SURPRISE, 24. (The UNITE taken by Capt. T.F. FREEMANTLE in INCONSTANT in the Mediterranean on 20 April 1796. Sold 1802) Capt. Edward HAMILTON, 12/97, Jamaica.Please take a look at these links. I think you might find what you're looking for. Takes some building, but a fantastic model results. Unfortunately The plans and monograph are in French, and metric!On 4 October 1799 the French schooner NANCY was captured near Cape de la Vela. She was bound for Curacoa with coffee from Aux Cayes. The Dutch privateer schooner LAME DUCK of 10 guns was cut out from the harbour of Aruba on 15 October, Mr. John BUSEY, acting lieutenant, was killed. A Spanish schooner, MANUEL, was destroyed near Porto Cavallo on the 20th.
On 25 October Capt. HAMILTON attacked and cut out from Porto Cavallo the HERMIONE, 32, which had been handed over to the Spanish by her mutinous crew at La Guira on 22 September 1797.
In spite of 200 pieces of cannon mounted in the batteries around the harbour, her boats, with 100 men including officers led by Capt. HAMILTON, attacked the HERMIONE at half past twelve in the morning, after beating off HERMIONE's launch, which carried a 24-pounder and twenty men, which was rowing guard around the frigate.
The forecastle was taken by half the force without much resistance but on the quarter-deck and the main deck there was dreadful carnage before the enemy retreated to the 'tween decks where the fighting continued until the enemy's ammunition was exhausted. In the meantime the rest of the men were cutting cables, making sail and towing the ship out of range of gun-shot from the shore to bring her alongside SURPRISE.
Her captain, Don Romon de Chalas, said that she had been thoroughly repaired and was ready for sea with a ship's company of 321 officers and sailors, 56 soldiers and 15 artillery men. She mounted 44 guns. 119 of the Spanish crew were killed and 228 prisoners, including 97 wounded, were landed at Porto Cavallo.
Twelve people were wounded on SURPRISE including the captain. The gunner, Mr. John MAXWELL; quarter-master John Lewis MATHEWS; quarter- gunner Arthur REED and Henry MILNE of the carpenter's crew were dangerously wounded, the rest only slightly. Mr. John M'MULLEN the surgeon volunteered to take part in the attack.
Capt. HAMILTON brought his prize into Port Royal harbour at Jamaica on 1 November. The Receiver-General at Spanish Town, Jamaica, was ordered by the Assembly there to forward to the captain's agent the sum of three hundred guineas for the purchase of a sword in recognition.
On 6 March 1800 the Court of Common Council at the Guildhall, London, resolved that Capt. HAMILTON should be presented with the freedom of the city with a gold box valued at fifty guineas.
(Two of the mutineers were tried by court martial on 31 July.)
At the time the film was released, a card-backed book about the making of the film was published. This was well illustrated with photos of the gimbal mounted Surprise in its tank; the model used in some of the shots, and details of the computer-generated images of Surprise's French antagonist, the Acheron.
IMO Patrick O'Brian chose the name more or less at random. I doubt if he knew there were two real RN vessels called Surprise. A post from Rif Winfield on another list gives details of these:
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