Folio (350 x 260mm), original full vellum, a little worn, some worming through out the volume, heaviest to the last third of the manuscript, this does not affect the text that is legible throughout, secured in a half vellum box, vellum label to upper cover.
AT SEA – SAILING DIRECTIONS FOR ENTERING THE PORTS, HARBOURS AND BAYS FROM CADIZ IN SPAIN VIA WEST AFRICA TO PORT ROYAL IN THE WEST INDIES. THIS PILOT DESCRIBES NAVIGATING THE NUMEROUS PORTS AND HARBOURS VISITED BY THE PALLAS.
Horatio Nelson was one of the crew in 1774.
The following history has been compiled by Peter Erik Flynn, Texas A&M University. A 1998 joint survey undertaken by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and Portuguese authorities located and identified the sunken remains of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Pallas (1757-1783) off of the Azorean island of São Jorge. Physical remains are so limited as to suggest that excavation would likely yield little new information. However, much documentary evidence has been preserved in Admiralty archives.
Contemporary treatises about 18th-century British ship construction focus on glossaries of terms, scantling lists and design theory, and include only short sections on frigates insofar as they apply to those topics. They rarely address specific construction aspects. Most current works address individual aspects of ship construction for the period, but provide little significant detail about the frigate as a ship type. All of these works are useful and reliable, however none attempt to combine the ship with the crew, or pursue the complete history of one ship.
As the flagship of a prototypical class, intended to address French superiority in cruiser design, it is reasonable to expect that a history of Pallas would exist with some analysis of how successfully these new frigates fulfilled the Royal Navy’s perceived need. However, to date there has been no attempt to consolidate the evidence of her 26-year career. This study provides a comprehensive history of a single ship from perceived need and conceived solution through design and construction. The ship’s logbooks and additional primary sources made it possible to accurately document and analyse Pallas’ activities, maintenance, modifications, and ultimately to draw conclusions about the overall effectiveness of the frigate type.
HMS PALLAS: SERVICE HISTORY
An examination of the service history of the frigate Pallas will demonstrate the role frigates played in British strategic policy, the kinds of duties and responsibilities typically assigned to them and will clearly illustrate the demanding maintenance requirements of all active Royal Navy warships of the era.
At the outbreak of war with France in April 1756 the Royal Navy was acutely aware of the inadequacy of its cruiser fleet. In order to protect British maritime trade and military convoys from French predations and to carry the guerre de course to the French, more and better cruisers were desperately needed. In response the Admiralty ordered nine new 32 and 36-gun frigates. It was believed that these new designs could compete with and hopefully surpass their French counterparts.
On August 31, 1757, the 128-foot hull of the Royal Navy’s newest warship class slid down the slipway of the Wells shipbuilding firm at Deptford and into the Thames River. The ship, commissioned HMS Pallas, was one of the Royal Navy’s new classes of 36-gun, 12-pound frigates. These frigates, the 32-gun Richmond class designed by William Bately, and the 32-gun Southampton class, and the 36-gun Pallas class designed by the recently appointed Surveyor of the Navy, Thomas Slade, were developed in the early 1750’s, in response to a perceived French superiority both in the sailing qualities and gun power of their cruisers. The designs for all three classes placed all of the guns on the main deck, quarterdeck and forecastle, leaving the lower deck free for living space and the extra stores that would allow them to cruise for months without putting in for provisions. The new frigates possessed the speed and sailing qualities needed to elude larger warships and the strength to overpower any pirate, smuggler or privateer encountered. The completed hull of Pallas, on the day she was launched, lacked any major fittings other than lower masts and bowsprit. She carried no ballast, raising considerable concern regarding her stability until she could be floated into position and lashed alongside HMS Gibraltar, for fitting out.
On September 3rd, Captain Archibald Cleveland arrived at Deptford and took possession of Pallas. For the next month he supervised the final fitting out, crewing and provisioning prior to her shakedown cruise to Long Reaches, Gravesend and The Nore. The remarkably hasty fitting –out period for Pallas is testimony to the urgency of the navy to supplement its cruiser fleet.
On the morning of October 29, 1757 Pallas sailed with HMS Shannon (36), on her first operational cruise with orders to support Admiral Edward Hawke’s squadron blockading the French fleet at Brest. On the following day, having lost sight of Shannon and sailing alone, Pallas brought to several Dutch vessels. Over the next month, Pallas patrolled with the squadron blockading the French fleet in Brest. During this period she was variously in company with Shannon, HMS Medway (60), HMS Dolphin (20), HMS Unicorn (28), HMS Ramillies (90), HMS Royal George (100), and HMS Southampton (36), occasionally breaking away to pursue unidentified sails. On November 3rd, after a long chase, Pallas captured her first prize, a French privateer. Other than generally poor weather, no other notable events were reported during this period. The deteriorating weather began to take its toll on the fleet; damaged ships and support vessels began returning to Spithead and on December 15th Pallas received word that the remainder of the fleet should begin working to Spithead to ride out the weather.
The weather had obviously taken its toll on Pallas. On December 21, 1757 a pilot came aboard to bring her into Portsmouth harbour for repairs. Over the following ten days, the guns and powder were removed, the main and mizzen shrouds were replaced, the blocks and rigging were overhauled, new gammoning was installed on the bowsprit, iron ballast was removed to adjust the trim and the hull was re-caulked. By the end of December, re-provisioning and re-rigging were completed and the masts had been scraped and payed with pine varnish. On January 12,1758 she was moved from Portsmouth harbour to Bembridge Point and on the 15th she sailed to join HMS Eagle (60) and HMS Torbay (74) patrolling the Biscay coast about 200 miles (325km.) southwest of Brest. Over the next two months she patrolled west and southwest of Brest enforcing the blockade of French commerce.
On February 14th Pallas returned to Plymouth Sound for general maintenance. On February 20th it was discovered that the foremast was sprung under the upper wedges. The foremast was removed the following day and on February 23rd Pallas was hauled into dry dock where caulkers were employed in breaming the ship’s bottom. February 25th and 26th were spent installing and rigging the new foremast.
By March 1st, Pallas had been re-provisioned and moved out into Plymouth Sound. On March 3rd she sailed with HMS America (60) to patrol southwest of Plymouth. On the second day her foremast stay parted. It is interesting to note that she did not immediately return to Plymouth, but continued to patrol for two weeks encountering mostly British convoys bound for the Americas. On March 17th Pallas re-entered Plymouth Sound. March 18th was spent fixing the lower rigging, un-reaving the bad running rigging, and reaving new running rigging. On March 20th, the crew un-rigged the fore and main topmasts and re-rigged them the following day. On March 22nd, Pallas once again made sail and returned to her patrol.
Between March 23rd and April 28, 1758 while patrolling off the southwest coast of England, there were two notable encounters. At Land’s End on the 31st, Pallas sighted and pursued a French frigate—her first encounter with an enemy warship. There was little or no wind and the Frenchman used sweeps to evade capture. On April 17th, just to the north of Le Havre, Pallas liberated a British merchant ship taken by a French privateer. During this period it appears that there was considerable concern on the part of the Admiralty regarding fever aboard English warships and orders were issued that all ships should be washed with vinegar. On April 18, 1758 Pallas dropped anchor at Spithead, and on April 24th was taken into Portsmouth for general maintenance where the main and mizzen masts were found, like the foremast before them, to be sprung. Either the ship was being driven hard or the quality of the mast timber was poor. Since Pallas had been built during the first months of the war and priority was given to the construction of frigates it is reasonable to assume that stockpiled seasoned timber was employed in the hull construction—the longevity of Pallas hull supports this view. However, by the time Pallas was launched, stockpiles of seasoned masts and spars would have been used up servicing active ships and in fitting-out ships brought out of ordinary. Therefore Pallas probably received sub-standard masts and spars. The new main and mizzen masts were stepped and re-rigged by May 10th. Having been re-provisioned Pallas made ready to sail, but on the following day, the foremast was found to be sprung beneath the wooldings.
Pallas remained in Spithead until June 1st replacing the foremast and carrying out general maintenance. There is a gap in the logbooks from June to October of 1758. However, it is known that on June 6th Pallas took part in the destruction of shipping and storehouses at St. Malo and that from August 6th to the 17th, Pallas participated in Admiral Richard Howe’s raids on Cherbourg. On August 7th Howe temporarily transferred his flag to Pallas so that he could stand in closer to shore during the operation. By October 6th, Pallas was back at Portsmouth undergoing a major overhaul. The lower masts were replaced and re-rigged, a new best bower cable was taken aboard, and she was hauled into dry dock for breaming, caulking, and blacking. Once again this illustrates the hard service that frigates were subjected to and the shortage of quality timber available to the Royal Navy as the war progressed. On November 1st, the ship’s company received its first distribution of prize money. Provisioning was completed by November 6th and Pallas was moved to Spithead where she remained at anchor until November 11, 1758. The following day, Pallas set sail from Spithead with orders to escort HMS Saltash (14), which was carrying silver to pay the garrison at Senegal, and to then join up with Admiral Augustus Keppel’s fleet off West Africa. On November 17th the fleet was sighted and they joined company with Torbay and 16 merchant ships (referred to in Pallas’ logbooks as 16 sail). Pallas parted company with the fleet on November 20th, just off Lisbon, dispatched back to England. For the remainder of 1758 Pallas patrolled the Bay of Biscay as far north as Le Havre, at various times in company with HMS Actæon (28), Deptford (50), Essex (64), Windsor (60), and the Rochester privateer.
On January 1, 1759, Pallas returned to Portsmouth for general maintenance. On January 30th after maintenance and provisioning she joined a large fleet anchored at Spithead under the command of Admiral Charles Holmes. On February 14th, Pallas set sail in company with HMS Chatham (50), HMS Falkland (50), HMS Chichester (70), and HMS Boreas (28), escorting an outbound East India convoy. Together they patrolled the southern approaches until February 24th when Chichester and Chatham parted company leaving Falkland in command of the convoy. On March 12th, the four ships met up again. On the same day the main mast of Pallas was found to be sprung. The following day, the carpenter from Boreas came aboard to assist in woolding the mast. Pallas parted company with Boreas on March 14th, came safely to anchor at Spithead two days later, and the following day was moved into Portsmouth Harbour. Over the next ten days, the main mast was replaced and general maintenance and provisioning were carried out.
On April 4, 1759, Pallas set sail in company with Essex, and the Jamaica sloop and anchored at Needle Point. They were joined by Chatham on the following day and commenced their patrol of the French coast. For the next three weeks, the four ships patrolled off Brest enforcing the commercial blockade, bringing-to numerous vessels, and liberating a Jamaican prize taken by the French. On April 26th, Essex (64), and Chatham, returned to Plymouth with the prize and Pallas made for Portsmouth. From April 29th to May 21st, Pallas rode at anchor at Spithead and carried out general maintenance in Portsmouth harbor. There she joined an assembled fleet that included HMS Nottingham (60), HMS Hercules (74), HMS Venus (36), and HMS Minerva (32), as well as Chatham and Essex.
At some point during the beginning of June Captain Archibald Cleveland departed and Captain Michael Clements took command of Pallas. Clements would remain captain until Pallas was paid off in January 1764. On June 18, 1759 Pallas sailed from Spithead in the company of HMS Rochester (50) and a cutter with orders to patrol the Channel coast and the Bay of Biscay near Brest. On July 5th, Pallas stood into Brest harbour firing on French ships there and at the shore batteries at St. Matthew’s Convent. From July 6th to 16th, Pallas continuously harried the French at St. Matthew’s Convent and in Brest harbour. On the following day she turned for home and on July 18th entered Plymouth Sound. Over the course of the next week she was heeled and her bottom cleaned and the crew carried out general maintenance and loaded provisions aboard.
On July 28th, Pallas sailed from Plymouth in company with HMS Hero (74), HMS Sapphire (32), Southampton, and Venus to relieve Admiral Hawke’s force blockading the French ports of Brest and Le Havre. Pallas remained with Hawke’s fleet through the summer without notable encounter and returned to Plymouth Sound on October 3rd. She spent the next two weeks having a sprung bowsprit replaced, carrying out general maintenance and loading provisions for three months at sea.
On October 19, 1759 Pallas set sail from Plymouth Sound with orders to patrol the French coast of the Bay of Biscay around Quiberon Bay, Belle Isle, and the Isle of Groa (Ile de Groix). Between October 29th and November 14th she was variously in company with HMS Vengence (28), HMS Firm (50), HMS Maidstone (28), Chatham, Venus, Sapphire, Southampton, and the Swallow sloop. There is a gap in the logbooks in the crucial period from November 15th until January 5, 1760, but it is known that Pallas joined Hawke’s fleet on the 15th and that on the same day the sloop of war Fortune arrived with news that the French Grand Fleet was making for Quiberon Bay.Firm and Southampton where dispatched to carry the news to Hawke’s fleet and Pallas was dispatched to carry the news to the commanders of Fame and Windsor, cruising off of Finisterre, with a request to bring out the remainder of their squadron.
On November 19th, Hawke’s combined fleet crippled the French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay, essentially ending any threat of a French cross-channel invasion of England. Pallas returned to Plymouth on January 5, 1760 where she remained until January 29th carrying out general maintenance and provisioning. The following day she sailed with her sister ship HMS Brilliant (36) with orders to patrol St. George’s Channel between Ireland and Wales. For more than two weeks they patrolled south and southwest of Ireland and on February 18th came to anchor at Kinsale Harbor in southern Ireland. General maintenance was carried out until February 25 when Pallas and Brilliant, accompanied by HMS Æolus (32), resumed their patrol. On February 28th, Pallas, Brilliant, and Æolus encountered three strange ships and gave chase. They proved to be the French frigates Marechal de Belle Isle (44), La Blond (36) and Terpsichore.
The French frigates had been dispatched from Dunkirk in October with a small detachment of troops under the command of the renowned privateer Captain François Thurot with orders to sail north and land a diversionary force in Ireland in preparation for the crosschannel invasion. Thurot’s passage around northern Scotland had been plagued by bad weather delaying his arrival off the Irish coast for several months. Unaware that the invasion had been thwarted by Hawke at Quiberon Bay the previous fall, Thurot carried out his assignment temporarily landing a small force near town of Carrickfergus.
The two squadrons engaged off the Isle of Man and after a short, hour and-a-half long battle, all three French ships were taken. Pallas suffered sail and rigging damage, a shot through the mainmast and had her best bower shot away. The three French prizes were taken to Ramsey Bay where the prisoners were put ashore and temporary repairs were made. On March 6th, Pallas, Brilliant, Æolus, Weasel sloop and the three prizes sailed for Plymouth, stopping at Kinsale Harbour on the way, and arriving at Plymouth Sound on March 26th. For the next two weeks Pallas underwent repairs.
On April 9th Pallas returned to patrolling the French channel coast near St. Matthew’s Convent and Brest. On April 16th, lookouts sighted a sail and Pallas gave chase. The ship proved to be French and the two ships exchanged fire. During the engagement the French ship was ran aground so violently that her masts fell. Pallas wore and raked her to finish the job. On April 17th Pallas joined company with HMS Shrewsbury (74) and they remained in contact until Pallas returned to Plymouth sound on May 24th. She remained in Plymouth between May 25th and June 16, 1760 undergoing a major overhaul, and departed on June 17th bound for service in the Mediterranean.
On June 23rd, about 100 miles (160 km.) southwest of Brest, Pallas again sprung her foremast. She continued south for two weeks, sighting the rock of Lisbon on July 3rd, passing off Cadiz on July 4th,and arriving at Gibraltar on the following day. Pallas spent a week in Gibraltar having her foremast repaired and taking on provisions. She sailed on July 12th and patrolled off Europa Point and Gibraltar for the next week. On July 24th, she began to work eastwards and, on July 29th, came to anchor at Majorca. On August 7th, she departed Majorca bound for Malta, arriving there four days later.
There is a gap in the Pallas’ logbooks from August 11, 1760 until the beginning of October. However, it is known that Pallas joined up with Admiral Charles Saunders’ fleet blockading the French Fleet at Toulon. At some point after July 12th Pallas, Shrewsbury, and HMS Argo (28), engaged in a running battle with the French 74-gun Diadème escorting a convoy to Martinique. Shrewsbury was a poor sailor and it was left to the frigates to harass and slow Diadème until Shrewsbury could catch up. Unfortunately, Pallas exposed herself to a broadside from Diadème, suffered significant damage, and was forced to break off the pursuit. Diadème later took part in both the Battle of the Capes (that forced the surrender of the British Army at Yorktown), in October, 1781 and Battle of the Saints, April, 1782. It is probable that most of the remaining period missing from the logbook was spent at Gibraltar making repairs to the damage inflicted by Diadème.
In early October, 1760 Pallas returned to patrolling in the western Mediterranean around Malta and Cape Angelo with HMS Somerset (64), HMS Dunkirk (60), HMS Shannon (36), and Shrewsbury. For the next five months in late 1760 and early 1761, Pallas patrolled the western Mediterranean calling variously at Messina in Sicily, Malta, Tunis, Leghorn (Livorno, Italy), and Cagliari Bay for maintenance and provisions. The only incident of note was the capture of a French prize off Cape Negro, Morocco.
There is month-long gap in the logbooks from April 30th to June 5, 1761. From June 6th to 19th, Pallas was once again moored in Malta where she took on provisions, had her rigging overhauled and carried out general maintenance. Another month-long gap occurs from June 19th to July 23rd. From July 24th to September 1st, Pallas was moored in Leghorn. There she underwent a complete refit: careening, caulking, and breeming. The decks, masts and sides were scraped and payed. New masts were stepped and new rigging was installed, and the whole ship and the gun carriages were painted. Pallas sailed from Leghorn Road in early September 1761 on a five-month patrol of the western Mediterranean, the eastern approaches to Malta and the ‘Strait of Sicily’ (presumably the Straits of Messina), periodically calling at Messina, Tunis and Malta before returning to Gibraltar on March 16, 1762. While there she was overhauled and the crew was employed in picking oakum before sheathing the hull.
Departing Gibraltar on May 1, 1762 Pallas sailed out to patrol up the east coast of Spain to Villefranche Bay east of Nice, arriving on May 11th. Pallas remained at Villefranche for several weeks taking on provisions and carrying out general maintenance before returning to Gibraltar in late May. For the next eight months she patrolled off Cadiz, Cape Trafalgar, the Atlantic approaches to Gibraltar, and the Atlantic coast of Morocco, returning periodically to Gibraltar or Lagos Bay for provisions and general maintenance. The only incident of note took place on July 23rd in Cadiz harbour when Pallas was attacked by two xebecs—low fast coastal vessels—which were driven off after suffering heavy casualties.
On February 10, 1763 the war with France came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. News of the peace had probably not yet reached Gibraltar when, on February 17 1763, Pallas sailed with Dunkirk, Chichester, and a convoy of merchant vessels bound for England. On February 26th, Pallas parted company with the convoy and entered Lisbon Harbour where she remained moored until March 14th when she returned to Gibraltar. Pallas remained moored in Gibraltar or Cadiz from March 18 until the end of April, sailing in early May to patrol the south coast of France and western Italy, calling at Cagliari, Genoa, and Leghorn. By the first week of July she had returned to Gibraltar for provisions and general maintenance. From July until late November 1763 she was moored intermittently between Gibraltar and Cadiz. On November 22nd she sailed for Lisbon en route to Spithead, arriving on December 21st. A pilot came aboard the following day to bring her into Portsmouth harbour and between December 22nd and January 13th, Pallas was stripped of her spars and fittings and placed in ordinary. On January 14, 1764, the crew was paid off. This completed a period of over six years of active service in home waters and in the Mediterranean. The logbooks clearly show that Pallas was worked hard throughout this period displaying both her utility and durability.
The stripped hulk of Pallas languished in the ordinary yard at Portsmouth for nearly seven years before she was once again commissioned in early October 1770 and a new commander, Captain John Laforey, took possession. During the period of her working up, from October until March of 1771, she was either in Portsmouth harbour or at Spithead. A letter exists from Captain Laforey to the Admiralty requesting authority to crew her, and several letters from Laforey to the Admiralty during that period describe both chronic illness and personal problems. In one letter he simply asked to be replaced, in his next letter he claimed to be so ill that he could not travel without endangering his health and in his final letter he requested leave citing the poor order of his family affairs. The tone of the correspondence suggests that Laforey did not want command of Pallas. At some point at the beginning of 1771 Captain Laforey was relieved and Captain C. Watson took command of Pallas.
Pallas remained at anchor at Spithead until May 5th when she received orders to sail for the Mediterranean. On May 13, 1771 Pallas joined company with frigates HMS Pearl (40) and Minerva off Porto, Portugal, and together they made for Gibraltar. On May 28th, Pallas sailed into the Mediterranean with Minerva. Captain Watson was made commodore of the fleet charged with protecting English trade interests in the Levant and evacuating English subjects should it become necessary. They arrived in the Gulf of Smyrna on July 7th, and remained moored there until the end of November, carrying out general maintenance and showing the British flag. A letter from Captain Watson to the Admiralty dated July 6th reports their arrival on station and advises that a plague was at the time ravaging Smyrna. On November 30th Pallas sailed from Smyrna and returned to the western Mediterranean, patrolling the north coast of Africa and the south coast of Spain, arriving off Europa Point, Spain on February 8, 1772. On February 9th she anchored in a squall and was obliged to cut away her bower before entering Gibraltar harbour on the following day.
Pallas remained moored in Gibraltar harbour before sailing on April 5th. The following day a shock ran through the ship and it was feared that she had hit an uncharted rock but no damage was found. It was later determined to have been an earthquake. On April 12th Pallas arrived at Lisbon where she remained moored in the Tagus River for several weeks before returning to Gibraltar on May 1st. A week later she sailed for the eastern coast of Spain where she patrolled for the next four months, calling periodically at Port Mahon for maintenance and provisions before returning to Gibraltar on September 17th. There is a gap in the record of Pallas for the period September 18th until December 8th. From December 9th until March 25, 1773, she remained at Gibraltar. On March 26th, she sailed with orders to patrol the Atlantic approaches to Gibraltar and then to make her way back to England.
At some time during the following month, it was decided to again place Pallas in ordinary. Captain Clements was re-assigned and Captain James Alms took command for the duration of her decommissioning. The crew was paid off and Pallas was placed in ordinary in June 1773.
It was only slightly more than a year before the need to protect England’s commercial interests abroad compelled Pallas’ return to service. The frigate was re-commissioned on October 5th 1774 and spent the next five weeks moored in Portsmouth harbour working up, where a new captain, William Cornwallis, took command. It is also worth noting that Gabriel Bray, the new senior Lieutenant, joined Pallas’ crew at this time. Over the course of the next several voyages, Bray would create a series of amazing and useful watercolours of life aboard Pallas.
On December 12, 1774 she sailed in company with Weasel sloop with orders to patrol down the Atlantic coast of West Africa. Presumably, the British government intended to prevent American colonial smugglers from doing business with, and acquiring arms from, sympathetic European nations through West African trading posts. Pallas worked down the coasts of Portugal and Morocco, passing the island of Palma in the Canaries on New Year’s Day 1775, and arriving at Santa Cruz Bay in the Canaries on January 6th. On January 18th Pallas and Weasel sailed south from Tenerife, running down the Senegal Bar. On January 28th the two vessels anchored off the Senegal fort and Pallas sent 25 half barrels of powder ashore to the fort at the request of the Governor there. The following day Pallas and Weasel continued south, taking two French prizes before coming to anchor on February 4th in the Gambia River off James Island where they delivered 15 half barrels of powder to Fort James. On February 10th they ran down the Gambia River and continued south down the West African coast. On February 17th they moored in Frenchman’s Bay on the Sierra Leone River and on March 2nd continued south arriving at the English fort at Whydah on April 3rd. There they found numerous ships of all nationalities.
On April 5, 1775, Pallas parted company with Weasel and began her first trans-Atlantic crossing and on April 18th she passed south of the equator for the first time in her career. She remained in the southern hemisphere for the next two weeks as she sailed west but at no point did she venture more than two degrees south. On May 31st, 55 days after sailing from Whydah, Pallas arrived at Barbados and dropped anchor in Carlisle Bay the following day. There are few comments in the logbooks regarding this passage other than the decks were washed regularly with vinegar and the guns were exercised more frequently than usual. However, it is known that the crew was suffering from scurvy upon Pallas’ arrival in the Caribbean. On June 1, 1775 Pallas sailed from Barbados for Port Royal, Jamaica. She spent several weeks at Port Royal taking on provisions and undergoing a general overhaul. It was probably there that the crew of Pallas learned that war had broken out with the American colonies. On July 13th she sailed from Port Royal, patrolled around Jamaica and the Caribbean and then returned to England arriving at Spithead on August 28th.
During the next two months, Pallas took on provisions, had her rigging overhauled, received a new bowsprit, new gammoning, and new shrouds and spent two and a half weeks in dry dock. On November 16, 1775, she sailed with orders to once again patrol down the Atlantic coast of Africa supporting England’s commercial interests and suppressing smuggling and gunrunning ventures by the American rebels. Pallas called at Madeira and Santa Cruz Bay in the Canary Islands before arriving at Goree on January 8, 1776. The following day she continued south past the mouth of the Gambia River and down the African coast, arriving at Whydah on March 31st.
Between January 22nd and 30th, Pallas was in Frenchman’s Bay at the mouth of the Sierra Leone River investigating rumours of an American ships hiding up the river. Unable to take Pallas into the shallow river, Captain Cornwallis exceeded his authority by acquiring the St. John sloop from the local proprietors of the Bence Island plantation. The St. John was fitted out and armed with eight guns and small contingent of officers and men were transferred from Pallas under the overall command of Lieutenant Alexander Agnew. Cornwallis ordered Agnew to patrol around Cape Coast interdicting American ships attempting to buy arms and ammunition. Agnew was immediately successful, taking a schooner belonging to South Carolina. Also during this period Weasel sloop captured an American brig with the assistance of First Lieutenant Gabriel Bray of Pallas who had taken command of a prize ship, presumably the schooner captured by St. John. Bray was then ordered to sail the prize to Antigua in the Caribbean.
On May 3, 1776 Pallas began her second transatlantic crossing, arriving at Port Royal, Jamaica on June 21st without notable incident. She remained moored in Port Royal harbour until July 6th when she sailed with the frigate Maidstone, and 22 sail of merchant vessels bound north up the American coast but the convoy was forced to return to Port Royal. By July 10th, the fleet had grown to include Pallas, Maidstone, the West Florida packet, and 105 merchant vessels. Further delayed by a shortage of water, the convoy did not sail until late September. On October 1st Pallas liberated the Anne, an English vessel bound from Dominica to London that had been taken by an American privateer. On October 3rd Pallas and Maidstone chased off what appeared to be an American privateer and on October 12th the convoy entered St. Lawrence harbour, Newfoundland, and came to anchor. On October 29th they sailed with a convoy bound for England arriving at Spithead on November 17th without any notable incidents being recorded in the logbooks. However, other documents make it clear that the crossing was anything but uneventful. They were plagued by poor weather, hounded by American privateers and Captain Cornwallis complained bitterly of the poor discipline of the convoy. Only 44 of the merchantmen arrived in England in convoy with Pallas.
There is a gap in the logbooks from November 17th until December 28, 1776 but it is reasonable to assume that Pallas remained moored at Spithead for that period. On December 28th, Pallas was moved into Portsmouth harbour where she remained for a month receiving a refit, general maintenance, and provisioning. At some point during this layover, Captain Cornwallis was reassigned and Captain Rowland Cotton took command of Pallas. On January 24, 1777, Pallas was moved back to Spithead where she remained moored through the following month. March 1st Pallas sailed with orders to escort a convoy to Tenerife and Grand Canary. They arrived at Tenerife on March 20th and patrolled the African coast until June 2nd when she again headed across the Atlantic arriving at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, without incident on July 26th. On November 10th Pallas, the hired armed ship Bute (10), and Nancy sloop, with a convoy of 17 merchant vessels, sailed north up the American coast. The following week Pallas and Bute liberated an unidentified schooner that had been taken by an American privateer. On November 29th, Bute started taking on water and a carpenter from Pallas was sent aboard to assist. By December 3rd Bute was determined to be beyond saving and was scuttled by her captain. There is no record of the Atlantic crossing but Pallas came to anchor at Spithead on January 14, 1778 without apparent incident.
The already overextended resources of the Royal Navy were stretched further when France’s signed an alliance with the United States on February 6, 1778. The need to protect England’s commercial fleet overseas and now increasingly closer to home placed a much greater burden on the Navy and the frigates in particular.
At some point in early 1778, Captain Rowland Cotton was reassigned and Captain Richard King took command of Pallas. From January 17th to 29th Pallas sat in Portsmouth harbour waiting to enter the dry dock; she was moved there on January 30th and remained until April 24th. Almost three months in dock suggests a major overhaul or refit, but the only notes regarding the work being done simply state that the iron ballast was removed, the holds were cleared and rummaged, and that there was fitting and rigging done. It is almost certain that Pallas was coppered during this period in dry dock. Pallas left dry dock on April 25th but remained in Portsmouth harbour until May 18th presumably taking on stores, provisions, guns and powder. On May 19th she was moved to Spithead where she remained at anchor until the 27th when she sailed to Torbay. From May 28th to June 12th Pallas rode at the fleet anchorage at Torbay.
At this point there is another gap in the logbook account. There is no suggestion in the logbooks that Pallas took part in the Battle of Ushant off the French coast on July 27, 1778. The next place that Pallas can be firmly located is arriving at the mouth of St. Lawrence River on August 24, 1778. It is doubtful that Pallas again undertook her annual patrol down the Atlantic coast of Africa as these patrols typically took eight months to a year. It is more likely that the frigate was employed escorting troop and supply convoys needed to combat the rebelling colonies in North America. During September and October Pallas engaged in several short cruises around Cape Race, Cape Chapeau Rouge, and Newfoundland. At some point in October of 1778, Captain King was reassigned and Captain Thomas Spry took command of Pallas. On November 1st, Pallas sailed from St. John’s, Newfoundland, in company with HMS Invincible (74) escorting 40 merchant sail to Gibraltar, arriving there on November 29th with no notable incident. On December 30th, after taking on provisions at Cadiz, she sailed for Spithead arriving on January 25, 1779, where she remained undergoing a refit.
The Royal Navy now faced war on its doorstep and wasted no time responding to the new threat. On May 3rd Pallas sailed from Spithead to patrol the French coast and the English Channel, in and around ‘Gernsey’, Gravedela Bay, Concale Bay, and Cawsand Bay. There is some indication that she engaged in some sort of action at Concale Bay but no specific details were found. Pallas returned to Spithead on May 22nd and remained at anchor there until June 16th.
On June 17, 1779, Pallas departed Spithead in company with Cameleon sloop escorting a convoy of 28 sail bound for Jamaica. They sailed south through the Bay of Biscay and along the Portuguese coast calling at the island of Madeira on July 3rd and continuing on to Port Royal arriving on August 25th, arriving too late to participate in the Battle of Grenada on July 6th. For the next twenty-one months Pallas patrolled the Caribbean around Port Royal interdicting American and French ships in the region. During this period, either alone or in company with other Royal Navy warships, Pallas was involved in the taking of at least eight prizes, including an American ship. There is no suggestion in the logbooks that Pallas participated in the Battle of Martinique on April 17, 1780. It was probably during this extended period in warmer waters that the teredo infestation established itself in Pallas hull. On August 21, 1781 Pallas sailed with a fleet including HMS Ramillies (90). Pallas was apparently detached from the fleet and joined company with HMS Diamond (32) on September 15th. The two frigates circled south past Puerto Rico and Bonaire before arriving back at Port Royal Jamaica on November 6, 1781. At some point late in 1782 Captain Spry was replaced by Captain John Thomas. It is unclear where and when this occurred, only that it was before the end of 1781. However, orders sent to the captain of Pallas by Admiral George Rodney, then in command of the fleet at Port Royal, between March 6th and July 8th were addressed to Captain John Thomas.
From December 12th 1781 to February 28, 1782, Pallas patrolled around the Turks and Isabella Point with HMS Resource (24) returning to Kingston on March 1st and Port Royal on March 6th. There is no suggestion in the logbooks that Pallas participated in the Battle of St. Kitts on January 25-26, 1782. Pallas remained at Port Royal until May 21st replacing the main mast and therefore also missed taking part in the Battle of the Saints on April 12, 1782. While in Port Royal Admiral Rodney ordered Pallas’ boatswain to participate in a survey of the boatswain’s stores of HMS Royal Oak (74), her gunner to participate in a survey of the powder and gunner’s stores of HMS Fame (74), and her master to participate in an overall survey of HMS Ajax (74). Pallas herself had her fore topsail surveyed. There is also a curious order by Rodney to supplement Pallas with a further compliment of surgeons.
From May 22nd Pallas carried out a short patrol returning to Port Royal on June 27th where she remained until July 11th. While there Captain Thomas received orders from Rodney for Pallas’ gunner to provide one twelve-pound gun to the gunner of HMS Barfleur (98) He was also ordered to discharge 50 able seamen to help man the prizes taken at the Battle of the Saints and to take on board 50 French prisoners-of-war. On July 8th or 9th, with no reason given, Thomas was replaced as captain of Pallas by Captain Christopher Parker. The logbooks make no note of this but on July 8 Rodney’s orders to Pallas’ captain were addressed to Captain Thomas of His Majesty’s Ship Pallas, on July 9 his orders were addressed to Captain Parker of His Majesty’s Ship Pallas.
On July 25, 1782 Pallas sailed with Admiral Samuel Graves and a large fleet including HMS Ramillies (90), HMS Canada (74), HMS Centaur (74), the French prizes Ville de Paris (104), Le Glorieux (74), L’Ardent (64), Le Jason (64), Le Caton (64), and a large convoy of merchant vessels bound for England. The French ships had been taken on April 12th at the Battle of the Saints off Dominica where Admirals Rodney and Samuel Hood decisively defeated French Admiral De Grasse. En route to England, the convoy encountered severe weather off the American coast. On September 8th, Le Caton developed a serious leak and was ordered to Halifax, Nova Scotia, accompanied by Pallas. Ultimately, Ramillies and Centaur would be lost and several of the French prizes were damaged beyond salvage. There is a gap in the logbooks from September 1782 to January 1783. However, it is known that once Pallas had delivered Le Caton safely to Halifax, she immediately returned to sea to round-up and lend assistance to what remained of the scattered convoy. In late September 1782, Pallas arrived in England towing the damaged merchantman Lady Juliana.
From October 1782 until January 1783, the whereabouts of Pallas are unknown. There is not enough time for her to have once again patrolled down the African coast before crossing the Atlantic. It is more likely that Pallas returned directly to North America, perhaps still searching for remnants of the scattered convoy. Whatever the case, Pallas ended up in Halifax sometime in January of 1783.
In late January, Pallas sailed from Halifax escorting a convoy bound for England. Several leaks became apparent soon after sailing and, to compound the difficulties, Pallas became separated from her charges in a storm. By the 5th of February, despite non-stop pumping, there was eight feet (2.44 m.) of water in the hold. The guns and most of the stores were thrown overboard and Pallas made a desperate run for the Azores. On February 10th Pallas arrived off the island of Fayal but stormy weather prevented her from anchoring. On February 12th the exhausted officers and crew managed to bring Pallas into Calheta harbour on the south shore of the island of São Jorge. Upon examination of the hull it was found that the keel and garboards were so riddled with teredo worm that they were nearly non-existent. The crew unloaded the remaining stores, salvaged what they could and set Pallas on fire.
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PALLAS SITE
The remains of Pallas lay in three meters of water within Calheta harbor, forgotten but not officially lost. The site, south and west of the existing harbour, is little affected by modern commercial boat traffic and has, for the most part, been sheltered from the worst of Atlantic storms. Because Royal Navy records confirmed that the crew made an effort to remove what remained of the valuable fixtures before destroying her, no subsequent effort was made to salvage the remains of Pallas. There is little evidence of previous disturbance or removal of material culture, but a certain amount of salvage by local residents probably took place after 1783, and scuba divers may have collected souvenirs in recent decades. The first officially-sanctioned investigation of the site took place in the summer of 1998 as part of a general shipwreck survey of the Azores sponsored by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), the Azorean Government’s Direcção Regional da Cultura (DRC) and the Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática (CNANS) in Lisbon. The Azorean government was planning improvements of Calheta harbour and had contracted for a formal archaeological survey of the harbour to be carried out by the DRC and INA.
The primary investigators, Catarina Garcia, Paulo Monteiro and Kevin Crisman carried out a cursory survey, photographing the site, drawing and mapping visible debris, and collecting samples. Visible remains at the site include two iron cannon one row of rectangular iron ingots, and a single massive concretion of iron ballast and shot protruding above the sand and cobble bottom.
A subsequent more thorough investigation carried out by Garcia and Monteiro involved digging several test trenches that exposed a variety of copper nails, tacks, and possible wedge from a forelock bolt, fragments of copper sheathing, lead sounding weights an assortment of lead and iron shot, four types of pottery fragments, and a variety of copper coins.
Pallas’ logbooks for her last few months of service have unfortunately gone missing. However, Royal Navy records provide a clear account of the final voyage of Pallas including her destruction in Calheta harbour. This is further corroborated by the Navy records progress sheets. Furthermore, Azorean historical accounts record that the local populace objected to having Pallas burn in close proximity to their town.
There is little doubt that the 6-pound guns found at the site are from Pallas. They have the unmistakable appearance of British-manufactured guns from the mid-18th century and are in fact examples of the 6-pound ‘shorts,’ designed specifically for Royal Navy frigates, and introduced in August 1757. The copper sheathing and iron ballast ingots can also be considered diagnostic and strongly suggest the remains of an 18th-century Royal Navy warship. The iron shot are also convincing evidence of the presence of a warship. Measuring about 4 cm. in diameter, they could be grape shot but are more likely shot for the ½-pound swivel guns mounted along the rails of 18th-century English frigates. Unfortunately copper nails, spikes, and drift pins were common throughout most 18th-century shipbuilding traditions and therefore these finds cannot be considered diagnostic artifacts on their own. Nevertheless, it is possible that future comparative analysis may establish some or all as the unique product of the 18th-century Royal Navy. It is equally likely that analysis of the pottery fragments and coins will confirm a date consistent with the destruction of Pallas. However, they do not, by themselves, provide any conclusive data and could easily be coincidental intrusions. The same is true for the lead musket balls. Standing alone they cannot be considered diagnostic. Almost all maritime vessels carried (and still carry) some small arms. However, taken in context with the other artifacts found at the site, they do reinforce the identification of the wreck. Given this collective body of evidence, both archaeological and historical, there is little doubt that the site has been properly identified as that of the frigate HMS Pallas of 1757 -1783.
It is possible that more remains to be discovered. However, given the hard, compacted nature of the bottom it is unlikely. As already stated, the two guns were probably the only two remaining aboard Pallas upon her arrival at São Jorge. A cursory investigation of the site yielded sufficient data to conclusively identify the site and yielded both quantity and variety of artifacts scattered around the site but failed to locate any structural remains of Pallas’ hull. While it is possible that the large concretion of iron ballast and shot may conceal some surviving portions of the wooden hull, the archaeological significance of any concealed remains is questionable. While the Pallas site is worthy of further investigation, it does not represent a period or shipbuilding tradition previously unrecorded. The knowledge gained could be considerable but costly, and would more likely serve to fill in small details currently missing from the historical record. The expense and feasibility of lifting, dismantling, or otherwise circumventing the large concretion weigh heavily against the potentially meagre returns of future excavation. However, further thorough and systematic survey of the site may prove otherwise.
CONCLUSIONS
A carefully researched graphic reconstruction of the hull and fittings of HMS Pallas has been produced using the surviving Admiralty drafts for Pallas as a starting point and refining them with the 1745 Establishment lists, extant contemporary literary sources, period models and artwork, and, where required, modern literary sources. The most significant deficiency would be the absence of exact information regarding the size and types of fasteners used. Nevertheless, data regarding most of the large, and most important, fastenings were established or can be reasonably deduced. Unfortunately, yard records were not readily accessible during this study. It is highly probable that records from Deptford, or even other yards, would contribute significantly to the reconstruction.
While it was possible to recreate a reasonably accurate representation of the spar plan and rigging plan for Pallas, a considerable amount of detail is still lacking. Some of this deficiency may be addressed by further examination of contemporary representations. However, an exact reproduction of the rigging of a specific vessel is a virtual impossibility. Captains frequently altered the rigs of their ships, sometimes on a daily basis, to suit their individual preference and sailing styles. They were often unable to exactly reproduce lost or damaged rigging elements due to shortages of materials, and were compelled to resort to altering their ship’s rig to make do with what they had. The most that can be hoped for is to recreate, as accurately as possible, the vessel’s ideal rigging plan based on Royal Navy standards and accepted practices of the period.
Examination of life aboard a Royal Navy warship gives personality to the ship and, taken in the intimate context of a specific ship, confers a more dynamic feel for the day-to-day existence of the 18th-century Royal Navy sailor. While the service history provided by the logbooks is often sterile and repetitive, it does offer occasional glimpses of historical events from a unique perspective, and further contributes to the personality of the ship. Finally, Gabriel Bray’s watercolours provide a powerful visual catalyst, transporting the viewer directly to the decks of Pallas.
Most Royal Navy historians consider the Pallas class a failure. This is not based on any deficiency in capability or performance; rather it is an issue of economy and Navy Board conservatism of the time. The Pallas class frigates successfully fulfilled the requirements set out for their development. They were fast, seaworthy and maneuverable. They were able to remain at sea and operate independently for long periods, and their durability was especially apparent in their longevity. They were capable of projecting strategic influence on a global scale, policing Britain’s widespread colonial possessions and suppressing piracy. At war they proved highly successful as commerce raiders and equally successful at protecting British maritime commerce from enemy commerce raiders and privateers. They proved effective at blockading smaller enemy ports to stop important war material from reaching Britain’s enemies. They efficiently gathered valuable intelligence often enabling timely deployment of the battle fleet or other resources.
Along with the contemporary 32’s, they served as the prototype for all subsequent Royal Navy frigates. Furthermore, there is credible evidence that early frigates of the Continental Navy were influenced by the Pallas design. They served as platforms on which numerous improvements were tested and eventually accepted for general use within the Royal Navy. During the course of her career, Pallas was retrofitted with copper sheathing, a mizzen driver boom, and additional ventilation scuttles.
In some ways, the 36’s were unnecessarily overbuilt. They possessed no significant advantage over the 32-gun Southampton-class, Richmond-class and Niger-class frigates—the four additional 6-pound guns carried by the 36’s made no significant contribution to broadside firepower and served only to make the ship unnecessarily larger and increase topside weight.
The Southamptons, Richmonds and Nigers were only marginally smaller but were significantly lighter (670 rather than 720 tons), required less wood to construct and were, at least theoretically, better sailors. Royal Navy performance evaluations state that the Pallas class frigates were faster than their 32-gun counterparts, otherwise they were comparable to the Southamptons, not outstandingly weatherly, but very maneuverable. The logbooks of eleven different captains, over the course of Pallas’ 25-year history, record no negative comment regarding her sailing quality, performance, or capacity.
Ultimately the conservative minded and cost-conscious Navy Board found its 32-gun frigates to be a more cost effective solution. They served the same purpose as the 36’s and were cheaper to produce and maintain. It was not until the introduction of the carronade to the Royal Navy’s arsenal towards the end of the century that 36-gun frigates were reintroduced.
In April 1991 the Museum acquired, through the Macpherson Endowment Fund of the Society for Nautical Research, a made-up late-19th-century album of drawings by Gabriel Bray (1750–1823), second lieutenant on HM ship ‘Pallas’, 44 guns, on a voyage to west Africa and the West Indies, to report on British interests there (including the slave-trade, presumably). Both Bray’s rather perfunctory log for the commission, 5 October 1774 – 5 October 1775, and the more detailed one of his captain, later Admiral the Hon. William Cornwallis (‘Billy Blue’, 1744–1819), are the sole contents of MS volume ADM/L/P/ 46 in the NMM lieutenants’ logs series. A second similar voyage under Cornwallis followed, on which Bray was first lieutenant (September 1776 – January 1778, his log for that being in NMM ADM L/P/7) but all the dated album drawings relate only to the first.
Bray is thought to have come from Deal in Kent and his drawings show he was there and in the neighbourhood from May to August 1774. He passed through London in early October and according to his log was in Portsmouth by the 5th, where the ‘Pallas’ was fitting out. The ship sailed from the Solent on 17 December and called in to re-supply at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 6 – 18 January 1775. They reached the Senegal River on 28 January and sailed on the 30th for the Gambia River, 2 –10 February, including going into it as far as Fort James, before continuing to Frenchman’s Bay, Sierra Leone, where they remained from 17 February to 2 March. Further brief calls were made at Cape Appolonia [sic], ‘Dick’s Cove’ (though presumably not Dix Cove, Senegal), Cape Coast Castle, Winnebah, Accra (Ghana) and Whydah, from which they sailed on 4 April for Barbados. They arrived there on 31 May and after other island calls on the way reached Port Royal, Jamaica, on 9 June. The ‘Pallas’ finally left on 13 July for Portsmouth, anchoring at Spithead on 28 August 1775.
The ‘Pallas’ drawings are rare if not unique in showing the personnel and everyday life of a warship in the 1770s, the decade of Cook’s voyages and Nelson’s early career. Some have suffered damage, including varnishing, and all have now been separately remounted. A few were exhibited in the Museum’s ‘Sea of Faces’ exhibition (2002) and have been shown on loan elsewhere. Evidence within the group shows that Bray probably originally worked in sketchbooks but, presumably later, cut these up and stuck the drawings onto album pages. He probably only then added titles and the occasionally approximate dates to some of these pages, which have in turn been preserved when these too were subsequently cut up, leaving them as often close-cropped backing sheets to the images. The backings and images were then remounted, apparently twice, the second time being in the 19th-century album in which the Museum acquired them. This series of unrecorded processes makes the original order and place of creation uncertain for those to which Bray did not supply captions. There is also no explanation why the last dated example of his ‘Pallas’ group is May 1775, when his first of two voyages in her was only half done, and there are very few clearly later of any sort. The obvious one is that the whole group is a lucky survival, others having been dispersed and destroyed. The leather album cover (330 x 242 mm) bearing the stamped title ‘Original Sketches / by / G. Bray, R.N. / 1775’ has been retained. It consisted of 36 folios, usually bearing more than one drawing but, again, the exact order does not seem to have been recorded. Bray never advanced beyond the rank of lieutenant, apparently having little ‘interest’ (i.e. patronage): according to Roger Knight (personal communication, Aug. 2004) his name appears in the appointments book of Lord Sandwich (First Lord of the Admiralty until 1782) but his sole ‘referee’ was his own father, who may himself have been John Bray, a naval lieutenant who died in 1795. Cornwallis clearly thought enough of Bray to have him as first lieutenant on a second African voyage, and may have helped gain his subsequent commissions, but clearly owed greater ‘interest’ to more significant followers on the ‘Pallas’. These included his own cousin James Cornwallis (later a Naval captain, who served as a master’s mate and of whom Bray sketched a portrait, PAJ2018), the Hon. Thomas Pakenham and Lord Charles Fitzgerald, a younger brother of the Duke of Leinster. The former was rated as an able seaman and the latter a midshipman on the voyage, but all three would have been treated as aspiring officers. Bray was first commissioned lieutenant on 25 June 1773 in the ‘Augusta’, yacht. He was appointed second lieutenant of the ‘Pallas’ in 1774 after a summer at home. In 1779, after his second ‘Pallas’ voyage, he was given command of the ‘Sprightly’ and from 1782 the ‘Nimble’, both cutters and both possibly in the preventive (anti-smuggling) service. These were his last naval commissions and the rest of his life was on half pay. What he did to supplement it is not known, though half-pay officers sometimes went into merchant service. (Lieutenant William Bligh, for example, spent some time this way before being appointed to the ‘Bounty’ in 1787.) Bray died in 1823, aged 73, at Charmouth, Dorset, where he is recorded as one of the churchwardens.
