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HMS Sophie (1809)
Encyclopedia
HMS Sophie was an 18-gun Cruizer class
brig-sloop of the Royal Navy
. She served during the Napoleonic Wars
and the War of 1812
. During the War of 1812 Sophie participated in the economic war against American trade, capturing or destroying numerous small merchant vessels, and in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Bowyer
, Alabama
. Later, she moved to the East Indies
where she served in the First Anglo-Burmese War. The Admiralty sold Sophie in 1825.
Initially, Sophie served out of Portsmouth
. On 30 November 1810 Sophie recaptured the ship Fountain.
s during the War of 1812
.
and bound for Boston
.
On 11 December Sophie took the schooner
Fanny and Maria and the ship Cyrus, and on 16 December the schooner Eagle and the brig Little Arnold. With Maidstone, Sophie captured the Mary Ann, sailing from Philadelphia to Charleston.
Her success continued the following year, when in January 1813 she made prizes of the schooners Polly Merrick from Norfolk
and George Washington from Windsor, both bound for New York. Together with Aeolus
she captured the American vessels Jacob Getting, with a cargo of rice and corn, on 18 February, Elizabeth, with a cargo of cotton, on 24 February, the Federal Jack, with a cargo of "lighthouses", on 2 March, and the Spanish ship Anna, with a cargo of flour and bread, on 9 March. On 10 May and Sophie captured the Brick.
On 22 June Sophie captured the letter of marque
Amelia. Late in 1812 or early in 1813, Sophie shared in the capture of the schooner Spencer.
While stationed in the Chesapeake in 1813, as part of a squadron under Captain Barrie in the 74-gun third-rate
, Sophie participated in several cutting out expeditions in the Potomac
. On 27 October boats from Dragon and Sophie burnt a brigantine of 110 tons. On 30 October, boats from the two British ships burnt a schooner. That same day they also captured the Two Brothers, of 70 tons and three men. After removing her cargo, the British burnt her. The next day the British captured the schooner Gannet, of 36 tons and two men, which they also burnt. That same day they captured the schooner Minerva, of 29 tons and three men. Here too they removed the cargo before burning the vessel.
In November, boats from Dragon and Sophie, under Lieutenant Pedlar of Dragon, brought out, without loss, three American vessels from a creek in the Potomac
. Then between 6 and 19 November, Sophie burned two schooners, captured one sloop, and burned another. On 14 November she captured the Frankling, of 12 tons and two men, sailing from New York to South Carolina. Three days later she burnt an brig of 50 tons. Then she burnt a sloop off Smith's Island.
Between 22 and 28 November she joined forces with to destroy two schooners and a sloop and capture three schooners and two sloops. All these vessels were coasters. The first was the New York, of 28 tons and four men. Then came the Phoebe, of 48 tons and five men. Next came the sloop Caroline, of 45 tons and five men. The fourth was the schooner Fredricksburgh, of 38 tons and two men. The fifth and sixth were the sloop Polly and the schooner Peggy, both of which they burnt. The seventh was the schooner Lucy and Sally, of 48 tons and four men, sailing from Fredericksburgh to Onnacohe. The last was the schooner Poor Jack, of 26 tons and three men, also sailing from Fredericksburgh to Onnacohe.
Sophie shared, with a number of other vessels, in the prize money for the Regulator, captured on 22 November. On 25 November, Sophie captured the brig Experience, sailing from Rio de Janeiro to Boston.
In December, Sophie, again working with , destroyed or captured seven small prizes. On 11 December the burnt a schooner of 37 tons. The next day they captured the 76-ton schooner Erie and its crew of nine men. (The Erie, under the command of John Hearn, had been sailing from Havana
to Baltimore
with a cargo of sugar and coffee. The British unloaded the cargo and afterwards sent it to Bermuda
, thereafter employing Erie as a tender to the British squadron in the Chesapeake. There Erie too captured several prizes.) Still on 12 December, Sophie and Acteon burnt two small schooners, on of 25 and one of 60 tons. Then on the 16th they burnt the Little Elenea, of 59 tons and two men, sailing from Charleston to Baltimore. On the same day they also burnt a 69-ton sloop. The next day Sophie burnt the Antelope, also of 69 tons and also sailing from Charleston to Baltimore. In addition, Sophie and a number of other vessels shared in the prize money for the capture of the brigs George and Betsey, both taken on 23 December.
By 26 December 1813 Sophie was operating in company with the 36-gun fifth rate frigate , and together they captured the merchant vessel Mary Ann, sailing from Philadelphia to Charleston
. On 31 December, Sophie burnt the privateer Pioneer in the Chesapeake
. Pioneer, of 320 tons burthen, was armed with 17 guns and had a crew of 170 men. She was out of Baltimore, on a cruise.
On 24 April 1814 Sophie captured the American privateer Starks. Starks was armed with two guns and had a crew of 25 men. She was 24 days out of Wilmington but had not taken any prizes.
, carrying brevet Captain Woodbine to meet with friendly Indians whom the Americans had driven into Spanish territory. On 23 August Sophie and , the Hon. William Henry commanding, landed a detachment of troops under Lieutenant- Colonel Nicolls to fortify Fort San Miguel (the former and current Fort George (Pensacola, Florida)
. The troops landed and hoisted the British flag alongside the Spanish. Henry only did this after having received a letter from the Spanish governor in Havana requesting British help.
Six days later, Captain Percy sent Lockyer and Sophie to Barataria Bay
to meet with the Indians and freebooters there to try to enlist them as allies in return for which they would be considered British subjects and would get lands in His Majesty's colonies assigned to them. Jean Lafitte
, their leader, feigned interest but then passed the proposals on to the Governor of Louisiana while offering his services to the Americans.
Sophie was one of the four British ships that conducted the first and unsuccessful British attack on Fort Bowyer
at Mobile Point
on 15 September 1814. The Sophie had 6 killed and 16 wounded, and Hermes had 17 killed, 5 mortally wounded and 20 wounded, and was herself blown-up. Their defeat caused the British to over-estimate the defences at Mobile
and decide to move against New Orleans instead.
frigate while they were passing the chain of small islands that runs parallel to the shore between Mobile and Lake Borgne
.
Between 12 and 15 December 1814, Lockyer led a flotilla of some 50 boats, barges, gigs and launches to attack the US gunboats. Lockyer drew his flotilla from the fleet that was massing against New Orleans, including the 74-gun Third Rate
, Arminde, Seahorse, and Meteor.
Lockyer deployed the boats in three divisions, of which he led one. Captain Montresor of the gun-brig Manly commanded the second, and Captain Roberts of Meteor commanded the third. After rowing for 36 hours, the British met the Americans at St. Joseph's Island. On 13 December 1814, the British attacked
the one-gun schooner USS Sea Horse
. On the morning of the 14th, the British engaged the Americans in a short, violent battle.
The British captured or destroyed almost the entire American force, including the tender, USS Alligator
, and five gunboats. The British lost 17 men killed and 77 wounded; Sophies only casualty was Lockyer, who was badly wounded. then evacuated the wounded. In 1821 the survivors of the flotilla shared in the distribution of head-money arising from the capture of the American gun-boats and sundry bales of cotton.
between December 1814 and January 1815. Sophie temporarily came under the command of Lieutenant James Tattnall in December 1814, until he was succeeded in April 1815 by Commander Silas Hood. Hood was followed in an acting capacity by Lieutenant William G. Roberts, who paid her off at Portsmouth in 1815.
until 1820, when she returned to Britain for further fitting out and a return to service under Commander George French. French took Sophie to the East Indies, where she subsequently sailed under a number of commanders, including Commander Robert Dunlop from July 1822 to April 1823. George Ryves, the first lieutenant
of , became acting commander in Sophie on 8 April 1823 and received confirmation of his appointment in October.
At the outbreak of the First Anglo-Burmese War, Captain Frederick Marryat
, of the 20-gun and who would go on to be a novelist, took command of a squadron consisting of Sophie, the 50-gun , and the small paddle steamer . On 5 May 1824, Larne, Sophie and Liffey sailed from Port Cornwallis
in the Andaman Islands
for Rangoon
, the principal initial point of attack, with four cruisers belonging to the East India Company
, under Captain Henry Hardy, together with other vessels, including Diana. They arrived on the 10th, and launched the attack on the 11th. On 3 June she and Larne attacked some stockades at Kemmendine in an action that cost her one man drowned and four wounded.
In August 1824, the naval force in India consisted of (26 guns), (28), (20), the 18-gun Cruizer-class , and Larne, Sophie, and Liffey. Of this force only Larne was at Rangoon; Sophie had been despatched to Bengal to bring back provisions.
By September 1824, nearly one fourth of the Sophies crew had died, and as many more were sick. The surviving officers, seamen, and marines were authorized the medal "India, No. 1", with clasp for Ava
.
Between September 1824 and February 1825, Sophie, together with other vessels including Alligator, Arachne, Diana and , took part in some half-a-dozen small operations. On 19 September 1824, the British conducted offensive operations against Penang
that included the boats of Arachne, Sophie, and Diana. Then on 30 October, Sophie and Arachne co-operated with the army in the attack on Martaban, about 100 miles east of Rangoon
. On 30 November Sophie participated in the defence of Kemmendine. On 8 December Sophie participated in the destruction of several Burmese war canoes at Pagoda Point. Then on 11 and 12 January 1825 she participated in the attack on the factory and stockades of Syriam, an action that resulted in one of her seamen being wounded. Lastly, between 11 January and April, men and boats from Sophie participated in the attack on the Burmese capital at Ava.
Sophie was sold in the East Indies for £3,200 on 15 August 1825.
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
brig-sloop 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 served during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. During the War of 1812 Sophie participated in the economic war against American trade, capturing or destroying numerous small merchant vessels, and in an unsuccessful attack on Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer was a short-lived earthen and stockade fortification erected by the United States Army on Mobile Point, near the mouth of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama. Built during the War of 1812, the fort was the site of two attacks by the British. The first, unsuccessful, attack led to the...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Later, she moved to the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
where she served in the First Anglo-Burmese War. The Admiralty sold Sophie in 1825.
Construction and commissioning
Sophie was launched and completed in 1809. She commissioned under Commander Nicholas Lockyer in October that year. Lockyer was to command her for the next five years.Initially, Sophie served out of 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...
. On 30 November 1810 Sophie recaptured the ship Fountain.
War of 1812
In August 1812, Sophie sailed to North America, where she went on to have an active career taking prizes and operating against American privateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Prize taking
On 31 August 1812 she captured the merchant vessel Alexander, and on 25 November the brig Experience from RioRio 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...
and bound for Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
On 11 December Sophie took the 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....
Fanny and Maria and the ship Cyrus, and on 16 December the schooner Eagle and the brig Little Arnold. With Maidstone, Sophie captured the Mary Ann, sailing from Philadelphia to Charleston.
Her success continued the following year, when in January 1813 she made prizes of the schooners Polly Merrick from Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
and George Washington from Windsor, both bound for New York. Together with Aeolus
HMS Aeolus (1801)
HMS Aeolus was a 32-gun Amphion-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1801 and served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812....
she captured the American vessels Jacob Getting, with a cargo of rice and corn, on 18 February, Elizabeth, with a cargo of cotton, on 24 February, the Federal Jack, with a cargo of "lighthouses", on 2 March, and the Spanish ship Anna, with a cargo of flour and bread, on 9 March. On 10 May and Sophie captured the Brick.
On 22 June Sophie captured the letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
Amelia. Late in 1812 or early in 1813, Sophie shared in the capture of the schooner Spencer.
While stationed in the Chesapeake in 1813, as part of a squadron under Captain Barrie in the 74-gun third-rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
, Sophie participated in several cutting out expeditions in the Potomac
Potomac
-Places in the United States:Washington, D.C. area:*The Potomac River, which flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC**The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, a region of the Potomac River's watershed in West Virginia...
. On 27 October boats from Dragon and Sophie burnt a brigantine of 110 tons. On 30 October, boats from the two British ships burnt a schooner. That same day they also captured the Two Brothers, of 70 tons and three men. After removing her cargo, the British burnt her. The next day the British captured the schooner Gannet, of 36 tons and two men, which they also burnt. That same day they captured the schooner Minerva, of 29 tons and three men. Here too they removed the cargo before burning the vessel.
In November, boats from Dragon and Sophie, under Lieutenant Pedlar of Dragon, brought out, without loss, three American vessels from a creek in the Potomac
Potomac
-Places in the United States:Washington, D.C. area:*The Potomac River, which flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC**The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, a region of the Potomac River's watershed in West Virginia...
. Then between 6 and 19 November, Sophie burned two schooners, captured one sloop, and burned another. On 14 November she captured the Frankling, of 12 tons and two men, sailing from New York to South Carolina. Three days later she burnt an brig of 50 tons. Then she burnt a sloop off Smith's Island.
Between 22 and 28 November she joined forces with to destroy two schooners and a sloop and capture three schooners and two sloops. All these vessels were coasters. The first was the New York, of 28 tons and four men. Then came the Phoebe, of 48 tons and five men. Next came the sloop Caroline, of 45 tons and five men. The fourth was the schooner Fredricksburgh, of 38 tons and two men. The fifth and sixth were the sloop Polly and the schooner Peggy, both of which they burnt. The seventh was the schooner Lucy and Sally, of 48 tons and four men, sailing from Fredericksburgh to Onnacohe. The last was the schooner Poor Jack, of 26 tons and three men, also sailing from Fredericksburgh to Onnacohe.
Sophie shared, with a number of other vessels, in the prize money for the Regulator, captured on 22 November. On 25 November, Sophie captured the brig Experience, sailing from Rio de Janeiro to Boston.
In December, Sophie, again working with , destroyed or captured seven small prizes. On 11 December the burnt a schooner of 37 tons. The next day they captured the 76-ton schooner Erie and its crew of nine men. (The Erie, under the command of John Hearn, had been sailing from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
with a cargo of sugar and coffee. The British unloaded the cargo and afterwards sent it to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, thereafter employing Erie as a tender to the British squadron in the Chesapeake. There Erie too captured several prizes.) Still on 12 December, Sophie and Acteon burnt two small schooners, on of 25 and one of 60 tons. Then on the 16th they burnt the Little Elenea, of 59 tons and two men, sailing from Charleston to Baltimore. On the same day they also burnt a 69-ton sloop. The next day Sophie burnt the Antelope, also of 69 tons and also sailing from Charleston to Baltimore. In addition, Sophie and a number of other vessels shared in the prize money for the capture of the brigs George and Betsey, both taken on 23 December.
By 26 December 1813 Sophie was operating in company with the 36-gun fifth rate frigate , and together they captured the merchant vessel Mary Ann, sailing from Philadelphia to Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. On 31 December, Sophie burnt the privateer Pioneer in the Chesapeake
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...
. Pioneer, of 320 tons burthen, was armed with 17 guns and had a crew of 170 men. She was out of Baltimore, on a cruise.
On 24 April 1814 Sophie captured the American privateer Starks. Starks was armed with two guns and had a crew of 25 men. She was 24 days out of Wilmington but had not taken any prizes.
Mobile
At the beginning of August 1814 Sophie sailed to PensacolaPensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
, carrying brevet Captain Woodbine to meet with friendly Indians whom the Americans had driven into Spanish territory. On 23 August Sophie and , the Hon. William Henry commanding, landed a detachment of troops under Lieutenant- Colonel Nicolls to fortify Fort San Miguel (the former and current Fort George (Pensacola, Florida)
Fort George (Pensacola, Florida)
Fort George was a British fort built in 1778 for the protection of Pensacola, Florida. The fort no longer exists, though part of it was later recreated to mark its original location. This reconstruction is part of the Fort George Memorial Park, which is in the North Hill Preservation District. The...
. The troops landed and hoisted the British flag alongside the Spanish. Henry only did this after having received a letter from the Spanish governor in Havana requesting British help.
Six days later, Captain Percy sent Lockyer and Sophie to Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
to meet with the Indians and freebooters there to try to enlist them as allies in return for which they would be considered British subjects and would get lands in His Majesty's colonies assigned to them. Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
, their leader, feigned interest but then passed the proposals on to the Governor of Louisiana while offering his services to the Americans.
Sophie was one of the four British ships that conducted the first and unsuccessful British attack on Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer was a short-lived earthen and stockade fortification erected by the United States Army on Mobile Point, near the mouth of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama. Built during the War of 1812, the fort was the site of two attacks by the British. The first, unsuccessful, attack led to the...
at Mobile Point
Mobile Point
Mobile Point is a peninsula in Baldwin County, Alabama that partially encloses Mobile Bay. At its western tip is Fort Morgan, which faces Fort Gaines sitting across the inlet to the Mobile Bay, on Dauphin Island. Along the point is the unincorporated community of Fort Morgan, Alabama....
on 15 September 1814. The Sophie had 6 killed and 16 wounded, and Hermes had 17 killed, 5 mortally wounded and 20 wounded, and was herself blown-up. Their defeat caused the British to over-estimate the defences at Mobile
Mobile, Arizona
Mobile is a community in Goodyear, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is situated about 35 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona, and has a population of less than 100. Mobile is also home to a number of solid-waste landfills. Lufthansa operates a private airport to the north of Mobile, used...
and decide to move against New Orleans instead.
Battle of Lake Borgne
On 8 December 1814, two US gunboats fired on Sophie, and the sixth-rateSixth-rate
Sixth rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 24 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without.-Rating:...
frigate while they were passing the chain of small islands that runs parallel to the shore between Mobile and Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne
Lake Borgne is a lagoon in eastern Louisiana of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to coastal erosion, it is no longer actually a lake but rather an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes from the French word borgne, which means "one-eyed".-Geography:...
.
Between 12 and 15 December 1814, Lockyer led a flotilla of some 50 boats, barges, gigs and launches to attack the US gunboats. Lockyer drew his flotilla from the fleet that was massing against New Orleans, including the 74-gun Third Rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
, Arminde, Seahorse, and Meteor.
Lockyer deployed the boats in three divisions, of which he led one. Captain Montresor of the gun-brig Manly commanded the second, and Captain Roberts of Meteor commanded the third. After rowing for 36 hours, the British met the Americans at St. Joseph's Island. On 13 December 1814, the British attacked
Action of 13 December 1814 (Louisiana Campaign)
The Action of 13 December 1814 was a naval action during the War of 1812. A flotilla of British longboats were on their way to fight the Battle of Lake Borgne. Before reaching the lake, they would encounter an American schooner of the United States Navy....
the one-gun schooner USS Sea Horse
USS Sea Horse (1812)
The first USS Sea Horse was a one-gun schooner that the Navy purchased in 1812 for service on Lake Borgne, near New Orleans, Louisiana. She saw action as part of a squadron of gunboats, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas ap Catesby Jones, which opposed the British advance on New Orleans in...
. On the morning of the 14th, the British engaged the Americans in a short, violent battle.
The British captured or destroyed almost the entire American force, including the tender, USS Alligator
USS Alligator (1813)
The second USS Alligator was a sloop in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. The vessel was purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1813 at New Orleans, Louisiana, for conversion to a gunboat. Commissioned as a tender at New Orleans, she served on that station under the command of Sailing Master...
, and five gunboats. The British lost 17 men killed and 77 wounded; Sophies only casualty was Lockyer, who was badly wounded. then evacuated the wounded. In 1821 the survivors of the flotilla shared in the distribution of head-money arising from the capture of the American gun-boats and sundry bales of cotton.
New Orleans
Sophie went on to support British forces involved in the Battle of New OrleansBattle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
between December 1814 and January 1815. Sophie temporarily came under the command of Lieutenant James Tattnall in December 1814, until he was succeeded in April 1815 by Commander Silas Hood. Hood was followed in an acting capacity by Lieutenant William G. Roberts, who paid her off at Portsmouth in 1815.
Post-war and First Anglo-Burmese War
Significant repairs were carried out between 1815 and 1817, with Sophie not returning to service again until December 1818, having been recommissioned under Commander Sir William Wiseman during this time. Wiseman and Sophie were based at 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...
until 1820, when she returned to Britain for further fitting out and a return to service under Commander George French. French took Sophie to the East Indies, where she subsequently sailed under a number of commanders, including Commander Robert Dunlop from July 1822 to April 1823. George Ryves, the first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of , became acting commander in Sophie on 8 April 1823 and received confirmation of his appointment in October.
At the outbreak of the First Anglo-Burmese War, Captain Frederick Marryat
Frederick Marryat
Captain Frederick Marryat was an English Royal Navy officer, novelist, and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens, noted today as an early pioneer of the sea story...
, of the 20-gun and who would go on to be a novelist, took command of a squadron consisting of Sophie, the 50-gun , and the small paddle steamer . On 5 May 1824, Larne, Sophie and Liffey sailed from Port Cornwallis
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
in the Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
for Rangoon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, the principal initial point of attack, with four cruisers belonging to the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, under Captain Henry Hardy, together with other vessels, including Diana. They arrived on the 10th, and launched the attack on the 11th. On 3 June she and Larne attacked some stockades at Kemmendine in an action that cost her one man drowned and four wounded.
In August 1824, the naval force in India consisted of (26 guns), (28), (20), the 18-gun Cruizer-class , and Larne, Sophie, and Liffey. Of this force only Larne was at Rangoon; Sophie had been despatched to Bengal to bring back provisions.
By September 1824, nearly one fourth of the Sophies crew had died, and as many more were sick. The surviving officers, seamen, and marines were authorized the medal "India, No. 1", with clasp for Ava
Ava
Innwa is a city in the Mandalay Division of Burma , situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. Its formal title is Ratanapura , which means City of Gems in Pali. The name Innwa means mouth of the lake, which comes from in , meaning lake, and wa , which means mouth...
.
Between September 1824 and February 1825, Sophie, together with other vessels including Alligator, Arachne, Diana and , took part in some half-a-dozen small operations. On 19 September 1824, the British conducted offensive operations against Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
that included the boats of Arachne, Sophie, and Diana. Then on 30 October, Sophie and Arachne co-operated with the army in the attack on Martaban, about 100 miles east of Rangoon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
. On 30 November Sophie participated in the defence of Kemmendine. On 8 December Sophie participated in the destruction of several Burmese war canoes at Pagoda Point. Then on 11 and 12 January 1825 she participated in the attack on the factory and stockades of Syriam, an action that resulted in one of her seamen being wounded. Lastly, between 11 January and April, men and boats from Sophie participated in the attack on the Burmese capital at Ava.
Fate
In the middle of May 1825, Lieutenant Ryves was invalided. Lieutenant Edward Blanckley of Alligator was promoted to the command of the Sophie, which departed Rangoon shortly thereafter.Sophie was sold in the East Indies for £3,200 on 15 August 1825.