HMS Asp (1797)

History
Great Britain
NameHMS Asp
NamesakeAsp
Ordered7 February 1797
BuilderJohn Randall, Rotherhithe
Laid downFebruary 1797
Launched10 April 1797
Honours &
awards
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt"
FateSold c.July 1803
General characteristics [1]
Class & typeAcute-class gunbrig
Tons burthen1588594 (bm)
Length
  • Overall:75 ft 1 in (22.9 m)
  • Keel:61 ft 7+34 in (18.8 m)
Beam22 ft 1 in (6.7 m)
Depth of hold7 ft 11+14 in (2.4 m)
Complement50
Armament12 × 18-pounder carronades + 2 × 24-pounder bow chasers

HMS Asp was an Acute-class gunbrig (ex-GB No.5), of the British Royal Navy. The Navy disposed of her in 1803.

Career

Lieutenant Joseph Edmonds commissioned Asp in April 1797,[1] for the Channel.

In 1798 she participated in Sir Home Popham's failed attack on Ostend. While she engaged shore batteries four hours in support of a landing by troops she had one seaman killed, and Lieutenant Edmonds was wounded.[2]

Between 1798 and 1803 she was under the command of Lieutenant Isaac Ferriers.[1] Asp and Biter shared in the proceeds of the capture on 18 June 1799 of the galliot Jane.[3]

In July 1800 Asp escorted a convoy to the West Indies.[1]

Because Asp served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March 1801 and 2 September, her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.[4]

Fate

Asp was paid-off on 15 February 1803. She was sold circa July 1803.[1]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Winfield (2008), p. 331.
  2. ^ "No. 15017". The London Gazette. 19 May 1798. pp. 421–423.
  3. ^ "No. 15490". The London Gazette. 19 June 1802. p. 652.
  4. ^ "No. 21077". The London Gazette. 15 March 1850. pp. 791–792.

References

  • Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.