HMS Wilhelmina (1798)
Furie (left) at the action of 24 October 1798 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Dutch Republic | |
| Name | Wilhelmina |
| Builder | Vlissingen |
| Launched | 1787 |
| Batavian Republic | |
| Name | Furie |
| Captured | By the Royal Navy on 24 October 1798 |
| Great Britain | |
| Name | HMS Wilhelmina |
| Acquired | 24 October 1798 |
| Honours & awards | Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) with clasp "Egypt" |
| Fate | Sold in January 1813 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | |
| Tons burthen | 82681⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 37 ft 9 in (11.5 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 244 (121 as troopship) |
| Armament |
|
HMS Wilhelmina was a 20-gun troopship of the Royal Navy. She was originally the 36-gun Dutch States Navy frigate Wilhelmina, launched at Vlissingen in 1787. After France occupied the Dutch Republic and reorganised it into the Batavian Republic in 1795, Wilhelmina was renamed Furie and incorporated into the Batavian Navy. In the action of 24 October 1798, Furie and the Batavian corvette Waakzaamheid were intercepted by the British frigate Sirius while transporting supplies and French troops to support a rebellion against British rule in Ireland.
Sirius captured the two ships, both of which the Royal Navy took into service. Returned to her original name, Wilhelmina was converted into a troopship and spent the bulk of her career in the East Indies. There, she fought off a large French privateer and almost faced a superior French squadron at the Battle of Vizagapatam in September 1804 but was replaced beforehand by the 50-gun ship of the line HMS Centurion. Wilhelmina spent the rest of her career as a guard ship in Penang, and was sold out of service there in 1813.