Cuckoo-class schooner

Last updated

HMS Haddock (1805) body plan.jpg
A plan showing body plan with stern board outline, sheer lines with inboard detail, and longitudinal half-breadth of HMS Haddock, as taken off in October 1805 and modified on her refit. This plan was used for the subsequent Cuckoo-class schooners. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Class overview
NameCuckoo (or Bird) class
OperatorsNaval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy
Preceded byBallahoo (or Fish) class
Succeeded byCheerful class
Planned12
Completed12
Lost9
Retired3
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen75+1⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • Overall:56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
  • Keel:42 ft 4+1⁄8 in (12.906 m)
Beam18 ft 3 in (5.56 m)
Depth of hold8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Sail plan Schooner
Complement20
Armament4 × 12-pounder carronades (pierced for 10)
Plan of HMS Haddock, c. October 1805 HMS Haddock (1805) plan.jpg
Plan of HMS Haddock, c. October 1805

The Cuckoo class was a class of twelve 4-gun schooners of the Royal Navy, built by contract in English shipyards during the Napoleonic War. They followed the design of the Bermuda-designed and built Ballahoo-class schooners, and more particularly, that of Haddock. The Admiralty ordered all twelve vessels on 11 December 1805. A number of different builders in different yards built them, with all launching in 1806.

Contents

Operational lives

Nine of the twelve vessels were lost or disposed of during the war, the survivors being sold in 1816. Enemy forces took four, of which the British were able to retake two. Seven wrecked or foundered with a loss of about 22 crew members in all.

William James wrote scathingly of the Cuckoo and Ballahoo-class schooners, pointing out the high rate of loss, primarily to wrecking or foundering, but also to enemy action. [2] He reports that they were "sent to 'take, burn, and destroy' the vessels of war and merchantmen of the enemy". The record suggests that none seem to have done so successfully. In the only two (arguably three) cases when they did engage enemy vessels, in each case the enemy force was much stronger and the Cuckoo-class vessels were overwhelmed.

James also remarks that:

Their very appearance as "men of war" raised a laugh at the expense of the projector. Many officers refused to take the command of them. Others gave a decided preference to some vessels built at the same yard, to be employed as water-tanks at Jamaica. Moreover, when sent forth to cruise against the enemies of England...these "king's schooners" were found to sail wretchedly, and proved so crank and unseaworthy, that almost every one of them that escaped capture went to the bottom with the unfortunate men on board. [3]

Ships

NameBuilderBegunLaunchedCompletedFate
Cuckoo James Lovewell, Gt. Yarmouth January 180612 April 180621 August 1806 at Chatham Dockyard Wrecked on the Haak Sands at the mouth of the Texel on 4 April 1810 with the loss of two crew members.
Magpie William Rowe, NewcastleJanuary 180617 May 180612 August 1806 at Chatham DockyardTaken on 18 February 1807 by French troops after grounding in a storm off Perros, Brittany. As Colombe she served with the French Navy until possibly as late as 1828. [4]
Jackdaw William Rowe, NewcastleJanuary 180619 May 18068 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardTaken and retaken 1807; Sold at Plymouth on 1 November 1816 for £210.
Landrail Thomas Sutton, RingmoreJanuary 180618 June 180616 July 1806 at Plymouth Dockyard Taken and retaken 1814; paid off October 1816 and sold c. 1818.
Woodcock Crane & Holmes, Gt. YarmouthFebruary 180611 April 180623 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardWrecked 13 February 1807 at Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel in the Azores
Wagtail James Lovewell, Gt. YarmouthFebruary 180612 April 1806126 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardWrecked 13 February 1807 at Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel in the Azores, three hours after Woodcock; one crew member drowned.
Crane Custance & Stone, Gt. YarmouthFebruary 180626 April 18068 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardWrecked off Plymouth Hoe on 26 October 1808.
Quail Custance & Stone, Gt. YarmouthFebruary 180626 April 18063 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardSold at Plymouth on 11 January 1816 for £260 after what was apparently a completely uneventful career.
Pigeon Custance & Stone, Gt. YarmouthFebruary 180626 April 18068 July 1806 at Chatham DockyardWrecked off Margate on 15 January 1809; two crew members died of exposure.
Rook Thomas Sutton, RingmoreFebruary 180621 May 180628 June 1806 at Plymouth DockyardCaptured and burnt by two French privateers off Cape St. Nicholas (San Domingo) on 18 August 1808; three crew members killed (including her captain), and 11 wounded.
Widgeon William Wheaton, Brixham March 180619 June 180624 May 1807 at Plymouth DockyardWrecked off Banff on 20 April 1808.
Sealark William Wheaton, BrixhamMarch 18061 August 180625 May 1807 at Plymouth DockyardFoundered in the North Sea on 18 June 1809; only one crew member survived.

Citations

  1. ↑ Winfield (2008), p. 361.
  2. ↑ James (1837) Vol. V, pp. 45–46. Page 45 , p. 45, at Google Books
  3. ↑ James (1837) Vol. III, p. 376. Appendix, note "i" to Abstract No. 13. Page 376 , p. 376, at Google Books
  4. ↑ Roche (2005), pp. 292–3.

Related Research Articles

HMS Jackdaw was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner that William Rowe built at Newcastle and launched in 1806. She had a relatively undistinguished career, with the low point being her capture by what some described as a Spanish "rowboat". British frigates recaptured Jackdaw the next day. She went on to serve as a tender at Plymouth before being sold in 1816.

HMS Magpie was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner that William Rowe of Newcastle built and launched on 17 May 1806. Like all her class, she was armed with four 12-pounder carronades and had a crew of 20. She had been in British service for less than a year when she grounded on the coast of France, which led to her capture. She then served in the French navy until 1828, including a few years as a prison ship.

<i>Ballahoo</i>-class schooner

The Ballahoo class was a Royal Navy class of eighteen 4-gun schooners built under contract in Bermuda during the Napoleonic War. The class was an attempt by the Admiralty to harness the expertise of Bermudian shipbuilders who were renowned for their fast-sailing craft. The Admiralty ordered twelve vessels on 23 June 1804, and a further six on 11 December 1805.

HMS Ballahoo was the first of the Royal Navy's Ballahoo-class schooners, vessels of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1804. She patrolled primarily in the Leeward Islands, taking several small prizes, before an American privateer captured her in 1814 during the War of 1812.

HMS Barracouta was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1804. Like many of her class and the related Cuckoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Pike was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1804. She captured one 10-gun enemy vessel before being herself captured, and recaptured.

HMS Tang was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1807. Like many of her class and the related Cuckoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Snapper was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1804. She cruised for some seven years, sharing in several captures of merchant vessels and taking some herself, before a French privateer captured her.

HMS Porgey was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooners. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1807. Like many of her class and the related Cuckoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Woodcock was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner. Crane & Holmes built and launched her at Great Yarmouth in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Wagtail was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner launched in 1806 by James Lovewell at Great Yarmouth. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Crane was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. She was built by Custance & Stone at Great Yarmouth and launched in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Pigeon was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner. Custance & Stone built and launched her at Great Yarmouth in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Sealark was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. She was built by William Wheaton at Brixham and launched in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Cuckoo was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. She was built by James Lovewell at Great Yarmouth and launched in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

HMS Whiting was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1805. She was a participant at the Battle of Basque Roads. A French privateer captured her at the beginning of the War of 1812, shortly after the Americans had captured and released her in the first naval incident of the war.

HMS Laura was an Adonis-class schooner of the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Bermuda. Laura served during the Napoleonic Wars before a French privateer captured her at the beginning of the War of 1812. She was briefly an American letter of marque before the British recaptured her in 1813. Despite having recaptured her, the British did not return Laura to service.

HMS Zenobia was a schooner of the Adonis class of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic War. She was built and completed at Bermuda using Bermuda cedar in 1806 and commissioned under Lieutenant Archibald Hamilton. She sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, on 22 October 1806.

The Express class was a class of two schooner-rigged advice-boats of the Royal Navy. John Henslow designed the schooners to carry dispatches. To achieve speed they were long and sharp-lined. However, the Navy did not like them and so the Navy Board ordered no more after the launch of the two in 1800.

<i>Perseverance</i>-class frigate Frigate class of the Royal Navy

The Perseverance-class frigate was a 36-gun, later 42-gun, 18-pounder fifth-rate frigate class of twelve ships of the Royal Navy, constructed in two batches. Designed by Surveyor of the Navy Sir Edward Hunt the first iteration, consisting of four ships, was constructed as a rival to the similar Flora-class frigate. Strongly built ships, the Perseverance class provided favourable gunnery characteristics and was highly manoeuvrable, but bought these traits with a loss of speed. The name ship of the class, Perseverance, was ordered in 1779 and participated in the American Revolutionary War, but her three sister ships were constructed too late to take part. The class continued in service after the war, but soon became outdated.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.