HMS Swiftsure (1787)

Swiftsure was ordered from the yards of John & William Wells, Deptford on 19 June 1782, as an Elizabeth class ship of the line. She was laid down in May 1784 and launched on 4 April 1787. She was initially commissioned on 22 May 1787 at Deptford, and recommissioned at Woolwich on 21 August 1787. She had cost £31,241.3.5 to build, with a further £10,643 spent on fitting her out. She was coppered at Woolwich for a further £1,635. ==British career==

She was commissioned for service under her first captain, Sir James Wallace in June 1790. Swiftsure then returned to Plymouth to carry out repairs. The Royal Navy took Atalante into service as HMS Espion. Swiftsure left Britain for Jamaica on 14 May 1795. Swiftsure was not initially with the fleet, having been ordered by Nelson to reconnoitre Alexandria, before the French had been discovered. He arrived on the scene after dark and moved into the bay to attack. Swiftsure's service in the Royal Navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 2 September 1801), qualified her officers and crew for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorized in 1850 to all surviving claimants. Capture On 10 June 1801 Hallowell encountered Pigmy and from her learned that a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume had put to sea. On his repatriation, Hallowell received the court-martial that was automatic for a Royal Navy captain who had lost his ship, but was honourably acquitted. ==French service==

In November 1802, after General Donatien de Rochambeau replaced the deceased Charles Leclerc as commander-in-chief of all French forces in Saint-Domingue, he started ordering Blacks to be executing by drowning. Rochambeau had the entire garrison of Fort Dauphin, all of whom were Black soldiers, transferred to Swiftsure and thrown overboard by her crew. Rochambeau then ordered all French warships to carry out similar executions. Only Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez refused, stating that "The officers of the French Navy are not executioners. I will not obey!" Battle of Trafalgar , then HMS Colossus firing into the French Argonaute. Painting by Richard Henry Nibbs She only spent four years with the French, before forming part of Vice-Admiral Villeneuve's fleet at Cádiz, under her captain, Charles-Eusebe l'Hôpitalier-Villemadrin. On 21 October 1805 she sailed out with the combined Franco-Spanish fleets to engage in the Battle of Trafalgar. During the battle she formed part of the rear of the line, astern of Aigle and ahead of Argonaute. She was fired upon by , and after an exchange of fire, lost her main topmast and had her guns silenced. She began to drift away, while Colossus opened fire on Bahama. Swiftsures crew regained control, and returned to fire on Colossus, but at that moment Edward Codrington's came through the smoke, slipped under Swiftsure′s stern and discharged several devastating broadsides. Swiftsure had her mainmast, taffrail and wheel shot away, and most of the guns on the main gun-deck were dismounted. The subsequent storm caused the line to break, and by 23 October she was drifting towards Cádiz. The frigate was however able to reattach a tow line and put several of her own carpenters aboard to stop the leaks. The worsening weather again caused her to break free, but the men from Phoebe succeeded in keeping control of Swiftsure, bringing her to anchor on 26 October. took her into tow again and brought her into Gibraltar. ==Return to the Royal Navy==

Swiftsure was repaired at Gibraltar and was recommissioned in April 1806 under Captain George Digby. She sailed home, arriving at Chatham on 11 June 1806. By this time, another had already entered service, and had been present at Trafalgar. The captured Swiftsure was renamed HMS Irresistible, and was laid up. She was recommissioned in March 1808 under Captain George Fowke, and was used as a prison ship at Chatham. She served in this role until being broken up there in January 1816. ==Notes==