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HMS Racoon (1808)
Encyclopedia
HMS Racoon, sometimes spelled HMS Raccoon, was an 18-gun ship sloop
of the Cormorant Class
of the Royal Navy
. She was built by John Preston, of Great Yarmouth
, and launched on 30 March 1808.
, before returning to Portsmouth
in 1812. She was in South America the following year and sailed from Rio de Janeiro
on 6 July 1812 in company with HMS Phoebe
and HMS Cherub
, sailing around Cape Horn
to the Juan Fernández Islands
.
The Royal Navy had been under pressure from the Montreal
based North West Company
, who were agitating for them to capture the base of their rival, the Pacific Fur Company
. At this point Phoebe and Cherub were detached to search for the USS Essex
, with Racoon continuing on. While sailing to the Columbia River
an accident during gunnery exercises killed eight and wounded 20.
Before the Racoon arrived at their proposed destination of the fur trading outpost of Fort Astoria
, the North West Company had completed a deal with the Pacific Fur Company that since British ships would be imminently arriving to "take and destroy everything American on the Northwest coast," that they would purchase the assets, for a third of their value. Black arrived to find the matter already settled, though he went through a ceremony of possession and renamed the facility Fort George.
On person aboard the Racoon when she arrived at Fort Astoria was Naukane
(also known as John Coxe), a Native Hawaiian
. The North West Company had hired him as a laborer and to serve as an interpreter for future visits to the Hawaiian Islands.
Black continued in command of Racoon, sailing to Lima
in 1814, before being replaced by Captain Alexander Montgomerie in 1815. Captain John Cook Carpenter took command in 1816, followed by Captain Robert Worgan Festing in 1817.
. She remained in service until being sold on 16 August 1838.
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
of the Cormorant Class
Cormorant class ship-sloop
The Cormorant class were built as a 16-gun class of ship-sloops for the Royal Navy, although an extra 2 guns were added soon after completion.-Design:...
of the Royal Navy
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...
. She was built by John Preston, of 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...
, and launched on 30 March 1808.
Service
Her first commander was James Welsh, under whom she was sent to operate off the African coast. In 1811 William Black took command and sailed her to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, before returning to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in 1812. She was in South America the following year and sailed from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on 6 July 1812 in company with HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (1795)
HMS Phoebe was a 36-gun fifth rate of the British Royal Navy. She had a career of almost twenty years and fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
and HMS Cherub
HMS Cherub (1806)
HMS Cherub was an 18-gun Royal Navy Cormorant-class sloop built in Dover in 1806.-West Indies and Pacific service:Cherub was stationed in the West Indies and took part in the capture of Guadeloupe in 1810 and remained on the Leeward Islands station until 1812. That year she returned to England with...
, sailing around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
to the Juan Fernández Islands
Juan Fernández Islands
The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
.
The Royal Navy had been under pressure from the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
based North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
, who were agitating for them to capture the base of their rival, the Pacific Fur Company
Pacific Fur Company
The Pacific Fur Company was founded June 23, 1810, in New York City. Half of the stock of the company was held by the American Fur Company, owned exclusively by John Jacob Astor, and Astor provided all of the capital for the enterprise. The other half of the stock was ascribed to working partners...
. At this point Phoebe and Cherub were detached to search for the USS Essex
USS Essex (1799)
The first USS Essex of the United States Navy was a 36-gun or 32-gun sailing frigate that participated in the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War, and in the War of 1812, during which she was captured by the British in 1814 and served as HMS Essex until sold at public auction on 6 June...
, with Racoon continuing on. While sailing to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
an accident during gunnery exercises killed eight and wounded 20.
Before the Racoon arrived at their proposed destination of the fur trading outpost of Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria
Fort Astoria was the Pacific Fur Company's primary fur trading post in the Northwest, and was the first American-owned settlement on the Pacific coast. After a short two-year term of US ownership, the British owned and operated it for 33 years. It was the first British port on the Pacific coast...
, the North West Company had completed a deal with the Pacific Fur Company that since British ships would be imminently arriving to "take and destroy everything American on the Northwest coast," that they would purchase the assets, for a third of their value. Black arrived to find the matter already settled, though he went through a ceremony of possession and renamed the facility Fort George.
On person aboard the Racoon when she arrived at Fort Astoria was Naukane
Naukane
Naukane , also known as John Coxe, Edward Cox, and Coxe was a Native Hawaiian chief who traveled widely through North America in the early 19th century...
(also known as John Coxe), a Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. The North West Company had hired him as a laborer and to serve as an interpreter for future visits to the Hawaiian Islands.
Black continued in command of Racoon, sailing to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
in 1814, before being replaced by Captain Alexander Montgomerie in 1815. Captain John Cook Carpenter took command in 1816, followed by Captain Robert Worgan Festing in 1817.
Fate
Racoon was re-rated as a 26-gun sloop in February 1817, and by 1819 was being used as a convict hospital ship at PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. She remained in service until being sold on 16 August 1838.
See also
- List of Royal Navy ships in the Pacific Northwest
- HMS BlossomHMS Blossom (1806)HMS Blossom was an 18-gun Cormorant-class sloop-of-war. She was built in 1806 and is best known for the 1825–1828 expedition under Captain Beechey to the Pacific Ocean. She explored as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska, the furthest point into the Arctic any non-Inuit had been at the time...