HMS York (1807)

In December 1807, York , under the command of Captain Robert Burton, in the squadron of Rear Admiral Samuel Hood took part in the attack on the island of Madeira . Although Madeira belonged to Portugal , a longtime ally of England, after its occupation by the French, the British decided to capture the island so that it did not fall into the hands of the enemy. On December 24, an English squadron consisting of 4 battleships and 4 frigates, accompanied by transport ships carrying a detachment of troops under the command of Major General Beresford , arrived at the island and anchored in Funchal harbor at a distance of a cannon shot from coastal batteries. The troops landed on the same day and, having met no resistance, took control of all the batteries. the next day, the conditions for the delivery of the island were agreed, and on December 26 the captain signed the governor ^[2] .

In January 1809, York , under the command of the same captain Robert Burton, joined the squadron of Rear Admiral Alexander Cochrane, who was entrusted with the task of capturing Martinique . The invasion forces, consisting of 44 ships and transports carrying 10,000 soldiers under the command of Lieutenant General George Beckwith, sailed to Martinique on January 28 ^[3] . The squadron arrived on the island on January 30, and 3,000 soldiers under the command of Major General Frederick Maitland were landed without encountering resistance. 600 soldiers were landed at Cape Solomon from the side of the 74-gun Belleisle under the command of Captain William Charles Faha. ^[4] The remainder of the army of 6,500 men was landed in the northern part of the island under the command of Major General Sir George Prevost. The French garrison was forced to retreat to several fortified positions, the last of which surrendered on February 24, 1809 ^[5] .

Cochrane’s squadron still remained on the island when, in March 1809, a French squadron arrived in the Caribbean, consisting of three 74-gun ships ( Hautpoult , Courageux and Polonais ) and two frigates ( Félicité and Furieuse ), commanded by Commodore Amable Trode. Upon learning that Martinique is in the hands of the British, Trode dropped anchor near Ile de Saint ^[6] . Cochrane decided to eliminate this threat by landing several troops on the islands and installing heavy guns on elevations. Trode was forced to go to sea, after which the Cochrane squadron rushed after him in pursuit. The persecution lasted several days, as a result, most of the French squadron managed to escape, but the 74-gun ship Hautpoult lagged behind the rest of the ships and was eventually overtaken by Pompee , who entered battle with him. After a short shootout, Hautpoult , which had already been seriously damaged by British frigates, lowered the flag and surrendered to the Pompee crew ^[7] .

In July 1809, York took part in the second Dutch expedition , the purpose of which was the destruction of shipyards and arsenals in Antwerp , Ternezen and Vlissingen . August 13 took part in the bombing of Vlissingen ^[8] . Naval bombardment was part of a much larger operation; the British land corps consisted of 30,000 soldiers, whose purpose was to help the Austrians by invading Holland and destroying the French fleet based in the harbor of Vlissingen. The expedition ended unsuccessfully, due to the outbreak of the epidemic, the British were forced to clear Valcheren by December ^{9 [9]} .

On July 18, 1811, York joined the blockade of Toulon , joining the blocking British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Edward Pellhois . The blockade, which lasted more than a year, took place without any noticeable events. Although the French commander had a powerful fleet at his disposal, he avoided any contact with the blocking fleet and either stayed in the port or made very short voyages, returning to the harbor as soon as the British ships arrived ^[10] .

On August 24, 1815, York was withdrawn from the fleet and transferred to the reserve at Portsmouth . He remained in reserve until 1819, when it was decided to convert the ship into a floating prison . He was sent to Portsmouth's dock, where the ship was devoid of masts and cannons, and turned into a floating prison. As a rule, it contained about 500 prisoners. The ship remained in this role until 1854, when it was scrapped and dismantled ^[1] .

• Lavery, B. The Ship of the Line. The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. - Conway Maritime Press, 2003. - Vol. I. - ISBN 0-85177-252-8 .

• Rif Winfield. = British Warships in the Age of Sail, 1793-1817. - 2nd edition. - Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing, 2008 .-- ISBN 978-1-84415-717-4 .

• Peter Goodwin. The Ships of Trafalgar: The British, French and Spanish Fleets October 1805. - Conway Maritime Press, 2005. - ISBN 1-84486-015-9 .

• William James The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793, to the Accession of George IV. - R. Bentley, 1837. - ISBN 0-85177-906-9 .

• HMS York // Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels and a few of their movements
• HMS York // Ships of the Old Navy