All at Sea - Enterprise Class Frigate 28-guns, 3D Print from Simon Mann

The Chase of the Enterprise Class Frigate Brilliant by the French Frigates Vertu & Régénérée, 26th July 1798 - John Bentham Dinsdale

The Enterprise-class frigates were the final class of 28-gun sailing frigates of the sixth-rate to be produced for the Royal Navy. The sixth-rate was the smallest of the Royal Navy's rated ships and were the smallest ships which would normally be commanded by an officer with the rank of Captain and the 28-gun frigate was the smallest ship which met the Admiralty definition of a 'Frigate'.

Scale: 1:48. A plan of the Medea 1778, showing the inboard profile (incomplete) with figurehead and stern quarter decoration, a 28-gun Sixth Rate Frigate, as built at Bristol by Mr Hilhouse - RMG

The General Characteristics were:

Displacement: 594 tons bm

Length: 120 feet, 6 inches

Beam: 33 feet, 6 inches

Draught: 11 feet

Armament from 1780

Upper Deck: 24 x 9-pounder long guns

Quarter Deck: 4 x 6-pounder long guns and 4 x 18-pounder carronades

Forecastle: 2 x 18-pounder carronades

These twenty-seven vessels were designed in 1770 by John Williams, with the first batch of five ships ordered as part of the programme sparked by the Falklands Islands emergency, a dispute with Spain over sovereignty of the islands which saw Spain negotiate an agreement with the British in 1771 after France refused to support Spain in their claim. Two ships were built by contract in private shipyards, while three others were constructed in the Royal Dockyards using foreign oak.

HMS Mercury cuts out the French gunboat Leda from Rovigno, 1 April 1809 - William John Huggins
Mercury, portrayed here backing her main topsail as she lays heaved to, was one of the second batch of Enterprise class frigates launched in 1779.

A second batch of fifteen ships were ordered in 1776 to 1778 to meet the exigencies of the North American situation, and a final group of seven ships followed in 1782 to 1783 with only some minor modifications to include side gangways running flush with the quarterdeck and forecastle, and with solid bulkheads along the quarterdeck.

In my work to complete my collection of one-hundred scenarios from the French Revolutionary War 1793 to 1802 for use with Kiss Me Hardy and To Covet Glory, several have been discovered to include actions involving this hard-fighting group of little frigates, and I had been looking around for a suitable option to bring to the table when I remembered this 3D printed model from Simon Mann.

So to illustrate the contribution the 'fighting' Enterprise class of frigates contributed to the war fought by the Royal Navy between 1793 to 1802, as well as showcase this new model, I have summarised some key actions of several of them from my collection of scenarios.

HMS Brilliant, launched 15th July 1779

On the 26th July 1798 HMS Brilliant fought a running action in the Bay of Santa Cruz against the French frigates Régénérée 36-guns and Vertu 40-guns.

The escape of the Brilliant from the French frigates Régénérée and Vertu - Derek Gardner

William James recounts the action thus:

'On the 26th of July, at 10 h. 30 m. a.m., the British 28-gun frigate Brilliant, Captain Henry Blackwood, standing close into the bay of Santa-Cruz, with the wind a fresh breeze at east by north, in order to discover if a strange sail, which she had chased on the preceding evening, had arrived there, saw two French frigates lying at an anchor. The latter, which were the Vertu and Régénérée, still on their way to France, * immediately slipped their cables and gave chase. 

Action of the 26th July 1798

The Brilliant stood off under all sail, cutting away her anchors and boats to facilitate her escape; but, in the mean time, got ready for action. At half-past noon, finding her pursuers were gaining upon her, she cut down the stern to make room for two 9-pounders as chasers, and got two 6-pounders aft on the quarterdeck for the same purpose. At 2 h. 30 m. the south point of the Grand Canary bore east-south-east six or seven leagues. At five p.m. the Brilliant began firing her stern-chasers, but, finding they did not reach, ceased until 6 h. 15 m. p.m.; when she recommenced her fire, and continued it with spirit. The Régénérée, who was ahead and to leeward of her consort, now opened her bow-chasers; and both ships were evidently coming up fast with the Brilliant.

It was now that the latter resolved, by a bold manoeuvre, to attempt to extricate herself. At 7 h. 30 m. p.m., being then on the larboard tack, the Brilliant bore up athwart the bows of the Régénérée, and gave her a broadside, which shot away her maintopsail halyards, and badly wounded her bowsprit and foremast. After the exchange of a few broadsides, the Brilliant hauled to the wind on the starboard tack; leaving the Régénérée, with her main topsail down, and incapable, for the present of renewing the pursuit. 

The Vertu, having tacked, was now on the Brilliant's weather quarter, and soon opened upon her a heavy but ineffectual fire, which the latter answered by her stern-chasers. By midnight the wind had subsided to a perfect calm; and the Régénérée, who had again made sail in chase; now joined her consort in the distant cannonade. At three quarters of an hour after midnight, a breeze sprang up from the north-east; and soon afterwards the Brilliant, losing sight of her pursuers in the dark, bore away south by east. An interchange of signals between the two French frigates, by rockets, and false fires, followed this alteration in the British frigate's course, but no further attempt at pursuit that the latter could discover.

The Brilliant suffered very little damage, and no loss, by the enemy's shot; but, in the chase, she sprang her foremast and spanker-boom.

The respective Ship Record Cards for Brilliant and Régénérée prepared for use with Kiss Me, Hardy in my One Hundred Scenarios.

This action is a classic example of one of the 'Chase' actions I am keen to try out, where one participant is clearly looking to avoid a full on broadside to broadside fight typical of a 'Meeting' style of action and my little Enterprise class frigate is now added and ready in the collection to bring this kind of fight to my table once the new room is ready.

HMS Dido, launched: 27 November 1784

HMS Dido, illustrated below was one of the Enterprise class of 28-gun sixth-rate frigates in service with the Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Enterprise Class Frigate, HMS Dido 28-guns. 

Dido was commissioned in September 1787 under the command of Captain Charles Sandys.

On the 9th of August 1793 Dido was patrolling off Norway when she encountered a French privateer, driving the vessel ashore, and having Lieutenant Edward Hamilton take a boat and eight men to take possession. The privateer was the Vrai Patriote, of 13-guns and a crew of 45 men, whose crew had set her on fire before escaping ashore. 

Captain Hamilton and his men extinguished the fire, the setting of which Hamilton considered a "base attempt" as had it been successful it would have deprived the British crew of their prize money. Unwilling to let the matter go, Hamilton and his men pursued the privateers inland and captured thirteen of them, and then brought out the prize, for which prize money was paid in July 1799.

HMS Lowestoffe - Derek Gardner
Devon Wargames Group - Action off Cape Nolli, June 1795, Kiss Me Hardy

HMS Dido would most famously take part along with HMS Lowestoffe 32-guns in the capture of the 40-gun French frigate Minerve on the 24th June 1795 in the Mediterranean, a scenario from my collection that I ran at the Devon Wargames Group meeting in November last year, link above.

Action of the 24th June 1795

Sadly, my Enterprise class model was still in the rigging yard when this scenario got its first playtest, but the game produced a fascinating little scrap mirroring much of the historical action if differing in the final outcome.

Captain Perrée and the 40-gun Minerve leads her consort Artémise
with the British, Lowestoffe and Dido seen on the starboard bow.

Devon Wargames Group - Action off Cape Nolli, June 1795, Kiss Me Hardy

In the historical action the British took Minerve whose weight of broadside alone was greater than that of the two British frigates together, making the battle a notable victory; the Admiralty duly awarded the two captains a Naval Gold Medal each, and in 1847 the Admiralty issued to all surviving claimants from the action the Naval General Service Medal with the clasps "Dido 24 June 1795" and "Lowestoffe 24 June 1795".

HMS Lapwing, launched 21st September 1785

On the 25th November 1796, Captain R. Barton and Lapwing were at St Kitts when an express boat brought the news that a French force consisting of two warships, several smaller ships, and 400 troops, were threatening Anguilla. Contrary winds prevented her from arriving in time to prevent the French from burning the town, however she was able to meet the French force near St Martin's. 

HMS Lapwing in action with Decius off Anguilla - Antoine Roux

There she was able to capture the French corvette Décius, and destroy the French brig Vaillante, and captured 170 men.

Action of the 27th November 1794 off Anguilla

Décius under the command of Citizen Andrée Senis had a crew of 133 men, and was carrying 203 troops, together with two field guns, whilst being armed with twenty-four 6-pounder guns and two 12-pounder carronades. 

Vaillante under the command of Citizen Laboutique, had a crew of 45 men, and was carrying 90 troops, whilst armed with four 24-pounder guns, and ran aground at St Martin's, half an hour after Décius struck, where fire from Lapwing destroyed her.

Lapwing driving the Vaillante ashore as commemorated on this stamp from Anguilla

In his summary of the action James states:

'The Lapwing, whose damages were chiefly confined to her sails and rigging, had but one man, the pilot, killed, and six seamen wounded. The Décius is represented to have lost, out of a complement, including troops, of 336 men, as many as 80 killed and 40 wounded. It is probable that the Décius had some of her masts shot away; but, although the Gazette contains two letters on the subject of the action, not a word appears about any damage sustained by either ship: nor, in short, are any details given. The loss sustained by the brig, whose complement, including troops, was about 135, was doubtless severe, but could not be ascertained.

The respective Ship Record Cards for Lapwing and Decius prepared for use with To Covet Glory in my One Hundred Scenarios.
As can be seen from the Ship Record Cards above this scenario has vessels that fall into the category of the small ships and under the rate vessels covered by To Covet Glory and the armament carried by HMS Lapwing is reflected on her card with her long guns, carronades and swivel guns represented.

The promptitude and vigour of the Lapwing's attack upon these French vessels reflect great credit upon Captain Barton, his officers and crew. A slight degree of less decision in the business might have encouraged the French commodore to try the effects of boarding, in the hope, by his overwhelming numbers, to have carried the British ship. With respect to the immediate effect of Captain Barton's success, it was most salutary and cheering; inasmuch as it routed a nest of hornets, and relieved a suffering people from further pillage, and, not improbably, from massacre.'

In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Lapwing 3 Decr. 1796" to all surviving claimants from the action.

This little model of an Enterprise frigate was created by Simon Mann and is free to download from Wargaming 3D.

https://www.wargaming3d.com/product/enterprise-class-sixth-rate-frigate-28-gun-1775-1828/

To create the look I wanted, I have used masts, sails and other fittings from the Warlord brig, together with a scratch built mainmast, married with a set of printed sails from the Warlord download catalogue and hammock nettings.

The bulwarks on this little model are somewhat fragile when drilling rigging anchor points, so a small drill bit is required together with a gentle application but I think the effort is worthwhile to have this important little ship represented on the table for fighting the actions described. 

Next up, I'm picking up from where I left off back in September with my exploration of Darwin back in January 2023 with a visit to the Darwin Military Museum.

More anon

JJ