HMS Athenienne
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| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ateniene |
| Captured: | 4 September 1800, by Royal Navy |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Class and type: | Third-rate |
| Name: | Athenienne |
| Acquired: | 4 September 1800 |
| Fate: | Wrecked, 20 October 1806 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 1,404 long tons (1,427 MT) |
| Length: | 164 feet (50 m) |
| Beam: | 44 feet 6 inches (13.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Armament: | 64 guns of various weights of shot |
HMS Athenienne was a 64 gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was the former French ship Ateniene, taken by the Royal Navy after the surrender of Valletta, on 4 September 1800.
In 1805, under the command of Captain John Griffard, she sailed to Gibraltar with stores and supplies for the fleet after the Battle of Trafalgar.
[edit] Loss
In December 1800 command of the "Athenienne" was given to Sir Thomas Livingstone, he accompanied Rear-Admiral Sir John Borlass-Warren to the coast of Egypt in quest of a French Squadron under Admiral Ganteame east of Sardinia. The French squadron escaped. The "Athenienne" then joined the squadron under Lord Keith of Alexandria until she sprung a leak and returned to Malta for repairs, after which she was sent to cruise the island of Elba until the Peace of Amiens led to her to being recalled when her officers and crew were paid off at Portsmouth in October 1802.
On 16 October 1806 the Athenienne sailed from Gibraltar for Malta under the command of Captain Robert Raynsford, with a crew of 470. In the evening of 20 October she ran aground on a submerged reef, the Esquirques (), in the Strait of Sicily.
The ship's masts were cut away to prevent her rolling on her side, but nevertheless she flooded to the lower deck ports within half an hour then rolled over. Captain Raynsford had had an improvised raft constructed, unfortunately two of the ship's boats were swamped when launching and two others deserted the wreck; after much trouble the ship's launch was freed and got into the water. Over a hundred survivors were crammed into her and she was picked up the following day by a Danish brig.
In all, 347 people died, including Captain Raynsford, while 141 men and 2 women were rescued.
[edit] Sources
- Terence Grocott - Shipwrecks of the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Eras, 1997 (reprinted 2002 ISBN 1-84067-164-5)
- Michael Phillips. Sailing Ships of the Royal Navy, A5. Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
- Gilly, William O.S. (1850). Narratives of shipwrecks of the Royal navy between 1793 and 1849. London: John W. Parker.
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