| Career (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Elk |
| Ordered: | 22 May 1805 |
| Builder: | (Mrs) Frances Barnard, Sons & Co., Deptford |
| Laid down: | June 1804 |
| Launched: | 22 August 1804 |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1812 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruizer- class brig-sloop |
| Tonnage: | 382 90/94 bm |
| Length: | 100 ft 1 in (30.5 m) (gundeck) 77 ft 4.75 in (23.6 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 30 ft 6 in (9.3 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft 9 in (3.9 m) |
| Sail plan: | Brig rigged |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: |
18 cannons:
|
HMS Elk was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop launched in 1804 and broken up in 1812. She served on the Jamaica station where she captured a number of privateers.
Elk was commissioned in September 1804 under Commander William Woolridge. Then in November Commander Randall McDonnell took over command and sailed her for Jamaica on 20 January 1805.[1]
In October Commander James Dacres assumed command until he was made post-captain in Bachante on 14 January 1806. His replacement was his cousin, Commander William Furlong Wise in January 1806.[1]
On 5 May Elk captured a privateer rowboat armed with a swivel gun and small arms.[2] The privateer was five days out of Santiago and had taken two doggers.[3] Elk caught up the privateer off Cape Cruz, Cuba, captured her and retook the doggers. The privateer was the Cubana, with a 14 man crew.[2]
Wise was promoted to post-captain and appointed to Mediator on 14 May. His replacement was Commander John Langdale Smith.[1]
In August 1806 Commander George Morris took command. On 1 October Elk destroyed the five-gun privateer Alliance.[1] Elephant had sent Elk to investigate a schooner. After chasing his quarry for nine hours, Elk eventually caught up with and boarded her. Her commander was M. Alexander St. Helme and she was armed with one long 12-pounder, two sixes and two 12-pounder carronades, and carried a crew of 75 men. In her five days out of Guadeloupe, she had taken three prizes, two American schooners and the British brig Neptune, which had been on a voyage from Jamaica to Exuma. In capturing Alliance, Elk had so damaged her that Morris had to take her crew on board Elk and she sank shortly thereafter.[3]
In November Elk captured the Spanish 4-gun privateer Coccila.[1] Commander William Summer Hall succeeded Morris, and was himself succeeded in August 1807 by Commander Jeremiah Coghlan.[1] Coghlan commanded Elk for nearly four years and during this time was also senior officer of a light squadron that protected the Bahamas.[4]
On 12 February 1808 Elk captured the French schooner privateer Harlequin, under the command of Petre Andia. She was armed with two carriage guns and small arms and carried a crew of 54 men.[5] She was in the Caicos Passage having left Baracoa 10 days earlier. Harlequin had captured an American ship (under Swedish colours) sailing from Cape François, St. Domingo, (present day Cap-Haïtien) to Philadelphia with a cargo of coffee and sugar.[5]
On 7 November Coghlan captured the one-gun Posta de Caracas. She was sailing from Campeche in Yucatan, Mexico, to Havana with a cargo of leather and rope and twenty-four thousand dollars in specie.[4]
Coghlan promotion to post-captain was dated 27 November 1810 but he remained in Elk for more than five months.[4] On his departure he received letters of approbation from officials in the Bahamas, including the governor.[4]
Elk returned to England on 26 September 1811. She was in company with Sparrow as the two vessels had escorted a convoy of merchantmen from Negril.[3] Elk was broken up at Chatham in October 1812.[1]
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