Swiftsure (1811 brig)

Last updated

History
Flag of France.svgFrance
NameInconstant
Launched1811
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameSwiftsure
Acquired1813 by purchase of a prize
FateWrecked 4 July 1829
General characteristics
Tons burthen326, [1] or 337 tons (bm)
Draught14 ft (4.3 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail plan Ship-rigged
Armament4 × 9-pounder guns + 10 × 32-pounder carronades [1]

Swiftsure was built in 1811 in France as Inconstant. In 1813 British owners purchased her and renamed her. An American privateer captured her in 1814 but she was quickly recaptured. Swiftsure was wrecked off the coast of Queensland in 1831.

Contents

Note: This is not the Inconstant that carried Napoleon from exile on Elba to the Hundred Days. [2] That was another brig Inconstant, of roughly the same size as Swiftsure, and also launched in 1811. However, the vessel that transported Napoleon belonged to the French Navy, and was broken up at Brest in 1843. [3]

History

Swiftsure was built in 1811 for a French owner as the single-decked brig-rigged Inconstant. [4]

Swiftsure first entered Lloyd's Register in 1813 with J.Banner, master, Crawford, owner, and trade Greenock–Newfoundland. [1]

On 4 August 1814, Swiftsure, Lester, master, arrived at Newfoundland from Glasgow. Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 21 October 1814 that Swiftsure, Lester, master, was one of four merchantmen that American privateers had captured. (The other three were James, McNeil, master, Emulation, and Sir John Sherbrooke . Their crews were landed at Viana. [5] )

Swiftsure's captor was the American privateer schooner Saratoga. [6] Swiftsure was in the company of the schooner James off the Azores. The British vessels engaged Saratoga, which nevertheless prevailed. [7] U.S. records describe Swiftsure as being armed with twelve 32-pounder carronades and two 9-pounder guns, and James as being armed with six 12-pounder carronades and two 18-pounder carronades. Both vessels were carrying fish. The two British vessels initially resisted, but then struck. [8]

Lloyd's List reported on 13 December that Swiftsure, Lester, master, from Newfoundland to Oporto, had been retaken and sent into Bermuda. [9]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource
1815T.LeslieCrawfordGreenock–NewfoundlandLR; raised 1814; "captured"
1820T.NichollsNicholls & Co. Greenock-St Thomas.LR; raised 1814 & small repairs 1820 [10]
1825BromfieldAndrewLondonLR; raised 1814 & small repairs 1820

By 1828 Swiftsure was sailing between the United Kingdom, New South Wales, and Van Diemen's Land. [11]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource
1830JohnsonGilmareLondon–New South WalesLR; raised 1814 & good repair 1825 [4]

Loss

On 4 July 1829 Swiftsure was wrecked at Cape Sidmouth, New South Wales (modern Queensland). Resource rescued all aboard. Swiftsure was on a voyage from New South Wales to Mauritius. [12] [13] The survivors, and part of the cargo, arrived at Mauritius on 17 August.

She was wrecked in the Torres Strait 3.8 nautical miles (7 km) off the Cape York Peninsula, near the mouth of the Lockhart River. [2] [14] [15]

The wreck of Swiftsure was discovered in November 2014. The discovery was officially announced in June 2015. [2]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 LR (1813), Supple. pages "S", Seq.№S154.
  2. 1 2 3 Ferrier, Tracey. "Napoleon's getaway ship 'found in Queensland'". MSN News Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  3. Winfield & Roberts (2015), p. 218.
  4. 1 2 "Lloyd's Register of Shipping". Lloyd's of London. 1830: 584. Retrieved 16 June 2015.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. LL.
  6. LL 29 November 1814, №4927.
  7. Strum, Harvey (May 2011), "Now a Yankee Prize: The Voyages of the Privateer Saratoga during the War of 1812". War of 1812 magazine, Issue 11.
  8. Good (2012), p. 85.
  9. LL 13 December 1814, №4930.
  10. Lloyd's Register (1811), Seq. №S971.
  11. "(advertisement)". The Times. No. 13608. London. 2 June 1828. col A, p. 1.
  12. "Ship News". The Morning Post. No. 18412. 16 December 1829.
  13. "(advertisement)". The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. 2 January 1830.
  14. "(untitled)". Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser. 24 November 1831.
  15. "Miscellaneous Notices". Asiatic Journal. February 1831.

Related Research Articles

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.

HMS Algerine was a Pigmy–class 10-gun schooner of the Royal Navy. She was launched in March 1810. She served in the North Sea and then transferred to the West Indies, where she was wrecked in 1813.

HMS <i>Persian</i> (1809) Brig-sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Persian was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Daniel List and launched at Cowes in 1809. She captured two privateers before she wrecked in 1813.

Fanny was launched in Norway in 1807 under an unknown name and was captured around 1810 during the Gunboat War. She entered English records in 1811 as an armed merchantman that sailed between Liverpool and South America. On 19 April 1814, the American privateer schooner General Armstrong captured her, though shortly thereafter the British Royal Navy recaptured her. The insurance and marine salvage issues involved gave rise to three notable court cases. Fanny returned to the West Indies trade in 1815 under new owners. She was last listed in 1833.

HMS <i>Dominica</i> (1810) French schooner

HMS Dominica was the French letter of marque schooner Duc de Wagram, which the British captured in 1809 in the Leeward Islands and took into the Royal Navy in 1810. The American privateer Decatur captured her in 1813 in a notable single-ship action. However, Majestic recaptured her in 1814. She was wrecked in 1815

HMS <i>Rover</i> (1808) Brig-sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Rover was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop laid down in 1804 but not launched until 1808. She served in the North Sea, off the north coast of Spain, in the Channel, and on the North American station. She captured two letters-of-marque and numerous merchant vessels before being laid-up in 1815. She then sat unused until she was sold in 1828. She became a whaler that made four voyages to the British southern whale fishery between 1830 and 1848. She was last listed in 1848.

HMS <i>Rifleman</i> (1809) British naval brig-sloop, merchantman, and whaler (1809–1856)

Rifleman was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop launched in 1809 for the Royal Navy. She served in the North Sea, on the Halifax and Jamaica stations, and in the Mediterranean Sea. During her service she recaptured a Royal Navy vessel in Danish service, and two privateers. The Navy sold her in 1836 and she proceed to sail as a merchantman and whaler between 1837 and 1856.

HMS <i>Derwent</i> (1807) Brig-sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Derwent was launched in 1807 and later that year became one of the first ships sent by the British Royal Navy to suppress the slave trade.

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.

Kitty was a French vessel taken in prize c. 1810. She became a West Indiaman and then, following a change of ownership, a privateer. She was one of only two British privateers to target slave traders. She captured three off Sierra Leone before one of her targets captured her in 1814, killing her master, enslaving some of her crew, and setting fire to her.

Antelope was launched at Nantes in 1804 under another name. The British captured her and the High Court of Admiralty condemned her on 1 June 1807. She sailed to the Pacific, possibly as a whaler, where she captured a Spanish vessels. In 1811 she made one voyage to India for the British East India Company. She next traded with South America and the Mediterranean. A United States privateer captured her in 1814, but the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She was probably broken up circa 1824.

Auguste was a French 14-gun privateer commissioned in Saint-Malo in November 1811 under Pierre Jean Marie Lepeltier. She captured numerous British merchant vessels before the Royal Navy forced her in January 1814 to run onshore and wreck.

<i>Babiole</i> (1811 ship)

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.

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.

HMS <i>Royalist</i> (1807) Sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Royalist was launched in 1807. She captured many privateers and letters of marque, most French, but also some from Denmark and the United States. Her crew twice were awarded the Naval General Service Medal. She was instrumental in the capture of a French frigate. The Royal Navy sold her in 1819. She then became a whaler, making three complete voyages. She was condemned after a mishap while on her fourth.

Bonetta was an American vessel that was launched at Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 1800. The British Royal Navy captured in 1808. She then became a West Indiaman. Her owners appealed her capture to the Vice admiralty court at Antigua, but without success. A French privateer captured her in 1810.

HMS <i>Albacore</i> (1804) Sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Albacore was launched in 1804 in Bristol. She participated in two notable actions. The British Royal Navy sold her in 1815 and she became a merchantman, sailing out of Guernsey. She was lost on 12 October 1821 while sailing from Buenos Aires to Barbados.

HMS <i>Parthian</i> (1808) Brig-sloop of the Royal Navy

HMS Parthian was launched at Deptford in 1808. During the Napoleonic Wars she captured one important French privateer, and several Danish, Dutch, and French merchantmen. After the war, Parthian captured a pirate schooner near Vera Cruz. Parthian was wrecked off Alexandria on 15 May 1828.

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.

References