HMS Pigeon (1806)
Encyclopedia
HMS Pigeon (or Pidgeon) was a Royal Navy
Cuckoo-class
schooner
of four12-pounder carronade
s and a crew of 20. Custance & Stone built and launched her at Great Yarmouth
in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooner
s, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.
Pidgeon was at the surrender of the Danish Fleet after the Battle of Copenhagen
on 7 September. Pidgeon also shared, with many other ships in the British fleet at Copenhagen in August-September 1807, in the prize money for several captures other captures: Hans and Jacob (17 August), and Odifiord and Benedicta (4 and 12 September).
on 15 January 1809. At 5pm while cruising with Calliope off Flushing the two vessels parted company in a heavy gale and snowstorm. Pigeon sighted a light that her crew took to be the North Sand Head but 15 minutes later she grounded. The grounding parted her rudder post; within minutes the water was above her hold and the sea was breaking over her. The crew lashed themselves to the rigging and awaited the dawn. Unfortunately, two of her crew died of exposure during the night. The following morning local people and the Sea Fencibles
rescued the survivors.
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...
Cuckoo-class
Cuckoo class schooner
The Cuckoo class was a class of twelve 4-gun schooners of the Royal Navy, built by contract in English shipyards during the Napoleonic War. They followed the design of the Bermuda-designed and built Ballahoo-class schooners, and more particularly, that of Haddock. The Admiralty ordered all twelve...
schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
of four12-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s and a crew of 20. Custance & Stone built and launched her at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in 1806. Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooner
Ballahoo class schooner
The Ballahoo class was a Royal Navy class of eighteen 4-gun schooners built under contract in Bermuda during the Napoleonic War. The class was an attempt by the Admiralty to harness the expertise of Bermudian shipbuilders who were renowned for their fast-sailing craft...
s, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.
Service
She was commissioned in June 1806 under Lieutenant Richard Cox.Pidgeon was at the surrender of the Danish Fleet after the Battle of 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...
on 7 September. Pidgeon also shared, with many other ships in the British fleet at Copenhagen in August-September 1807, in the prize money for several captures other captures: Hans and Jacob (17 August), and Odifiord and Benedicta (4 and 12 September).
Fate
Pigeon was wrecked off Kingsgate Point near MargateMargate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
on 15 January 1809. At 5pm while cruising with Calliope off Flushing the two vessels parted company in a heavy gale and snowstorm. Pigeon sighted a light that her crew took to be the North Sand Head but 15 minutes later she grounded. The grounding parted her rudder post; within minutes the water was above her hold and the sea was breaking over her. The crew lashed themselves to the rigging and awaited the dawn. Unfortunately, two of her crew died of exposure during the night. The following morning local people and the Sea Fencibles
Sea Fencibles
The original Sea Fencibles were a naval militia established to provide a close-in line of defense to protect the United Kingdom from invasion by France during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
rescued the survivors.