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HMS ''Unicorn'' was a 32-gun fifth-rate ''Pallas''-class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1794 at Chatham. This frigate served in both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, including a medal action early in her career. She was broken up in 1815. ==French Revolutionary War== ''Unicorn'' entered service in 1794 under the command of Captain William Cayley, who was followed in 1795 by Captain Thomas Williams.〔Winfield (2008), p. 142.〕 Under Williams, ''Unicorn'' served in the Western Approaches, operating from Cork. On 31 May, ''Unicorn'', ''Scipio'' and ''Latona'' shared in the capture of the Dutch schooner ''Mary'', Captain Pierce. On 28 August 1795, ''Unicorn'' was in company with and , when ''Unicorn'' captured the Dutch East Indiaman ''Cromhout'' or ''Crumhout''.〔 The ''Cromhout''s capture resulted in at least £40,000 in prize money to be distributed among her captors. Then ''Unicorn'' parted company with the rest of the squadron and after a chase of 13 hours captured the Dutch brig ''Komeet'' (or ''Comet''), which was under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Mynheer Claris. ''Comet'' was only four years old, in excellent condition, and armed with 18 English 9-pounder guns. She was sailing from the Cape of Good Hope to the Texel and was provisioned with water and food for 110 men for a nine-month cruise. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS ''Comeet''. ''Crumhout'', ''Komeet'', and another vessel that the British also captured were part of a convoy of nine East Indiamen and two naval vessels, ''Komeet'' and ''Scipio''. ''Scipio'' escorted the remaining Indiamen into Norwegian waters, which they reached on 22 September. ''Scipio'' and three of the Indiamen reached Trondheim on 6 October. The remaining Indamen went to Bergen and Ålesund.〔Sicking ''et al.'' (2004), p.96.〕 On 10 April 1796, ''Unicorn'' recaptured the brig ''Thames'' while in company with ''Penguin'' and the hired armed cutter ''Fox'' (the third). ''Unicorn'', ''Fox'', , ''Diana'' and ''Seahorse'', were in company when ''Dryad'' captured the French cutter ''Abeille''. On 7 June, ''Unicorn'' and ''Santa Margarita'' captured a large ship flying Swedish colours and carrying Dutch goods from Surinam, which turned out to be the ''Gustavus Adolphus''. The commander of the prize crew, a lieutenant from ''Unicorn'', advised Admiral Sir Robert Kingsmill, commander in chief of the Cork station, that when he had last seen ''Unicorn'' and ''Santa Margarita'' they were chasing three French vessels, the frigates, ''Tamise'' and ''Tribune'', and the corvette ''Legere''. In the Action of 8 June 1796, ''Unicorn'' captured the 44-gun ''Tribune''. Before ''Unicorn'' could bring ''Tribune'' to close action the two vessels engaged in a ten-hour-long running fight. The actual close engagement lasted 35 minutes before ''Tribune'' struck. She was under the command of Commodore John Moulston and had lost 37 men killed of her crew of 337 men, as well as 15 wounded. (Moulston, who was wounded in the action, was an American who had served in the French Navy for 16 years.) ''Unicorn'' had no losses.〔 The Royal Navy took into service under her existing name. Williams earned a knighthood for his victory. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the remaining survivors of the action the NGSM with clasp "Unicorn 8 June 1796". ''Santa Margaritta'' captured ''Tamise'' in an action that would ultimately yield her crew a clasp to the NGSM. ''Legere'' escaped. ''Dryad'' captured the fourth vessel in Moulston's squadron, the 26-gun frigate ''Proserpine'', which had earlier parted company with her companion vessels in a fog.〔 The British took ''Proserpine'' into service as . In September to early October, ''Unicorn'' captured five vessels sailing from Surinam to Amsterdam: *''Eliza'' (22 September); *''Orion'' (23 September); *''Christian the Seventh'' (24 September): *''Whilhemsberg'' (1 October); and *''Freiheden'' (4 October). On 21 October ''Unicorn'' captured the 6-gun privateer ''Enterprise'' in the Irish Sea. ''Enterprise'' had a crew of 40 men and was 28 days out of Brest. During her cruise she had captured a Portuguese ship, two English brigs, and a sloop. In December, ''Unicorn'' was one of the few British ships able to respond to the French effort to invade Ireland during the Expédition d'Irlande. On 7 January 1797, ''Unicorn'' was able to capture the troopship with and and pursue the French flagship in the closing days of the campaign. Eleven days later ''Unicorn'', ''Doris'' and ''Druid'' captured the privateer ''Eclair'', of 18 guns and a crew of 120 men, in the Channel. ''Unicorn'' then rejoined the British fleet. In August, ''Unicorn'' was in company with when they recaptured the ''Somerset'' at Cove, near Cork. In March 1797 command passed to Captain James Young and then to Captain Phillip Wilkinson in April 1799.〔 ''Unicorn'' captured a French brig in March 1799. On 9 June 1799 ''Unicorn'' and the hired armed cutter ''Constitution'' captured the French brig ''St. Antoine''. On 10 June, two of ''Unicorn''s boats, together with two each from , and , all of Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, captured the gunboat ''Nochette'', two other armed vessels, and eight transports carrying supplies for the fleet at Brest. ''Nochette'' was armed with two 24-pounder guns. The two other armed vessels were chasse-marees armed with eight and six guns. The transports consisted of two brigs, two sloops, and four chasse marees, which were carrying wine, brandy, flour and peas. In addition, the crews of 20 French vessels ran their vessels ashore, where many were probably wrecked. The British suffered four men wounded, but none were from ''Unicorn''. ''Unicorn'' was short of water so Admiral St. Vincent ordered her to escort the prizes back to Plymouth and then immediately return to her station. ''Unicorn'' arrived at Plymouth on 18 June with ten vessels, one having foundered on the way. (The crew was saved.) She sailed for Brest on 27 June.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 4, p.78-9.〕 Next, ''Unicorn'' participated in the attempt on the Spanish squadron in Aix Roads on 2 July.〔 On 6 January 1800 ''Unicorn'' was among the five vessels that shared in the capture of the French brig ''Ursule'' (or ''Huzelle''). On 7 January, the French armed ship ''Huzelle'' came into Plymouth. She had been carrying passengers from Cayenne, including women and children, when captured her. On her way in to a British port, the French privateer ''Providence'', of 14 guns and 152 men, had recaptured her and sent her to Bordeaux. However, before she got get there, ''Unicorn'' and and again captured her and sent her into Plymouth. ''Huzelle'' was low on provision with the result that a five-year-old child died while she was in Plymouth Sound; as she anchored at Catwater, M.P. Symonds, the broker for the prize, sent on board plenty of fresh provisions. Among ''Huzelle''s passengers were a Colonel Molonson of Invalids, and a naturalist, M. Burnelle, with a cabinet of curiosities for the French National Museum at Paris.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 3, p.78.〕 In June ''Unicorn'' was still with Warren's squadron off the Atlantic coast of France. She therefore shared in the capture on 11 June of ten merchant vessels: the brig ''Rosalie'', the ''Baure Paire'', the sloop ''Rosalie'', the ''Bonne Nouvelle'', the ''Oiseau'', the ''Felicite'', the ''Nochelle'', the ''St. Claire'', the ''Henrietta'', and the ''Maree Francaise''. ''Unicorn'' was also among the five ships that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French privateer ''Rancune'', taken on 27 September. ''Unicorn'' shared in some of these prizes by virtue of being part of Admiral Keat's squadron. She also shared in the captures of the ''Girone'' (28 July), the ''Revanche'' (28 July), the ''Alerte'' 1July), the ''Joseph'' (3 August), the ''Vivo'' (30 September), and ''Magicienne'' (16 October). ''Unicorn'' shared with four other vessels in the capture of the ''Union'' on 14 August. On 15 August ''Unicorn'' recaptured the ''Petit Bastien'', and four days later the ''Hirondelle''. Command then passed to Captain Charles Wemyss in 1801. On 14 August Wemyss wrote to Admiral W. Cornwallis stating that he had only been able to capture one chasse maree, of 40 tons, which was carrying a cargo of lime. Not only was she not worth sending in, capturing her cost ''Unicorn'' one man killed and one man slightly wounded. Wemyss had also destroyed another chasse maree, also of 40 tons that was carrying a cargo of corn. Captain Charles Stuart replaced Wemyss in 1802.〔 In April and May 1803 ''Unicorn'' was placed in dock at Chatham for extensive repairs. 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 Unicorn (1794)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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