HMS Caesar (1793)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Caesar.

HMS Caesar, also Cæsar, was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 November 1793 at Plymouth. She was designed by Sir Edward Hunt, and was the only ship built to her draught.^[1] She was also one of only two British-built 80-gun ships of the period, the other being HMS Foudroyant.

HMS Caesar engaging Mont Blanc at the Battle of Cape Ortegal, 4 November 1805
History
Great Britain
Name	HMS Caesar
Ordered	November 1783
Builder	Plymouth Dockyard
Laid down	24 January 1786
Launched	16 November 1793
Fate	Broken up, 1821
Notes	Participated in: Battle of Algeciras Bay Battle of Cape Ortegal Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne
General characteristics [1]
Class and type	80-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen	2002 74⁄94 (bm)
Length	181 ft (55 m) (gundeck)
Beam	51 ft 3 in (15.62 m)
Depth of hold	22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	80 guns: Gundeck: 30 × 32 pdrs Upper gundeck: 32 × 24 pdrs Quarterdeck: 14 × 9 pdrs Forecastle: 4 × 9 pdrs

Service

In 1798, some of her crew were court-martialed for mutiny.^[2]

Battle of Algeciras Bay

Caesar preparing to sail against the combined Squadron of France & Spain, meeting on the Afternoon of 12 July 1801

She was involved in the Battle of Algeciras Bay in 1801, during which her Master, William Grave, was killed^[3]

On 30 April, 1802, under command of Sir James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez, she made contact with USS Consellation near Gibraltar.^[4]

Battle of Cape Ortegal

Main article: Battle of Cape Ortegal

The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar. It took place on 4 November 1805 off Cape Ortegal, in north-west Spain and saw a squadron under Captain Sir Richard Strachan in Caesar defeat and capture a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley.

Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne

In 1809, she took part in the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne.

Fate

She was converted to serve as a depot ship in 1814, and was broken up in 1821.^[1]

Notes

1. Lavery, Ships of the Line, vol. 1, p. 183.
2. MacDougall, Phillip (2022). "The Naval Mutinies of 1798". The Mariner's Mirror. 108 (4). Society for Nautical Research: 423–438.
3. McCarthy, The Road to McCarthy. p.10
4. Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume II Part 1 of 3 January 1802 through August 1803 (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 139. Retrieved 31 October 2024 – via Ibiblio.

References

• Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
• McCarthy, Pete (2003) The Road to McCarthy Sceptre. ISBN 0-340-76607-7.

External links

• Media related to HMS Caesar (ship, 1793) at Wikimedia Commons