Launched in 1801 as Diadem, the Whitby-built vessel was renamed HMS Falcon on purchase in 1802 to avoid confusion with the pre-existing third rate . Falcon was a sloop with an armament of fourteen 24-pounders on her main gundeck and two 18-pounders on the quarterdeck, a crew of 75, and a burthen (bm

Builder's Old Measurement

Builder's Old Measurement is the method of calculating the size or cargo capacity of a ship used in England from approximately 1720 to 1849. It estimated the tonnage of a ship based on length and maximum beam...

) of some 368 tons. She served in Danish waters during the Gunboat War

Gunboat War

The Gunboat War was the naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the conventional Royal Navy...

 and was sold in 1816.

1803 to 1806

Near Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

, Falcon captured two prizes – the Caroline on 17 July 1803 and on 28 July the apparently British-built Mercure.

Early in 1804 Falcon was refitting in Plymouth, before service in the Channel, where she engaged shore batteries at Le Havre. She was also awarded prize money for the recapture, on 3 November, of the sloop John and Thomas.

In company with other ships, Falcon was involved in the capture of three ships (Zeeluft, Backer and Master) on 20 June 1805, and also shared in prize money from the cargoes of another five vessels captured that year.

1807: Danzig and Copenhagen

At the ultimately unsuccessful British defence of Danzig

Siege of Danzig (1807)

The Siege of Danzig was the French encirclement and capture of Danzig during the War of the Fourth Coalition. On 19 March, 1807, around 27,000 French troops under Marshall Lefebvre besieged around 11,000 Prussian and Russian troops under Marshall Kalckreuth garrisoning the city of...

 in April 1807, Falcon was involved in bringing reinforcements and the Russian General Kaminsky to the area. Volunteers from Falcon went on board the hired armed ship Sally, which then entered the relatively shallow waters at the mouth of the Vistula to take the battle to the French.

On 28 August 1807, in company with the sloop Vulture, Falcon captured the Danish ship Martha for which prize money was awarded nearly four years later.

On 7 September, Falcon was one of the 126 ships officially listed as being at the surrender at Copenhagen

Battle of Copenhagen (1807)

The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...

. She later shared in the prize money allotted for the capture of the Danish fleet.Falcons captain, George Sanders, went on to command HMS Belette

HMS Belette (1806)

HMS Belette was an 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop, built by King at Dover and launched on 21 March 1806. During the Napoleonic Wars she served with some success in the Baltic and the Caribbean...

 the following year.

1808: Zealand Point, Endelave and Tunø

On 22 March 1808 Falcon was among the smaller British warships at the battle of Zealand Point

Battle of Zealand Point

The Battle of Zealand Point was a naval battle of the English Wars and the Gunboat War. It was fought off Zealand Point by ships of the Danish and British navies on 22 March 1808 and was a British victory.-Prelude:...

. She watched from a safe distance and recorded the course of the battle in her logbook.

In late April, under orders from Captain Donald Campbell of the third rate Dictator

HMS Dictator (1783)

HMS Dictator was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 6 January 1783 at Limehouse. She was converted into a troopship in 1798, and broken up in 1817....

, Lieutenant John Price, acting captain of Falcon, took her northward to the west of Samsø

Samsø

Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...

 to search for enemy boats capable of carrying troops from mainland Jutland to Zealand or Skåne. Falcon destroyed eight "pretty large boats .. with troops nearby" on the island of Endelave

Endelave

Endelave is a Danish island in the Kattegat, north of Odense, off the coast of Funen, and west of Samsø. The island covers an area of and has 185 inhabitants.- See also :* Nearby islands: Hjarnø, Tunø, Samsø, Æbelø, Alrø....

, six boats on Tunø

Tunø

Tunø is a Danish island in the Kattegat, approximately 4 km from Samsø. The island covers an area of 3.52km² and has 113 inhabitants, as of 2005. It comes under the administration of Odder municipality. The island's premier town is known as Tunø By, the secondary town is Løkkegårde.Tunø...

 on 29 April, and 13 others in the waters between Samsø and Aarhus

Aarhus

Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...

, all before 15 May.
Danish sources describe in considerable detail Falcons general activities during May and June. On Tunø Lieutenant Price required the islanders to allow the sloop to replenish her water supplies and to sell her livestock as provisions. On Endelave in June, no payments were made for any of the livestock taken because of a token resistance put up by the islanders.

The Danes were fortifying the harbour complex to the east of Samsø, with its outlying islands of Kyholm and Lindholm. During the night of 7 May, Falcon sent in a cutting-out party in her boats. The British captured two boats each loaded with thirteen-inch mortars and associated equipment, including 400 mortar shells. Lieutenant Price recorded that one of these boats ran aground and had to be burned; he destroyed the other boat after removing the mortar.

On 3 June Falcon sent in her boats to make a further raid on Endelave.

Fate

On 14 May 1816 the Navy Office invited tenders for the purchase of numerous ships, including "lying at Sheerness,.. Falcon sloop, of 368 tons".

Further Information and Background Reading

• For transcripts and translations of some of the sources and notes see Falcon's website
• Tim Voelcker: Admiral Saumarez versus Napoleon - The Baltic 1807 - 1812 : Boydell Press