HMS Nightingale (1805)

Career (UK)
Name: HMS Nightingale
Ordered: 12 December 1804
Builder: John King, Dover
Laid down: April 1805
Launched: 29 July 1805
Fate: Sold 1815
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:16-gun brig-sloop
Tons burthen:284 26⁄94 bm
Length:93 ft 1 1⁄4 in (28.4 m) (overall)
76 ft 1 1⁄4 in (23.2 m) (keel)
Beam:26 ft 6 in (8.1 m)
Depth of hold:12 ft 0 in (3.7 m)
Sail plan:Sloop
Complement:95
Armament:14 x 24-pounder carronades
2 x 6-pounder bow guns

HMS Nightingale was a 16-gun brig-sloop of the Seagull class of the British Royal Navy, launched in July 1805. She served during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily in the North Sea, where she captured a number of merchant vessels. The Navy sold her in 1815.

Career

In August 1805 Commander William Wilkinson commissioned Nightingale for the North Sea.[1] Nightingale was in company with Texel and Lynx on 6 April when Texel captured the Einigheid.[2] That same day the same three British ships, together with the hired armed vessels Norfolk and Chapman, captured the Jonge Ebeling, Freundschaft, and Morgenstern.[Note 1] Six days later Nightingale captured the Prussian ship Frou Gesiner.[4] The capture of the Twee Gebroders followed on 26 April.[4] Then Nightingale captured the Prussian ships Jonge Gerrite, and De Drie Gebroeders on 23 May.[5]

On 24 January 1807, Nightingale arrived at Edinburgh from Tunningen with news of a French defeat north of Warsaw.[6] In the autumn Nightingale was present at the second battle of Copenhagen.[Note 2] On 20 October she received orders to accompany a small squadron that would escort the transport ships back to Yarmouth.[8] She carried Captain the Honourable Charles Paget, of Cambrian. He had taken up Admiral Gambier's offer to let him return to Britain with the duplicate despatches announcing Denmark's capitulation.[9]

On 25 July 1809, Nightingale captured the Danish vessel Emanuel.[10] That same day she captured Cutter No 16.[4] Then on 16 August she captured the Danish vessel Transport No 52. (Childers was in company at the capture of Transport No. 52.[11]) Lastly, on 12 October, she captured the Helena Maria.[10]

April 1810 saw Nightingale capture five vessesl: the Martini Jacobi, C. Stysring, master (15 April), Godes Fisne, A. Brede, master (18 April), Amicitia, Paul Paulson, master, (17 April), Magneten, H. Kilrub, master, (21 April), and a sloop, No. 60, name unknown (21 April.[12] Nightingale was also in sight on 17 April when Mercurious captured the Carolus, L.J. Kramer, master, and the Enighied, N. Frius, master.[13] That same day Nightingale was in company with Tartar when they captured the Amicitia, Paul Poulson, master.[14]

Commander John Eveleigh replaced Wilkinson in November 1810.[1] Nightingale and Forward were in company on 12 April 1811 when they captured the Caroline and the Berentine.[15]

Commander Christopher Nixon replaced Eveleigh in early 1812. Rifleman and Nightingale, under Nixon's command, were in company when they captured the vessels Liebe (27 February 1812), Maria Dorothea (7 March), Anna Serina (9 March) and Bodel Maria (24 March).[16] Then on 19 May Rifleman and Nightingale were again in company when they captured the Palmtract.[17]

On 29 January 1813, Nightingale captured the American ship Calumet, of 187 tons bm, which had been carrying a cargo of tobacco from Boston to Marstrand. Nightingale sent her into Leith.[18] Then on 9 March 1813, Nightingale was in company with Brev Drageren when they captured the Danish sloop Enigheiden.[Note 3] On 11 September Nightingale was at Leith receiving a 4inch false keel.[1]

Fate

The Navy put Nightingale up for sale on 23 November 1815 at Sheerness.[21] She was sold that day for £810.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ A first-class share of the prize money was worth £10 1s 1d; a fifth-class share, that of an able seaman, was worth 1s 7½d.[3]
  2. ↑ The prize money for an able seaman was £3 8s 0d.[7]
  3. ↑ A sixth-class share of the prize money was worth 4s 10½d.[19] At a second payment in December 1817, a first-class share was worth £12 16s 7¼d; a sixth-class share was worth 4s 10½d.[20]

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Winfield (2008), p.307.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16459. p. 388. 26 February 1811.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17334. p. 355. 21 February 1818.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The London Gazette: no. 16411. p. 1587. 6 October 1810.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16229. p. 215. 14 February 1809.
  6. ↑ The Lady's Magazine: Or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amusement (February 1807), Vol. 38, p.108.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16275. p. 1103. 11 July 1809.
  8. ↑ Parliament (1808), p.72.
  9. ↑ Paget & Paget (1896), Vol. 2, pp.352-3.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The London Gazette: no. 16046. p. 1469. 18 September 1810.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16458. p. 363. 23 February 1811.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16436. p. 2024. 18 December 1810.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16459. p. 385. 26 February 1811.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16465. p. 531. 19 March 1811.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16552. p. 2415. 14 December 1811.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16678. p. 2455. 5 December 1812.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16754. p. 1416. 17 July 1813.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16715. p. 629. 27 March 1813.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17306. p. 2347. 18 November 1817.
  20. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17311. p. 2474. 6 December 1817.
  21. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 17077. p. 2227. 7 November 1815.

References