HMS Acasta was a 40-gun Royal Navy fifth-rate frigate. She saw service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as the War of 1812. Although she never took part in any notable single-ship actions nor saw action in a major battle though she was at the Battle of San Domingo, she captured numerous prizes and rid the seas of many Spanish, French, and American privateers. She was finally broken up in 1821.
Design Sir William Rule designed her to develop a frigate to replace the 44-gun ships that carried their armament on two decks. Consequently, she was one of the largest frigates built in England, mounting forty guns: thirty 18-pounders on one main gun deck, with another ten 9-pounder long guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. Later eight 32-pounder carronades replaced the 9-pounder guns. She was launched at the yard of John Randall & Co., of Rotherhithe on 14 March 1797.
French Revolutionary Wars Acastas first captain was Richard Lane, who took command in February 1797 and oversaw her launch and commissioning. He sailed her to Jamaica in February 1798.
She took numerous prizes in the Caribbean. Santa Maria or St. Mary, of four guns and 28 men (1 May); San Antonio, pierced for 14 guns (12 May); Vengeance, 71 men, and pierced for ten guns but carrying six (20 May); Trompe or Trumpe, pierced for ten guns but carrying two and ten men (30 June); San Josef de Victorio, pierced for 16 guns but carrying eight, as well as 50 men (2 July); and San Miguel y Acandoa (St. Michael Acandoa), of six guns and 28 men (13 July).
In May or thereabouts, Acasta also captured Herondelle, of 10 guns, another privateer of six guns, and a third privateer, pierced for 10 but carrying six and a crew of 40 men. Acasta and captured St Mary de Louvaine, which was carrying two guns and had a crew of 25 men. On 2 July Acasta and Ceres chased San Josef de Victorio (or San Josef de Victorioso, which had been sailing from Europe, ashore six leagues to windward of San Juan. Acasta sent in her boats to try to get the privateer off, but when they were unable to do so, they burnt her.
On 20 July, Acasta and Ceres destroyed Mutine, Va Tout and Marie. Lane and Captain Otway of Ceres had received intelligence that a French navy brig of 16 guns, two privateer schooners and several other vessels were anchored in Aguada Bay, under the guns of a Spanish fort. The British sent in a cutting out party in boats that according to the account in the Naval Chronicle brought out all the vessels. Mutine carried sixteen 6-pounder guns and one 12-pounder chase gun, all manned with 90 men. The two privateers had four guns each and 45 men as crew. Lastly, there were four schooners that the French had taken as prizes. The British had no casualties though the French may have lost more than 40 men killed and drowned.Naval Chronicle, Vol 9, p.114.
In April 1827, i.e., some 29 years later, head money was payable for all four French "vessels of war": San Josef de Victoire, Mutine, Va Tout and Marie.
In October 1798 Acasta was in company with as they cruised off Puerto Cabello. In late 1798 or early 1799 Acasta captured the French privateer brig Actif (Active), of eight guns and 36 men and the Spanish armed schooner Cincinnatus, of two guns and 33 men. Acasta also burnt a French privateer schooner whose name was not recorded, of six guns and 60 men. With Trent, Acasta captured the Spanish armed ship Penada of 14 guns and 40 men.
Acasta also captured three merchant vessels and destroyed three. With Trent she captured four and destroyed seven.
On 24 May 1799 Lane died suddenly at Jamaica.Naval chronology: or, An historical summary of naval & maritime ..., Vol. 5, p.369. Captain Edward Fellowes replaced Lane and continued sailing her in the Caribbean. Between May and July, Acasta, in company with and , captured a Danish schooner that had been sailing from Jacquemel to St. Thomas with a cargo of coffee and dollars.
On 22 May 1799, Acasta captured the Antoine, Desiree, and Lukas. Prize money was due in January 1802.
On 10 November 1799 she recaptured American commissioned the private armed schooner Endeavor, captured by the privateer La Victoire on 6 November.
Acasta captured the Spanish ship Juno, of 130 tons burthen. She was pierced for 16 guns but carried eight and had a crew of 22 men. She was sailing from La Guaira to Cádiz with a cargo of cocoa and indigo. Acasta also captured a polacca of 130 tons and two guns, which was sailing from St. Juan, Puerto Rico, to La Vera Cruz carrying brandy, wine and dry goods. Acastas boats took the French schooner the Aimable Eustatie, of 20 tons, one gun and 16 men, which was carrying 268 bags of coffee from Cape Francois to St. Thomas. Lastly, Acasta destroyed two French schooner-rigged rowboats and two sloop-rigged Spanish doggers.
In addition to these larger prizes, Acasta or her boats also: broke up a Spanish sloop carrying plantains; took but then cut adrift the Spanish sloop Nostra Senora del Carmen, which was carrying plantains; took, off Ocoa Point, the French Schooner Capricieuse, which had been sailing from Jeremie to St. Thomas with a cargo of 115 bags of coffee; took another Spanish sloop off Ocoa Point that was carrying a cargo of sugar; cut out from a small bay, 10 leagues leeward of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a Danish ship that had been sailing from San Juan to St. Thomas with a cargo of 30 tons of fustick: burnt the Spanish schooner Polly, of 70 tons, in ballast; took, but cast adrift, the Spanish sloop Magicienne, which was carrying plantains, corn and stock; and took the schooner Lucas, which was sailing under the Danish flag from Mayaguave to St. Thomas with 78 bags of coffee.
Later, Acasta captured a 16-gun xebec carrying wine, brandy and dry goods. She had no papers and so the endpoints of her voyage were unknown. She ran onshore off of the east end of Puerto Rico where Acastas boats got her off. Next, Acasta took the Spanish felucca Jesus Maria y San Josef, which was sailing from Cádiz bound to San Juan with dry goods, steel and paper.
The capture or destruction of two more armed vessels and several merchantmen followed. One armed vessel was a Spanish schooner of 20 tons that carried four swivel guns. Acasta cut her out of Cape Codera, Venezuela, where she was anchored with her cargo of indigo and cotton. The other was also a Spanish schooner, this of 35 tons, armed with six guns. She was out of New Barcelona and too carried indigo and cotton, as well as hides.
Acasta took or sank numerous small, unarmed merchantmen as well. These were: French schooner of 15 tons sunk at anchor near Porto Gravois; French schooner Patriotte, of five men and 15 tons, sailing from Baynette to Jacquemel (a distance of about 15 miles), with a cargo 15,500 pounds of coffee, sunk; Spanish schooner, of 15 tons, taken off Saona Island, with her cargo of plantains and timber; Spanish schooner Saint Jos de las Animas, of 25 tons with a cargo of rum and corn, sunk in Mayaguave Bay; Spanish launch, of eight tons, laden with dry goods, sunk at anchor in Cape Codera Spanish launch, of nine men and five tons, carrying wine and indigo from La Guaza to Camana, given to the prisoners; Spanish schooner Santo Domingo, of 18 tons, sailing from Saint Domingo to La Guira with a cargo of rum and 14,000 dollars, given to the prisoners; Danish brig Sally, of 120 tons, taken while sailing from Saint-Bartholomew to Aquada with a cargo of sugar, salt and rum; American schooner Betsey, of 90 tons, sailing from Desmara to Saint Juan, laden with molasses and run on shore by the French, burnt; French ship Huntress, of 180 tons with a cargo of plank, cut out from Aquada; and French schooner Patriote, of 16 men and 40 tons, taken while sailing from Cape Francois bound to St. with a cargo of tobacco.
Around the middle of 1800, Acasta was in company with when they captured a Spanish brig laden with Tortula (Tortola) sugar, logwood, cotton, cochineal, etc. Acasta was in company with , , and Aquilon when they took the Spanish schooner San Pablos del Mundo and her cargo of jerk beef. Lastly, Acasta and Queen took the Spanish schooner General Massaredo, which had been sailing from Havana to Campeche with dry goods.
Prize money for the Diana, Fortuna, Les Animas, and the cochineal taken in the Aimable Maria between May and June 1801 was due in July 1802. shared with Acasta in the capture of the Aimable Maria and her 42 seroons of cochineal. On 27 July 1801 Acasta captured the Spanish vessel Jupiter.
After these successes, Fellowes took Acasta back to England. On 4 January 1802 one of Acastas marines came before a court martial on . The charges were mutinous conduct, throwing a bottle at his corporal, and disorderly conduct. The court martial found him guilty and shortly thereafter he was hanged on Acasta.Naval Chronicle, Vol. 7, p.166.
In spring 1802 James Athol Wood replaced Fellowes. Acasta spent some time the Mediterranean before returning to Portsmouth on 8 July 1802. She then sailed again for the Mediterranean on 8 November carrying dispatches relating to the Treaty of Amiens. After her return to England Wood again recommissioned her. From January 1803 she was on the North Sea station, based at Lieth.
On 16 February 1803 Acasta was off Ostend. A boat from Acasta with a lieutenant and 13 men was making observations and taking soundings when it foundered. All 14 on board drowned."Ship News". Aberdeen Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland), 9 March 1803; Issue 2878.
Acasta next sailed to Guernsey on 7 March 1803. She was based there until the renewal of hostilities with the French.
Napoleonic Wars From April Acasta was under the command of Captain James Oswald (temporary). In May Acasta picked up Admiral the Honourable William Cornwallis in Lymington and took him to Torbay where he was to take command of the Channel Fleet.Naval Chronicle, Vol. 9, p.420. Acasta then joined him in patrolling off Ushant, watching the French fleet in harbour at Brest.
Under Oswald Acasta captured several prizes. First, on 24 May 1803, Acasta was in company with and the sloop when they captured the Batavian ship Berbice. On 28 May Acasta captured the French brig Margaretta, which had been carrying brandy, wine and the like from Sète to Antwerp.Naval Chronicle, Vol. 9, p.492.
Then Acasta captured the Batavian ship Zorgwyk on 30 May. The next day Acasta captured the Swedish brig Gustava. That same day Acasta captured the Dutch ship Planter's Lust.
In June Acasta captured the: Concorde (1 June); Jonge Barends (1 June, in company with ); Batavian ship Vrou Jantze (1 June, in company with Doris); Mère de Famille (2 June); La Double Alliance (2 June); and Batavian ship Sara Maria.
By 4 July 1803, Acasta, again under the command of Wood, recaptured . Then on 2 October, Acasta captured the French privateer Aventure. Aventure was out of Bordeaux and carried 20 guns and a crew of 144 men. Acasta pursued her in the mid-Atlantic for 45 hours, finally bringing her to action and capturing her. Acasta also recaptured two prizes, Royal Edward and St. Mary's Planter, that Aventure had taken from the Jamaican convoy and whose captains were aboard Aventure. When Acasta intercepted Aventure, she had been about to take possession of Jane, before going after a fourth ship of the convoy.