HMS Leopard

Rating: 5th rate

Class:  Trinidad (St. George) -class

 Shipyard : Rotherhithe

Date of Commission: 19 December 1722

Status: In active service

Armament:
Total Guns: 52

Swivels: 8 x 1/2lbs.

Topdeck: 10 x 8lbs.

Gundeck: 30 x 15lbs.

Stern Chasers: 4 x 16lbs.

Crew: 350

Commanders:
Current Captain: Captain Anthony Carter

Previous Captains:

Background:
The HMS Leopard was originally constructed at Rotherhithe Shipyard and launched on 15 March 1703. After its launch, the HMS Leopard served in the War of the Spanish Succession that took place from 1702 to 1713. In 1705, while assigned to the Confederate Squadron, the HMS Leopard won the Battle Honour; Marbella 1705 for taking part in a skirmish that occurred when a French force tried to land troops and recapture Gibraltar. The commander of Gibraltar, Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, despatched an express to Lisbon, desiring Sir John Leake to sail to his assistance. Admiral Leake set sail immediately with five sail of the line and a body of troops. By the morning of 10 March, he had a squadron of 23 English, eight Portuguese ships of various sizes, and four Dutch. Arriving at Gibraltar, he found five French ships hauling out of the bay. Admiral Leake had every advantage and he pressed home his attack with speed and vigour. In a swift and skillful action near Cabrita Point, 9 miles south-west of Marbella, the Dutch took two of the French ships, Leake a third. Pointis, the French commander, had no other option than to run the two remaining ships ashore and burn them to avoid capture.

The HMS Leopard underwent a rebuild according to the 1719 Establishment at Woolwich, and was relaunched on 18 April 1721. Upon launching the ship was sailed to Port Royal where it was outfitted and placed under the command of Captain Anthony Carter of the St. George Squadron to serve the Crown's interests in the Caribbean.

In January of 1723, Captain Anthony Carter received orders from the admiralty in Port Royal to conduct a scouting mission along the coast of Florida in the HMS Leopard. The main objective was to simply report on the status of the French ports in the Florida region. After nearly three weeks of sailing, Captain Carter and his crew docked at Carlos Harbor to take shore leave and to resupply the ship with provisions. While at the local tavern (The Knarr), Anthony met a peculiar man by the name of Theofilus Yost. Little did Anthony know that this chance encounter would change his current assignment all together. Theofilus was a renowned Treasure Hunter in the Florida region and just happened to be looking for someone to aid him in his ventures. After much debate and the entirety of his crew persuading him against his better judgment, Captain Carter agreed to help Mr. Yost. This “treasure hunt of a life-time”, as Theofilus tried to put it, took Captain Carter and his crew to the far reaches of the Caribbean; 16 ports in total. They visited Carlos Harbor, Port St. Joe, Havana, La Isabella, Oranjestad, Ponte-a-Pitre, St. Johns, Spanish Town, Guanica, Cabo Raphael, Nassau, Port Royal, Cat Island, Matthew Town, Tortuga, Iguana, and Portobelo. Upon his return to Port Royal, Anthony relayed his findings of the French ports in Florida to the admiralty as well as his findings on his unplanned voyage. After a small slap on the wrist from the admiralty, Anthony then told the Governor of Port Royal about his findings and gave a large portion of it to the Crown as well as donated several thousand doubloons to the local orphanage. This was much to the chagrin of his crew, but it did not go unnoticed by the townsfolk who now refer to Captain Carter as the “Greatest Treasure of All Time”. For Anthony’s efforts and generosity, the Governor of Port Royal granted a commemorative paint scheme to the HMS Leopard and alternatively refers to her as the HMS Treasure Hunter.

It is rumored that the findings of Captain Anthony Carter and his crew are valued in excess of 250,000 doubloons.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Engagements:
The HMS Leopard is currently docked at Tortuga and routinely engages in skirmishes against the Dread Saints pirate faction.

Port Battle History
{|
 * width="150" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Port
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Date
 * width="80" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Battle type
 * width="125" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Enemy
 * width="75" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Result
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Ship
 * width="300" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Role
 * width="300" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Role