Morgan Rattler (1793 ship)

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History
British-Red-Ensign-1707.svgGreat Britain
NameMorgan Rattler
NamesakeBawdy once-popular 18th century song called "Morgan Rattler"
Acquired1793, by purchase of a prize
Captured1793
Civil and Naval Ensign of France.svg France
NameMorgan
Acquired1793, by capture
Captured28 June 1796
General characteristics
Tons burthen111, or 120 [1] (bm)
Sail plan Brig
Complement50 [1]
Armament
  • Liverpool privateer: 14 × 3&4-pounder guns + 12 swivel guns [1]
  • French privateer: 14 guns + 10 swivel guns

Morgan Rattler was probably a French vessel launched under another name and taken in prize early in 1793 after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. She became a Liverpool privateer, but was quickly captured. A few years later she became a French privateer. She captured several British merchantmen before in June 1796 a British naval brig captured her and her prizes.

Contents

Career

Morgan Rattler first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1793. [2]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource
1793W.GibsonCartwrightLiverpool cruiseLR

Captain William Gibson acquired a letter of marque on 25 May 1793. [1] Morgan Rattler, Gibson, master, was reported in August to have been captured and taken into Lorient. [3]

Morgan Rattler may have served the French Navy in 1794. Between April and July the corvette Morgan was stationed at Bay of Bourgneuf under the command of enseigne de vaisseau non entrenu Collet. [4] She then apparently became a privateer.

On 28 June 1796 HMS Suffisante captured Morgan. [5] Morgan, under the command of John Coffin Whitney, was the former Morgan Rattler. [6] [lower-alpha 1]

On 27 August Suffisante intercepted and recaptured two British merchant ships near the Île de Batz. They reported that they had been sailing from Oporto when a privateer of 16 guns and 10 swivel guns had captured them. When last seen the privateer had been north of Scilly in chase of some other merchant vessels. Suffisante immediately sent the recaptured vessels to Plymouth and sailed Suffisante to the French coast between Ushant and the Île de Batz in the hopes of intercepting the privateer on her return, or any prizes that she might have taken on their way to Morlaix or Brest. [5]

The next morning Commander Nicholas Tomlinson, of Suffisante sighted the privateer and four prizes. He was able to capture the privateer by 1pm; Suffisante fired some small-arms fire at and she did not fire back, but instead struck. Tomlinson then put a prize crew on board the privateer, after taking off her captain and officers, and captor and ex-privateer set off after the prizes. [5]

Suffisante recaptured not only the four prizes she had seen, but two others as well. [5] The six merchant vessels were:

Suffisante and her seven prizes, sailed into Plymouth on 30 June 18796. [6]

At the time these captures were considered highly important. The Committee for Encouraging the Capture of French Privateers etc. and the Court of Directors of the Royal Exchange Assurance, each voted Tomlinson a piece of plate valued at 50 guineas. [12] [lower-alpha 5]

Notes

  1. ↑ One French source states instead that Morgan was a vessel captured from the British in March 1796. It describes her as sailing from an unknown port, having a displacement of 210 tons a crew of 100 men, and being armed with ten guns. [7] However, Lloyd's List makes clear that the vessel that Suffisante captured was believed by its captor to be Morgan Rattler. Morgan Rattler, of 14 guns, taken off Brest, came into Plymouth on 30 June, in company with Suffisante. [8]
  2. ↑ Lloyd's Register describes Draper as being of 178 tons (bm), and launched at Southampton in 1778. [10]
  3. ↑ One pipe of wine was equivalent to two hogsheads, each of 63 gallons.
  4. ↑ Brothers, Cudd, master, of 157 ton (bm), had been launched in 1787 at Liverpool. [11]
  5. ↑ The National Maritime Museum (NMM), Greenwich, is in possession of a tea-urn, part of a set that includes another smaller urn, a teapot, sugar basin and cream jug. The engraving on the urn in question states that the Court of Directors of the Royal Exchange Assurance awarded it to Lt. Tomlinson for his captures of Morgan and the six merchant ships. The NMM received the tea set as a gift from a descendant of Tomlinson. [13]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Letter of Marque, p.78 – Retrieved 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ↑ LR (1793), Seq.No.M606.
  3. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 5236. 23 August 1793. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049067 . Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Roche (2005), p. 315.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "No. 13907". The London Gazette . 2 July 1796. p. 625.
  6. 1 2 Williams (1897), p. 341.
  7. ↑ Demerliac (1999), p. 250, No.2144.
  8. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2834. 5 July 1796. hdl:2027/hvd.32044105233118 . Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Lloyd's List n°2833 - accessed 19 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Lloyd's Register (1795).
  11. ↑ LR (1796), Seq.no.B392.
  12. ↑ Marshall (1824), pp. 430–38.
  13. ↑ National Maritime Museum object id:PLT0181, – accessed 2 July 2015.

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References

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