Trent (28)
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Origin and History
The frigate was built by William Pownall at the Woolwich dockyard and launched on October 31 1757.
During the Seven Years' War, the frigate was under the command of:
- in 1758 and 1759: captain John Lindsay
The frigate was sold out of the navy on January 26 1764.
Service during the War
At the beginning of 1758, the frigate was part of the fleet who assembled at Portsmouth under the command of admiral Edward Boscawen for the expedition against Louisbourg. On February 19, this fleet set sail for Halifax and finally arrived to destination on May 9. On May 28, the fleet sailed from Halifax and arrived in sight of Louisbourg on June 1. On June 4, the frigate struck on a rock but was not lost. Throughout the siege of Louisbourg, the fleet actively supported the British army and the fortress finally surrendered on July 26. A few weeks after the capture of Louisbourg, Boscawen sailed for Great Britain with a squadron who, on his passage, became separated. On October 27, Boscawen entered the Soundings with part of his squadron, including the Trent. His squadron met du Chaffault's squadron which was returning from Québec but after a brief cannonade, both fleet separated. On November 1, Boscawen arrived at Spithead.
In February 1759, the frigate sailed from Spithead in Great Britain as part of the fleet destined for the expedition against Québec. The voyage was long and tedious. On April 21, when the fleet finally reached Louisbourg, it was to find the harbour blocked with ice, so that the fleet made for Halifax instead. The fleet finally sailed for Louisbourg in May. From June 1 to 6, the fleet gradually left the harbour of Louisbourg and sailed for Québec. On June 23, Saunders' fleet made a junction with Durell's squadron at Isles-aux-Coudres. On June 26, the whole British fleet of vice-admiral Saunders was anchored safely off the southern shore of Isle-d'Orléans, a few km below Québec without loosing a single ship. On July 1, the frigate, along with the Richmond (32) and Sutherland (50), drove back 6 French gunboats who were trying to stop Monckton's force from erecting batteries at Pointe Lévis. The town finally surrendered on September 18. At the end of October, vice-admiral Saunders fired his farewell salute and dropped down the Saint-Laurent river with his fleet on his way to Great Britain.
In 1760, the frigate served as part of admiral Holmes' squadron in the West Indies. In December, the boats of the Trent, along with those of the Boreas (28), captured two French privateers in Cumberland harbour: the Vainqueur (10) also equipped with 16 swivels and manned by 90 men and the Mackau, a small vessel of six swivels and 15 men. The Trent lost 3 men killed, 1 missing and 1 wounded in this action. Then both frigates advanced on the Guespe (8) of 85 men. The French burnt the vessel to avoid its capture.
To do: more details on the campaigns from 1761 to 1762
Characteristics
| Guns | 28
| ||||||
| Crew | information not available | ||||||
| Length at gundeck | information not available | ||||||
| Width | information not available | ||||||
| Depth | information not available | ||||||
| Displacement | information not available |
References
Blasco, Manuel, British 6th Rates, 3 Decks Wiki
Phillips, M., Michael Phillip's Ships of the Old Navy
N.B.: the section Service during the War is derived from our articles depicting the various campaigns, battles and sieges.
