French Revolutionary Wars
Commander Henry Wray commissioned her in June 1795.
May 1797 saw Seagull participating in the capture of the French privateer Adolphe, together with Nautilus and the King George. King George had led the chase with Nautilus and Seagull joining in for another four hours before Nautilus succeeded in capturing Adolpe. Adolphe was pierced for 12 guns but had thrown some overboard during the chase. When the British captured her, Adolphe had five guns, eight swivels, and a crew of 35. She was new, nine days out of Boulogne on her first cruise and had not taken any prizes. [2]
On 12 June Nautilus and the hired armed cutter Fox captured two privateers off Flakkery, Norway. The Dutch privateer lugger Brutal, of six guns and 32 men, and the French privateer cutter Syren (or Serene), of six guns and 27 men, were cruising, awaiting the homeward bound Baltic convoy. Nautilus and Fox captured the privateers after a chase of ten hours. [3] Seagull and King George shared in the prize money. [4]
On 2 July Seagull, Nautilus, King George, and Fox captured the Dutch privateer Klyne Sperwer. Klyne Sperwer was armed with six 3-pounder guns, swivel guns, muskets, and the like. She had a crew of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. She had been out a month from Amsterdam but had taken nothing. [5]
Three weeks later, on 23 July, after a three-hour chase, King George and Seagull captured the French privateer Captain Thurot near Christiansand. Captaine Thurot was a small French privateer cutter armed with two brass 6-pounders and four swivels, and had a crew of 22. She had already captured the ship Tom, of Liverpool, from Riga, with timber, and the brig Bachelor, of Saltcoats in Scotland. [6] Nautilus shared the prize money with Seagull by a private agreement. [7]
On 16 March 1798, the hired armed cutter Telemachus sighted the French privateer Sophie three miles from the Berry Head. Telemachus gave chase and after six hours caught up with her some two or three leagues north of the Casquets Light. Sophie was armed with four guns and had a crew of 20 men. She was two days out of Saint Malo but had taken nothing; however, when the chase started, Sophie was close to three British merchant brigs. Seagull joined the chase and was in sight when Telemachus made the capture. [8]
Seagull, Eurydice, and Hyaena shared in the recapture on 14 August of the Venus. [9]
On 18 March 1799 the hired armed brig Telegraph captured the French privateer Hirondelle (Swallow) in a notable action. Seagull shared in the prize money, suggesting that she was in sight. [10] That same day Seagull and Seine recaptured the sloop Industry. [11] [12] Hirondelle had captured two vessels, one of which was an unnamed cutter that had been sailing from Jersey to Bristol; Seagull recaptured the cutter. [13] It is possible that the cutter was Industry.
In 1800 Commander Thomas Lavie replaced Wray. Commander John Wainright replaced Lavie in January 1801, only to be himself replaced in February by Commander Alexander Burrowes. Commander Henry Burke took command in June 1802.
Napoleonic Wars
On 30 May 1803 Seagull captured the French brig Favorie. [14] Favorie was sailing from Tobago to Dunkirk; Seagull sent her into Plymouth. [15]
The East Indiaman Lord Nelson was on her return voyage when on 14 August she encountered the three-masted French privateer Bellone off Cape Clear, Ireland. Bellone captured Lord Nelson and put a prize crew of 41 men on board under the command of Lieutenant Fougie. On 20 August Bellone and Lord Nelson separated. Seagull had escorted a convoy from Plymouth to Cork and on her way back at around 1pm on 26 August, Burke sighted a large vessel and immediately set out in pursuit. [16] After a chase of five hours Burke was able to bring his quarry to action in an engagement that lasted throughout the night. At daylight, Lord Nelson having expended all her cartridges, Fougie later informed Burke that on Seagull's next approach Lord Nelson would have struck her colours. However, Burke had to pull back to repair extensive damage to Seagull's mast and rigging, and two shot holes between wind and water, i.e., just below her water line. [16] While Seagull was undertaking her repairs Fougie’s crew were able to prepare new cartridges and might have resumed the engagement when Seagull approached again. [17] However, in the interim a squadron under Sir Edward Pellew in Tonnant came into sight, [16] with Colossus leading. Seagull signaled to the approaching vessels and as they came up, Fougie struck to Colossus. [17] In the fight Seagull had had two men killed and eight men wounded, [16] one of whom apparently died later. [17] French casualties were unreported. Pellew then gave Seagull the honour of escorting Lord Nelson back to Plymouth, where they arrived on 14 September and where Seagull could undergo much necessary repairs and refitting.
HMS Martin was a 16-gun sloop of the Royal Navy. She served at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 and captured two privateers before she disappeared in 1800.
The Royal Navy used several vessels that were described as His Majesty's hired armed cutter King George. Some of these may have been the same vessel on repeat contract.
During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, British vessels captured at least 12 French warships and privateers named Espoir, which means “Hope” in French. In only one case was there mention of an exchange of fire or casualties. In general, the privateers tried to escape, and failing that surrendered.
His Majesty's hired armed cutter Telemachus served the Royal Navy from 17 June 1795 until 15 January 1801. She was of 1285⁄95 tons (bm), and carried fourteen 4-pounder guns. During her five and a half years of service to the Royal Navy she captured eight French privateers as well as many merchant vessels.
Lord Nelson was an East Indiaman, launched in late 1799, sailing for the East India Company. She made five voyages, of which she completed four. On her second voyage the French privateer Bellone captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her within about two weeks. On her fifth voyage, Lord Nelson foundered in 1808 with the loss of all aboard.
His Majesty's hired armed cutter Penelope served the Royal Navy from 29 January 1794 until the Spanish navy captured her off Gibraltar on 7 July 1799. The Spaniard then employed her as a guarda costa.
HMS Anacreon was a French privateer launched in 1798 that the Royal Navy captured in 1799 and took into service. She had a brief career in which she took some minor prizes and engaged two enemy vessels in an inconclusive action. She was sold in December 1802.
HMS Lapwing was a 28-gun Enterprise-class sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.
Poisson Volant, was a popular name for French vessels, including naval vessels and privateers. Between 1760 and 1814, warships of the Royal Navy captured numerous privateers named Poisson Volant.
Mutin was a 14-gun cutter of the French Navy, the lead ship of the Mutin class of five naval cutters. She was launched in 1778 and the Royal Navy captured her the next year, taking her into service as HMS Mutine. The Royal Navy renamed her HMS Pigmy in 1798. She was lost in 1805.
Two vessels have borne the designation, His Majesty's hired armed cutter Lion. The first served during the French Revolutionary Wars, capturing five privateers and several merchant vessels. The second served briefly at the start of the Napoleonic Wars. Both vessels operated in the Channel. The two cutters may have been the same vessel; at this juncture it is impossible to know. French records report that the French captured the second Lion in 1808 and that she served in the French Navy until 1809.
HMS Dolphin was 10-gun cutter that served the Royal Navy from 1793 to 1802, first as a hired armed cutter, and then after the Navy purchased her, as HMS Dolphin. During her almost decade of service Dolphin patrolled the English Channel protecting British trade by capturing French privateers and recapturing their prizes.
HMS Childers was a brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy, initially armed with 10 carriage guns which were later increased to 14 guns. The first brig-sloop to be built for the Navy, she was ordered from a commercial builder during the early years of the American War of Independence, and went on to support operations in the English Channel and the Caribbean. Laid up for a time after the end of the American War of Independence, she returned to service shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. She had an active career in both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, capturing numerous French privateers and during the Gunboat War participated in a noteworthy single-ship action. The navy withdrew her from service at the beginning of 1811, at which time she was broken up.
HMS Hound was a brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She had a short history. After her launch in 1796 she captured two privateers and destroyed a third before she was lost in 1800.
HMS Resolution was a cutter that the Royal Navy purchased in 1779. She captured two French privateers in 1781 and a Dutch privateer in 1783 after a single ship action. Resolution captured one more small French privateer in June 1797; later that month Resolution went missing in the North Sea, presumed to have foundered.
His Majesty's Hired armed lugger Speedwell served the Royal Navy on contract between 11 June 1796 and 31 October 1801. She had a burthen of 15215⁄94 tons (bm), and was armed with fourteen 4-pounder guns.
Jalouse was an 18-gun Belliqueuse-class brig-corvette of the French Navy, built to a design by Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait, and launched in 1794 at Honfleur. The Royal Navy captured her in May 1797 and took her into service under her existing name. In British service she served primarily on the North Sea station where she captured three small French privateers, and many Dutch merchant vessels. She also participated with other British warships in two or three major cutting-out expeditions. She was broken up in 1807.
His Majesty's hired armed vessel Marechal de Cobourg served the British Royal Navy under contract during the French Revolutionary Wars. Contemporary records also referred to her as Marshall de Cobourg, Marshall Cobourg, Marshall Cobourg, Marquis Cobourg, Marquis de Cobourg, Cobourg, Coborg, and Saxe Cobourg. Further adding to the difficulty in tracking her through the records, is that although she was originally a cutter, later the Navy converted her to a brig.
HMS Eugenie was the French privateer Nouvelle Eugénie, launched at Nantes in 1796 that the British Royal Navy captured in 1797 and took into service. As a brig-sloop she served in the Channel, primarily escorting convoys, and was sold in 1803.
The British Royal Navy captured at least four French privateers named Adolphe during the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars:
Great Britain
