Phoebe
Wood Location Abingdon, OXFORDSHIRE
Ship Information
Ship Commander - Capt Hon Thomas Bladen Capel
Guns - 36
Wood Information
Size - 7acres
Owner - Millets Farm
To be planted - November 2005
Phoebe Wood will be planted on a 7 acre site as partly wet woodland at Millets Farm Centre Frilford, near Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
This woodland creation site will compliment the other facilities the centre has to offer including a children’s farm zoo, Trafalgar maze and pick your own areas. The site will also include a lake area which will be planted with willow while the rest of the wood will be planted with native tree species. There will be a picnic area created to allow anyone to visit the site and enjoy the trees while they grow.
Events in Phoebe Wood
The centre will work with the Woodland Trust to involve local schools in the planting of this site in November 2005.
Thomas Bladen Capel
Captain Capel was the son of the Earl of Essex and was born in 1776, later rising to the rank of Admiral. He died at Rutland Gate, Hyde Park in 1853.
HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe was built at Dudman’s yard in Deptford on the river Thames and launched in 1795. As a frigate she was neither strong enough nor sufficiently well armed to take part in a fleet action with larger warships, and was one of the squadron of four frigates that shadowed the combined French and Spanish fleets in Cadiz. Phoebe remained an observer of the battle and was called on after the battle to assist the damaged French Swiftsure and the Spanish Bahamas during the storm that followed the battle.
In single ship actions against vessels of similar size and armament frigates often proved doughty fighters. In 1797 Phoebe captured the French Nereide (36 guns) in the Bay of Biscay after a running fight ending in a close action fought out at a range of 300 yards. Another foe was the French privateer Heureux (22 guns) which in March 1800 mistook Phoebe for a civilian East Indiaman, and was easily taken before she could escape after closing in the hope of a rich British prize.
On the 19th February 1801 Phoebe was on patrol east of Gibraltar when a large French frigate the Africaine (40 guns) was seen creeping along the Moroccan coast. Africaine was carrying ordnance, stores and 400 troops to reinforce Napoleon’s army in Egypt. Encumbered by stores and troops the Africaine was overhauled by Phoebe and engaged at close range in a ferocious fight that lasted for two hours. The French troops insisted on staying on deck in an effort to add their musket fire to their defence, but Phoebe’s heavy guns, wrought dreadful damage dismounting guns, holing the hull and inflicting terrible casualties among those on deck. When Africaine surrendered at 9.30 p.m. she had over 340 casualties despite her larger size, and was added to the Royal Navy as a valuable prize.
Phoebe was hulked at Plymouth in 1826 and sold for breaking up in 1841.
Many thanks to Alan Aberg at the Society for Nautical Research for providing us with information on the ships and their commanders.
