Hired armed cutter King George
Encyclopedia
The Royal Navy
used several vessels that were described as the hired armed
cutter King George. Some of these may have been the same vessel on repeat contract.
, armed with twelve 4-pounder guns. She served from 24 June 1796 to 1799. In May 1797 she participated in the capture of the French privateer Adolphe, together with and . King George had led the chase with Nautilus and Seagull joining in for another four hours before Nautilus succeeded in capturing Adolpe. Adolphe was pierced for 12 guns but had thrown some overboard during the chase. When the British captured her, Adolphe had five guns, eight swivels, and a crew of 35. She was new, nine days out of Boulogne on her first cruise and had not taken any prizes.
On 23 July, after a three-hour chase, King George and Seagull captured the French privateer Captain Thurot near Christiansand. Captaine Thurot was a small French privateer cutter armed with two brass 6-pounders and four swivels, and had a crew of 22. She had already captured the ship Tom, of Liverpool, from Riga, with timber, and the brig Bachelor, of Saltcoats in Scotland. Nautilus shared with Seagull by a private agreement.
In August, Nautilus, Seagull, King George and the hired armed cutter Fox captured the Dutch privateer Klyne Sperwer, of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. Klyne Sperwer was armed with six 3-pounder guns, swivel guns, muskets, and the like. She had a crew of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. She had been out a month from
Amsterdam but had taken nothing.
On 9 October King George, under Lieutenant James Rains, sailed from Yarmouth for the Texel and on 11 October participated in the Battle of Camperdown
. On 12 February 1798 prize money resulting from the sale of Dutch ships captured on 11 October 1797 was due for payment. In 1847 the surviving members of the crews of all the British vessels at the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Camperdown".
s. She served from 22 November 1799 until 23 October 1801. On 16 February 1800 King George recaptured the brig Perth.
On 28 January 1801, while under the command of Lieutenant William Isaac Pearce, she captured the French privateer Flibustier in the Downs station. Flibustier was two days out of Dunkirk, had made no captures, and carried a crew of 16, armed with muskets and pistols. Prize money resulting from the capture of Flibustier was due to be paid on 18 April 1803.
In late 1801 King George, under the command of a Mr. Yawkins, served under Nelson
at his failed attack on Boulogne.Yawkins had served with Nelson, who knew him personally, at Cadiz in 1797 On 25 August Nelson came aboard King George to conduct a reconnaissance of the French fleet. In October Nelson gave Lieutenant William Fitzwilliam Owen of the fire vessel command over the King George as well, with secret instructions to launch a burning Nancy at the French fleet. The fire attack did not occur and Nancy was sold in December.
On 17 August 1807 King George was among the vessels sharing in the capture of the Hans and Jacob. Then four days later King George was among the vessels that captured the Twee Gebroders.
In her second contract, King George, under the command of Master's Mate Thomas Mercer, participated in the Battle of the Basque Roads
. William Congreve, who had arrived with a transport, fitted King George, and the other hired armed cutter, Nimrod
, with rockets
. On 11 April the three vessels took up a position near the Boyart (see Fort Boyard
) Shoal while fireships made a night attack on the French ships. The next day all three, together with a number of other vessels, opened fire upon Océan
, Régulus
, and the frigate Indienne, as those ships lay aground. The first two eventually escaped, and the last was one of four eventually destroyed, though by her own crew some days later to avoid capture. In 1847 the surviving members of the crews of all the British vessels at the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Basque Roads 1809". Rear-Admiral Robert Stopford sent King George back to England with dispatches.
On 24 November 1809 King George captured a Danish galiot
whose name later was established as the Texel. Then on 14 January 1810 she recaptured the Drie Gebroeders, J.F. Learman, Master.
On 10 March 1811, while under command of Thomas Mercer, Master, she was in company with when they captured the French privateer cutter Velocifere. Velocifere was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 57 men.
On 10 March 1812 King George and Mr. Thomas Mercer were in company with , and when they captured the American brig John. Then on 27 June King George captured the Jonge Antonio.
On 17 September 1812, King George captured the merchant vessel Friede, and was present when Desiree
captured the merchant vessel Dasikbaarheit. On 19 September was in company with Desiree and King George when they captured the Friede. Two days later Hearty and King George captured the Frau Maria.
On 12 May 1813 King George captured off Lowestoff the small French privateer Elise. On 18 October 1813, King George captured the Director and the Elizabeth. Then on 15 December King George captured the Alexandria.
On 7 August the flotilla, including King George, entered the mouth of the Seine to bombard a French flotilla of gun-brigs and luggers. On 15 September, a number of ships and vessels, including King George, participated in the capture by of the Flora de Lisboa, taken off Le Havre.
Unfortunately, on 25 September she grounded near Harfleur
while trying to destroy a coaster and was burnt by her crew. The crew escaped in boats, pursued by French boats firing on them until the gun-brig drove the French off. The court martial on 17 November praised Kneeshaw and his crew for their conduct and acquitted them of the loss. Kneeshaw was a veteran officer who had lost an arm in service; he received a pension of £200 per annum.
On 28 September 1804 the Navy armed 16 hoys
at Margate
for the defence of the coast. One of these bore the name King George. The Navy manned each vessel with a commander from the Navy and nine men from the Sea Fencibles
.
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...
used several vessels that were described as the hired armed
Hired armed vessels
right|thumb|250px|Armed cutter, etching in the [[National Maritime Museum]], [[Greenwich]]During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels...
cutter King George. Some of these may have been the same vessel on repeat contract.
First hired armed cutter King George
The first King George was a cutter of 12815/94 tons burthenBuilder'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...
, armed with twelve 4-pounder guns. She served from 24 June 1796 to 1799. In May 1797 she participated in the capture of the French privateer Adolphe, together with and . King George had led the chase with Nautilus and Seagull joining in for another four hours before Nautilus succeeded in capturing Adolpe. Adolphe was pierced for 12 guns but had thrown some overboard during the chase. When the British captured her, Adolphe had five guns, eight swivels, and a crew of 35. She was new, nine days out of Boulogne on her first cruise and had not taken any prizes.
On 23 July, after a three-hour chase, King George and Seagull captured the French privateer Captain Thurot near Christiansand. Captaine Thurot was a small French privateer cutter armed with two brass 6-pounders and four swivels, and had a crew of 22. She had already captured the ship Tom, of Liverpool, from Riga, with timber, and the brig Bachelor, of Saltcoats in Scotland. Nautilus shared with Seagull by a private agreement.
In August, Nautilus, Seagull, King George and the hired armed cutter Fox captured the Dutch privateer Klyne Sperwer, of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. Klyne Sperwer was armed with six 3-pounder guns, swivel guns, muskets, and the like. She had a crew of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. She had been out a month from
Amsterdam but had taken nothing.
On 9 October King George, under Lieutenant James Rains, sailed from Yarmouth for the Texel and on 11 October participated in the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
. On 12 February 1798 prize money resulting from the sale of Dutch ships captured on 11 October 1797 was due for payment. In 1847 the surviving members of the crews of all the British vessels at the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Camperdown".
Second hired armed cutter King George
The second King George may well have been the same vessel. She was of 13361/94 tons burthen, and mounted twelve 12-pounder carronadeCarronade
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. She served from 22 November 1799 until 23 October 1801. On 16 February 1800 King George recaptured the brig Perth.
On 28 January 1801, while under the command of Lieutenant William Isaac Pearce, she captured the French privateer Flibustier in the Downs station. Flibustier was two days out of Dunkirk, had made no captures, and carried a crew of 16, armed with muskets and pistols. Prize money resulting from the capture of Flibustier was due to be paid on 18 April 1803.
In late 1801 King George, under the command of a Mr. Yawkins, served under Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
at his failed attack on Boulogne.Yawkins had served with Nelson, who knew him personally, at Cadiz in 1797 On 25 August Nelson came aboard King George to conduct a reconnaissance of the French fleet. In October Nelson gave Lieutenant William Fitzwilliam Owen of the fire vessel command over the King George as well, with secret instructions to launch a burning Nancy at the French fleet. The fire attack did not occur and Nancy was sold in December.
Third hired armed cutter King George
The third King George was a smaller vessel than her predecessor(s). She was a former packet boat of 5847/94 tons burthen, and carried six 4-pounder guns. She served from 30 May 1803 to 15 December 1804, and again from 17 September 1807 until 18 May 1814.On 17 August 1807 King George was among the vessels sharing in the capture of the Hans and Jacob. Then four days later King George was among the vessels that captured the Twee Gebroders.
In her second contract, King George, under the command of Master's Mate Thomas Mercer, participated in the Battle of the Basque Roads
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
. William Congreve, who had arrived with a transport, fitted King George, and the other hired armed cutter, Nimrod
Hired armed cutter Nimrod
During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars the Admiralty also made use of hired armed vessels, one of which was the hired armed cutter Nimrod. Three such vessels are recorded, but the descriptions of these vessels and the dates of their service are such that they may well represent one...
, with rockets
Congreve rocket
The Congreve Rocket was a British military weapon designed and developed by Sir William Congreve in 1804.The rocket was developed by the British Royal Arsenal following the experiences of the Second, Third and Fourth Mysore Wars. The wars fought between the British East India Company and the...
. On 11 April the three vessels took up a position near the Boyart (see Fort Boyard
Fort Boyard
Fort Boyard is a fort located between the Île-d'Aix and the Île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche straits, on the west coast of France. Though a fort on Boyard bank was suggested as early as the 17th century, it was not until the 1800s under Napoleon Bonaparte that work began.-Layout:Fort...
) Shoal while fireships made a night attack on the French ships. The next day all three, together with a number of other vessels, opened fire upon Océan
French ship Océan (1790)
Océan was a 118-gun first-rate three-decker ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was ordered as États de Bourgogne and was launched at Brest in 1790...
, Régulus
French ship Régulus (1805)
The Régulus was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.From 25 May 1801, her armament was upgraded to sport between 80 and 86 guns....
, and the frigate Indienne, as those ships lay aground. The first two eventually escaped, and the last was one of four eventually destroyed, though by her own crew some days later to avoid capture. In 1847 the surviving members of the crews of all the British vessels at the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Basque Roads 1809". Rear-Admiral Robert Stopford sent King George back to England with dispatches.
On 24 November 1809 King George captured a Danish galiot
Galiot
Galiots were types of ships from the Age of Sail.In the Mediterranean, galiots were a type of small galley, with one or two masts and about twenty oars, using both sails and oars for propulsion...
whose name later was established as the Texel. Then on 14 January 1810 she recaptured the Drie Gebroeders, J.F. Learman, Master.
On 10 March 1811, while under command of Thomas Mercer, Master, she was in company with when they captured the French privateer cutter Velocifere. Velocifere was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 57 men.
On 10 March 1812 King George and Mr. Thomas Mercer were in company with , and when they captured the American brig John. Then on 27 June King George captured the Jonge Antonio.
On 17 September 1812, King George captured the merchant vessel Friede, and was present when Desiree
French frigate Désirée (1796)
The Désirée was a Romaine class frigate of the French Navy.She was captured in a Raid on Dunkirk by HMS Dart, under Patrick Campbell, on 8 July 1800.-References:...
captured the merchant vessel Dasikbaarheit. On 19 September was in company with Desiree and King George when they captured the Friede. Two days later Hearty and King George captured the Frau Maria.
On 12 May 1813 King George captured off Lowestoff the small French privateer Elise. On 18 October 1813, King George captured the Director and the Elizabeth. Then on 15 December King George captured the Alexandria.
Fourth hired armed cutter King George
The fourth King George may have been the same vessel as one or the other, or both, of the first two. She was of 129 27/94 tons burthen and carried twelve 12-pounder carronades. She served from 22 August 1803 until 25 September 1804 when she grounded in France and her crew had to burn her to prevent her falling into French hands. In 1804 King George had officially been renamed Georgiana (though the continuing reference to her under her old name suggests that this had not taken), and was under the command of Lieutenant J. Kneeshaw. Earlier, on 25 May 1804 she was in company with a number of British vessels at the capture of the Matilda. Then on 31 July King George was in company with a much larger flotilla at the capture of the Postilion.On 7 August the flotilla, including King George, entered the mouth of the Seine to bombard a French flotilla of gun-brigs and luggers. On 15 September, a number of ships and vessels, including King George, participated in the capture by of the Flora de Lisboa, taken off Le Havre.
Unfortunately, on 25 September she grounded near Harfleur
Harfleur
-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St-Martin, dating from the fourteenth century.* The seventeenth century Hôtel de Ville .* Medieval ramparts * The fifteenth century museums of fishing and of archaeology and history....
while trying to destroy a coaster and was burnt by her crew. The crew escaped in boats, pursued by French boats firing on them until the gun-brig drove the French off. The court martial on 17 November praised Kneeshaw and his crew for their conduct and acquitted them of the loss. Kneeshaw was a veteran officer who had lost an arm in service; he received a pension of £200 per annum.
Hired armed cutter King George the Second
On 6 October 1803, the hired armed cutter King George the Second was under the command of Lieutenant Francis Gybbon when she recaptured the British Tar.Other vessels named King George in government service
On 27 April 1804 the French privateer Hirondelle, of fourteen 12-pounders and 80 crew, captured the Government of Malta cutter King George off Cape Passero. captured Hirondelle and recaptured two brigs that she had taken, the Mentor, of London, and the Catherine, of Liverpool. They had been sailing with valuable cargoes from Messina to Malta to join a convoy. Madrass launch rowed 15 miles to try to recapture King George but were too late.On 28 September 1804 the Navy armed 16 hoys
Hoy (boat)
A hoy was a small sloop-rigged coasting ship or a heavy barge used for freight, usually displacing about 60 tons. The word derives from the Middle Dutch hoey. In 1495, one of the Paston Letters included the phrase, An hoye of Dorderycht , in such a way as to indicate that such contact was then...
at Margate
Margate
-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....
for the defence of the coast. One of these bore the name King George. The Navy manned each vessel with a commander from the Navy and nine men from 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...
.