisbon to blockade Cadiz.

3 Jul 1797 1st bombardment of Cadiz.

5 Jul 1797 2nd bombardment of Cadiz.

29 May 1797 Attack on Santa-Cruz, Teneriffe.

2 May 1798 Nelson in the Vanguard sailed from off Cadiz for Gibraltar, departing that place on the 9th to the east, accompanied by the Alexander, Orion, Emerald, Terpsichore, and Bonne-Citoyenne.

21 Jul 1798 the frigates Seahorse and Terpsichore sight French fleet from off Aboukir bay. French frigate Sensible is reported to have been recently captured by the Seahorse.

Deal 21 Mar 1801 Arrived in the Downs from a cruize.

5 Jul 1803 with France attempting to recover her war-time losses in the East Indies news that a renewal of the war was imminent brought about a number of manoeuvres and events between the French and British ships on the station.

May 1805 East Indies.

End of the year 1805 harbour of Port-Louis blockaded by the frigates Pitt and Terpsichore.

5 Jan 1806 got on shore in watering at Flat island, and being in a very leaky state, parted company for Ceylon, leaving the Pitt, whose effective crew were reduced by sickness to less than one half to cruise alone off the Isle of France.

27 Nov 1806 a part of a squadron under R.-adm. Pellew which arrived off the road of Batavia and destroyed the Dutch frigate Phoenix and other vessels lying there.

15-18 Mar 1808 Terpsichore sighted the Sémillante off the island of Ceylon and following a brief engagement went in chase of her larger, better armed opponent, who after some days, and having thrown overboard much of her stores etc. was able to out-run the Terpsichore.

13 - 18 Mar 1809 extracts from the log when the vessel experienced a hurricane in the Indian Ocean when in convoy with the Culloden.

Jul 1830 Receiving Ship, Chatham.

Extract from the Log of H.M.S. TERPSICHORE, J. M. Gordon, Captain.

Excessive strong gales
Hour. K. F. Courses. Winds. Remarks.
          Monday, March 13, 1809.
1 7 0 W by S SE by S A.M. Strong breezes, with hard squalls and rain. 12.30. Up foresail; ship making five inches per hour.
2 6 4    
3 7 0    
4 6 4     Ditto weather ; Admiral W ˝ S [in HMS CULLODEN]
5 6 0      
6 6 0     At 6, fresh breezes and thick cloudy weather.
7 6 0    
8 6 2      
9 6 4      
10 6 4 up SSW
off S W		   At 10, up foresail, and hove-to.
10.15, bore up ; furled the mainsail and
mizen-topsail.
11 5 4 W by S SE
12
 7 2     Strong winds and equally weather ; Admiral W by S 3 or 4 miles.
Course, S 77° W, distance 155.
Lat. 22° 14’, long. 64° 42’ E.
Cape St. Mary, S 80° 20' W, 399 leagues.
P.M.          
1 7 0 W by S SE by E P. M. Fresh breezes and equally, with rain.
2 7 4      
3 7 6      
4 7 4     Ditto weather; Admiral W by S.
5 6 6      
6 6 2     Set the foresail.
7 6 4     Up foresail.
8 7 4     Squally, with rain.
9 7 0      
10 7 0      
11 7 0     Strong breezes and squally weather
12 7 0   SE Admiral W by S.
Tuesday, March 14, 1809.
A.M.          
1 8 4 W by S ESE A.M. Fresh gales and squally, with rain.
1.30. Burnt a blue light.
2 6 0     At 2, lowered the main-topsail.
3 8 2      
4 6 4     Ditto weather; close-reefed the
main-topsail and furled the fore-topsail.
Strong gales and thick squally weather; down main-top-gallant-yard and mizen-top-gallant-mast ; bent storm-staysails and reefed the foresail.
5
 6
4
    
6 6 8    
7 7 0    
8 7 0     At 8, strong gales and thick heavy weather; struck the fore and main-
gallant-mast and set storm-stay ;
carried away the strap of the main-
staysail-sheet and split the sail.
9 7 0    
10 g 0    
11 6 4    
12 6 4   SE by E Noon. Strong gales and thick rainy weather, a heavy sea from the eastward; six of the convoy in sight.
Course, S 82° W, distance 158.
Lat. 22° 36', long. 61° 56' E.
Cape St. Mary, S 80° 15’ W, 343 leagues.
         
P.M.          
1 5 4 W by S SE by E P.M. Hard gales and thick cloudy weather ; ship making nine inches per hour; sent top-gallant-mast on deck
and rigged jib-boom in.
2 5 2     2.40. Carried away the tiller three feet
from the rudder-head; clewed up & furled the main-topsail ; shipped the short tiller.
3 6 0    
4 4 4     At 4, ditto weather.
5 6 4     At 5.40, a sea broke over the stern, stove the jolly-boat to pieces.
6 6 4     At 6, ditto weather.
7 8 0    
8 6 4     At 8, strong gales, with rain, and a heavy sea running; employed at the chain-pumps.
9 6 0    
10 6 4      
11 6 6     At 11, the Admiral's light W by N.
12 7 4   E Midnight. Hard gales & squally weather.
Wednesday, March 15, 1809.
A.M.          
1 7 0 W by S E A.M. Hard gales and thick cloudy weather. At 1, the ship brought by the lee; loosened the foresail ; burnt a blue light; the spare main-topsail-yard washed away from chain.
2 7 0    
3 7 0    
         
         
4 7 0     At 4, ditto weather.
5 7 4    
6 7 4     Excessive strong gales and thick rainy weather; split every staysail we attempted to set.
At 8, do. weather; shipped a sea over the larboard. quarter, which greatly damaged it.
7 8 0    
8 8 0
   
9 7 6 W   At 9, saw a sail in the WNW ; ship making two feet per hour.
10 7 6 W E  
11 7 4      
12 7 4   E by N Noon. Hard gales, with a heavy sea running.
Course, S 76° W, distance 160.
Lat. 23° 13' S, long. 60° 1' E.
Cape St. Mary, Madagascar, S 8° 10' W, 304 leagues.
P.M.          
1 8 0 W ENE P.M. Strong gales and thick weather, with rain; shipped a number of seas.
2 6 0     At 2.30, being under the goose wing of the foresail, it blew from the yard, and the ship broached-to ; attempted to set the fore storm-staysail, but it blew to pieces; found we could set no sail; cut away the wizen-topmast, but to no effect; put the helm a-lee and kept her to; ship laboured much; at the pumps.
3 4 0 up S S E
off S		  
4 0 0 up S S E
off S b W		  
5
6		 0 0     At 6, nothing in sight; found two of the main-shrouds gone larboard-side; got the runners and tackles up, and secured.
7
8		 0 0 do.  
At 8, ditto weather; employed at the pumps.
9
10
11
12		 0 0 up SSE
off SSW		 E N E At 12, heavy gales and thick weather.
Thursday, March 16, 1809.
A.M.          
1
2
3
4		 0   up SE
off S		 ENE
NE		 A.M. Hard gales, with heavy rain; wind and sea somewhat abating ; ship making two feet per hour. Strong words and cloudy weather, but much clearer. At daylight, more moderate; found most of the topmast-stays and a number of the laniards of the lower rigging carried away.
7.40. Made sail and bore up.
6
7		 0 0 up SE b E
off SSE		  
8 3 0 W by S NE At 8, strong winds and cloudy weather ; nothing in sight.
9 7 0    
10 7 4      
11 7 4      
12 7 4   NE Noon. Strong breezes and clear weather; nothing in sight.
Course, S 67° 0' W, distance 81.
Lat. 23° 44' S, long. 58° 41' E.
St. Mary's, S 82° 35' W, 276 leagues.
P. M.          
1 7 4 W NNE P.M. Fresh breezes and cloudy weather.
2 7 4      
3 7 4      
4 7 4     At 4, ditto weather.
5 7 4      
6 7 6     At 6, fresh breezes and cloudy weather; set the foresail.
7 8 0    
8 9 0     At 8, strong ditto, ditto.
9 7 4      
Friday, March 17, 1809.
A.M.          
1 5 4 W by S N Fresh breezes and cloudy ; ship making twenty inches per hour.
2 4 4     At 2, took in the fore-topsail.
3 3 0      
4 3 0     At 4, fresh breezes, with a head sea ; close reefed the main topsail.
6 3 0 WSW NW b N
8 3 0      
7 3 0      
8 3 0 SW b W    
9 3 0      
10 2 6      
11 2 4      
12 2 0
NW Noon. Moderate breezes and cloudy ;
weather ; hove-to, to sling the main-yard afresh.
Course, S. 64° 0' W, distance 125.
Lat. 25° 29' S, long, 56° 28' E.
Cape St. Mary, N 88° W, 180 leagues.
P.M.          
1
2		 0 0 up S W
off S b W		 NW P.M. Moderate and cloudy weather.
At 2, filled and set the mainsail.
3 1 0 SW by S WNW  
4 1 4 SSW   Ditto weather; a head swell from the westward.
5 2 0 S by W    
6 1 4 S   Pumped ship occasionally.
7 2 0      
8 2 2 S by W   Light breezes and dark cloudy weather.
9 1 4 S    
10 1 6      
11 2 2 S by E    
12 2 4 SSE SW Ditto weather; wore ship.
Saturday, March, 18, 1809.
A.M.          
1 2 0 W by N variable A.M. Fresh breezes and cloudy ; fidded top gallant-mast.
2 3 0 W   2.30. Out third reef of the topsail and set the jib.
3 4 4    
4 5 0     Ditto weather; observed a deal of the copper off on each side of the stern At daylight, saw a sail bearing S E by E ; shortened sail.
5 6 4    
6 6 4
    
7 2 0 W by S ˝ S   At 7, the stranger proved, by signal, to be the Earl St. Vincent, one of the convoy.
8 2 0   S At 8, moderate breezes and hazy weather.
9 2 6      
10 5 0 W by S ˝ S    
11 6 6 W SSW  
12 7 0 W SSW Noon. Fresh winds ; Earl St. Vincent in company.
Lat. 25° 50' S, long, 55° 8' E.
Cape St. Mary, N 88° 10’ W, 180 leagues.
P.M.          
1 7 2     Fresh breezes and cloudy weather.
2 6 6      
3 6 4      
4 6 0     At 4 ditto weather ; Earl St. Vincent in company.
5 5 4     Unfidded the fore-topmast.
6 5 2      
7 5 2      
8 5 2     At 8 ditto weather.
9 5 0      
10 5 0      
11 5 2      
12 5 6   S