View source for HMS Antelope (1703)

{{short description|Ship of the line of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Antelope}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
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|Ship country=[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|Ship flag=[[File:Naval Ensign of Great Britain (1707-1800).svg|62px]]
|Ship name=HMS ''Antelope''
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|Ship builder=Taylor, Rotherhithe
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|Ship launched=13 March 1703
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|Ship fate=Sold out of the service, 30 October 1783
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=as built<ref name="Lavery, SoLv1 p166">Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p166.</ref>
|Ship class=50-gun [[fourth rate]] [[ship of the line]]
|Ship tons burthen=684<small>{{fraction|80|94}}</small> ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]]) 
|Ship length={{convert|131|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (gundeck)
|Ship beam={{convert|34|ft|4+1/2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship hold depth={{convert|13|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Full-rigged ship]]
|Ship propulsion=Sails
|Ship complement=
|Ship armament=50 guns of various weights of shot
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=after 1741 rebuild<ref name="Lavery, SoLv1 p171">Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1, p171.</ref>
|Ship class=[[1719 Establishment#1733 proposals|1733 proposals]] 50-gun fourth rate ship of the line
|Ship tons burthen=860<small>{{fraction|44|94}}</small> ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]]) 
|Ship length={{convert|134|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} (gundeck)
|Ship beam={{convert|38|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship hold depth={{convert|15|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Full-rigged ship]]
|Ship propulsion=Sails
|Ship complement=
|Ship armament=*50 guns:
*Gundeck: 22 × 18-pounders
*Upper gundeck: 22 × 9-pounders
*Quarterdeck: 4 × 6-pounders
*Forecastle: 2 × 6-pounders
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'''HMS ''Antelope''''' was a 50-gun [[fourth rate]] [[ship of the line]] of the [[Royal Navy]], launched at [[Rotherhithe]] on 13 March 1703.<ref name="Lavery, SoLv1 p166" /> She was rebuilt once during her career, and served in the [[Seven Years' War]] and the [[American Revolutionary War]].

Orders were issued on 9 January 1738 for ''Antelope'' to be taken to pieces and rebuilt according to the [[1719 Establishment#1733 proposals|1733 proposals]] of the [[1719 Establishment]] at [[Woolwich]], from where she was relaunched on 27 January 1741.<ref name="Lavery, SoLv1 p171" />

==Career==
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2013}}
On 16 June 1756, she sailed from [[England]] for [[Gibraltar]] with Vice Admiral Sir [[Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke]] and Rear Admiral [[Charles Saunders (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Saunders]]. She arrived there on 3 July with an order to supersede Admiral [[John Byng]]. ''Antelope'' returned to England with Byng, sailing on 9 July and arriving at [[Spithead]] on 26 July, where Byng was arrested before being landed on 19 August. His trial started on board [[HMS Charles (1668)|''St George'']] on 27 December.

On 30 April 1757, Captain [[Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|Samuel Hood]] took command of ''Antelope''. On 15 May, after a short action off [[Brest, France]], the French ''[[French ship Aquilon (1731)|Aquilon]]'', 50, was driven on to the rocks in [[Audierne Bay]] where she was wrecked. Then, on 31 October 1758, in the Kingroad off [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]], ''Antelope'' took {{HMS|Belliqueux|1758|2}}, 64, one of a French squadron returning from [[Quebec]],<ref name="robionsonwj">{{cite book |title=West Country Churches |last=Robinson |first=W.J. |year=1915 |publisher= Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd|location=Bristol |pages=115–119}}</ref> that had anchored off [[Ilfracombe]], Antelope opened fire but the French ship surrendered without having fired a shot in return.<ref>{{cite book |first=Sir John |last=Ross |title=Memoirs of Admiral de Saumarez Vol 1}}</ref>{{rp|11}}

Not every action was a success. In 1759, under the command of Captain [[James Webb (Royal Navy officer)|James Webb]], ''Antelope'' was attached to Commodore [[William Boys (Royal Navy officer)|William Boys]]' squadron, which had been blockading [[François Thurot]] in [[Dunkerque|Dunkirk]] throughout the summer and early autumn. On 15 October, when the squadron had been driven off station during a gale, Thurot made his escape with six frigates and corvettes carrying 1300 troops and sailed to [[Gothenburg]].

In 1762, ''Antelope'' was stationed in [[Placentia Bay]], [[Colony of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]], under the command of Commodore [[Thomas Graves (admiral)|Thomas Graves]], who was the [[Colony]]'s [[Naval Governor of Newfoundland|Naval Governor]]. A French fleet from [[Brest, France|Brest]], under [[M. de Ternay]], with 1500 troops commanded by the [[Comte d'Haussonville]], sailed into [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] and captured the town on 24 June. Captain Graves immediately sent word to Commodore [[Lord Colville]] at [[City of Halifax|Halifax]] who joined him in blockading the French, and brought troops over from [[Louisbourg]] on [[Cape Breton Island]] on 11 September. During a gale on 16 September de Ternay evaded the blockade and, abandoning the troops, sailed back to France.
[[File:Admiral Clark Gayton (1712 - ca 1785), by John Singleton Copley.jpg|thumb|[[Clark Gayton (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral Clark Gayton]] and behind him on the left, the ''Antelope'', by [[John Singleton Copley]]]]
On her way home to England ''Antelope'' under [[Clark Gayton (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral Clark Gayton]] she encountered  [[HMS St Michael (1669)| HMS ''Marlborough'']], under Captain [[Thomas Burnett (captain)|Thomas Burnett]], which had sailed from [[Havana]] as part of the escort of a [[convoy]] of prizes and transports, but had become separated in very heavy weather. She was leaking so badly that her guns had to be thrown overboard and the pumps kept working. ''Antelope'' took all her people off on 29 November when she started to founder and she was allowed to sink.

American Revolution:
Under command of Will Judd she captured Schooners "Betsy", and "Peggy" and sloop "Stordy", probably between 20-25 December, 1776. She captured schooner "Juno", probably between December, 1776 and March, 1777. She captured brig "Papilllon" and brig "Sunberry", probably between mid September and mid October, 1777. She captured brig "Elizabeth", probably in mid December, 1777.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/ndar_v11p01.pdf |title=Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 European THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 American: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 |publisher=U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio |accessdate=17 November 2023}}</ref>
On 6 April 1778, under command of Capt. Charles Holmes Everitt, she and HMS Diligence captured American schooner "John".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/naval-documents-of-the-american-revolution/NavalDocumentsOfTheAmericanRevVol12_8JUN2015.pdf |title=NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution |publisher=history.navy.mil |access-date=10 November 2021}}</ref>
Later, in 1780, ''Antelope'' was again patrolling the Labrador coast and intercepted the American ship ''Mercury''. As the vessels came to close quarters, a package was thrown overboard from the latter. One of the sailors on ''Antelope'' dived from the deck and rescued the package, which contained details of secret negotiations then being conducted between the [[United States]] and the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]]. [[Antelope Harbour, Labrador]], is named for this incident.

''Antelope'' was sold out of the service on 30 October 1783.<ref name="Lavery, SoLv1 p171" />

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
*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}}.
{{refend}}

{{1719 Establishment ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antelope (1703)}}
[[Category:Ships of the line of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:1700s ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Rotherhithe]]
[[Category:Ships built in Woolwich]]