HMS Mutine (1806)

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Career (UK)

Name:	HMS Mutine
Builder:	Chapman, Bideford
Launched:	15 August 1806
Fate:	Sold on 3 February 1819
General characteristics
Class and type:	18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop
Tons burthen:	386 tons
Length:	100 ft 6 in (30.6 m)
Beam:	30 ft 6 in (9.3 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Armament:	16 guns: 16 × 32 pdr carronades two × 6 pdrs

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Mutine.

HMS Mutine was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 15 August 1806.

1 Career
2 References

[edit] Career

[edit] Danish waters

Mutine was initially under the command of Hew Steuart, and spent 1807 fitting out at Plymouth, and in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. She was then used to prosecute Britain's Gunboat War with Denmark during the Napoleonic Wars. Mutine’s first duties involved escorting the King's German Legion to and from the island of Rugen. In August 1808, she covered the landings of British troops at Køge, south of Copenhagen, where they set up a battery north of Køge in preparation for laying siege to the Danish capital. When a number of Danish gun-vessels attempted to interfere in these operations, a flotilla consisting of Mutine, HMS Hebe and HMS Cruizer, and four bomb vessels, HMS Thunder, HMS Vesuvius, HMS Aetna and HMS Zebra. The flotilla was placed under the command of Captain Peter Puget of HMS Goliath and deployed to protect the troops.

On 22 August the inshore squadron was attacked off the entrance to the harbour at Copenhagen by a Danish fleet consisting of three praams, each carrying 20 guns, and over 30 gunboats. The Danish ships were supported by fire from a number of floating batteries and block-ships. The resulting battle lasted for four hours, but resulted in little damage and few casualties. On 2 October, the Juliana, out of Liverpool had encountered and driven off a French privateer 200 miles west of Scilly. The next day, Juliana spotted a brig, and after closing on her under a French flag, rose the English flag and boarded her. Suspicious that her her captain was carrying several different sets of papers, the captain of the Juliana planned to take her into Liverpool. Mutine arrived on the scene in the evening, and after ascertaining the situation, Captain Steuart took over the prize vessel, by now identified as the Joannah, and put his own crew aboard her.

[edit] Battle with the French

In 1808, command of the Mutine, now at Spithead, passed to Charles Montague Fabian. In 1810, he was replaced by Nevison de Courcy, who sailed her to Brazil, and in 1812, to Quebec. In 1813, Mutine was operating in the Western Approaches. De Courcy spotted a strange sail on his lee bow on the morning of 17 April, whilst sailing in the Bay of Biscay, and gave chase. By 2 o'clock in the afternoon the stranger had hoisted French colours and opened fire with his stern chasers. The Mutine’s rigging was disabled and she began to fall astern. She managed to stay close enough though to enable her to carry out an exchange of fire that lasted two hours. The Frenchman's main-top-gallant-mast and jibs were shot away and the Mutine was able to close him, continuing to fire. After a further 50 minutes of this battering, the French surrendered. She was found to be the privateer Invincible, carrying 16 guns. The crew of 86, mostly Americans, were taken prisoner. Mutine had suffered only two men slightly wounded in the engagement.

The Invincible was later recaptured by the American privateer Alexander, but was soon recaptured by boats from HMS Shannon and HMS Tenedos on 16 May and sent to Halifax. The Alexander did not last much longer, being driven ashore off Kenebank by HMS Rattler on 19 May. The Alexander’s crew escaped to the shore, whilst the ship herself was pulled off and salvaged by the Rattler, with the assistance of the schooner HMS Bream.

[edit] Later years, and at Algiers

Most of Mutine’s remaining years were spent sailing on patrols along the south coast of England to Cork, Ireland. She was commanded from 1815 by James Mould, and from 1817 by William Sargent. She took part in Lord Exmouth's punitive expedition against the Dey of Algiers, and was present at the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816. During the bombardment she was anchored off the port bow of HMS Impregnable, whilst the other sloops kept under way. Mutine was finally sold on 3 February 1819 to G. Young.