View source for HMS Dryad (1795)

{{short description|British naval sailing frigate 1795–1860}}
{{other ships|HMS Dryad}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Dryad vs Proserpine-cropped.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Dryad'' taking the French frigate ''[[HMS Amelia (1796)|Proserpine]]'' as a prize, 13 June 1796, by [[Thomas Whitcombe]]}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Great Britain
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Dryad''
|Ship ordered=24 May 1794
|Ship builder=William Barnard, [[Deptford]]
|Ship laid down=June 1794
|Ship launched=4 June 1795
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=13 September 1832
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=1814 - 1827
|Ship renamed=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=[[Naval General Service Medal (1847)|Naval General Service Medal (NGSM)]] with clasp "Dryad 13 June 1796"<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=20939|page=238|date=26 January 1849}}</ref>
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=*Harbour receiving ship 1832 - 1859
*Broken up 1859
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption={{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}}
|Ship class= 36-gun [[fifth-rate]] [[sailing frigate|frigate]]
|Ship tons burthen=924{{small|{{frac|6|94}}}} ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
|Ship length=*{{convert|142|ft|8|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (overall);
*{{convert|119|ft|0|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (overall)
|Ship beam={{convert|38|ft|2+1/2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=
|Ship hold depth={{convert|13|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Full-rigged ship|Ship rigged]]
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship complement=264
|Ship armament=*Upper deck: 26 × 18-pounder guns
*[[Quarterdeck|QD]]: 8 × 9-pounder guns + 6 × 32-pounder [[carronade]]s
*[[Forecastle|Fc]]: 2 × 9-pounder guns + 4 × 32-pounder carronades
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Dryad''''' was a [[fifth-rate]] [[sailing frigate]] of the [[Royal Navy]] that served for 64 years, at first during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] and then in the [[Abolitionism|suppression of slavery]]. She fought in a notable [[single-ship action]] in 1796 when she captured the French frigate [[HMS Amelia (1796)|''Proserpine'']], an action that would later earn her crew the Naval General Service Medal. ''Dryad'' was broken up at Portsmouth in 1860.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}}

==French Revolutionary Wars==
===Launch and the loss of Captain Forbes (1795)===
Built by [[William Barnard (shipbuilder)|William Barnard]] at [[Deptford]] and launched on 4 June 1795, ''Dryad'' was commissioned under [[Post-captain|Captain]] the Hon. Robert Allaster Cam Forbes (2nd son of [[James Forbes, 16th Lord Forbes|Lord Forbes]]),{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}} who had previously been the captain of {{HMS|Southampton|1757|2}} at the [[Glorious First of June]].  The brand new frigate may have been a reward for his services, but he did not live long to enjoy it; ''The Edinburgh Magazine'' reported his death (by drowning) as: "7 Oct, off the coast of Norway, the Honourable Capt. Robert Forbes, commander of his Majesty's ship Dryad".<ref>''The Edinburgh magazine, or Literary miscellany'', Vol. 6 (1795), p.480.</ref><ref>''Naval and Military Magazine'', (1827), p.179.</ref>

===The capture of ''Proserpine'' (1796)===
{{main|Atlantic Raid of June 1796}}
Forbes' successor, Captain [[Lord Amelius Beauclerk]], 3rd son of [[Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans|the Duke of St Albans]], took command in December 1795.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}}  ''Dryad'' was then stationed off the coast of [[Ireland]]. On 2 May 1796, while ''Dryad'' was under acting Commander John Pullin, she captured the 14-gun cutter {{HMS|Abeille|1796|2}} some 16 or 17 [[League (unit)|leagues]] off [[The Lizard]].<ref name=LG13891>{{London Gazette|issue=13891|page=449|date=10 May 1796}}</ref> ''Abeille'' was three days out of [[Brest, France|Brest]] and had not taken anything. The Royal Navy took her into service under her existing name.

Earlier, ''Dryad'' had taken a large smuggling cutter, which was carrying a cargo of spirits, and sent her to Plymouth.<ref name=LG13891/> {{HMS|Diana|1794|2}}, {{HMS|Seahorse|1794|2}}, {{HMS|Unicorn|1794|2}} and the [[Hired armed vessels|hired armed]] [[Cutter (boat)|cutter]] [[Hired armed cutter Fox|''Fox'']] shared in the capture.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13941|page=978|date=15 October 1796}}</ref>

On 13 June ''Dryad'' captured the French frigate ''Proserpine'' after a 45-minute action 12 [[League (unit)|leagues]] off [[Cape Clear Island]].<ref name=LG13902/> [[William James (naval historian)|William James]] wrote in his ''Naval History of Great Britain'':
{{cquote|On the 13th of June, at 1 a.m., Cape Clear bearing west by north distant 12 leagues, the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Dryad, Captain Lord Amelius Beauclerk, standing close hauled on the starboard tack, with the wind a fresh breeze from northwest by west, discovered a sail in the south-west by west, or right ahead, standing towards her; but which, on nearing the Dryad, hauled her wind, and then tacked. This was the French frigate Proserpine, in search of her consorts, and who, now that she had discovered the ship approaching to be an enemy, was endeavoring to effect her escape.

Chase was immediately given by the Dryad, both ships on a wind upon the starboard tack. At 8 p.m. the Proserpine hoisted her colours; and immediately afterwards the Dryad did the same. The Proserpine then fired her stern-chasers, several of the shot from which went through the Dryad's sails and cut away her rigging. At 9 p.m., having reached her opponent's lee or larboard quarter, the Dryad commenced a close action, and maintained it with so much spirit and effect that, at 9 h. 45 m. p.m., the Proserpine hauled down the French ensign ... Were it not for the slight preponderance occasioned by the Dryad's carronades, the British frigate would have been inferior in guns, as well as in crew and size, to the French frigate. But, as what little the latter wanted in broadside weight of metal was amply made up to her in number of men, the action of the Dryad and Proserpine may be pronounced at least an equal match. Captain Pevrieux appears to have thought otherwise. Hence, the Proserpine fled, and by flying, not only sustained a very serious loss, but was unable to bring guns enough to bear upon her antagonist, to do any more injury to her than a single shot has often inflicted.

Had the French captain, instead of trying to escape, brought his frigate to, he might have manoeuvred her to some advantage, and even, if eventually compelled to yield, would have surrendered without discredit. As it was, after capturing the Proserpine, the Dryad, owing solely to her opponent's forbearance, was able to fight another frigate of the same force; and, could he have secured his prisoners without diminishing his crew, the Dryad's captain would no doubt have rejoiced at such an opportunity. Lord Amelius, in his official letter, speaks highly of his first lieutenant, Mr. [[Edward Durnford King]], and the latter, most deservedly, was promoted to the rank of commander.<ref>James (1837), Vol. 1, pp.331-333.</ref>}}

''Proserpine'' suffered 30 were killed and 45 wounded out of her complement of 348 men, while ''Dryad'' lost two killed and seven wounded.<ref name=LG13902>{{London Gazette|page=579|issue=13902|date=18 June 1796}}</ref> The [[Royal Navy]] already had a {{HMS| Proserpine|1777|2}}, and so the Admiralty renamed ''Proserpine'' ''Amelia'' in bringing her into the service. In 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Dryad 13 June 1796" to the five surviving claimants from her crew who had participated in the action.

''Dryad'' and Beauclerk followed this with the capture or destruction of five more French privateers. On 16 October she captured the French privateer ''Vantour'' after a six-hour chase. ''Vautour'' was armed with seven 4-pounder guns and two 12-pounder [[carronade]]s. She was of 130 [[Builder's Old Measurement|tons burthen]], with a crew of 78 men. She had sailed from Morlaiz on 13 October and not taken anything.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13945|page=1029|date=29 October 1796}}</ref>

The next year, on 19 August 1797, ''Dryad'' captured the French privateer ''Éclair''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14041|pages=836–837|date=31 January 1797}}</ref> ''Éclair'' was armed with ten 4-pounder and four 8-pounder guns. She had a crew of 108 men and had sailed from [[L'Orient]] on 11 August, and had not taken anything.

Then on 9 September ''Dryad'' sank the 12-gun French privateer ''Cornélie''. The brig caught fire but because of the state of the seas, ''Dryad'' was only able to save some 17 men of her crew of 90 or so men. ''Cornelie'' was 16 days out of Nantz and had only captured one ship, a Dane.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14046|pages=895–896|date=16 September 1797}}</ref>

On 10 October [[HMS Doris (1795)|''Doris'']] and ''Dryad'' captured the French privateer ship ''Brune'' after a chase of 40 leagues. She was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 180 men. ''Brune'' was out of Bordeaux and had taken two British ships: on 17 September the brig ''Industry'', which had been sailing from Newfoundland to Lisbon, and on 9 October the brig ''Commerce'', which had been sailing in ballast from Greenock to Oporto.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14063|page=1067|date=7 November 1797}}</ref>

Lastly, on 4 February 1798 ''Dryad'' captured the 16-gun privateer ''Mars'' 20 leagues off Cape Clear. ''Mars'' was pierced for 20 guns but carried twelve 12-pounders, two 18-pounders, and two 12-pounder carronades. She also had a crew of 222 men. She was 49 days out of Nantes but had not captured anything.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14091|page=138|date=13 February 1798}}</ref>

===The Irish Station and Captain Mansfield (1799 - 1801)===

[[Image:Charles John Moore Mansfield.jpg|thumb|left|Captain Charles Mansfield, Commanding Officer of HMS ''Dryad'' from December 1798 to June 1802]]
In December 1798 Captain [[Charles John Moore Mansfield]] was appointed in command. According to the memoirs of one of his [[midshipmen]], Mansfield's wife and two unruly children were living onboard ''Dryad'' at [[Portsmouth]], his wife dressing in her own version of a naval officer's uniform.  She was apparently well liked, despite her eccentric dress, since she did not interfere with the ship's business.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minotaur.org/captain-mansfield.htm|title=''HMS Minotaur (built 1793), Her History, Her Officers, and Her Crew''|accessdate=19 February 2008}}</ref>

On 7 July 1799, ''Dryad'' was in company with the 44-gun frigate {{HMS|Révolutionnaire|1794|2}} and {{HMS|Diamond|1794|2}} when ''Revolutionaire'' captured the French privateer ''Determiné''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15227|page=107|date=1 February 1800}}</ref> The same three British ships also captured the French brig ''Hyppolite''.<ref name=LG15423>{{London Gazette|issue=15243|page=315|date=29 March 1800}}</ref>

''Dryad'' sailed for [[Cork (city)|Cork]], escorting a convoy. Several of the vessels picked up [[convict]]s and political prisoners at Cork for transport to Australia. ''Dryad'' escorted [[Friendship (1793 ship)|''Friendship'']] and [[Minerva (1773 ship)|''Minerva'']] well into the Atlantic, but then left them on 14 September. On 19 September 1799, she and ''Revolutionnaire'' captured the ''Cères'', a French [[letter of marque]] en route from [[Bordeaux]] to the [[Caribbean]].<ref name=LG15423/> Also, at some point ''Dryad'' recaptured the British ship ''Albion''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15293|page=1057|date=13 June 1800}}</ref> ''Albion'' had been sailing from Jamaica with a cargo of rum and sugar when the French privateer ''Brieve'' captured her.<ref>''Naval Chronicle'', (1799).</ref>

''[[The Times]]'' reported on 6 January 1800 that {{cquote|The Dryad frigate, Captain MANSFIELD, sailed from Cork on the 4th of December, with the following transports ... it is supposed that these troops are destined to replace the garrison of Minorca, the principle part of which are employed in the reduction of MALTA.}}

''Dryad'' was based at Cork for several months during 1800, in [[Admiral]] [[Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner|Lord Gardner]]'s fleet; Gardner's son Valentine commenced his naval career in ''Dryad'' under [[Charles John Moore Mansfield|Mansfield]]. At the beginning of April 1800, ''Dryad'' spent several days assisting ''Revolutionnaire'', which had lost her [[rudder]] in a hurricane in the [[Atlantic]]. ''Dryad'' had lost her [[Yard (sailing)|fore-yard]] and the two ships assisted each other towards Cork when an off-shore [[gale]] forced them to head for [[Plymouth]]. However, another change in the wind meant that they could neither weather the [[Scilly Isles]] nor return to Cork and they drifted up the [[St George's Channel]]. On 16 April ''Dryad'' tried to tow ''Revolutionnaire'' off the [[Waterford]] rocks, but the cable broke. Fortunately another change of wind enabled ''Revolutionnaire'' to avoid the rocks and both ships finally arrived at [[Milford Haven]] on 19 April in a "most distressed state".<ref>''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 3, pp.414-5.</ref>

===Capture of ''Premier Consul'' and HMS ''Ulla Fersen''===

West of Ireland on 5 March 1801 ''Dryad'' captured the French [[privateer]] [[Premier Consul (1800)|''Premier Consul'']] of [[St Malo]] after a 3-hour chase. ''Premier Consul'' was pierced for 24 guns but was armed with fourteen 9-pounders. She had a crew of 150 men. She was 21 days out of [[Saint Malo]] and had captured a Portuguese [[schooner]] sailing from Lisbon to Ireland.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15347|page=322|date=21 March 1801}}</ref>

The ''Portsmouth Telegraph'' reported on 16 March 1801: {{cquote|By a private letter received from Cork, we learn, that the Dryad frigate, Captain Mansfield, has captured and sent into that port, a Swedish frigate, after an action of ten minutes, in which the Swede had 7 killed and 14 wounded.}}  The Swedish frigate was [[HMS Ulla Fersen (1789)|HMS ''Ulla Fersen'']], of 18 guns.  ''Dryad'' returned from the Irish Station to [[Portsmouth]] on 18 March with both ''Premier Consul'' and ''Ulla Fersen'' as [[prize (law)|prizes]]. The Admiralty took ''Premier Consul'' into service as HMS ''Scout'', but she foundered within a year with the loss of her entire crew.{{sfnp|Gosset|1986|p=36}} The British returned ''Ulla Fersen'' to the Swedes after negotiations.

===The Peace of Amiens (1802 - 1803)===
After the United Kingdom signed the [[Treaty of Amiens]] with the French Republic in March 1802, Mansfield arrived back in Portsmouth on 9 June in ''Dryad'' carrying Admiral [[Alan Gardner, 1st Baron Gardner|Lord Gardner]] and bearing his [[Maritime flag#Rank flags|flag]]. Captain Robert Williams was appointed to ''Dryad'', joining her almost immediately.  ''Dryad'' cruised off [[Isle of Portland|Portland]] suppressing [[smuggling]]. In February 1803 Williams left to become captain of the [[third rate]] 74-gun {{HMS|Russell|1764|2}}. War with [[France]] broke out again in May 1803.

==Napoleonic Wars==
On 28 July 1803, ''Dryad'', under Captain John Giffard, recaptured ''Adventure''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15636|page=1485|date=8 September 1801}}</ref>

===Return to the Irish Station (1804–1808)===
''Dryad'' had the honour of returning Admiral Lord Gardner to his command at Cork in 1804. She remained on the Irish Station, but at the end of the year Captain Giffard left the ship due to ill health. His replacement, in January 1805, was Captain (later Admiral Sir) [[Adam Drummond (naval officer)|Adam Drummond]].{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}} On 2 November off [[Ferrol, Spain|Ferrol]] ''Dryad'', in company with {{HMS|Boadicea|1797|2}}, encountered four French [[ship-of-the-line|ships-of-the-line]] under [[Rear-Admiral]] [[Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley]] that had escaped from the [[Battle of Trafalgar]]. ''Dryad'' and ''Boadicea'' tried to entice the French into the path of a [[Royal Navy]] squadron. Although ''Dryad'' and ''Boadicea'' lost the French ships of the line, a squadron under the command of [[Sir Richard Strachan]] had seen the rocket signals the frigates had launched. In the subsequent [[Battle of Cape Ortegal]], the British captured [[French ship Formidable|''Formidable'']], [[French ship Scipion|''Scipion'']], [[HMS Implacable (1805)|''Duguay-Trouin'']], and [[French ship Mont-Blanc|''Mont Blanc'']]. Unfortunately, having lost the French squadron, neither ''Boadicea'' nor ''Dryad'' shared in the benefits that their actions had made possible.

On 13 February 1805, {{HMS|Pallas|1804|2}} captured ''Fortuna''. ''Dryad'' submitted a claim to share in the prize money.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15963|page=1326|date=4 October 1806}}</ref> On 22 February, {{HMS|Euryalus|1803|2}} captured ''St Jose'' and ''Dryad'' shared in the prize by agreement with ''Euryalus''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16272|date=4 July 1809|page=1049}}</ref>

In October or early November, as {{ship||Harriot|1797 ship|2}} was returning from Port Jackson to London a Spanish privateer captured her, but ''Dryad'' recaptured her and sent her into Waterford.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c2735022?urlappend=%3Bseq=189 |title=The Marine List |work=Lloyd's List |issue=4270 |date=12 November 1805 |hdl=2027/uc1.c2735022?urlappend=%3Bseq=189 |accessdate=18 October 2020}}</ref>

On 15 May 1807, ''Dryad'' was under the command of Captain Adam Drummond and in company with {{HMS|Amethyst|1799|2}} and {{HMS|Plover|1796|2}}. The three vessels were some twenty leagues off Scilly when ''Amethyst'' spotted and captured a strange sail. The captured vessel turned out to be the French privateer schooner ''Josephine''. ''Josephine'' was armed with four 2-pounder guns and had a crew of 45 men, ten of whom she had put on board ''Jane'', which had been sailing from Lisbon when ''Josephine'' captured her. ''Josephine'' had sailed from the [[Ile de Batz]] on 2 April.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16034|page=749|date=2 June 1807}}</ref>

In July 1807 Captain William Price Cumby took [[pro tempore]] command of ''Dryad'', and during a three-month cruise on the Irish Station took several valuable prizes. Captain Drummond returned to the ship, and on 22 March 1808 he captured the French [[privateer]] ''Rennair'' (or ''Rennois''). She was pierced for 18 guns but only mounted twelve 6-pounders and two 12-pounder carronades. She had a crew of 95 men, half of whom were Danes. She was a new vessel, 12 days into her first cruise, with provisions and stores for three months. When ''Rennair'' was captured she had taken only one prize, a Portuguese schooner carrying a cargo of salt for Cork.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16133|page=473|date=2 April 1808}}</ref>

Then on 4 September, ''Dryad'' and {{HMS|Virginie|1796|2}} captured the Danish brig ''Inge Berg Maria''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16952|page=2172|date=1 November 1814}}</ref>

Next, on 18 September 1807, ''Dryad'', in company with ''Viginie'', captured ''Jomsrue Ellen'', Jensin, master. Then on 27 September 1807 ''Dryad'' captured [[HMS Netley (1808)|''Nimrod'']], H. Nicholayson, master.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16458|page=362|date=23 February 1811}}</ref> (The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS ''Netley''.) On 22 September, ''Dryad'' captured the Danish ship ''Carl''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16508|page=1461|date=27 July 1811}}</ref> Four days later ''Dryad'' captured ''Garde Haab''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16510|page=1529|date=3 August 1811}}</ref>

Lastly, on 15 November 1808, ''Dryad'' captured the ''Unie''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16231|page=245|date=21 January 1809}}</ref>

===The Walcheren Expedition (1809)===

Captain Edward Galwey took command in 1809, and remained captain of ''Dryad'' until the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]].  On 28 July ''Dryad'' sailed with a large fleet from [[The Downs (ship anchorage)|the Downs]].  This fleet, and the troops they carried, formed part of the [[Walcheren Expedition]], the aim of which was to demolish the [[Shipyard|dockyards]] and [[arsenal]]s at [[Antwerp]], [[Terneuzen]], and [[Flushing, Netherlands|Flushing]].

On 11 August ''Dryad'' formed part of a squadron of frigates directed to [[Sound (nautical)|sound]] and [[buoy]] the Sloe Strait in preparation for the attack on [[Flushing, Netherlands|Flushing]], which fell on 15 August. In forcing the West Scheld, the British ships were under fire from shore batteries for two hours, during which time they suffered two men killed and nine wounded; ''Dryad'' had no casualties.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16287|page=1298|date=15 August 1809}}</ref> Prize money was paid in 1812.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16650|page=1971|date=26 September 1812|}}</ref> The expedition ended in failure, mostly due to malaria decimating the expeditionary force, which withdrew by September.

===The Home Station (1809 - 1814)===

Between 1809 and 1814 ''Dryad'' served on the [[Home station|Home Station]], including the north coast of Spain under the orders of Commodore Sir [[Robert Mends]]. On 6 February 1810 she and {{HMS|Eclipse|1807|2}} recaptured ''Dobridge'' and ''Hercules''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16380|date=19 June 1810|page=905}}</ref>

In late June and early July ''Dryad'' was part of a British squadron that destroyed all the French batteries (except for Castro) on the Spanish coast from St. Sebastian (a fortified town in the Basque province of [[Gipuzkoa]] at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay) to [[Santander, Cantabria|St. Andero]]. Landing parties destroyed one hundred heavy guns and essentially denuded that coast of its defences, all without suffering any casualties.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16390|date=24 July 1810|pages=1097–1098}}</ref> On 31 October, ''Dryad'' recaptured ''Americana''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16477|date=20 April 1811|page=736}}</ref> The French privateer [[French frigate Semillante (1792)|''Charles'']] had captured ''Americana'', Fousica, master, on 26 October as ''Americana'' was sailing from Bahia to London. After ''Dryad'' recaptured ''Americana'', ''Americana'' then arrived at Plymouth on 9 November.<ref>[http://www.1812privateers.org/LLOYDS/1810/11-13-1810.jpg ''Lloyd's List'' n°4510 - Retrieved 29 September 2015.]</ref>{{efn|''[[Lloyd's Register]]'' described ''Americana'' as teak-built, of 283 tons, and from the {{not a typo|Brazils}}. It gave her trade as London-Brazil.<ref>''Lloyd's Register'' (1810).</ref>}}

The year 1811 was busy. ''Dryad{{'}}''s list of prizes includes:
*American ship ''Matilda'' (28 January; in sight of {{HMS|Indefatigable|1784|2}} and {{HMS|Lyra|1808|2}});<ref name=LG16701>{{London Gazette|issue=16701|date=9 February 1813|page=282}}</ref>
*American schooner ''Two Sisters'', with a cargo of fish;<ref name=LG16701/>
*''Post Boy'' (17 March);<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16535|date=26 October 1811|page=2080}}</ref>
*French [[schooner]] ''La Balam'' (22 March);
*the recapture of ''Nancy'' (14 April);<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16509|date=30 July 1811|page=1495}}</ref>{{efn|A commissioned officer's share of the salvage money for ''Nancy'' was £16 1[[shilling|s]] {{frac|5|1|2}}[[pence|d]]; an able seaman's share was 16s {{frac|10|3|4}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16512|date=10 August 1811|page=1577}}</ref> For an able seaman this would represent about two weeks' wages.}}
*[[chasse maree]]s ''St. Jean'', ''St. Francois'', and ''Louise'' (10 and 12 July);<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16583|date=14 March 1812|page=504}}</ref>
*chasse marees ''Deux Amis'', ''Marie'', and ''Jean Baptiste'' (5 September; ''Dryad'' sharing with four other vessels); and
*an unnamed French [[brig]] (9 October).

''Dryad'' docked in [[Plymouth]] during October. However, by January 1812 she was again sending prizes in:
*''Spy'' from [[New York (state)|New York]] (27 January);
*''Prudentia'' (31 January);
*''Don Roderick'' (16 February); and
*''Purse'' (29 May).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16772|date=16 January 1813|page=1805}}</ref>

On 15 May ''Dryad'' and {{HMS|Armide|1806|2}} captured the French schooner ''Hirondelle''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16694|date=11 September 1813|page=141}}</ref>

On 26 May 1812, {{HMS|Belle Poule|1806|2}}, {{HMS|Abercrombie|1809|2}} and ''Dryad'' shared in the capture of ''General Gates''. ''Armide'' also shared by agreement.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16741|date=15 June 1813|page=1177}}</ref>

''Dryad'' was employed on less glamorous tasks as well - during August 1812 she conveyed [[Cattle|bullocks]] to the [[Channel Fleet]], a filthy and unpleasant mission. On 23 December 1812 Captain Galway drove a French [[brig]] of 22 guns ashore on the [[Île d'Yeu]], which wrecked her.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}}<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16935|date=17 September 1814|page=1881}}</ref> ''Dryad'' took several hits in her [[Hull (watercraft)|hull]] and foremast from shots fired by shore batteries but suffered no casualties.

On 6 January 1813, ''Dryad'' captured the American [[schooner]] [[Rossie (1807 ship)|''Rossie'']] from Baltimore, which arrived in [[Plymouth]] on 17 January 1813.{{efn|In an earlier cruise as a privateer, ''Rossie'' had captured 20 British ships, including the [[Post Office Packet Service]] [[packet ship]] {{ship||Princess Amelia|1799 packet|2}}, after a sharp fight.}} Eight ships of the Royal Navy were in sight, as was ''Chance''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16758|date=27 July 1813|page=1495}}</ref> Then six days later, ''Dryad'' was among the 11 vessels that shared in the recapture of the schooner ''Industry''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16757|date=24 July 1813|page=1470}}</ref> The next day, ''Dryad'' captured the American ship ''Porcupine'', of 330 tons burthen. ''Porcupine'' was armed with four guns and carried a crew of 13 men. She was sailing from New York to Bordeaux with a cargo of cotton and potash.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16715|date=27 March 1813|page=628}}</ref> The privateer ''Chance'' was again in sight and so again shared in the prize money.

===Capture of ''Clorinde'' (1814)===
[[Image:Atlantic Ocean, 1814 RCIN 735185.3.a.jpg|thumb|Capture of La ''Clorinde'', by [[Robert Dodd (artist)|Robert Dodd]], 1 March 1817, ''Dryad'' second left in the picture]]
While returning from [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in company with the 16-gun [[brig-sloop]] {{HMS|Achates|1809|2}}, on 26 February ''Dryad'' came across the damaged [[French frigate Clorinde (1808)|French frigate ''Clorinde'']], which had attempted to escape {{HMS|Eurotas|1813|2}} after a hard-fought battle the previous day. ''Eurotas'' had twenty men and officers killed and forty wounded; the French estimated their losses at 120 men. Captain [[John Phillimore]] of ''Eurotas'' was among those listed as severely wounded. ''Clorinde'' was under the command of Captain Dennis Legard, mounted forty-four guns and four brass [[swivel gun]]s in each top, and had had a crew of 360 men.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16864|pages=481–482|date=5 March 1814}}</ref>

In his letter of report, Phillimore observed that the approach of ''Dryad'' and ''Achates'' was ''"to the great mortification of every one on board"'',<ref>James (1837), Vol. 6, p.270.</ref> because ''Eurotas'' had spent all night setting up a [[jury-rig]], and the [[Rules of Prize Warfare|Prize Rules]] meant that all ships in sight shared in the prize money. After a single cannon shot, ''Clorinde'' surrendered to ''Dryad'', which towed her into [[Portsmouth]].  The [[Royal Navy]] took ''Clorinde'' into service as {{HMS|Aurora|1814|2}}.{{efn|Prize money was paid in January 1815, with the value of a first-class share, such as would accrue to a captain, being £671 6[[pence|d]]; the value of a sixth-class share, i.e., that of an ordinary seaman, was £7 9[[shilling|s]] {{frac|5|1|4}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16979|page=153|date=28 January 1815}}</ref> A first-class share of the head money was worth £182 12s {{frac|9|1|4}}d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 1s {{frac|2|1|4}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=17038|page=1395|date=11 July 1815}}</ref> Had ''Dryad'' and ''Achates'' not arrived, Philmore's first-class share alone would have been worth two to three times as much.}}

==Post-war==
''Dryad'' was decommissioned on her return with ''Clorinde'', and although in 1816 she was fitted for a voyage to [[Jamaica]], the plan was canceled.  She remained out of commission at [[Sheerness]] until 1825.

===The Mediterranean (1825-1830)===
''Dryad'' was recommissioned in August 1825 under Captain Hon. Robert Rodney (4th son of [[George Rodney, 2nd Baron Rodney]])<ref>''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire'', by John Burke, published by H Colburn and R Bentley, London, 1832 p360</ref> at [[Sheerness]] for service in the [[Mediterranean]].  Less than a year later, on 20 July 1826, Rodney died while in command of the frigate. His successor was Captain The Hon. [[George Alfred Crofton|George Crofton]] (son of [[Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet]]).<ref>''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire'', by John Burke, published by H Colburn and R Bentley, London, 1832 p305</ref> The ship visited [[Gibraltar]], [[Valletta]] and [[Aegina]] between July 1827 and June 1828.

===The Preventative Squadron (1830-1832)===
By November 1829 ''Dryad'' was recommissioning in [[Plymouth]] for foreign service.  Captain [[John Hayes (Royal Navy officer)|John Hayes]] joined her in May 1830 and she sailed for the coast of Africa on 29 September 1830, with Captain Hayes serving as [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|commodore]] on that station, a station with a well-deserved reputation for killing sailors by disease. {{HMS|Fair Rosamond|1830|2}} and {{HMS|Black Joke|1827|2}}, both captured ex-[[slave ship]]s, were [[Ship's tender|tenders]] to ''Dryad'', and between November 1830 and March 1832, they accounted for 11 out of the 13 slavers the squadron captured.  Despite the hardships, the [[West Africa Squadron]] carried out a determined effort to stop the slave trade, a task that increasing international co-operation gradually more effective.

''Dryad{{'}}''s visits to [[Ascension Island]] brought welcome relief to the crew from the torrid climate of West Africa, as well as fresh provisions and time ashore for recreation. It also gave them time to water, refit and paint her. ''Dryad'' carried out hydrography, too.  In 1832 ''[[The Nautical Magazine]]'' recorded one such occasion:
{{cquote|On the authority of Commodore Hayes, and Mr. A. Weir, the master of H.M.S. Dryad, we can no longer give credit to the statement of Mr. Fraser, of the ship St. George, in 1830, relating to the existence of a dangerous rock to N.E. of Ascension. By the following it will be seen, that the Dryad and her tender went in search of it; and from the care taken in the observations, as well as the common occurrence of shoals of fish being frequently seen in those latitudes, and the great probability that it would have been discovered before, had such a rock existed, we must conclude that there is no such danger.<ref>''Nautical Magazine For 1832'', p.501</ref>}}

On 21 or 22 February 1831 ''Black Joke'' captured a slaver with 300 slaves on board. This was probably the Spanish schooner ''Primeira''. At the time ''Black Joke'' was acting as a tender to ''Dryad''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18922|page=715|date=30 March 1832}}</ref>{{efn|A first-class share, which would have accrued to the captain of ''Dryad'', was worth £369 2s 6d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 3s {{frac|6|3|4}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18932|page=966|date=1 May 1832}}</ref>}}
On 20 April, ''Black Joke'' captured the ''Marinerito''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18933|page=992|date=4 May 1832}}</ref>{{efn| A first-class share was worth £533 8s 9d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 18s {{frac|6|3|4}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18935|page=1053|date=11 May 1832}}</ref>}} On 19 July, ''Fair Rosamond'' captured the Spanish slave schooner ''Potosi''.{{efn|A first-class share was worth £215 9s 3d; a sixth-class share was worth 15s {{frac|6|1|2}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18950|page=1522|date=3 July 1832}}</ref>}} On 10 September ''Fair Rosamond'' and ''Black Joke'' captured the Spanish slave vessels ''Regulo'' and ''Rapido''.{{efn|A first-class share was worth £383 8s 1d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 8s 6d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=18975|pages=2061–2062|date=11 September 1832}}</ref> Later it was discovered that nine men had been left off the prize list for the capture of all three vessels and the holders of sixth-class shares were obliged to return 1s {{frac|0|3|4}}d for distribution to these men.<ref name=LG18933/> However, a prize court reinstated a half-bounty for 29 slaves who had died prior to the ''Regulo{{'}}''s condemnation. A captain's share was £13 10s, a commander's share was £6 5s, and a sixth-class share was {{frac|11|1|2}}d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19119|pages=82–83|date=14 January 1834}}</ref>}}

On 15 February 1832, ''Black Joke'' captured Spanish schooner ''Frasquita'', alias ''Centilla''. This vessel too yielded bounty money for the slaves on board her.{{efn|A first-class share was worth £303 3s 6d; a sixth-class share was worth £1 1s {{frac|9|3|4}}d.<ref name=LG18933>{{London Gazette|issue=18993|pages=2478–2062|date=9 November 1832}}</ref>}}

''Dryad{{'}}''s voyage home started in [[The Gambia]] on 31 May 1832, and after a short stop in the [[Azores]] at the beginning of July, she arrived in [[Portsmouth]] on 25 July.  On 11 August she sailed for [[Cork (city)|Cork, Ireland]], and returned to Portsmouth on 29 August.

==Fate==
[[File:Fores's Marine Sketches. The Royal Navy. Portsmouth Harbour - the Victory Saluting Her Majesty (with) HM Yacht Fairy and Dryad RMG PY9197.tiff|thumb|300px|Portsmouth Harbour 1851, the Dryad hulk in the foreground]]
''Dryad'' was taken out of commission for the last time on 13 September 1832 and she then became a [[receiving ship]] at [[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth]].{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=146}} She was broken up in 1862.

==Commanding officers==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
!From||To|||Captain
|-
|June 1795 || 7 October 1795 ||Captain Hon. Robert Forbes, drowned off Norway in command on 7 October 1795
|-
|December 1795 || December 1798 ||Captain [[Lord Amelius Beauclerk]]
|-
|February 1799 || June 1802 ||Captain [[Charles John Moore Mansfield]]
|-
|May 1803 || February 1804 ||Captain Robert Williams
|-
|1804 || 1804 ||Captain John Giffard
|-
|1804 || 1809 ||Captain Adam Drummond
|-
|July 1807 || 1808 ||Captain William Price Cumby, [[pro tempore]] command
|-
|1809 || 1814 ||Captain Edward Galway
|-
|1814 || 1825 ||Out of commission
|-
|August 1825 || 20 July 1826 ||Captain The Hon. Robert Rodney, died in command on 20 July 1826
|-
|24 July 1826 || 1830 ||Captain The Hon. [[George Alfred Crofton]]
|-
|May 1830 || 13 September 1832 ||Captain [[John Hayes (Royal Navy officer)|John Hayes]]
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* Daly, Gavin (2007) "English Smugglers, the Channel, and the Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1814". ''Journal of British Studies'' 46 (1), pp.&nbsp;30–46.
* {{cite book|last=Gosset|first=William Patrick|year=1986|title=The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900|publisher=Mansell|isbn=0-7201-1816-6}}
* [[William James (naval historian)|James, William]] (1837) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, 1793 - 1820''. (London:R. Bentley), Volumes II and VI.
* {{cite book |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793&ndash;1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth|year=2008|isbn=978-1-86176-246-7}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=0785 Phillips, Michael - ''Ships of the Old Navy'' - HMS ''Dryad'']
* [http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/D/01480.html Naval Database - HMS ''Dryad''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220094124/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/D/01480.html |date=20 December 2009 }}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation
  | last = Leonard
  | first = Peter, surgeon of the British Navy
  | title = The Western coast of Africa: Journal of an officer under Captain Owen: Records of a voyage in the ship Dryad, in 1830, 1831, and 1832
  | place = Philadelphia
  | publisher = Edward C. Mielke
  | year = 1833
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5dURAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Journal+of+an+officer+under+Captain+Owen+%22&pg=PA3
  | oclc = 191250092}}

{{Phoebe class frigate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dryad (1795)}}
[[Category:Frigates of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:1795 ships]]
[[Category:Ships of the West Africa Squadron]]
[[Category:Ships built in Deptford]]