HMS Dolphin (1813)
Encyclopedia
HMS Dolphin was the 12-gun American privateer schooner Dolphin captured by Admiral John Borlase Warren
's squadron on 13 April 1813. She participated in boat actions on 29 April and 5 May 1813 for which the Royal Navy issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal. Her ultimate fate is undocumented.
s. Next she captured and sent into Baltimore the John Hamilton, of 10 guns and 30 men, laden with several hundred tons of mahogany
.
She had had an unsuccessful cruise of two months before on 25 January 1813 she captured the Hebe, of 16 guns and 25 men and the brig Three Brothers of ten guns and 25 men. These two vessels, though heavily armed, had too few crew to man even a broadside. Captain W.A. Brigham of Hebe was wounded by a musket ball and later injured by a powder explosion. Dolphin had four men wounded and the British 10, including Brigham. The British recaptured Hebe before she could reach America. Dolphin returned to Baltimore on 13 February.
In all, as a privateer, Dolphin had captured 11 British vessels. One had been burned at sea and another (Hebe) recaptured. However, nine, had been brought safely back to the United States.
where four American vessels were laying becalmed and out of range of each other. The British captured all four:
The British first captured Arab, which put up a strong fight and caused them the heaviest losses of the day. The British then captured the next two with no resistance from Lynx and little from Racer. Dolphin resisted for two hours before surrendering. Polkinhorne reported that he had lost two men killed and eleven wounded, including himself and he received a promotion to commander for his part in the action. American newspapers at first claimed that the British had lost 50 men, later reporting that British losses were two boats sunk with nineteen killed and forty wounded. Stafford placed his losses at six killed and ten wounded. Dolphin suffered five wounded and the others combined lost six killed and five more wounded. Subsequently the British took Racer, Lynx, and Dolphin into service.
commanded by Lieutenant George Hutchinson. On 29 April 1813, boats from Dolphin, together with boats from Fantome, Mohawk
and Highflyer
and Racer, which had not yet been renamed, went up the Chesapeake Bay
to Frenchtown
to destroy five American ships and stores; they also purchased provisions for the squadron from the locals. This took until 3 May 1813 to complete. On the way back, a battery fired on the British from the shore; a landing party destroyed the battery. The Admiralty would later issue the clasp "28 April Boat Service 1813" for the Naval General Service Medal for the action.
The rest of Dolphins service career and what became of her at the end of the war is unknown.
John Borlase Warren
Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...
's squadron on 13 April 1813. She participated in boat actions on 29 April and 5 May 1813 for which the Royal Navy issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal. Her ultimate fate is undocumented.
Privateer
Dolphin had been an American privateer and had carried Baltimore's privateering commission No. 2. Under Captain W.S. Stafford, on 26 July 1812 she captured a British vessel valued at US$18,000, and in August she captured the schooner Fanny, valued at a similar amount. In the same month she captured schooner James, which she sent into port, and destroyed several doggerDogger (boat)
The dogger was a form of fishing boat, developed during the seventeenth century, that commonly operated in the North Sea. The dogger takes its name from the Dutch word dogger, meaning a fishing vessel operating a trawl...
s. Next she captured and sent into Baltimore the John Hamilton, of 10 guns and 30 men, laden with several hundred tons of mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
.
She had had an unsuccessful cruise of two months before on 25 January 1813 she captured the Hebe, of 16 guns and 25 men and the brig Three Brothers of ten guns and 25 men. These two vessels, though heavily armed, had too few crew to man even a broadside. Captain W.A. Brigham of Hebe was wounded by a musket ball and later injured by a powder explosion. Dolphin had four men wounded and the British 10, including Brigham. The British recaptured Hebe before she could reach America. Dolphin returned to Baltimore on 13 February.
In all, as a privateer, Dolphin had captured 11 British vessels. One had been burned at sea and another (Hebe) recaptured. However, nine, had been brought safely back to the United States.
Battle of Rappahannock River
A British cutting out party under the command of Lieutenant James Polkinghorne was able to enter the Rappahannock RiverRappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
where four American vessels were laying becalmed and out of range of each other. The British captured all four:
- Arab, Captain D. Fitch, seven guns and 45 men
- RacerHMS Shelburne (1813)HMS Shelburne was the American privateer schooner Racer, built in Baltimore in 1811 and captured by the British in 1813. She served on the American coast, capturing the American brig Frolic...
, Captain D. Chaytnor, six guns and 36 men - LynxHMS Mosquidobit (1813)HMS Mosquidobit was the Chesapeake-built six-gun schooner Lynx that the British Royal Navy captured and took into service in 1813...
, Captain E. Taylor, six guns and 40 men - Dolphin, Captain W. S. Stafford, 12 guns and 100 men
The British first captured Arab, which put up a strong fight and caused them the heaviest losses of the day. The British then captured the next two with no resistance from Lynx and little from Racer. Dolphin resisted for two hours before surrendering. Polkinhorne reported that he had lost two men killed and eleven wounded, including himself and he received a promotion to commander for his part in the action. American newspapers at first claimed that the British had lost 50 men, later reporting that British losses were two boats sunk with nineteen killed and forty wounded. Stafford placed his losses at six killed and ten wounded. Dolphin suffered five wounded and the others combined lost six killed and five more wounded. Subsequently the British took Racer, Lynx, and Dolphin into service.
British service
Dolphin retained her name and became a tenderShip's tender
A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
commanded by Lieutenant George Hutchinson. On 29 April 1813, boats from Dolphin, together with boats from Fantome, Mohawk
USS Viper (1806)
USS Viper – commissioned as USS Ferret – was a brig serving the United States Navy during the early days of the republic. Viper was assigned to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807 along the U.S. East Coast. During the War of 1812, while cruising in the Caribbean, she was captured by the more heavily...
and Highflyer
HMS Highflyer (1813)
HMS Highflyer was originally an American privateer schooner built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes. The Royal Navy captured her in 1813...
and Racer, which had not yet been renamed, went up the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
to Frenchtown
Frenchtown, Cecil County, Maryland
Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.Frenchtown was an important link in the north-south travel route during the 18th and 19th centuries. As a depot, it was burned by the British under Rear Admiral George Cockburn on April 29, 1813. The old...
to destroy five American ships and stores; they also purchased provisions for the squadron from the locals. This took until 3 May 1813 to complete. On the way back, a battery fired on the British from the shore; a landing party destroyed the battery. The Admiralty would later issue the clasp "28 April Boat Service 1813" for the Naval General Service Medal for the action.
The rest of Dolphins service career and what became of her at the end of the war is unknown.