| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Roselle |
| Launched | 1797, Hull |
| Captured | 2 December 1814 |
| Fate | Wrecked 7 December 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 260, [1] or 264 [2] (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
Roselle was launched at Hull in 1797. She spent much of her career as a West Indiaman, sailing between Leith and Jamaica. An American privateer captured her in 1814 and she wrecked on the Charleston Bar as the prize crew was bringing her to an American port.
Roselle first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1798 with Gourlay, master, Sibbald & Co., owners, and trade Leith–Jamaica. [3] Sibbald & Co. had owned another Roselle, which had also sailed between Leith and Jamaica, and which was last listed in 1798. Captain David Gourley acquired a letter of marque on 31 January 1798. [1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1799 | D.Gourlay J.Staples | Sibbald & Co. | Leith–Jamaica | LR |
| 1805 | J.Staples W.Gray | Sibbald & Co. | Leith–Jamaica | LR |
Captain Staples had been a captain for Sibbald & Co.'s earlier Roselle. Captain William Gray acquired a letter of marque on 27 July 1811. [1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1812 | W.Gray | Sibbald & Co. | Leith–Jamaica | LR; repairs 1808 & 1810 |
| 1815 | W.Gray | Sibbald & Co. | Leith–Jamaica | LR; repairs 1810 |
On 24 November 1814 Roselle sailed from Havana in convoy. Not long after, an American privateer of 14 guns captured Roselle, of Leith, Beatson, master at 31°00′N70°10′W / 31.000°N 70.167°W . The privateer also captured several other British merchantmen as well. The capture took place on 2 December, and the privateer was Kemp. Roselle subsequently was wrecked at Charleston, South Carolina. [4]
An American account of the action reports that the convoy's escort, HMS Ister, had separated from the convoy the day before while chasing Kemp. Kemp returned to the convoy; Ister did not. [5]
Kemp was a schooner of 228 tons (bm). At the time of her attack on the convoy she was armed with 12 guns and had a crew of 130 men under the command of Captain Wilson Jacobs. The convoy consisted of eight merchantmen with 46 guns and 134 men. Jacobs skillfully maneuvered Kemp to capture four of the merchantmen, Roselle among them. (Two more struck, but then escaped before Kemp could return to them to put a prize crew aboard. [5]
The American account of the action refers to Roselle as Rosabella. Ten men from Kemp succeeded in boarding Roselle and capturing her, wounding three of her crew members in the process. She was carrying coffee and sugar, with her captors estimating the value of her cargo at $2–300,000. [5] [2]
As Roselle approached Charleston she was wrecked on the Charleston Bar. Later, a Royal Navy brig burnt the wreck. [5] [2]
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HMS Canso was the American letter of marque schooner Lottery, launched in 1811, that a British squadron captured in 1813. The Royal Navy took Lottery into service as HMS Canso and she served during the War of 1812 and briefly thereafter. The navy sold her in 1816.
HMS Nimrod was a brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1812. She spent her war years in north American waters where she captured one small privateer, assisted in the capture of another, and captured or destroyed some 50 American vessels. After the war she captured smugglers and assisted the civil authorities in maintaining order in Tyne. She was wrecked in 1827 and so damaged that the Navy decided she was not worth repairing. A private ship-owner purchased Nimrod and repaired her. She then went on to spend some 20 years trading between Britain and Charleston, the Mediterranean, Australia, and India. She was last listed in 1851.
Alligator was launched in 1793 at London. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). She then became a general trader crossing the Atlantic. She was wrecked in 1820.
Norfolk was built in France in 1784 under a different name. The British captured her c. 1800 and she made some voyages as a West Indiaman. She also made a cruise as a privateer. Between 1803 and 1808 she served the Royal Navy as an armed defense and hired armed ship on the Leith Station. She spent her time escorting convoys in the North Sea and captured one French privateer. After her naval service, between 1808 and 1814 Norfolk was a London-based transport. From 1814 to 1820 she made four voyages as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery. She was last listed in 1823.
Horatio was launched in 1800 at Liverpool. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During two of these voyages she was captured and recaptured. Shortly before the British slave trade ended she left the slave trade and sailed between Britain and South America and as a West Indiaman. She was wrecked in 1817.
Lion was launched in 1803 in Turkey, or 1802 in Spain. British owners acquired her in 1809, probably by purchase of a prize. She was a merchantman and letter of marque. She captured an American privateer in a notable single-ship action in 1813, some months before Lion was wrecked in 1813.
Rachael was launched in 1810 at Hilton or Sunderland, and apparently was initially registered and based at Greenock. In 1812 an American privateer captured her in a notable single-ship action, but the British Royal Navy recaptured her almost immediately. She then continued as a general trader and was last listed in 1833.
Roselle was launched in 1781 in Amsterdam, probably under another name. She entered British records in 1786. She spent much of her career as a West Indiaman, sailing between Leith and Jamaica. A Spanish warship captured her in 1798.
Several ships have been named Roselle:
Mariner was launched at Whitehaven in 1804. In 1814 an American privateer captured her but the British Royal Navy recaptured her. On 23 August 1823 her crew abandoned Mariner, which then foundered in the Atlantic.
Benson was launched in 1794 in Liverpool as a West Indiaman. She sailed under a letter of marque and in December 1798 engaged in a notable single-ship action in which she repelled an attack by a French naval corvette of superior force. Benson was wrecked on 23 March 1811.
Harriot was launched in Liverpool in 1786. For many years she was a West Indiaman, sailing between Liverpool and Barbados. In 1796 a French frigate captured her, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She became a slave ship. At the beginning of her of her first slave trading voyage a French privateer captured her, and again the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She made five slave trading voyages in all. Thereafter she traded with South America. She was last listed in 1814 with stale data.
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.
Thames was launched in New York in 1798, probably under another name. Bebby & Co., of Liverpool, acquired her circa 1807. An American privateer captured Thames in January 1813 as Thames was sailing back to Liverpool from Africa.
Nelson was launched at Bristol in 1807 as a West Indiaman. In January 1813 a United States privateer captured her off Jamaica.
Ottawa was a merchant ship launched at Quebec in 1814 that sailed to England and acquired English registry. In 1815 a US privateer captured her. Although the Royal Navy recaptured her, the Vice-admiralty court at Jamaica restored her to her original captors. She later returned to British ownership and was wrecked in 1822.