Naval General Service Medal
Encyclopedia
The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a campaign medal
approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the Royal Navy
. (A handful of awards were made to officers and men of the British Army
, present on board HM's ships at qualifying actions.) William Wyon
was the designer. Admiral Thomas Bladen Capel
was one of the members of the board that authorized the medal.
The NGSM was retrospectively awarded for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840, a period including the French Revolutionary Wars
, the Napoleonic Wars
, and the Anglo-American War of 1812
. Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon. The medal was never issued without a clasp, 231 of which were sanctioned. The clasps covered a variety of actions, from boat service to ship to ship skirmishes all the way to major fleet actions such as the Battle of Trafalgar
.
Sir John Hindmarsh
and Admiral of the Fleet
Sir James Alexander Gordon
were awarded medals with seven clasps, the most awarded to any individual. Four men qualified for six clasps, and fourteen men qualified for five clasps.
A point to note is that the medal was only awarded to surviving claimants; one had both to have survived until 1847 and then to actively apply for it. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that very many did not. There are substantially fewer medals issued when compared with the number of men who served during this period; frequently the number of claimants for individual clasps was reckoned in single figures—for ten clasps, there were no claimants. 20,933 medals were awarded in total—most with a single clasp.
The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851. The medal was awarded only to surviving claimants; next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative. However, the medal was awarded to next of kin of those claimants who had died between the date of their application and the date of presentation.
This medal and its army counterpart, the Military General Service Medal
, were amongst the first real British campaign medals, the first to be issued to all ranks just for "being there".
Campaign medal
A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater...
approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men 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...
. (A handful of awards were made to officers and men of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, present on board HM's ships at qualifying actions.) William Wyon
William Wyon
William Wyon, RA , was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. He was influenced by the master of relief sculpture, John Flaxman. Wyon was a highly visible proponent of the Neoclassicist vogue, and was elected to the Royal Academy in 1838.Wyon was born in Birmingham,...
was the designer. Admiral Thomas Bladen Capel
Thomas Bladen Capel
Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel GCB RN was an officer in the British Royal Navy whose distinguished service in the French Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 earned him rapid promotion and great acclaim both in and out of the Navy...
was one of the members of the board that authorized the medal.
The NGSM was retrospectively awarded for various naval actions during the period 1793–1840, a period including the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, 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 Anglo-American 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...
. Each battle or action covered by the medal was represented by a clasp on the ribbon. The medal was never issued without a clasp, 231 of which were sanctioned. The clasps covered a variety of actions, from boat service to ship to ship skirmishes all the way to major fleet actions such as the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
.
Sir John Hindmarsh
John Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH RN was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.-Early life:...
and Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir James Alexander Gordon
James Alexander Gordon
Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Alexander Gordon, KCB, RN was a distinguished British officer in the Royal Navy. His 75 years in the service, from Midshipman to Admiral of the Fleet was unprecedented in its duration. He served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
were awarded medals with seven clasps, the most awarded to any individual. Four men qualified for six clasps, and fourteen men qualified for five clasps.
A point to note is that the medal was only awarded to surviving claimants; one had both to have survived until 1847 and then to actively apply for it. A combination of factors, from general illiteracy to limited publicity for the new medal meant that very many did not. There are substantially fewer medals issued when compared with the number of men who served during this period; frequently the number of claimants for individual clasps was reckoned in single figures—for ten clasps, there were no claimants. 20,933 medals were awarded in total—most with a single clasp.
The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851. The medal was awarded only to surviving claimants; next of kin could not apply for a medal on behalf of a deceased relative. However, the medal was awarded to next of kin of those claimants who had died between the date of their application and the date of presentation.
This medal and its army counterpart, the Military General Service Medal
Military General Service Medal
The Military General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the British Army.The MGSM was approved on 1 June 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793–1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic...
, were amongst the first real British campaign medals, the first to be issued to all ranks just for "being there".
French Revolutionary Wars
| Clasp | Battle or Action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nymphe 18 June 1793 | Capture of French frigate Cleopatre French frigate Cléopâtre The Cléopâtre was a 32-gun Vénus class frigate of the French Navy. She was designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, and had a coppered hull.She took part in the taking of Cuddalore in 1782.... |
18 June 1793 | Britain vs. France |
| Crescent 20 Octr. 1793 | Capture of French frigate Reunion | 20 October 1793 | Britain vs. France |
| Zebra HMS Zebra (1780) HMS Zebra was an 16-gun Zebra-class sloop of the Royal Navy, launched on 31 August 1780 at Gravesend. She was the second ship to bear the name. After twenty years of service, including involvement in the West Indies campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars she was converted into a bomb... 17 March 1794 |
Capture of Fort Saint Louis (Martinique) Fort Saint Louis (Martinique) Fort Saint Louis is a fortress on a peninsula at Fort-de-France, Martinique. Today the Fort is both a naval base and an Historic Monument. There are daily tours of the fort, though the portion that is still a naval base is off-limits.-Naval Base:... |
20 March 1794 | Britain vs. France |
| 17 Mar. Boat Service 1794 | Capture of the French frigate Bienvenue and other vessels in Fort Royal Bay Fort-de-France Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:... (Martinique) |
20 March 1794 | Britain vs. France |
| Carysfort 29 May 1794 | Recapture of | 29 May 1794 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| 1 June 1794 | Glorious First of June Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars... |
1 June 1794 | Britain vs France |
| Romney HMS Romney (1762) HMS Romney was a 50-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars in a career that spanned forty years.... 17 June 1794 |
Capture of French frigate Sibylle French frigate Sibylle (1792) The Sibylle was an 38-gun Hébé class frigate of the French Navy. She was launched in 1791 at the dockyards in Toulon and placed in service in 1792... |
17 June 1794 | Britain vs France |
| 4 Jany. 1795 | Capture of French frigate | 5 January 1795 | Britain vs France |
| 13 March 1795 | Capture of French frigate Tourterelle | 13 March 1795 | Britain vs France |
| 14 March 1795 | Naval Battle of Genoa (1795) Naval Battle of Genoa (1795) The Naval Battle of Genoa was fought on 14 March 1795 off the coast of Genoa, a port city in north-western Italy, between French warships under Rear-Admiral Pierre Martin and British and Neapolitan warships under Vice Admiral William Hotham... |
14 March 1795 | Britain & Naples vs France |
| Mosquito 9 June 1795 | Capture of privateer | 9 June 1795 | Unissued (vessel and crew lost soon after) |
| 23 June 1795 | Battle of Groix Battle of Groix The Second Battle of Groix was a naval engagement that took place on 23 June 1795 during the French Revolutionary War off the west coast of France.... |
23 June 1795 | Britain vs France |
| Dryad HMS Dryad (1795) HMS Dryad was a fifth-rate sailing frigate of the Royal Navy that served for 64 years, at first during the Napoleonic Wars and then in the suppression of slavery. She fought in a notable single-ship action in 1805 when she captured the Proserpine, an action that would later earn her crew the Naval... 13 June 1796 |
Capture of Prosperine | 13 June 1796 | Britain vs France |
| St. Vincent | Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797) | 14 February 1797 | Britain vs Spain |
| San Fiorenzo HMS St Fiorenzo (1794) HMS St Fiorenzo was a 38-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Minerve, before the British captured her during the French Revolutionary Wars. She went on to serve under a number of the most distinguished naval commanders of her age, in theatres... 8 March 1797 |
Capture of Résistance | 9 March 1797 | Britain vs France |
| 29 May Boat Service 1797 | Boats of Minerve French frigate Minerve (1794) The Minerve was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy. She was captured twice by the British and recaptured once by the French. She therefore served under four names:*Minerve, 1794–1795*HMS Minerve, 1795–1803*Canonnière, 1803–1810... and capture French corvette . |
29 May 1797 | Britain vs France |
| Camperdown | 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... |
11 October 1797 | Britain vs Holland |
| Nile | Battle of the Nile Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798... |
1–3 August 1798 | Britain vs France |
| 12 Octr. 1798 | Battle of Tory Island Battle of Tory Island The Battle of Tory Island, was a naval action of the French Revolutionary Wars, fought on 12 October 1798 between French and British squadrons off the northwest coast of Donegal, then in the Kingdom of Ireland... |
12 October 1798 | Britain vs France |
| Telegraph HM Hired Brig Telegraph (1798) HM hired brig Telegraph was built in 1798 and served on contract to the Royal Navy from 10 November. During the French Revolutionary Wars she took several prizes and was the victor in one notable ship action before she was lost at sea with all hands in 1801.-Telegraph vs Hirondelle:At daylight on... 18 March 1799 |
Capture of French privateer Hirondelle | 18 March 1799 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| Arrow 13 Sepr. 1799 | Capture of Draak and Gier | 13 September 1799 | Britain vs Batavian Republic Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland.... |
| Wolverine HMS Wolverine (1798) HMS Wolverine , was a Royal Navy 14-gun brig-sloop, formerly the civilian collier Rattler, which was purchased in 1798 and converted into a brig sloop, but armed experimentally. She served during the French Revolutionary Wars and participated in one action that won for her crew a clasp to the Naval... 13 Sepr. 1799 |
Capture of Draak and Gier | 13 September 1799 | Unissued Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| Courier Hired armed cutter Courier The Hired armed cutter Courier appears twice in the records of the Royal Navy. The size and armament suggests that both contracts may represent the same vessel... 23 Novr. 1799 |
Capture of French privateer Guerrier | 23 November 1799 | Britain vs. France |
| Egypt | Battle of Abukir (1801) Battle of Abukir (1801) The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second battle of the Egyptian campaign in the French Revolutionary Wars, to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile delta. A British army of 5,000 led by General Ralph Abercromby landed along the beach to dislodge an entrenched... , Battle of Alexandria (1801), Siege of Alexandria (1801) |
March - September 1801 | Britain vs France |
| Copenhagen | Battle of Copenhagen (1801) Battle of Copenhagen (1801) The Battle of Copenhagen was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker's... |
2 April 1801 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| Gut of Gibraltar 12 July 1801 | Battle of Algeciras Bay Battle of Algeciras Bay The Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French-Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar. In the first battle, the French drove off an attack by the larger British fleet and captured one ship of the line... |
12 July 1801 | Britain vs France & Spain |
Napoleonic Wars
| Clasp | Battle or Action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver 31 March 1804 | Boats of Scorpion HMS Scorpion (1803) HMS Scorpion was a Royal Navy Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by John King at Dover and launched in 1803. She was the first of the class to be built since the launching of Cruizer in 1797... and Beaver captured the Dutch brig Atalante |
31 March 1804 | Unissued Britain vs Batavian Republic Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland.... |
| Scorpion 31 March 1804 | Boats of Scorpion and Beaver captured the Dutch brig Atalante | 31 March 1804 | Britain vs Batavian Republic |
| San Fiorenzo HMS St Fiorenzo (1794) HMS St Fiorenzo was a 38-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Minerve, before the British captured her during the French Revolutionary Wars. She went on to serve under a number of the most distinguished naval commanders of her age, in theatres... 14 Feby. 1805 |
Capture of Psyché French frigate Psyché (1804) Psyché was a 36-gun vessel built between February 1798 and 1799 at Basse-Indre as a privateer. As a privateer she had an inconclusive but bloody encounter with HMS Wilhelmina of the Royal Navy, commanded by Commander Henry Lambert, off the Indian coast in April 1804. The French then brought her... |
14 February 1805 | Britain vs France |
| Trafalgar | Battle of Trafalgar Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars .... |
21 October 1805 | Britain vs France & Spain |
| 4 Novr. 1805 | Battle of Cape Ortegal Battle of Cape Ortegal The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar... |
4 November 1805 | Britain vs France |
| St. Domingo | Battle of San Domingo Battle of San Domingo The Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean... |
6 February 1806 | Britain vs France |
| Blanche HMS Amfitrite (1804) HMS Amfitrite was a 38-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the Spanish Navy before she was captured during the Napoleonic Wars and commissioned into the Royal Navy. The Admiralty renamed her HMS Blanche after she had spent just over a year as Amfitrite... 18 July 1806 |
Capture of French frigate | 18 July 1806 | Britain vs France |
| 21 Jan. Boat Service 1807 | Boats of Galatea vs | 21 January 1807 | Britain vs France |
| 19 April Boat Service 1807 | Boats of capture a privateer | 19 April 1807 | Unissued Britain vs. France |
| Ann Hired armed brig Ann There were two, and possibly three, hired armed brigs that shared the name Ann . The first participated in an engagement in 1807 that would earn her crew the Naval General Service Medal. She is sometimes referred to in sources as the hired armed cutter Ann or the hired armed brig Anne... 24 Novr. 1807 |
Capture of Spanish lugger privateer and action with ten gunboats and surrender of two | 24 November 1807 | Unissued Britain vs Spain |
| Sappho HMS Sappho (1806) HMS Sappho was a Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Jabez Bailey at Ipswich and launched in 1806. She defeated a Danish brig, the Admiral Yawl in a single-ship action during the Gunboat War,The vessel's name varies by account. Variants include: Admiral Juhl, Admiral Jawl, Admiral Juul, and Admiral... 2 March 1808 |
Capture of brig Admiral Yawl | 2 March 1808 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| San Fiorenzo HMS St Fiorenzo (1794) HMS St Fiorenzo was a 38-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Minerve, before the British captured her during the French Revolutionary Wars. She went on to serve under a number of the most distinguished naval commanders of her age, in theatres... 8 March 1808 |
Capture of Piémontaise French frigate Piémontaise (1804) The Piémontaise was a 40-gun Consolante-class frigate of the French Navy. She served as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean until her capture in March 1808... |
8 March 1808 | Britain vs France |
| 28 Nov. Boat Service 1808 | Boats of Heureux attack a battery and capture a brig and a schooner | 29 November 1808 | Britain vs France |
| 1 Jany. 1809 | Recapture of | 1 January 1809 | Britain vs the Batavian Republic |
| Martinique | Invasion of Martinique (1809) Invasion of Martinique (1809) The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars... |
30 January – 24 February 1809 | Britain vs France |
| Basque Roads 1809 | 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... |
11–25 April 1809 | Britain vs France |
| 25 July Boat Service 1809 | Boats of Fawn in action with a cutter and the schooner Guadaloupe, which they captured | 25 July 1809 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| 25 July Boat Service 1809 | Boats of Cerberus, Minotaur, Princess Caroline, and Prometheus capture Russian gunboats near Fredrikshamn, Gulf of Finland Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn... |
25 July 1809 | Britain vs Russia |
| Guadaloupe | Invasion of Guadeloupe (1810) Invasion of Guadeloupe (1810) The Invasion of Guadeloupe was a British amphibious operation fought between 28 January and 6 February 1810 over control of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe during the Napoleonic Wars. The island was the final remaining French colony in the Americas, following the systematic invasion and capture... |
28 January - 6 February 1810 | Britain vs France |
| Thistle 10 Feby. 1810 | Capture of Havik | 10 February 1810 | Unissued Britain vs The Netherlands |
| Arrow 6 April 1811 | Action with chasse-maree Chasse-marée In English, a chasse-marée is a specific, archaic type of decked commercial sailing vessel.In French, un chasse-marée was 'a wholesale fishmonger', originally on the Channel coast of France and later, on the Atlantic coast as well. He bought in the coastal ports and sold in inland markets. However,... s and batteries off the French coast |
6 April 1811 | Unissued Britain vs France |
| Java | Anglo-Dutch Java War Anglo-Dutch Java War The Anglo-Dutch Java War in 1810–1811 was a war between Britain and the Netherlands , fought entirely on the Island of Java in colonial Indonesia.-Background:... |
August - September 1811 | Britain vs The Netherlands |
| Lissa | Battle of Lissa (1811) Battle of Lissa (1811) The Battle of Lissa was a naval action fought between a British frigate squadron and a substantially larger squadron of French and Venetian frigates and smaller ships on 13 March 1811 during the Adriatic campaign of the Napoleonic Wars... |
13 March 1811 | Britain vs France and Venice |
| Anholt 27 March 1811 | Battle of Anholt Battle of Anholt The Battle of Anholt occurred during the Gunboat War, a war between the United Kingdom and Denmark-Norway. It was an attempt by the Danes to recapture Anholt, a small Danish island off the coast of Jutland, which the British had captured in 1809... |
27 March 1811 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| Off Mardoe 6 July 1812 | Battle of Lyngør Battle of Lyngør The Battle of Lyngør was a naval battle fought between Denmark-Norway and Britain in 1812 on the southern coast of Norway, effectively concluding the Gunboat War in Britain's favour and putting Denmark-Norway out of the war.-Background:... |
6 July 1812 | Britain vs Denmark-Norway |
| 21 March Boat Service 1813 | Boats of Brev Drageren HMS Brev Drageren (1807) HMS Brev Drageren was the Danish let brigger Brevdrageren, which was one of the many vessels the Danes surrendered to the British after the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807... and Blazer capture gunboats Jonge-Troutman and Liebe |
21 March 1813 | Britain vs Denmark |
| St. Sebastian | Siege of San Sebastián Siege of San Sebastian In the Siege of San Sebastián Allied forces under the command of General Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington captured the city of San Sebastián in northern Spain from its French garrison under Brigadier-General Louis Rey... |
August - September 1813 | Britain & Portugal vs France |
| Cyane HMS Cyane (1806) HMS Cyane was a Royal Navy Banterer-class sixth-rate post ship of nominally 22 guns, built in 1806 at Topsham, near Exeter, England. She was ordered in January 1805 as HMS Columbine but renamed Cyane on 6 December of that year... 16 Jany. 1814 |
Capture of Alcmène & Iphigénie | 16 January 1814 | Britain vs France |
War of 1812
| Clasp | Battle or Action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| April & May Boat Service 1813 | Boats of Marlborough HMS Marlborough (1807) HMS Marlborough was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 June 1807 at Deptford. In 1808, she helped escort the Portuguese royal family in its flight from Portugal to Brazil.Marlborough was broken up in 1835.... , Maidstone, Dragon HMS Dragon (1798) HMS Dragon was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 April 1798 at Rotherhithe. She was designed by Sir William Rule, and was the only ship built to her draught.... , Statira, Dolphin HMS Dolphin (1813) HMS Dolphin was the 12-gun American privateer schooner Dolphin captured by Admiral John Borlase Warren's squadron on 13 April 1813. She participated in boat actions on 29 April and 5 May 1813 for which the Royal Navy issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal... , Fantome, Mohawk, Highflyer HMS Highflyer (1813) HMS Highflyer was originally an American privateer schooner built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes. The Royal Navy captured her in 1813... , and Racer destroyed cannon foundry at French Town Frenchtown, Cecil County, Maryland Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.Frenchtown was an important link in the north-south travel route during the 18th and 19th centuries. As a depot, it was burned by the British under Rear Admiral George Cockburn on April 29, 1813. The old... and batteries at Havre-de-Grace Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As... |
28 April and 5 May | |
| 8 April Boat Service 1814 | Boats of Hogue HMS Hogue (1811) HMS Hogue was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 October 1811 at Deptford.During the War of 1812, while under the command of Thomas Bladen Capel, the HMS Hogue successfully trapped the American Privateer Young Teazer of the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.She was... , Endymion HMS Endymion (1797) HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794... , Maidstone, and Boxer HMS Boxer Several ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Boxer, named after the competitor in a boxing match. was a launched in 1797 and sold in 1809... destroyed 27 American vessels and a quantity of stores up the Connecticut River Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the... |
8 April 1814 | |
| Shannon Wh. Chesapeake | Shannon HMS Shannon (1806) HMS Shannon was a 38-gun Leda-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1806 and served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812... vs Chesapeake USS Chesapeake (1799) USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships... |
1 June 1813 | |
| Pelican 14 Augt. 1813 | Capture of USS Argus USS Argus (1803) The first USS Argus was a brig in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812.Argus was laid down as Merrimack on 12 May 1803 at Boston, Massachusetts, by Edmund Hartt; renamed Argus on 4 June 1803; and launched on 21 August 1803.-First Barbary War:Though no document... |
14 August 1813 | |
| 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... 28 March 1814 |
Capture of 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... and Essex Junior (Ex-Atlantic) |
28 March 1814 | |
| Cherub 28 March 1814 | Capture of 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... and Essex Junior (Ex-Atlantic) |
28 March 1814 | |
| The Potomac 17 Augt. 1814 | , , Devastation HMS Devastation (1804) HMS Devastation was an 8-gun Royal Navy bomb vessel purchased in 1804 and sold in 1816. This was one of the ships involved in the attack on Fort McHenry in the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. She also participated in the bombardments of Fort Washington, Maryland and St. Marys,... , Aetna HMS Aetna (1803) HMS Aetna was one of the Royal Navy bomb vessels involved in the attack on Fort McHenry in the Battle of Baltimore and the bombardment of Fort Washington, Maryland in 1814, during the War of 1812. In these actions she was commanded by Richard Kenah. Prior to this, Aetna participated in the second... , Meteor, Erebus HMS Erebus (1807) HMS Erebus was originally built as a Royal Navy fireship, but served as a sloop and was re-rated as such in March 1808. She served in the Baltic during the Gunboat and Anglo-Russian Wars, where in 1809 she was briefly converted to a fireship, and then served in the War of 1812. In 1814 she was... , Fairy HMS Fairy (1812) HMS Fairy was a , built by William Taylor at Bideford and launched in 1812. She escorted convoys during the War of 1812 and participated in the Royal Navy’s campaign incursion up the Potomac in 1814, the Raid on Alexandria. She was broken up in 1821.-Service:Fairy was commissioned in August 1812... , and Anna Maria at Alexandria (Virginia) Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as... and destruction of shipping in the Potomac River Potomac River The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles... |
17 August 1814 | |
| 3 & 6 Sept. Boat Service 1814 | Boats on Lake Huron Lake Huron Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States... captured American schooners Tigress and Scorpion |
3 & 6 September 1814 | |
| 14 Dec. Boat Service 1814 | Battle of Lake Borgne Battle of Lake Borgne The Battle of Lake Borgne was a naval battle between the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the American South theatre of the War of 1812. It occurred on 14 December 1814 on Lake Borgne and was part of the British advance on New Orleans.-Background:... ; boats of 16 British warships captured five American gunboats and a sloop |
14 December 1814 | |
| Endymion Wh. President | Endymion HMS Endymion (1797) HMS Endymion was a 40-gun fifth rate that served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812 and during the First Opium War. She was built to the lines of the French prize captured in 1794... vs President USS President (1800) USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a... |
15 January 1815 |
Later battles or actions
| Clasp | Battle or Action | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algiers | Bombardment of Algiers Bombardment of Algiers The Bombardment of Algiers was an attempt by Britain to end the slavery practices of the Dey of Algiers. An Anglo-Dutch fleet under the command of Admiral Lord Exmouth bombarded ships and the harbour defences of Algiers.... |
27 August 1816 | Britain & The Netherlands vs Dey Dey Dey was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers and Tripoli under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards... of Algiers Algiers ' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000... |
| Navarino | Battle of Navarino Battle of Navarino The naval Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay , on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. A combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada was destroyed by a combined British, French and Russian naval force... |
20 October 1827 | Britain, France & Russia vs Ottoman Empire |
| Syria | Syrian War Syrian War The Syrian War is the name generally given to the war of 1839-40 fought in the Middle East, also known as the Second Syrian War, mainly on territory that is now Lebanon, between the Allied Powers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire and the... |
November 1840 | Britain, with Austria, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia vs Egypt. This is the most common clasp |