HMS Astraea
Frigate · United Kingdom · Lost 1808 · The Lesser Antilles
A Royal Navy frigate escorting the mail past Caribbean privateers mistook Anegada for Puerto Rico and wrecked on its horseshoe reef.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Astraea was a 32-gun frigate that had already made her name capturing the larger French frigate Gloire in 1795. In 1808, while escorting the mail packet Prince Ernest past the danger of Caribbean privateers, Captain Edmund Heywood mistook the low island of Anegada for Puerto Rico and ran the frigate onto its notorious horseshoe reef. All but four of her crew survived. A court martial attributed the loss to an unusual weather current and exonerated Heywood.
Vessel
- 1781
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- 689
- Sail, full-rigged ship
- Royal Navy
Loss
- May 23, 1808
- Grounding
- Horseshoe Reef, Anegada, British Virgin Islands
- Caribbean Sea
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- All but four of the crew survived, reaching Anegada or Virgin Gorda.
- Captain Edmund Heywood
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Heavy cannon reported unrecoverable at time of loss; site remains on the reef.
- Not established
- 1967
- Not established
Position
- 18.72° N 64.33° W
- Approximate position
- Anegada, British Virgin Islands
General position on Anegada's horseshoe reef; no precise surveyed coordinates found.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)
Circumstances of grounding, survivor and rescue detail, court martial outcome.
