HMS Santa Margarita was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had been built for service with the Spanish Navy, but was captured after five years in service, eventually spending nearly 60 years with the British. Spanish career Santa Margarita was built at Ferrol in 1774. In the action of 11 November 1779 Captain Alex Graeme of brought her to battle off Lisbon and captured her. She was taken into Royal Navy service by an Admiralty Order of 16 March 1780; she was then repaired and refitted at Sheerness between February 1780 and June 1781. British career American Revolution Santa Margarita was commissioned in March 1781 under Captain Elliot Salter, who sailed her to North America where she formed part of George Johnstone's squadron in June 1781. On 29 July 1782 she captured the 36-gun Amazone off Cape Henry, but the next day the squadron under Vaudreuil intervened, recapturing Amazone. Two months later, on 30 September, Santa Margarita captured the American privateer Hendrick. Santa Margarita was repaired at Bucklers Hard between 1790 and 1793, followed by a period fitting out at Portsmouth. French Revolutionary Wars Santa Margarita was recommissioned under Captain Eliab Harvey in 1793, and sailed to the Leeward Islands in December that year. She then formed part of the fleet in the West Indies under John Jervis, and was present at the capture of Martinique in February 1794. By August 1794 she was in Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron, and was present at the destruction of Volontaire on the Penmarks on 23 August 1794, and the capture of Espion and the destruction of Alerte in Audierne Bay on that day. On 29 March 1795 she was sailing with when the two engaged and captured the 18-gun Jean Bart in the English Channel. Jean Bart was subsequently taken into service as . A few days earlier the squadron to which Cerberus and Santa Margarita belonged shared in the capture of Jean Bart and the recapture of . In April 1795 Santa Margarita came under the command of Captain Thomas Byam Martin. In September 1795 a French squadron captured Hibberts, Chisolm, master, as she was sailing from Jamaica to London, but Santa Margarita recaptured her. At the action of 8 June 1796 she captured the French Tamise, which had previously been . Santa Margarita had two killed and three wounded in the action. She went on to capture