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HMS Circe (1804)
Encyclopedia
HMS Circe was a Royal Navy
32-gun fifth-rate
Thames-class frigate, built by Master Shipwright Joseph Tucker at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched in 1804. She served in the Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars
, and participated in an action and a campaign for which in 1847 in the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasps. The action, off the Pearl Rock, near Saint-Pierre, Martinique
, was a debacle that cost Circe dearly. However, she also had some success in capturing privateers and a French brig. She was sold in 1814.
. On 1 March 1805 she captured the Spanish privateer
schooner Fama off Oporto. Fama was armed with four brass guns and had a crew of 62 men. She had left Vigo
eight days earlier but had not yet taken any prizes. Circes crew received headmoney for the 62 men in 1829.
Next, on 21 June, Circe captured the privateer Constance in the Leeward Islands. Constance was armed with 10 guns and had a crew of 75 men. She was just out of Guadeloupe. However, she may have been the same Constance that Circe had earlier captured off the coast of Spain. The Admiralty took her in as the schooner Maria
.
On 9 May Circe and captured the Charles. Then on 11 September Circe was one of several British warships that shared in the capture of the Hiram.
In 1806, command passed to Hugh Pigot
, who took Circe to the West Indies. On 9 December Circe captured the Belle Eliza. The prize money for petty officers amounted to £60 16s
2½d each, while that for seaman was £12 8s 9d. This compares with monthly pay for a seaman of 1s per day; the prize money would then have represented 248 days' wages.
On 2 January 1807 Circes boats took the privateer Creole, of one gun and 28 men. On 5 April she took the Austerlitz after an 18-hour pursuit. Austerlitz was armed with eighteen 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 125 men. Pigot reported that "This Vessel has done more Mischief to the Trade than any other from Guadaloupe during the War". The British had chased her several times without catching her and she would have escaped this time too had she not sprung her main topsail-yard and fore-top-gallant mast.
Next, Circe was among the British ships sharing in the capture on 20 October 1807 of the Danish schooner Danske Patriot.
In 1808 Circe participated in the blockade of Guadeloupe
. Pigot took command of a landing party made up of seamen and marines from Circe, and . They captured Marie Galante after having met no resistance. Neither side suffered any casualties.
Then on 31 October 1808 Circe encountered a French brig near Diamond Rock
. At Circes approach the brig took shelter under the guns of a battery. Still, after an engagement of no more than 15 minutes, Circe captured the Palinure
, which was under the command of M. Fourniers. Palinure was armed with fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder guns. She had 79 men aboard, most of whom were troops from the 83 Regiment. She had lost seven killed and eight wounded; Circe had lost one man killed and one wounded. The guns of the battery were so much higher than the vessels beneath them that they could not bring their guns to bear and fired few, if any shots. Earlier that month Palinure had captured the Cruizer-class brig-sloop
.
On 11 November, Circe, Epervier, and captured the Intrepid. Nine days later, Amaranthe, Circe, , Epervier and captured the American ships Bonetta and Mary and Allen.
Circs greatest action commenced on 12 December 1808, when under Commander Francis Augustus Collier, Circe was in charge of a squadron that included , Epervier, and . The vessels joined together to attack the French 16-gun brig Cygne and two schooners off Saint-Pierre, Martinique
. Circe sent in her boats, which the French repelled, causing her 56 casualties, dead, wounded and missing.
That evening Amaranthe, under the command of Captain Edward Pelham Brenton
, joined Circe and Stork. The next day fire from Amaranthe compelled the crew of Cygne to abandon her and Amaranthes boats boarded and destroyed the French vessel. For her part Amaranthe lost one man killed and five wounded due to fire from shore batteries. One schooner ran ashore and was destroyed.
Amaranthe's boats, assisted by boats from the schooner Express, boarded the second schooner and set fire to her too. This expedition cost Amaranthe her sailing master, Joshua Jones, who was severely wounded. The other British vessels that contributed boats also had casualties. Including the losses in the earlier fighting before Amaranthe arrived, the British had lost some 12 men killed, 31 wounded, and 26 missing (drowned or prisoners) for little gain. Brenton was promoted to Post-captain
soon after the battle, with the promotion being back dated to 13 December, the date of the battle. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Off the Pearl Rock 13 Decr. 1808".
Circe was in company with , , and when Wolverine captured the French brig Josephine. Then in February Circe was in the squadron that took part in the successful invasion of Martinique
. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all surviving claimants from the campaign.
On 31 March Circe and captured the Frederique. In mid-April Circe participated in the capture of The Saintes
. Circe was also among the vessels sharing in the prize money from Pompees capture of the Hautpoule on 17 April.
In July, Captain Edward Woolcombe took command. Circe was among the vessels listed as having participated in the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign
that took place between 30 July and 10 August. She shared in the proceeds of the property captured at Walcheren and the adjacent islands in the Scheldt.
Woolcombe sailed Circe to the Mediterranean on 17 February 1810. She remained there in 1811 before returning to Portsmouth in July 1812.
Circe sailed for the Leeward Islands on 15 November. There, in company with , she took the American privateer Lovely Lass on 14 May 1813 after a nineteen-hour chase. Lovely Lass was under the command of Mr. John Smith, an officer in the American navy. She had been armed with five guns but had thrown four overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 60 men and had been out for forty days without having made any captures. A later report gave her tonnage as 80 tons and her crew as 73 men. She was from Wilmington and Circe sent her to Kingston
.
Four days later Circe captured the American schooner William, of 145 tons and 7 men. She was carrying staves and lumber from Boston to Porto Bello
and Circe sent her too to Kingston. The prize court restored the William to her owners and deducted certain expenses of the detention from Circes prize money for the Lovely Lass.
at Portsmouth. The Admiralty sold her on 20 August 1814 for ₤1,900.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
32-gun fifth-rate
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
Thames-class frigate, built by Master Shipwright Joseph Tucker at Plymouth Dockyard, and launched in 1804. She served in the Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and participated in an action and a campaign for which in 1847 in the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasps. The action, off the Pearl Rock, near Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre is a town and commune of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique, founded in 1635 by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Before the total destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902 by a volcanic eruption, it was the most important city of Martinique culturally and economically, being known...
, was a debacle that cost Circe dearly. However, she also had some success in capturing privateers and a French brig. She was sold in 1814.
Service
Circe entered service in November 1804 under Captain Jonas Rose, operating off PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. On 1 March 1805 she captured the Spanish privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
schooner Fama off Oporto. Fama was armed with four brass guns and had a crew of 62 men. She had left Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
eight days earlier but had not yet taken any prizes. Circes crew received headmoney for the 62 men in 1829.
Next, on 21 June, Circe captured the privateer Constance in the Leeward Islands. Constance was armed with 10 guns and had a crew of 75 men. She was just out of Guadeloupe. However, she may have been the same Constance that Circe had earlier captured off the coast of Spain. The Admiralty took her in as the schooner Maria
HMS Maria (1805)
HMS Maria was the French privateer schooner Constance that the Royal Navy captured in 1805 and that foundered in 1807. During her brief career in the Leeward Islands she participated in the capture of five small prizes.-Capture:On 21 June 1805, Circe captured the privateer Constance in the...
.
On 9 May Circe and captured the Charles. Then on 11 September Circe was one of several British warships that shared in the capture of the Hiram.
In 1806, command passed to Hugh Pigot
Hugh Pigot
Hugh Pigot may refer to:* Hugh Pigot , admiral and commander-in-chief of the Royal Navy's West Indian fleet from 1782....
, who took Circe to the West Indies. On 9 December Circe captured the Belle Eliza. The prize money for petty officers amounted to £60 16s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
2½d each, while that for seaman was £12 8s 9d. This compares with monthly pay for a seaman of 1s per day; the prize money would then have represented 248 days' wages.
On 2 January 1807 Circes boats took the privateer Creole, of one gun and 28 men. On 5 April she took the Austerlitz after an 18-hour pursuit. Austerlitz was armed with eighteen 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 125 men. Pigot reported that "This Vessel has done more Mischief to the Trade than any other from Guadaloupe during the War". The British had chased her several times without catching her and she would have escaped this time too had she not sprung her main topsail-yard and fore-top-gallant mast.
Next, Circe was among the British ships sharing in the capture on 20 October 1807 of the Danish schooner Danske Patriot.
In 1808 Circe participated in the blockade of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. Pigot took command of a landing party made up of seamen and marines from Circe, and . They captured Marie Galante after having met no resistance. Neither side suffered any casualties.
Then on 31 October 1808 Circe encountered a French brig near Diamond Rock
Diamond Rock
Diamond Rock is a 175 meter high basalt island located south of Fort-de-France, the main port of the Caribbean island of Martinique. The uninhabited island is about three kilometers from Pointe Diamant. The island gets its name from the reflections that its sides cast at certain hours of the day,...
. At Circes approach the brig took shelter under the guns of a battery. Still, after an engagement of no more than 15 minutes, Circe captured the Palinure
French brig Palinure (1804)
Palinure was a Palinure-class 16-gun brig of the French Navy, built by Caudan at Lorient and launched in 1804. In French service she captured before captured her in turn. Taken into the Royal Navy as HMS Snap, she participated in two campaigns that qualified for the Naval General Service Medal...
, which was under the command of M. Fourniers. Palinure was armed with fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder guns. She had 79 men aboard, most of whom were troops from the 83 Regiment. She had lost seven killed and eight wounded; Circe had lost one man killed and one wounded. The guns of the battery were so much higher than the vessels beneath them that they could not bring their guns to bear and fired few, if any shots. Earlier that month Palinure had captured the Cruizer-class brig-sloop
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
.
On 11 November, Circe, Epervier, and captured the Intrepid. Nine days later, Amaranthe, Circe, , Epervier and captured the American ships Bonetta and Mary and Allen.
Circs greatest action commenced on 12 December 1808, when under Commander Francis Augustus Collier, Circe was in charge of a squadron that included , Epervier, and . The vessels joined together to attack the French 16-gun brig Cygne and two schooners off Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre, Martinique
Saint-Pierre is a town and commune of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique, founded in 1635 by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Before the total destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902 by a volcanic eruption, it was the most important city of Martinique culturally and economically, being known...
. Circe sent in her boats, which the French repelled, causing her 56 casualties, dead, wounded and missing.
That evening Amaranthe, under the command of Captain Edward Pelham Brenton
Edward Pelham Brenton
Captain Edward Pelham Brenton was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who military career was relatively quiet, apart from involvement in the capture of Martinique in 1809...
, joined Circe and Stork. The next day fire from Amaranthe compelled the crew of Cygne to abandon her and Amaranthes boats boarded and destroyed the French vessel. For her part Amaranthe lost one man killed and five wounded due to fire from shore batteries. One schooner ran ashore and was destroyed.
Amaranthe's boats, assisted by boats from the schooner Express, boarded the second schooner and set fire to her too. This expedition cost Amaranthe her sailing master, Joshua Jones, who was severely wounded. The other British vessels that contributed boats also had casualties. Including the losses in the earlier fighting before Amaranthe arrived, the British had lost some 12 men killed, 31 wounded, and 26 missing (drowned or prisoners) for little gain. Brenton was promoted to Post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
soon after the battle, with the promotion being back dated to 13 December, the date of the battle. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Off the Pearl Rock 13 Decr. 1808".
Circe was in company with , , and when Wolverine captured the French brig Josephine. Then in February Circe was in the squadron that took part in the successful invasion of Martinique
Invasion of Martinique (1809)
The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars...
. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all surviving claimants from the campaign.
On 31 March Circe and captured the Frederique. In mid-April Circe participated in the capture of The Saintes
Îles des Saintes
The Îles des Saintes , also called simply Les Saintes , is a small archipelago of French Antilles located in the South of Basse-Terre Island, on the West of Marie-Galante and in the North of Dominica in the arc of Lesser Antilles...
. Circe was also among the vessels sharing in the prize money from Pompees capture of the Hautpoule on 17 April.
In July, Captain Edward Woolcombe took command. Circe was among the vessels listed as having participated in the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
that took place between 30 July and 10 August. She shared in the proceeds of the property captured at Walcheren and the adjacent islands in the Scheldt.
Woolcombe sailed Circe to the Mediterranean on 17 February 1810. She remained there in 1811 before returning to Portsmouth in July 1812.
Circe sailed for the Leeward Islands on 15 November. There, in company with , she took the American privateer Lovely Lass on 14 May 1813 after a nineteen-hour chase. Lovely Lass was under the command of Mr. John Smith, an officer in the American navy. She had been armed with five guns but had thrown four overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 60 men and had been out for forty days without having made any captures. A later report gave her tonnage as 80 tons and her crew as 73 men. She was from Wilmington and Circe sent her to Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
.
Four days later Circe captured the American schooner William, of 145 tons and 7 men. She was carrying staves and lumber from Boston to Porto Bello
Portobelo, Panama
Portobelo is a port city in Colón Province, Panama. It is located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama and has a deep natural harbor. Today, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000...
and Circe sent her too to Kingston. The prize court restored the William to her owners and deducted certain expenses of the detention from Circes prize money for the Lovely Lass.
Fate
In 1814 Circe went into ordinaryReserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
at Portsmouth. The Admiralty sold her on 20 August 1814 for ₤1,900.