HMS Proselyte (1804)
Encyclopedia
The Royal Navy
purchased the Newcastle collier Ramillies in June 1804 and commissioned her as HMS Proselyte in September 1804, having converted her to a 28-gun sixth rate in July and August. She carried 24 9-pounders and 4 6-pounders. She was wrecked, but with no loss of life, in 1808.
in September 1804. Captain George Sayer was appointed to command her in January 1805. Early in 1805 she escorted a convoy of 150 merchant vessels and three regiments of infantry to the West Indies. The convoy reached Barbados
safely, having eluded the Rochefort squadron, under Rear-Admiral Allemand
, who had found out about the convoy and was looking for it. Sayer moved to Galatea in July and Capt. John Woolcombe took command, sailing her back to Portsmouth in November. When Proselyte arrived at Portsmouth she was paid off into ordinary
. Between December 1806 and April 1808 the Navy converted her to a bomb vessel
, with 8 guns and 2 mortars.
She was recommissioned in February 1808 under the command of Captain Henry James Lyford and sailed to the Baltic. During the Gunboat War
on 2 October 1808 the Admiralty published a notice for mariners that it had ordered her to station herself off the island of Anholt
in the Kattegat
to carry a light for the safety of passing convoys. (At the outbreak of the war the Danes had closed their lighthouse on Anholt.) Proselyte took up her station in early November.
, Owen Glendower
and some smaller vessels to seize Anholt and restore the lighthouse.
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...
purchased the Newcastle collier Ramillies in June 1804 and commissioned her as HMS Proselyte in September 1804, having converted her to a 28-gun sixth rate in July and August. She carried 24 9-pounders and 4 6-pounders. She was wrecked, but with no loss of life, in 1808.
Service
Proselyte was commissioned under Captain George HardingeGeorge Hardinge
-Life:He was born on 22 June 1743 at Canbury, a manorhouse in Kingston upon Thames. He was the third but eldest surviving son of Nicholas Hardinge, by his wife Jane, daughter of Sir John Pratt. He was educated by Woodeson, a Kingston schoolmaster, and at Eton College under Edward Barnard.Hardinge...
in September 1804. Captain George Sayer was appointed to command her in January 1805. Early in 1805 she escorted a convoy of 150 merchant vessels and three regiments of infantry to the West Indies. The convoy reached Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
safely, having eluded the Rochefort squadron, under Rear-Admiral Allemand
Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Jacques Théodore Allemand, was a French admiral.- Early career :Allemand was born to a captain of the East Indian Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his sailing career at 12 as an apprentice on Superbe, an East Indiaman...
, who had found out about the convoy and was looking for it. Sayer moved to Galatea in July and Capt. John Woolcombe took command, sailing her back to Portsmouth in November. When Proselyte arrived at Portsmouth she was paid off into ordinary
Reserve 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....
. Between December 1806 and April 1808 the Navy converted her to a bomb vessel
Bomb vessel
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannon —although bomb vessels carried a few cannon for self-defence—but rather mortars mounted forward near the bow and elevated to a high angle, and projecting their fire in a...
, with 8 guns and 2 mortars.
She was recommissioned in February 1808 under the command of Captain Henry James Lyford and sailed to the Baltic. 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...
on 2 October 1808 the Admiralty published a notice for mariners that it had ordered her to station herself off the island of Anholt
Anholt (Denmark)
Anholt is a Danish island in the Kattegat, midway between Jutland and Sweden, with 171 permanent residents as of 1 January 2010. It is seven miles long and about four miles wide at its widest and covers an area of 21,75 km². Anholt is part of Norddjurs municipality in Region Midtjylland...
in the Kattegat
Kattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
to carry a light for the safety of passing convoys. (At the outbreak of the war the Danes had closed their lighthouse on Anholt.) Proselyte took up her station in early November.
Fate
Proselyte got caught in the ice on 5 December and was wrecked at the outer end of the Anholt reef. The ice pushed her onto her starboard beam, forcing her crew to abandon her. They then walked, with great difficulty but no losses, eight miles to Anholt Island.Post script
Proselyte's loss led the British to send a squadron in May consisting of StandardHMS Standard (1782)
HMS Standard was a 64-gun Royal Navy third-rate ship of the line, launched on 8 October 1782 at Deptford. She was the last of the 15 Intrepid class vessels, which were built to a design by John Williams.-Early career:...
, Owen Glendower
HMS Owen Glendower (1808)
HMS Owen Glendower was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth-rate Apollo class frigate launched in 1808 and disposed of in 1884...
and some smaller vessels to seize Anholt and restore the lighthouse.