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HMS ''Santa Dorothea'' was a Royal Navy 34-gun fifth rate. This frigate had previously served in the Spanish Navy under the name ''Santa Dorotea''. Built in Spain in 1775, she served during the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars until being captured while sailing as part of a squadron off Cartagena. Taken into British service she spent the rest of the French Revolutionary and most of the Napoleonic Wars under the white ensign, until being broken up in 1814. ==Spanish career and capture== (詳細はFerrol in 1775. In 1798 she was assigned to a small frigate squadron under Commodore Don Felix O'Neil and departed Cartagena in company with the frigates ''Pomona'', ''Proserpine'' and ''Santa Cazilda'' on 8 July. ''Santa Dorotea''s captain for the expedition was Don Manuel Gerraro.〔 Their attempts to raid shipping in the area were unsuccessful, and while returning to port at 09:00 on 15 July, they were spotted by the 64-gun HMS ''Lion'', under Captain Manley Dixon.〔James, p. 225〕 Dixon approached the squadron, closing on the ''Santa Dorotea'', which had begun to fall behind her consorts, having lost a topmast sometime earlier. Realizing that Manley was attempting to cut off and engage ''Santa Dorotea'', O'Neil ordered the front three frigates to turn around and sail to her defence. They passed close to ''Lion'' commencing fire at 11:15.〔 ''Lion'' replied, and O'Neil made two further attempts to distract ''Lion'', while ''Santa Dorotea'' tried to damage her pursuer with her stern guns. The Spanish broadsides had no real effect, and Dixon was able to come alongside and exchange broadsides with ''Santa Dorotea''.〔Gardiner, p. 54〕 The larger and more powerful British ship was able to rapidly inflict severe damage to the ''Santa Dorotea'', which was outgunned nearly two to one. Within minutes her mizzenmast had fallen and her mainmast and rudder were severely battered.〔James, p. 226〕 O'Neil gave up attempting to relieve the beleaguered ''Santa Dorotea'' and made for Cartagena at 13:10.〔Clowes, p. 512〕 Isolated and unable to escape, Gerraro surrendered.〔 ''Santa Dorotea'' had been badly damaged with at least 20 men killed and 32 wounded from a crew of 371. ''Lion'' had lost just two men wounded in the exchange: a seaman lost a leg and a midshipman was shot in the shoulder. Although ''Lion'' One of the Spanish prisoners taken was the future Argentine general José de San Martín who at the time was a staff member on ''Santa Dorothea''. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "LION 15 JULY 1798" to the remaining British survivors of the action. 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 Santa Dorothea (1798)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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