HMS Medea (1778)

HMS Medea was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. The Medea was first commissioned in May 1778 under the command of Captain William Cornwallis. She was sold for breaking up in 1805.

Career
Medea and HM hired ship Countess of Scarborough shared in the capture, on 17 June 1779, of the French privateers Compte de Maurepas and Due de la Vauguyon. Medea captured Due de la Vauguyon (or Duc de Lavaugnon) of Dunkirk, a cutter of 14 guns and 98 men, after a fight of an hour. The fight cost the French four men killed and ten wounded; Medea had no casualties. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Duc de la Vauginon (1779).

Duc de la Vauguyon had captured and ransomed a lobster smack sailing from Norway to Britain. The master of the smack informed Captain James Montague of Medea that the privateer had had a consort. Medea's rigging was too cut up for her to pursue the consort, so Montague sent Countess of Scarborough, Captain Thomas Piercy, after her. Piercy caught up with Compte de Maurepas, of Dunkirk, after a few hours and the privateer struck without resistance. She was armed with fourteen 4-pounder guns and had a crew of 87 men.

On 5 May 1781 Medea assisted Roebuck in the capture off Sandy Hook of the Protector, a 28-gun frigate of the Massachusetts State Navy. The prisoners were taken off to the prison hulk Jersey (Boston Gazette, March 5, 19, April 30, May 14, July 2, 1781; Independent Chronicle, May 4, 1781; Massachusetts Mag., July, October, 1910, January, 1911, January, 1912; Mass. Court Rec., February 14, March 3, 6, 7, May 19, 1781 ; Mass. Rev. Rolls, xxxix, 45; Mass. Archives, clviii, 212; Fox, 79-88.) http://www.americanrevolution.org/navy/nav16.html

On 7 September 1781 Medea captured the Belisarius, "a fast sailing frigate of 26 guns and 147 men, belonging to Salem". Medea captured her off the Delaware River. HMS Amphitrite (1778) and HMS Savage (1778) shared in the capture. The Royal Navy took her into service as the sixth rate HMS HMS Belisarius (1781), but then sold her in 1783, after the end of the war.

Medea made a number of other captures in summer 1781. These included the ship Phoenix (1 June), the ship Rover (20 June), the schooner Neptune (30 July; with Amphitrite and General Monk), and the brig Marianne (3 August).