Amazon-class frigate

The Amazon class was designed by Sir John Henslow, the Surveyor of the Navy, as a development of the earlier 32-gun frigate design. The ships were ordered in 1795 during the French Revolutionary Wars, with five vessels built: Amazon, Emerald, Europa, Nile, and Pallas.¹ They measured approximately 143 feet in length on the gun deck and 38 feet in beam, with a burthen of around 950 tons. The armament consisted of twenty-six 18-pounder long guns on the main deck, eight 9-pounder long guns on the quarterdeck, and two 9-pounder long guns on the forecastle, along with several carronades added later.² Construction took place at various private shipyards, including Barnard's at Deptford and Randall's at Rotherhithe, with each ship taking about 18 months to complete.

The Amazon-class frigates were deployed in the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay, and the West Indies. Amazon herself, under Captain Edward Riou, participated in the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, where she was heavily engaged and later served as a flagship for Lord Nelson's reserve squadron.³ Emerald captured the French privateer L'Heureux in 1800, while Nile took part in the 1809 Walcheren Campaign. In 1809, Amazon and Pallas together captured the French frigate Topaze off the coast of Guadeloupe after a brief action.⁴ Europa was wrecked in 1802 on the coast of Cuba, but the crew was saved. The class saw extensive blockade duty, enforcing the Continental System and intercepting enemy merchant ships.

HMS Amazon (1795) is the most famous of the class. She was Captained by Edward Riou at Copenhagen, where Riou was killed. The ship later served in the Mediterranean and was sold in 1817. HMS Emerald (1795) captured the French frigate Topaze in 1809, a notable victory. HMS Pallas (1795) was captured by the French in 1805 but was recaptured by the British in 1806 and renamed HMS Pallas again. HMS Nile (1795) was wrecked in 1810 after running aground near the Isles of Scilly; only 27 of the crew survived. HMS Europa (1795) was wrecked in 1802 on Cuba. These ships represented the typical workhorse frigates of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic era, often overshadowed by larger classes but nonetheless vital for escort and patrol duties.

Despite their workmanlike service, the Amazon class had several distinctive features. They were among the first British frigates to carry an 18-pounder main battery, a heavier armament than earlier 32-gun ships, giving them a combat advantage. The design was later used as a basis for the Lively-class frigates. One little-known fact: the ship Pallas was originally built as a 36-gun ship but was later re-armed with 32 guns, making her unique in the class. The class also saw experimental use of carronades, short-range heavy guns, on the quarterdeck, which enhanced close-quarters firepower. The remains of HMS Nile were discovered by divers in 2010 off the Isles of Scilly, and some artifacts have been recovered. The Amazon-class ships are often confused with the earlier 1773 Amazon class (sixth-rate 28-gun ships), a minor but persistent error in naval literature.

Burthen

A measure of a ship's cargo capacity, expressed in tons.

Carronade

A short, smoothbore cannon used on ships, designed for close-range combat.