Career
The Ménagère was one of four merchantmen that the French Navy purchased at Bordeaux in May 1779. She was armed en flûte, and despatched to the Caribbean. However, a Royal Navy squadron under William Hotham captured all four off San Domingo in September. Of these four ships, Ménagère was the only that the Royal Navy subsequently took into service.
Ménagère was duly commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22 November 1779 under the command of Captain John Thomas, who brought with him the officers and crew from his previous command, the sloop HMS Barbadoes. An additional 44 men were transferred from Hotham's flagship HMS Grafton and Albemarle was duly assigned to serve off the Leeward Islands. Thomas was succeeded on 12 June 1780 by Captain Thomas Taylor. Under Taylor, Albemarle was part of Sir George Rodney's fleet during the Battle of Martinique in April 1780, but did not take part in the battle herself. Albemarle remained in the Caribbean and was in Carlisle Bay, Barbados when she was damaged by a hurricane that began on 11 October. Taylor remained in command while repairs were carried out that allowed her to sail for Britain as a convoy escort, and until she was paid off in February 1781.
Read more about this topic: HMS Albemarle (1779)
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