Premier Consul (1800)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Scout.
Career (France)
Name: Premier Consul
Namesake: Napoleon's title during the French Consulate
Builder: Nantes
Laid down: 1800
Launched: 1800
Captured: March 1801
Career (UK)
Name: HMS Scout
Acquired: March 1801 by capture
Fate: Presumed foundered 1801
General characteristics [1]
Type:Ship-sloop
Tons burthen:44773⁄94 (bm)
Length:113 ft 8 in (34.65 m) (overall); 91 ft 9 in (27.97 m) (keel)
Beam:30 ft 3 1⁄2 in (9.233 m)
Depth of hold:11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
Propulsion:Sails
Sail plan:Sloop
Complement:121 (British establishment)
Armament:14 x 9-pounder guns (Privateer)

Upper Deck: 18 x 24-pounder carronades (British service)

Fc: 2 x 6-pounder bow chasers

Premier Consul was a French privateer launched in 1800. She was pierced for 24 guns, but only carried 14.

She was on her first voyage when HMS Dryad captured her west of Ireland after a 3-hour chase. She had a crew of 150 men. She was 21 days out of Saint Malo and had captured a Portuguese schooner sailing from Lisbon to Ireland.[2]

Between June and October 1801 she underwent fitting out at Portsmouth. She was commissioned in September under Commander Henry Duncan.[1] He had just lost his previous vessel, Scout, so Premier Consul was renamed as Scout.

Duncan sailed Scout for Newfoundland on 20 October 1801. She never arrived and was presumed lost with all hands.[3][4] Duncan received promotion to post captain in April 1802,[1] but obviously did not live to take up the rank.

Citations and references

Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Winfield (2008), p.268.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 15347. p. 322. 21 March 1801.
  3. ↑ Gossett (1986), p. 36.
  4. ↑ Hepper (1994), p.100.
References