HMS Magnet (1807)
Encyclopedia
HMS Magnet was a built at Robert Guillaume’s yard at Northam and launched in 1807. She served in the Baltic, where she took two prizes, one an armed privateer, before wrecking in 1809.
or (Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809) Sweden and Britain were allies and Britain had stationed a squadron there with as its main objective preventing the Russian high seas fleet from putting to sea.
On 2 June 1808. Magnet was in company with the frigate when they, together with the boats of and , captured four Russian vessels carrying corn. They also captured the boat Humbug.
On 20 August, Salsette, the ship sloop Ariel and Magnet joined the squadron under Samuel Hood in Centaur, which was blockading the Russian fleet in Rogerwick
Bay.Rogerwick was also known as Rogerswick, Ragervik, Ragersvik, Roghervik and Port Baltic. It is about 20 miles west of Reval, the present day Tallinn
, the capital of Estonia. On 30 August Sir James Saumarez
arrived in Victory
, together with a number of other ships of the line
and , Magnet's sister and the name ship of their class. A number of other smaller vessels also arrived the next day.
The British made preparations to send in Baltic
and as fire ships but when that proved impossible made no real attempt to attack the Russians. On 30 September the British raised the blockade and sailed for Karlskrona
; the Russians immediately sailed for Kronstadt
. The bulk of the British fleet, including Saumarez, then departed Karlskrona for Britain, arriving in the Downs on 8 December. Magnet was one of the ships that stayed behind in the Baltic for trade protection purposes.
On 5 December, Magnet took the Danish privateer Paulina after encountering her off the island of Bornholm
. Morris had in some manner disguised Magnet and so succeeded in luring Paulina out from her inshore shelter. Magnet then pursued Paulina throughout the afternoon and finally caught up with her at dusk about two miles off the north end of Bornholm. During the chase Paulinas crew of 42 men tried to lighten their vessel by throwing overboard all but three of her ten 4- and 8-pounder guns. Paulina was 12 days out of Copenhagen and had not captured anything.
, the gun-brig , and the cutter - three Swedish naval vessels and twelve merchant vessels.The Naval Chronicle lists the gun-brig as Ardent, but there was no gun-brig by that name and other sources give the name as Urgent. It is difficult to read the name of the cutter and other sources give the name as Sacorman or Saloman. Unfortunately, the convoy left after an unusually severe winter had set in. Furthermore, a storm coming from the north drove already formed ice onto the convoy.
Fama parted company and was wrecked on the north-east point of Bornholm Island. The convoy sought shelter off Falsterbo
on Christmas Day and remained there until 6 January 1809 when the vessels set sail in an attempt to reach Malmö
.
Salorman, under the command of Andrew Duncan, was wrecked around 23 December at Ystad
. She lost one man but the rest of her officers and men were saved. Urgent left with dispatches for the Baltic on 28 December and survived.
Ice blocked the entrance and the Swedish frigate Camilla and six ships of the convoy went aground. Magnet and three other ships of the convoy grounded on the Saltholm
Shoal on 11 January. Magnet was refloated but ran into further difficulties in the ice before her crew finally ran her ashore west of Malmo. Morris managed to get his entire crew of 120 safely ashore and they eventually arrived in Gothenburg
; Magnet was a complete loss.
The teak-built Salsette escaped after being stuck in the ice for more than two months.
Baltic
She was commissioned under Lieutenant George Morris, who sailed her for the Baltic. During the Finnish WarFinnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
or (Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809) Sweden and Britain were allies and Britain had stationed a squadron there with as its main objective preventing the Russian high seas fleet from putting to sea.
On 2 June 1808. Magnet was in company with the frigate when they, together with the boats of and , captured four Russian vessels carrying corn. They also captured the boat Humbug.
On 20 August, Salsette, the ship sloop Ariel and Magnet joined the squadron under Samuel Hood in Centaur, which was blockading the Russian fleet in Rogerwick
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
Bay.Rogerwick was also known as Rogerswick, Ragervik, Ragersvik, Roghervik and Port Baltic. It is about 20 miles west of Reval, the present day Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, the capital of Estonia. On 30 August Sir James Saumarez
James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
Admiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras.-Early life:...
arrived in Victory
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
, together with a number of other ships of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
and , Magnet's sister and the name ship of their class. A number of other smaller vessels also arrived the next day.
The British made preparations to send in Baltic
Russian cutter Opyt (1806)
The Russian cutter Opyt was launched in 1806. The British 44-gun frigate Salsette captured Opyt in 1808 in the Baltic during the Anglo-Russian War after her captain and crew put up a heroic resistance. The Admiralty took her into service as HMS Baltic...
and as fire ships but when that proved impossible made no real attempt to attack the Russians. On 30 September the British raised the blockade and sailed for Karlskrona
Karlskrona
Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the...
; the Russians immediately sailed for Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
. The bulk of the British fleet, including Saumarez, then departed Karlskrona for Britain, arriving in the Downs on 8 December. Magnet was one of the ships that stayed behind in the Baltic for trade protection purposes.
On 5 December, Magnet took the Danish privateer Paulina after encountering her off the island of Bornholm
Bornholm
Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
. Morris had in some manner disguised Magnet and so succeeded in luring Paulina out from her inshore shelter. Magnet then pursued Paulina throughout the afternoon and finally caught up with her at dusk about two miles off the north end of Bornholm. During the chase Paulinas crew of 42 men tried to lighten their vessel by throwing overboard all but three of her ten 4- and 8-pounder guns. Paulina was 12 days out of Copenhagen and had not captured anything.
Loss
On 23 December 1808, Magnet left Karlskrona as part of the last convoy of the year, in company with four other British warships -Salsette, the brig-sloop FamaHMS Fama (1808)
HMS Fama was the Danish brig Fama, of fourteen guns, built in 1802, which the British captured in 1808. She was wrecked in 1809.-Danish origins:Fama was built in Copenhagen to a design by F.C.H. Hohlenberg...
, the gun-brig , and the cutter - three Swedish naval vessels and twelve merchant vessels.The Naval Chronicle lists the gun-brig as Ardent, but there was no gun-brig by that name and other sources give the name as Urgent. It is difficult to read the name of the cutter and other sources give the name as Sacorman or Saloman. Unfortunately, the convoy left after an unusually severe winter had set in. Furthermore, a storm coming from the north drove already formed ice onto the convoy.
Fama parted company and was wrecked on the north-east point of Bornholm Island. The convoy sought shelter off Falsterbo
Falsterbo
Falsterbo is a town located at the south-western tip of Sweden in Vellinge Municipality in Skåne County. Falsterbo is situated in the southern part of the Falsterbo peninsula. It is part of Skanör med Falsterbo, one of Sweden's historical cities.-History:...
on Christmas Day and remained there until 6 January 1809 when the vessels set sail in an attempt to reach Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
.
Salorman, under the command of Andrew Duncan, was wrecked around 23 December at Ystad
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
. She lost one man but the rest of her officers and men were saved. Urgent left with dispatches for the Baltic on 28 December and survived.
Ice blocked the entrance and the Swedish frigate Camilla and six ships of the convoy went aground. Magnet and three other ships of the convoy grounded on the Saltholm
Saltholm
Saltholm is a Danish island in the Øresund, the strait that separates Denmark and Sweden. It is located to the east of the Danish island of Amager in Tårnby municipality and lies just to the west of the sea border between Denmark and Sweden. It is 7 km long and 3 km wide, covering an...
Shoal on 11 January. Magnet was refloated but ran into further difficulties in the ice before her crew finally ran her ashore west of Malmo. Morris managed to get his entire crew of 120 safely ashore and they eventually arrived in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
; Magnet was a complete loss.
The teak-built Salsette escaped after being stuck in the ice for more than two months.