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HMS ''Centaur'' was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, launched on 14 March 1797 at Woolwich.〔 She served as Sir Samuel Hood's flagship in the Leeward Islands and the Channel. During her 22-year career ''Centaur'' saw action in the Mediterranean, the Channel, the West Indies, and the Baltic, fighting the French, the Dutch, the Danes and the Russians. She was broken up in 1819. ==Service in the Mediterranean== Captain John Markham commissioned ''Centaur'' in June 1797 and the next year sailed for the Mediterranean. In November she participated in the occupation of Minorca. On 13 November, ''Centaur'', HMS ''Leviathan'', and HMS ''Argo'', together with some armed transports, relatively unsuccessfully chased a Spanish squadron. ''Argo'' did re-capture the British 16-gun ''Pylades''-class sloop HMS ''Peterel'', which the Spanish had taken the day before. The next year, on 2 February 1798, ''Centaur'' pursued two Spanish xebecs and a settee, all privateers in royal Spanish service. She captured the privateer ''La Vierga del Rosario'', which carried fourteen brass 12-pounder guns and had a crew of 90 men. The other two vessels escaped.〔 A year later, on 16 February 1799 ''Centaur'', ''Argo'' and ''Leviathan'' attacked the town of Cambrils. Once the defenders had abandoned their battery, the boats went in. The British dismounted the guns, burnt five settees and brought out another five settees or tartans laden with wine and wheat. One tartan, the ''Velon Maria'', was a letter of marque, armed with one brass and two iron 12-pounders and two 3-pounders. She had a crew of 14 men. Then on 16 March 1799, she and ''Cormorant'' drove the Spanish frigate ''Guadaloupe'' aground near Cape Oropesa. ''Guadaloupe'', of 40 guns, was wrecked.〔Norie (1842), p.275.〕 In June, ''Centaur'' was involved in a brief action off Toulon before elements of Admiral Keith's fleet joined her. ''Centaur'' and fired at a brig-corvette and several settees off Toulon. They were then able to capture and destroy four of the settees.〔James (1837), Vol. 2, p.262.〕 In the Action of 18 June 1799, Markham's squadron captured a French squadron consisting of the 40-gun ''Junon'', 36-gun ''Alceste'', 32-gun ''Courageuse'', 18-gun ''Salamine'' and 14-gun brig ''Alerte''. The British took the captured vessels into service under their existing names, except that ''Junon'' became ''Princess Charlotte'' and ''Alerte'' became ''Minorca''. Soon after, ''Centaur'' returned to England. While working in the Channel in late 1800 and early 1801, on 25 January 1801 ''Centaur'' sent the Danish galiots ''Bernstorff'' and ''Rodercken'' into Plymouth. The Danish ships were carrying bale goods and nuts.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 5, p.180.〕 Under Captain Littlehales, while serving with the Channel Fleet, ''Centaur'' and her sister ship, ''Mars'', collided off the Black Rocks during the night of 10 March. ''Centaur'' lost her main and main-top-mast, which killed two men and injured four as they fell.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 5, p.371.〕 ''Mars'' lost her head, bowsprit, foremast and main top-topmast and then almost grounded near the Île de Bas. In the last moment ''Canada'' was able to get a tow rope on her. ''Canada'' then towed ''Mars'' into Cawsand Bay.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 5, pp.366 & 371.〕 The subsequent court martial acquitted ''Mars''s captain and lieutenant of any negligence, but sentenced a lieutenant from ''Centaur'' to the loss of six month's seniority and dismissal from his ship.〔Grocott (1997), pp. 110-1.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMS Centaur (1797)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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