HMS Euphrosyne (1796)

HMS Euphrosyne (or Euphroysene) was an American brig that Vice-Admiral George Elphinstone purchased for the Royal Navy at Simon's Bay in 1796 in preparation for the second battle of Saldanha Bay. She was sold in 1802.

Service
In May 1796 Elphinstone arrived at Simon's Bay from India. There he purchased an American brig that had been damaged. Elphinstone had her repaired, armed, and manned.

Then at Saldanha Bay a squadron of the navy of the Batavian Republic, under the command of Rear-Admiral Engelbertus Lucas (1747-21 June 1797), surrendered on 17 August 1796 without a fight to a Royal Navy squadron under Elphinstone's command. Euphrosyne is not among the vessels listed as qualifying for prize money from the captures. This may be a consequence of her not yet being commissioned, or her being viewed as a tender and her crew qualifying by virtue of their being on the rolls of their parent vessels.

On 7 October 1797 a mutiny developed on several vessels at Simon's Bay, Euphrosyne among them. The mutiny ended five days later after Admiral Pringle, the naval commander on the station, promised to address their grievances and to issue a general pardon. The mutiny broke out again on several ships, but the authorities were able to suppress it. Ultimately, a handful of the ringleaders were hanged.

In 1799 Euphrosyne was under the command of Lieutenant D. Whittle, and between 1800 and 1802 belonged to a squadron based there under the command of Vice-Admiral Roger Curtis.

In 1800 Euphrosyne was under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Walker. In March or so she underwent repairs and coppering. On 5 May he and six others drowned when a boat carrying them to shore at Algoa Bay sank. Lieutenant W. Shirley (probably William Warden Shirley) then took command.

In July, Curtis sent HMS Lancaster (1797), HMS Adamant (1780), HMS Rattlesnake (1791), and Euphrosyne to blockade Isle de France and Bourbon. They remained until October and during this period shared in the proceeds of several captures.
 * Spanish ship Edouard(August). This vessel may actually have been a French ship of 300 tons (bm), carrying naval stores, wine, brandy, and the like from Bordeaux to Isle de France.
 * French brig Paquebot (August). She had been sailing from Isle de France to Bourbon with a cargo of wine and goods from India.
 * Spanish brig Numero Sete (August). Numero Septo had been sailing from Montevideo to Isle de France with a cargo of soap, tallow, candles, and provisions.
 * French brig Mouche and part of the cargo and materials from the wreck of the brig Uranie (September).

Also in August Euphrosyne alone captured the Gleneure and her cargo. Gleneure, of 150 tons (bm), had been sailing from Bourbon to Isle de France with a cargo of coffee and cotton, and 40 slaves.

On 17 September 1801 Euphrosyne returned from Rio de Janeiro, together with HMS Jupiter (1778) and the storeship HMS Hindostan (1795), after a voyage of about a month. HMS Lion (1777), together with Hindostan, had escorted to Rio a convoy of East Indiamen bound for China, arriving at Rio on 1 August. Captain Losack, of Jupiter, decided to accompany the convoy eastward until they were unlikely to encounter some Spanish and French vessels known to be cruising off Brazil.

Fate
Admiral Curtis sold Euphrosyne in 1802 at public auction at Capetown for £977 12s.

Notes, citations, and references

 * Notes


 * Citations


 * References
 * Government of the Cape Colony (1899) Records of the Cape Colony from February 1793.
 * Theal, George McCall (1915) History of South Africa: From 1795 to 1872. (G. Allen & Unwin), Vol. 1.
 * Theal, George McCall (1915) History of South Africa: From 1795 to 1872. (G. Allen & Unwin), Vol. 1.