HMS Indefatigable (1784)

HMS Indefatigable was built as a 64-gun two-decked third-rate ship of the line for the British Royal Navy.

Launched in 1784, she was already nearly obsolete for the main battle line. In 1794, she was razéed: the upper gun deck was cut away to convert her into a razé, a large and heavily armed frigate of (nominally) 44 guns. For the first part of her career, she was commanded by Sir Edward Pellew. Her most famous battle was the engagement, with the frigate Amazon, of the French Les Droits de l'Homme, a 74-gun ship of the line. The battle ended with Droits de l'Homme being driven onto shore in a gale, all but 200 of her crew of 1,300 being killed. Amazon also was run ashore, but the majority of the crew were saved. Despite being embayed and having damaged mast and rigging, Indefatigable was able to repair the damage and beat off the lee shore, showing excellent seamanship.

Laid up in reserve at Plymouth as a result of the peace of October 1801, she was recommissioned in July 1803 when hostilities were recommenced. Her new Captain was Graham Moore, younger brother of Sir John Moore of Rifle Brigade and Corunna fame.

In October 1804, with three other frigates (Medusa, Lively and Amphion and with Moore as the senior officer, she intercepted a Spanish treasure fleet of four frigates carrying bullion from the Caribbean back to Spain. Spain was at the time a neutral country, but was showing strong signs of declaring war in alliance with Napoleonic France any day. Acting on Admiralty orders Moore required the Spaniards to change their course and sail for England. The senior Spanish officer refused and a short fight ensued, during which one of the Spanish ships blew up. The remainder surrendered and were escorted to Plymouth. The value of the treasure was very large (it is often quoted as 3 to 4 million pounds in contemporary worth, so probably over a thousand million in 2004 value) and if it had been treated as Prize of War then Moore and his brother captains would have been set for life several times over. As it was the money (and ships) were declared to be "Droits of Admiralty" on the grounds that war had not been declared, and they got a relatively small ex gratia payment.

Indefatigable under Pellew was selected by C. S. Forester as the ship on which his (fictional) hero Horatio Hornblower spent most of his time as a midshipman in the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.

The Spanish flotilla incident is the one referred to by Forester in the novel Hornblower and the Hotspur, although it would be expected for much more to have been made of the matter bearing in mind Hornblower's early career with the ship. This incident also is also fictionalized in Post Captain, the second of the Aubreyâ€"Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian, in which Captain Aubrey is in temporary command of HMS Lively. It is also mentioned in a novel by Alexander Kent.

For other Royal Navy ships named Indefatigable see HMS Indefatigable.

Anson and Magnanime, were also razeed around the same time as Indefatigable, but neither had as distinguished a career.