HMS Mermaid (1782) - Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

Mermaid was fitted out again between June and September 1803, commissioning in August that year under Captain Aiskew Hollis. She spent the period between 1804 and 1807 at Jamaica. During the first half of 1804 Mermaid recaptured the British ship Stranger.

Mermaid was at Havana in October 1804 when war with Spain was declared. He successfully brought some British merchant ships in the harbour out and then convoyed them to safety.

She was then on the Halifax Station. On 6 July 1806 Mermaid and Cleopatra captured the American brig Jennet. Mermaid was paid off again on 20 August 1807.

Mermaid returned to service after being refitted at Woolwich between September 1808 and March 1809. She was recommissioned in February 1809 under Captain Major Henniker. She then sailed on 12 June 1809 with a troop convoy bound for Portugal.

She was recommissioned as an 18-gun troopship in January 1810, and was fitted out as a troopship at Chatham Dockyard between October 1810 and February 1811. She came under the command of Commander William Henry Percy in 1811. Percy and Mermaid then transported troops between Britain and Iberia for the Peninsular War.

By April 1812 Mermaid was under Commander David Dunn, serving in the Mediterranean. In October 1813 she participated in the attack on Trieste.

On 30 November, Edinburgh, Furieuse and Mermaid embarked 1,000 men of the Italian levy, under the command of Lieut-Colonel Catanelli, at Milazzo. America and Termagant joined them. They sailed the same evening and, accompanied by Armada and Imperieuse, landed them at Viareggio. Some 600 cavalry and infantry from the Livorno garrison attacked the troops, who routed them, capturing two field pieces and a howitzer. From the prisoners they learned of the weak state of the garrison and asked to be re-embarked to be taken to Livorno. Boats of the squadron towed them off the shore in country vessels and the ships towed the whole to the Livorno roads. The troops and marines landed on the evening of 13 December and they occupied the suburbs of the town. Some 700 cavalry and infantry attacked the marines, who opened to let the cavalry pass through them, killing all but 14 men and two officers. Of these, the Italian levy killed all but one officer. The marines charged and routed the remainder, killing, wounding or taking prisoner between 250 and 300 men. Edinburgh had three marines wounded. The 1000 men of the Italian Levy, marched inland and captured Lucca. They then returned to Via Reggio. There was further fighting around Pisa and Via Reggio before the expedition re-embarked aboard the British warships.

In early 1814, a British squadron, consisting of Milford, Eagle, Tremendous, Mermaid, Wizard, and Weazel joined a force of 1500 Austrians to capture Trieste and its 80 guns.