Indefatigable

Posted by Jon Miller on Thursday 11th of June 2026 15:11

The First Lieutenant of he Indefatigable has been promoted by Lord Spencer to the rank of master and commander, without my solicitation having been, from any quarter, made to his Lordship for this purpose. [Hampshire Chronicle, 4 February 1797]

Posted by Adam Quinan on Monday 29th of June 2020 20:04

She was built as a small 64 gun two deck third rate ship of the line. However before being commissioned, she was laid up in ordinary and later had the top deck removed (razeed) to make her into a large heavy frigate with only one deck of guns. She only ever fought as a frigate.

Posted by Niek van Diepen on Sunday 13th of September 2015 08:50

BWAS-1793 gives her 6 42-pdr carronades instead of the 32-pdr carronades.

Posted by Mario Jugel on Friday 8th of August 2014 15:27

Why is she called a ship of the line, but a frigate? And why we have 64 nominal guns?

Posted by Brian on Thursday 15th of May 2014 23:38

The Gentleman's magazine. v.79 1796.
Indefatigable, Falmouth, April 23, 1796
(Informing his Lord Commissioners of his arrival at this port)
accompanied by the French National frigate La Virginie, of 44 guns eighteen and nine pounders, and 340 men commanded by Citizen Bergeret, Capitaine de Vaisseau who sailed from Brest singly, four days ago, to cruize off the Lizard in this favorite frigate, which is considered the finest ship and fastest sailer in the French navy, and of the largest dimensions, being 158 feet long, and 43 broad. On Wednesday morning, the 20th instant, after I had sealed my dispatches for their Lordships, laying to under the Lizard, with the squadron, waiting for the French frigate La Unite, our prize, to weather that point, I observed a ship coming in from the sea, which, in my mind, looked rather suspicious; and on her not answering the private signal, when she tacked from us, I immediately gave chase to her, accompanied by the Amazon and La Concorde. The superior sailing of the Indefatigable gave me the satisfaction of coming up with her , after a chase of fifteen hours and running 168 miles. Fortunately the wind prevented her from steering for Ushant, or she must have escaped. A little past midnight, I commenced action with the enemy, which was closely continued , under a crowded sail, for one hour and forty five minutes. The enemy, who fought gallantly, was by this time much crippled, her mizen-mast and main top-mast being shot away; the Indefatigable was not much less disabled, having lost her gaff and mizen-top-mast, the main top-sail was rendered useless by an unlucky shot cutting both leech ropes. In this situation we passed the enemy without the power of avoiding it, having no after sail to back, and I had long discovered we had not only to combat a ship of large force, but that her commander was completely master of his profession, in whose presence I could not commit myself with impunity, by throwing my ship in the wind, without submitting to be raked by him. She had not at this time struck, and we kept close ahead of her, receiving new braces to enable us to bring the ship to, to renew the attack. At this period, the La Concorde appeared in sight, close under her stern, and upon the enemy seeing her, she fired a gun to leeward, and struck her light, as a signal of surrender etc....Edw. Pellew