May, 1778 under command of Capt. Frances Samuel Drake. In 1782, she was commanded by Captain
James Saumarez at the
Battle of the Saintes. In 1794 she was part of Admiral
Howe's fleet at the
Glorious First of June, and in the following year
Russell fought in the
Battle of Groix. She also fought at the
Battle of Camperdown in 1797.
Russell was at
Plymouth on 20 January 1795 and so shared in the proceeds of the detention of the Dutch naval vessels,
East Indiamen, and other merchant vessels that were in port on the outbreak of war between Britain and the Netherlands. In 1797
Russell was commanded by Captain
Henry Trollope, who led her at the Battle of Camperdown. On 24 February 1801, ''Lloyd's List
reported that Russell
had towed "Duckingfield Hall''", Pedder, master, into Torbay. She had been sailing from Antigua to London when of the
Scilly Islands another vessel had run foul of her. had lost her foremast, and her fore, main, and mizzen topmasts; the vessel that ran into her was believed to have foundered. In March, Russell was under the command of
William Cuming, part of the Baltic fleet sent to break up the
League of Armed Neutrality. The fleet assembled in the Kattegat in March 1801 but on 22 March a storm came up that dispersed some of the vessels. Both the gun-brigs and were driven under the guns of
Varberg Fortress. The Swedes captured
Blazer, but
Russell towed
Tickler to safety.
Russell and was at the
Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April. Despite going aground early on in the battle, Russell was able to engage the Danish ship
Prøvesteenen, and when she surrendered, send boats to take possession of her. In 1847 the Navy awarded the
Naval General Service Medal (1847) with clasp "Copenhagen 1801" to all the surviving claimants from the battle. ''
Lloyd's List (LL
) reported on 10 June 1803 that Russell'' had burnt a 14-gun French navy brig coming from San Domingo. On 16 October 1803 she was three days out of Rio and in company with the
fourth rate . They were escorting the
East Indiamen , , ,
Princess Mary,
Anna,
Ann, , and
Essex, all bound to
Bengal. Also,
Grampus carried £100,000 for the British
East India Company. On 12 February 1808
Russell arrived off the Danish possession of
Tranquebar where she landed troops of the
14th Regiment of Foot and the
Honourable East India Company's artillery. Tranquebar capitulated without resistance. ==Fate==