| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Auguste |
| Owner | Robert Surcouf [1] |
| Commissioned | November 1811 |
| Fate | Wrecked January 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Complement | 83-95, [2] or 120 |
| Armament | 10 × 4-pounder guns + 4 × 9-pounder carronades [2] or 16 guns |
Auguste (or Augusta) was a French 14-gun privateer commissioned in Saint-Malo in November 1811 under Pierre Jean Marie Lepeltier (or Pelletier). She captured numerous British merchant vessels before the Royal Navy forced her in January 1814 to run onshore and wreck.
Augusta, of Saint-Malo, and of 14 guns and 120 men, sailed from Saint-Malo on 29 November 1812 in the company of four other privateers. On 3 December she captured four vessels near the Isles of Scilly. the four were: Cape Breton, Breard, master, Providence, Leggett, master, Mary, Baxter, master, and Sparkler, Brown, master. Cape Breton and Providence had been sailing from Cape Breton to Jersey. Mary had been sailing from Prince Edward Island to London, and Sparkler had been sailing from Cadiz to London. Mary was carrying a cargo of wood and Auguste gave her up; she arrived at Cork on 8 December. Cape Breton escaped. [3] [lower-alpha 1] Auguste put the crews of the three other vessels aboard Mary, which arrived at Plymouth on 30 December. [5]
In December Augusta captured three vessels: Catherine, Harmony, and Guardian. Catherine, Blyth, master, had been sailing from Suriname to London, and Harmony, Gallop, master, had been sailing from Newfoundland to Poole. Guardian, Musgrave, master, had also been sailing from Suriname to London. [5] [lower-alpha 2]
On 16 December, Augusta, of 16 guns and 110 men, boarded Union, Tweddell, master, at 50°25′N20°0′E / 50.417°N 20.000°E . Augusta had been out of Saint-Malo 16 days. Union, which had been sailing from Prince Edward Island, arrived at Liverpool. [5] [lower-alpha 3]
On 24 December HMS Foxhound recaptured Harmony, and the next day Catherine. [10] The recaptured vessels arrived at Plymouth on 1 and 2 January 1813. On 5 January 1813 Lloyd's List reported that Foxhound had recaptured Harmony and Catherine, and that Favorite had recaptured Guardian and sent her into Plymouth. [5]
On 15 February 1813, Auguste sighted a vessel in Cherbourg Roads to which she gave chase. This was Mary, "Hudges" (Hodges), master, which had been sailing from Jamaica to London. Mary was carrying sugar, coffee, rum, and other colonial produce, and Auguste brought her into Havre two days later. [11] Lloyd's List reported that an (unnamed) French privateer had captured Mary. It further reported that the privateer had captured several other vessels, but that as a result of recent gales two had been lost between Barfleur and Cherbourg, and two had been driven on shore near Havre. [12] [lower-alpha 4]
On 15 November Auguste, of Saint-Malo, and of 110 men and 14 guns, was off The Lizard when she captured Frederick, Storey, master. Frederick had been sailing from Seville and Lisbon to London; Auguste took her into Paimpol. [13] [lower-alpha 5] Her cargo of wool sold for Fr.600,000. [15]
On 18 November Auguste took into Saint-Malo and English brig of about 200 tons (bm). The brig had been sailing from Dublin with a cargo of linens and provisions. Augusta also took into Brehat an English vessel of 100 tons (bm) that was carrying a cargo of Segovia wool. [16]
On 18 December Auguste was off The Lizard when she captured two vessels. Mary, Crow, master, had been sailing from Newfoundland to Dartmouth when captured, and Endeavour, Turner, master, had been sailing from Newfoundland to Teignmouth. Auguste sent Mary into Granville, Manche, and Endeavour into Brehat. [17]
Also in December, Auguste captured James's, Clarke, master, which had been sailing from Malta to London. Auguste sent her into Brehat. [17] [lower-alpha 6]
Around 20 December a vessel of 100 tons (bm), carrying a cargo of iron, came into Morlaix. She was a prize to Auguste. [19] About the same time Auguste sent into Roscoff a Spanish vessel carrying St Ubes salt. she sent into Lannion an English vessel of 70–90 tons (bm), carrying fish and oil. Lastly, she sent into the same port a vessel of about 180 tons (bm), carrying oil, cream of tartar, and fruit. [20]
Auguste was wrecked off Béniguet on 23 January 1814. [2] British sources reported on 15 February 1814 that HMS Helicon had chased the schooner Auguste, of 120 men and 16 guns, on shore. Only the captain and 10 men were saved. [21]
Sir John Sherbrooke was a successful and famous Nova Scotian privateer brig during the War of 1812, the largest privateer from Atlantic Canada during the war. In addition to preying on American merchant ships, she also defended Nova Scotian waters during the war. After her conversion to a merchantman she fell prey to an American privateer in 1814. She was burnt to prevent her reuse.
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Babiole was a French privateer launched at La Ciotat in 1811. She made four cruises between 1811 and 1813 in the Mediterranean as a privateer, capturing a number of prizes. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1815. She might have been a balaou, a type of schooner.
Mullett was an American vessel taken in prize. She was condemned in 1814.
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Clarendon was built in 1807 at Whitehaven. Between 1808 or so and 1813 she sailed as a West Indiaman between London and Jamaica. In 1814 she sailed for Batavia under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). The privateer Young Wasp captured Clarendon off the Cape of Good Hope, on 6 January 1815, and she arrived at Baltimore on 15 April.
HMS Juniper was launched at Bermuda in 1809 for the British Royal Navy. She participated in one campaign for which her crew was awarded the Naval General Service Medal (1847) with clasp "San Sebastian". She also participated in the capture of several merchant ships. The Navy sold her in 1814.
Dry Harbour was launched in 1804 in France under another name. She was apparently captured in 1812 and became a British merchantman. American privateers captured her in 1814 but she was recaptured shortly thereafter. She was condemned at Antigua circa December 1814.
HMS Bramble was launched in Bermuda in 1809. She had a relatively brief and uneventful career before the Royal Navy sold her in December 1815. She became the mercantile Bramble, and was last listed in 1824.
Général Pérignon was a brig launched at Saint-Malo in February 1804 as a privateer. She captured numerous British merchant vessels over several cruises. In January 1810 the British Royal Navy captured her. She was sold in March 1810 and became a coaster sailing between Plymouth and London under her original name, or as Intention. She was last listed in 1816.
HMS Sharpshooter was launched in 1805. She operated in the Channel, often from the Channel Islands. She participated in two actions and captured a small number of merchant vessels. She was sold and broken up in 1816.
Harriot was launched in 1784 on the Thames as a West Indiaman. Her owners may have intended to send her to the South Seas as a whaler in 1786, but there is no evidence that she actually made such a voyage. A new owner renamed her Dominica Packet around 1787. She then spent her career primarily sailing between Britain and the West Indies. During her career she, together with two other Liverpool letters of marque, captured a valuable Spanish merchantman. Later, Harriot captured a Dutch East Indiaman. A Baltimore privateer captured Dominica Packet in 1813, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She foundered circa January 1821.
Agreeable was launched at Bermuda in 1786, probably under a different name. French owners acquired her at some point and sailed her as Agréable. In 1793 the British captured her. Subsequently, between 1793 and 1808, she made six voyages as a slave ship, alternating between the triangular trade in enslaved people, and sailing as a regular West Indiaman. French privateers captured her between the second and third voyages, and the third and fourth voyages, but each time the British Royal Navy recaptured her. In the case of the second capture she was in French hands long enough for them to send her out as a privateer. She herself captured an American vessel in 1808 as she was returning to Liverpool from her last enslaving voyage. After the end of British participation in trans-Atlantic enslaving trade, Agreeable traded more widely, particularly to South America. She was condemned at Buenos Aires in 1814 after running aground in the River Plate. She was repaired and continue to sail to Brazil until she returned to Liverpool in June 1819.
HMS Thrasher was launched in 1804 at Brightlingsea, or Colchester as the merchant vessel Adamant. The British Royal Navy purchased her in June 1804, renamed her, and fitted her out as a gunbrig. She captured numerous small merchant vessels, most of them Dutch or Danish. After the Navy sold her in 1814, she returned to mercantile service under her original name of Adamant. She made a voyage to Malta in 1815 and was wrecked as she was returning to London.
Nimble was built in Kingston upon Hull in 1802. She traded with Portugal, first from Hull and then from Liverpool. She was lengthened in 1806. Later, she traded between London and Brazil, and then London and the West Indies. An American privateer captured her in 1814. She was recaptured and then disappeared from ship arrival and departure (SAD) data.
HMS Favorite was an 18-gun Cormorant-class ship-sloop, launched in 1806 and broken up in 1821. In her career she sailed as far North America, the Caribbean, Africa, South America, and the Far East. She captured or recaptured several merchant ships and a handful of privateers.
Vittoria was a schooner launched at Baltimore in 1811 under another name. British owners acquired her in 1813, probably as a prize, and renamed her. She became a privateer sailing out of Guernsey and captured at least three vessels trading between the United States and France. She disappeared from online records circa 1814, though she remains listed to 1818 with data unchanged from 1813. A French privateer may have captured her in 1814.
Carnatic, launched in 1770, was an East Indiaman belonging to the French East India Company. A British letter of marque captured her in 1778. She became a transport. She was wrecked in 1781.
Mary Ann was launched in 1807 at Liverpool. She made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then became a West Indiaman. From 1811 she became a Falmouth packet. In 1813 a United States privateer captured her.
