V. THE ACHILLES
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The Achilles, to which Captain Barrington was transferred with
the ship's company of the Norwich, was a new 60-gun ship, built
at Harwich by Barnard and launched on February 6th, 1757. It
was April 22nd before Captain Barrington with the last of his men
transferred to the Achilles, as the Norwich did not come out of
dock at Chatham till April 6th. Meanwhile, on March 13th,
Barrington had given Tickets of Leave to such of his ship's company
as desired 14 days' leave.
On April 19th Lieutenant Osborn with no Petty Officers and
Seamen from the Norwich arrived at Harwich in a tender and began
the work of fitting out the Achilles. Captain Barrington followed
three days later. In accordance with his Orders from the Admiralty
Barrington sailed from Harwich on May 17th and on the 24th anchored
in Plymouth Sound, having escorted from the Downs to St. Helens
a convoy of four East Indiamen. After carrying out his Orders.
about the ship's company of the America, and returning to Plymouth,
Barrington was ordered to Limerick to escort the East Indiamen
Chesterfield, Portland and Edgcoate to the Downs. The Achilles
then returned to Plymouth, where she arrived on July 10th.
Admiralty Orders, dated July 18th, ordered the Achilles to Spithead,
and on July 23rd Barrington sailed from Plymouth for Spithead,
to join the fleet assembling there. He passed Boscawen on the
26th off the Isle of Wight and came into Spithead to report to
Rear-Admiral Broderick. After a week's cruise between Portland
and Beachy Head, the Achilles returned to Spithead on August 4th,
and there received on board part of a detachment of the 2nd
Battalion of Lord Effingham's Regiment, for service as Marines
(the rest of the detachment going to the America). On August 7th
Hawke hoisted his flag in the Ramillies and assumed command of
the fleet destined to accompany the military on their expedition
against Rochefort.
The fleet sailed on September 8th and on the 22nd anchored in
Basque Road. Next day Hawke put Barrington under the command of Captain Byron of the America, and directed him also to
receive on board any French prisoners taken. Hawke, in his
dispatch of September 30th, states that:
On the morning of the 23rd, I observed a French Man of War,
over the land, to the S.E. of the Isle of Aix. Being desirous of destroying her, I directed Captain Byron of the America to take with him the
Achilles and Pluto fireship, and, as soon as the Rear Division should
begin to batter, go and destroy her. But the French slung their guns
over board, cut their cables, and otherwise lightening her, ran up the
Charente. It is said she was the Prudent of 74 guns bound for Louisbourg.
Beyond capturing the fort on the Isle of Aix, the expedition
accomplished little. The Army was commanded by LieutenantGeneral Sir John Mordaunt, who had with him Major-Generals
Seymour Conway and Edward Cornwallis, with Lieutenant-Colonel
Robert Clark as principal Engineer and Colonel James Wolfe as
Quarter-Master-General. They decided against attacking Rochefort, and the decision was supported by the Court Martial that
subsequently acquitted Mordaunt of disobedience to Orders and
Instructions.
So far as Barrington was concerned the most important result
of the expedition was probably Hawke's discovery about the
possibilities of using Basque Road. In his dispatch Hawke said:
Though, before I came here, this place was represented as very
difficult of access, and so narrow that Ships could not lie in safety
from the Forts, nay, the Pilots made many baulks before we came in;
yet I find it a safe spacious Road in which all the Navy of England,
Merchant Ships included, may ride without the least annoyance;
and that a Squadron may, at any time, by laying here, prevent any
Armament from Rochfort, and ruin all the French Trade to Rhe,
Oleron, or the Continent, within these Islands.
It was to be the lot of the Achilles to be one of such a squadron.
The Achilles was one of the ships left behind with Keppel when
Hawke sailed for home on October 1st, 1757. Keppel's squadron
returned to England after carrying out a cruise off Cape Ortegal,
and in their return encountered first the Grafton (Holmes's flagship)
and then the Devonshire, both from America and both dismasted.
The Achilles took the Devonshire in tow on November 1st and brought
her to St. Helens.
On November 18th the Agent came on board the Achilles at
Spithead and paid such of her ship's company as had been present
in the Norwich their Head Money for the capture of the Arc en Ciel.
The Achilles sailed with Cornish on December 8th, 1757, in an
attempt to intercept De Kersaing; she parted company from Cornish
on February 8th, 1758, off Plymouth and came in for refit. On
April 26th, 1758, the Achilles sailed again from Plymouth, and, joining Captain Pratten, participated in the capture of La Raisonnable.
Pratten's squadron arrived at Spithead on May 22nd. Next
day Anson hoisted his flag in the Royal George and superseded Hawke
in command of the Channel Fleet. The fleet sailed on June 1st,
escorting Commodore Lord Howe and his transports. As a cruising
Captain, Barrington was detached under Commodore Douglas to
reconnoitre Brest, and subsequently under Proby. In July the
Achilles had her refit at Plymouth and subsequently sailed in
company with the America for a cruise from which Barrington
returned to Plymouth with a French prize. Here he found Saunders
in command of the Channel Fleet, in succession to Anson, who had
resumed duty at the Admiralty.
The Achilles was detached cruising, first under Denis and, in
February 1759, singly. Whilst on the latter service Barrington
recaptured the brigantine Kingston of Glasgow and, on April 4th,
1759, captured the Comte de St. Florentine.
In June 1759 Rodney hoisted his flag in the Achilles at Spithead
and sailed in the first week in July to bombard Havre. On his
return to Spithead on July 10th, Rodney's flag was struck in the
Achilles, and Barrington was ordered to join Hawke, who was now
once again in command of the Channel Fleet. Hawke detached
the Achilles to reinforce Hervey off Brest. In October there
occurred an unfortunate 'incident' that nearly resulted in the loss
of the Achilles. The Achilles reached Plymouth on October 24th,
escorted by the Gibraltar and Actœon, and was docked. The
incident prevented Barrington being present at Hawke's victory
over Conflans.
After her refit the Achilles was ready for service on December 1st,
1759, and Barrington was sent with a small force to endeavour to
intercept Thurot off the west coast of Ireland. Thurot's continued
stay in Norway rendering this service unnecessary, Barrington
returned to Plymouth, where the Achilles was again docked.
In March 1760 Barrington was sent with Byron to Louisbourg,
to assist in the demolition of the fortifications there. He returned
to Plymouth in November and the Achilles was again docked.
In February 1761 Barrington was put under Keppel's command,
and the Achilles arrived at Spithead on March 14th to join the
expedition assembling for the attack on Belle Isle. Upon the
landing being effected, Barrington was sent home with dispatches.
He spent the remainder of the year either with Keppel at Belle
Isle or with Sir Thomas Stanhope in Basque Road; and when
the operations were drawing to a close he remained behind with
Howe when Stanhope handed over to Howe on March 7th, 1762.
On April 30th, 1762, Barrington left Basque Road with Howe's
dispatches; the Achilles returned to Plymouth and was thence
ordered to Portsmouth for docking.
The Achilles was ready for sea on June 18th and joined Sir
Edward Hawke at Spithead. Hawke sailed on the 23rd, and the
following day Barrington's command of over five years in the
Achilles was brought to an end: he was transferred to the Hero,
in succession to Captain Edgcumbe, and succeeded in the Achilles
by Captain William Fortescue.