Hired armed cutter Courier

The Hired armed cutter Courier appears twice in the records of the Royal Navy. The size and armament suggests that both contracts could represent the same vessel, but other information indicates that the second Courier had been captured from the French in the West Indies. On the first contract the captain and crew were awarded clasps to the Naval General Service Medal, one for a boat action and one for a single ship action in which they distinguished themselves.

First contract

The first contract for a Courier was from 6 June 1798 to 1 November 1801.[1] She was of 11638⁄94 tons burthen (bm) and carried an armament of twelve 4-pounder guns.[1] She had a crew of 40 men.

In 1799 she was under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Searle, in the North Sea. On 15 April he recaptured the Nelly from the French privateer Vengeur.[2] On 16 April, Courier was in company with Latona, Astraea and Cruizer when they captured the Prussian hoy Dolphin.[3]

Then on 2 May, Ranger, with the Courier in company, captured the Vreeda.[Note 1]

On 12 May, while off Winterton on the coast of Norfolk, Courier engaged a French 16-gun privateer.[2] The French brig was attacking a British merchant sloop when Courier intervened. The brig was armed with 16 guns, mixed 6 and 9-pounders.[5] After an hour and forty minutes of fighting, the privateer chose to take advantage of the wind and her better sailing qualities and escape in the darkness and thick weather.[6] Courier tried to chase her but lost her after midnight. Courier had five men wounded in the action.[5] Latona and Ranger assisted in the action.

The next day Courier captured the French brig's consort, the privateer schooner Ribotteur off the Texel. She had a crew of 26 men and was pierced for six guns but carrying four 3-pounders, having thrown two overboard during the chase.[5] Ribotteur did not resist.[7][Note 2] During the action Courier observed another privateer, a lugger, in the distance, that remained aloof from the action.

On 26 June Courier and Circe captured the Twee Gesisters.[9]

On 1 July, Courier captured the brig Frederick.[Note 3] Then on 10 July Courier was a part of a small squadron consisting of Circe, Pylades, Espiegle and the hired armed cutter Nancy, all under the command of Captain R. Winthrop of Circe. The boats of the squadron rowed for 15 or 16 hours into the Watt at the back of Ameland. There they captured three merchant vessels carrying sugar, wine and brandy, and destroyed a galliot loaded with ordnance and stores.[10]

Between 18 July and 1 August, Courier, Circe, Pylades, Espiegle and Nancy captured the Marguerita Sophia, Twee Gesister, Twee Gebroders (Master, Vink) Twee Gebroders (Master, Nolholt), Jussrow Maria Christina, Vrow Henterje Marguaritha, Stadt Oldenburg, Vrow Antje, Vrow Gesina, Endraght, and the Frederick.[Note 4]

Between 11 and 12 August, Pylades, a 16-gun sloop under the command of Adam Mackenzie, accompanied by the 16-gun brig-sloop Espiegle and Courier, attacked the ex British gun-brig Crash, moored between the island of Schiermonnikoog and Groningen.[11][12] Courier started the action, which resulted Crash surrendering after the two sloops joined in.[12][13] Pylades lost one man killed and two wounded. Crash had a crew of 60 men and was armed with 12 carronades. The British also captured a schooner, which MacKenzie armed with two carronades and named the Undaunted. The boats of the squadron, now including boats and men from Latona and Juno, then attacked the 6-gun Dutch schooner Vengeance and a battery on Schiermonnikoog. The British were able to burn the schooner on the second attempt and to spike the guns of the battery.[2] The squadron's boats also captured a number of Dutch schuyts. During the attack Courier grounded and was only saved with some difficulty.[14][Note 5] In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issue to the surviving claimants of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Schiermonnikoog 12 Augt. 1799".[16][17]

Latona, Astrea, Cruizer, Pylades, Ranger, Busy, Courier, hired armed lugger Speculator, and the hired armed cutters Fox and Diligent captured the Aeolus, Jonge Picter , Vrow Alyda, Verwagting, Vinnern, and the Almindeligheden. The same British vessels were also involved in the capture of Neptunus, Sen Soskende, Bornholm, Fabius, Zee Star, and Frou Eagle.[18][Note 6]

On 21 November, Courier sailed from Yarmouth and on the afternoon of the following day saw a suspicious sail stopping a bark. Searle passed the bark, which reported that the other vessel was an enemy. Courier gave chase and came up with her the next morning 10 or 12 leagues off Lowestoft. After a close action of 50 minutes Courier captured the French privateer cutter Guerrier. Guerrier was armed with fourteen 4-pounder guns, had a crew of 44 men and was commanded by Citizen Felix L. Sallemand.[20][21] During her five days out of Dunkirk she had captured the Nile, a brig from London carrying coal. Courier lost her master, Mr Stephen Marsh, who was killed at the start of the action, and also had two seamen wounded. The French had four killed and six wounded.[22] Searle later received a promotion to Commander dated 23 November.[Note 7] In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Courier 23 Novr. 1799" for this action.[16][17]

In December 1800 Courier was obliged to quit her station between the Humber and Flamborough Head after an action with a French privateer a few days earlier.[24]

Second contract

The Courier that received the second contract was the French navy's schooner Courrier, built by Louis, Antoine, & Mathurin Crucy, at Nantes, laid down in May 1799 and launched on 19 July.[25] On 5 September 1803, Vanguard captured the Courier de Nantes, of two guns and four swivel guns. She had a crew of 15 men under the command of an Enseigne de Vaisseau, and was carrying 30 barrels of flour to Saint-Marc.[26]

The contract for this Courier was from 23 July 1804 to 18 August 1806.[27] She was a cutter of 114 57⁄94 tons burthen and carried twelve 4-pounder guns.[27]

Her commander throughout the contract was Lieutenant James Boxer.[28] Courier served off Boulogne, Ushant and Rochester. At the end of her contract she was returned to her owners.[29]

On 12 December 1804 Courier was with the hired armed cutter Countesss of Elgin and the hired armed schooner Charlotte, when they recaptured the ship New Concord.[30] Then on 2 September 1805, Courier alone captured the French schooner Angelique.[30]

During the second half of 1805, Courier returned to the Downs in a battered state after having engaged a shore battery. While on patrol, she had recovered a warship's boat, together with a lieutenant and 16 men. Shortly thereafter she spotted a French privateer lugger sheltering under the protection of a shore battery. Courier attempted to cut out the lugger but came under fire from the battery's 24-pounders and a 12-pounder field piece on shore. Because of the shallowness of the water and the lack of wind, Courier was unable to proceed further. Having sustained serious damage she gave up the attempt. During the action Lieutenant Newby from the sloop Megaera was killed, as were two other men, and one man was wounded. (Presumably the men that Courier had earlier recovered were from Megaera).[31]

Letters of marque

Three letters of marque were issued to a ship or ships named Courier. The first may have been the same vessel as the first contract hired armed cutter Courier. The second and third letters of marque appear to have been issued to the same vessel, which however was neither the first letter of marque nor the hired armed cutter of the second contract above. For all three letters below, the vessel is described as being armed with twelve 3-pounders.

Footnotes

Notes
  1. ↑ The prize money for an Able Seaman was £1 14s 1d.[4]
  2. ↑ On 15 February 1800 prize and head money resulting from the capture of Rebotteur was due for payment.[8]
  3. ↑ On 7 Apr 1801 an advance of prize money was due for the capture of Frederick.
  4. ↑ The prize money to an able seaman on Courier for these vessels plus the June Twee Gesister, amounted to £3 17s 6d.[9] This would have amounted to about a month's wages.
  5. ↑ On 31 March 1801 prize money for the vessels captured at Shiermonnikoog was due to be paid. The vessels were the galliot Vier Vendou, Crash, Waarwrick, galliot Jonge Gessina, and a galliot of unknown name.[15]
  6. ↑ This time the prize money for a seaman on Courier was only 1s 9¼d.[19]
  7. ↑ On 24 May 1800 prize and head money due from the capture of Guerrier was due for payment.[23]
Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Winfield (2008), p.389.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ralfe (1972), pp.318-20.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15427. p. 1374. 14 November 1801.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16291. p. 1353. 22 August 1809.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The London Gazette: no. 15133. pp. 458–459. 14 May 1799.
  6. ↑ Cust (1858), p.265.
  7. ↑ James (1837), Vol. 2, pp. 379-80.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15231. p. 157. 15 February 1800.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The London Gazette: no. 15580. p. 515. 13 April 1803.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15160. p. 718. 16 July 1799.
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15171. pp. 837–838. 20 August 1799.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Long (2010), p.100.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15172. pp. 849–850. 24 August 1799.
  14. ↑ James (1837), Vol. 2, pp.382-4.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15350. p. 365. 31 March 1801.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 United Kingdom: Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 The United service magazine (1854), Issue 3, p.461.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16578. p. 388. 25 Feb 1812.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16580. p. 432. 3 March 1812.
  20. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15206. p. 1214. 23 November 1799.
  21. ↑ James (1837), Vol. 2, pp.413-4.
  22. ↑ Long (2010), p.102.
  23. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 152601. p. 5257. 24 May 1800.
  24. ↑ Naval Chronicle, Vol. 4, p. 513.
  25. ↑ Winfield and Roberts (2015 forthcoming), Chap. 15.
  26. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15654. p. 1724. 8 December 1803.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Winfield (2008), p. 394.
  28. ↑ O'Byrne (1849), p.110.
  29. ↑ 3Decks -Hired vessels
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 The London Gazette: no. 16148. p. 742. 24 May 1808.
  31. ↑ Naval Chronicle, Vol. 14, p.102.

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