Hired armed cutter Black Joke
Encyclopedia
The hired armed
cutter Black Joke was a cutter of ten 6-pounder guns and 9886/94 tons burthen
that served the Royal Navy
from 12 January 1795 to 19 October 1801. In 1799 she was renamed Suworow, and under that name she captured numerous prizes before she was paid off after the Treaty of Amiens
.
By some accounts, in 1797 she alerted the Fleet to the Dutch entry into the North Sea before the Battle of Camperdown
. The majority of accounts attribute the warning to the hired cutter Active
. Also in 1797, the lugger Black Joke recaptured the Ceres and Good Intent. Black Joke was in company with the hired armed vessel Liberty and the Excise cutter Lively at the time of the recapture of Ceres, and the Liberty at the time of the recapture of the Good Intent.
On 10 March 1798 His Majesty's hired armed lugger Black Joke was briefly under the command of Lieutenant Mauritius Adolphus Newton de Stark when she captured the fishing vessel Saint Petre. On 26 May Black Joke and the sloop Hound captured the brig Minerva.
On 27 April 1799, while under the command of Lieutenant James Nicolson (or Nichelson), Black Joke captured the French chasse-marée
Rebecca, of four swivels and seven men, just out of Brest
having on board a capitaine de frégate with dispatches for Ireland. The dispatches were a ruse that drew British attention to the Irish coast, when the Brest fleet had sailed south-west. Then on 10 July she captured the Flora.
, who won a series of victories against the French during 1799 Under Lieutenant James Nicholson she carried despatches to and from Lord Bridport
, commander of the Channel Fleet, off Brest
, and captured numerous prizes.
On 1 and 14 March, and 19 April and 10 June 1800, she captured the ketch
Jean Bart, the chasse marees Bon Citojan and Morbihan, and the ketch
Clair Voyante. To capture the chase marees, Nicholson had had to drive off three French luggers, one of 10 guns and two of eight, in the Passage du Raz. Actually, Nicholson captured three chase marees, one in ballast and two carrying wine, and he sent all three into Falmouth or Plymouth.
On 5 March Suworow shared in the capture, with Agamemnon
and Repulse
, of the brig Sophie. On 5 April Suworow chased a French privateer of 16 guns for several hours but lost her in the night. Then on 12 May, together with the frigates Clyde and Thames
, she captured another chasse maree.
Also during May Nicholson reconnoitered Belle Île
. He also took an officer from Impetueux into Rochefort
where they counted five sail-of-the-line and three frigates ready for sea. When Nicholson returned to Belle Île in August he found that the French had fortified every point of land or creek that he had found unfortified in May.
On 12 September 1800 Nicholson cut out the French brig Providence from under two batteries near Camaret Point. She was carrying wine, soap and brandy for the Brest
fleet; the capture took place under heavy fire but Suworow suffered no casualties. Although the third rate and the frigate were in sight, they voluntarily relinquished their share of the prize money to Nicholson and his crew "in testimony
of their approbation of their conduct."
On 23 November 1800 Captain Sir Richard Strachan in Captain
chased a French convoy in to the Morbihan
. There shore batteries and the 20-gun corvette Réolaise were able to provide protection. Magicienne harried the corvette until she ran onshore at Port Navale; her crew got her off again later. Suworow then towed in four boats with Lieutenant Hennah of Captain and a cutting-out party. The hired armed cutters Nile and Lurcher
towed in four more boats from Magicienne. Although the cutting-out party was exposed to heavy fire cannon and small arms fire, it reached the corvette. The party set fire to the corvette before withdrawing; shortly thereafter the corvette blew up. The boats brought out two merchant vessels also, that werelater burnt. Only one British seaman, a crewman from Suworow, was killed in the attack; seven seamen were wounded. However, Suworows sails and rigging were so badly cut up that Captain had to tow her.
Suworow sailed on 21 December 1800 to cruise off the Penmarks as part of Sir Edward Pellew's squadron. On 3 February 1801 she captured the French brig Jeune Annette (or Jeune Nannette). Jeune Annette, under Lieutenant de vaisseaux Feuqueux, was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 45 men. She had been sailing from Cayenne to Bordeaux with a cargo of "anatto, dye wood, elephants teeth, etc." and a number of deported priests, who were emaciated after their confinement. Because Suworow had previously sent in four Danish vessels, she had only 16 men and boys on board when she chased and captured Jeune Annette.
On 23 June, while Suworow was off Santander with dispatches from Admiral William Cornwallis
when she encountered a Spanish 44-gun frigate and a gun-brig. The Spaniards chased her for 14 hours and were gaining on her so Nicholson had to throw all his guns overboard to gain speed. He succeeded in escaping only when darkness arrived. Suworow then came into Plymouth for a refit.
In early October Suworow sailed into Brest under a flag of truce, bringing with her a senior officer. Nicholson ended up having dinner with Admiral Villaret, the commander of the French fleet, and the Spanish Admiral, Don Gravina. Madame Villaret presented Lieutenant
Nicholson with a morocco purse, having a bust of Bonaparte under glass, set in silver. Admiral Villaret sent a basket of fruit to Admiral Cornwallis as well.
One report has Black Joke (under that name and not Suworow) being accidentally burnt in Sutton Pool, Plymouth
on 28 January 1802. She was discovered to be on fire amongst a tier of ships and after she had burned with great fury she was scuttled. She sank without doing any harm.
However, another report suggests that she may have reverted to her old name and served as the hired armed lugger Black Joke
from 1808 until her capture by the French in 1810. Furthermore, there was a lugger Black Joke that received a letter of marque
on 5 May 1801. She was of 25 tons burthen, had two 2-pounder guns and was under the command of Captain Phillip Dupont.
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 Black Joke was a cutter of ten 6-pounder guns and 9886/94 tons burthen
Builder'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...
that served 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...
from 12 January 1795 to 19 October 1801. In 1799 she was renamed Suworow, and under that name she captured numerous prizes before she was paid off after the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
.
Service as Black Joke
On 24 February 1796, His Majesty's cutter Black Joke captured the Poor Jack.By some accounts, in 1797 she alerted the Fleet to the Dutch entry into the North Sea before 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...
. The majority of accounts attribute the warning to the hired cutter Active
Hired armed cutter Active
During the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, there were two or three vessels known as the hired armed cutter Active that served the Royal Navy...
. Also in 1797, the lugger Black Joke recaptured the Ceres and Good Intent. Black Joke was in company with the hired armed vessel Liberty and the Excise cutter Lively at the time of the recapture of Ceres, and the Liberty at the time of the recapture of the Good Intent.
On 10 March 1798 His Majesty's hired armed lugger Black Joke was briefly under the command of Lieutenant Mauritius Adolphus Newton de Stark when she captured the fishing vessel Saint Petre. On 26 May Black Joke and the sloop Hound captured the brig Minerva.
On 27 April 1799, while under the command of Lieutenant James Nicolson (or Nichelson), Black Joke captured the French chasse-marée
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,...
Rebecca, of four swivels and seven men, just out of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
having on board a capitaine de frégate with dispatches for Ireland. The dispatches were a ruse that drew British attention to the Irish coast, when the Brest fleet had sailed south-west. Then on 10 July she captured the Flora.
Service as Suworow
By 2 November 1799 she was sailing under the name Suworow.Alternatively Suwarrow, Soworrow or Zuwarrow, presumably after Alexander SuvorovAlexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov , Count Suvorov of Rymnik, Prince in Italy, Count of the Holy Roman Empire , was the fourth and last generalissimo of the Russian Empire.One of the few great generals in history who never lost a battle along with the likes of Alexander...
, who won a series of victories against the French during 1799 Under Lieutenant James Nicholson she carried despatches to and from Lord Bridport
Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
|-...
, commander of the Channel Fleet, off Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, and captured numerous prizes.
On 1 and 14 March, and 19 April and 10 June 1800, she captured the ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
Jean Bart, the chasse marees Bon Citojan and Morbihan, and the ketch
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
Clair Voyante. To capture the chase marees, Nicholson had had to drive off three French luggers, one of 10 guns and two of eight, in the Passage du Raz. Actually, Nicholson captured three chase marees, one in ballast and two carrying wine, and he sent all three into Falmouth or Plymouth.
On 5 March Suworow shared in the capture, with Agamemnon
HMS Agamemnon (1781)
HMS Agamemnon was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She saw service in the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and fought in many of the major naval battles of those conflicts...
and Repulse
HMS Repulse (1780)
HMS Repulse was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 November 1780 at East Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.-Mutiny at The Nore:...
, of the brig Sophie. On 5 April Suworow chased a French privateer of 16 guns for several hours but lost her in the night. Then on 12 May, together with the frigates Clyde and Thames
HMS Thames (1758)
HMS Thames was a 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy built by Henry Adams and launched at Bucklers Hard in 1758. She served in several wars, including for some four years in French service after her capture. She was recaptured in 1796 and was broken up in 1803.-British...
, she captured another chasse maree.
Also during May Nicholson reconnoitered Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
. He also took an officer from Impetueux into Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
where they counted five sail-of-the-line and three frigates ready for sea. When Nicholson returned to Belle Île in August he found that the French had fortified every point of land or creek that he had found unfortified in May.
On 12 September 1800 Nicholson cut out the French brig Providence from under two batteries near Camaret Point. She was carrying wine, soap and brandy for the Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
fleet; the capture took place under heavy fire but Suworow suffered no casualties. Although the third rate and the frigate were in sight, they voluntarily relinquished their share of the prize money to Nicholson and his crew "in testimony
of their approbation of their conduct."
On 23 November 1800 Captain Sir Richard Strachan in Captain
HMS Captain (1787)
HMS Captain was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 26 November 1787 at Limehouse. She served during the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars before being placed in harbour service in 1799...
chased a French convoy in to the Morbihan
Morbihan
Morbihan is a department in Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan , the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastline.-History:...
. There shore batteries and the 20-gun corvette Réolaise were able to provide protection. Magicienne harried the corvette until she ran onshore at Port Navale; her crew got her off again later. Suworow then towed in four boats with Lieutenant Hennah of Captain and a cutting-out party. The hired armed cutters Nile and Lurcher
Hired armed cutter Lurcher
The Hired armed cutter Lurcher was a 12-gun cutter that served the Royal Navy from 15 August 1795 until 15 January 1801 when a French privateer captured her in the Channel. Lurcher was armed with 12 3-pounder guns and had a crew of 40...
towed in four more boats from Magicienne. Although the cutting-out party was exposed to heavy fire cannon and small arms fire, it reached the corvette. The party set fire to the corvette before withdrawing; shortly thereafter the corvette blew up. The boats brought out two merchant vessels also, that werelater burnt. Only one British seaman, a crewman from Suworow, was killed in the attack; seven seamen were wounded. However, Suworows sails and rigging were so badly cut up that Captain had to tow her.
Suworow sailed on 21 December 1800 to cruise off the Penmarks as part of Sir Edward Pellew's squadron. On 3 February 1801 she captured the French brig Jeune Annette (or Jeune Nannette). Jeune Annette, under Lieutenant de vaisseaux Feuqueux, was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 45 men. She had been sailing from Cayenne to Bordeaux with a cargo of "anatto, dye wood, elephants teeth, etc." and a number of deported priests, who were emaciated after their confinement. Because Suworow had previously sent in four Danish vessels, she had only 16 men and boys on board when she chased and captured Jeune Annette.
On 23 June, while Suworow was off Santander with dispatches from Admiral William Cornwallis
William Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
when she encountered a Spanish 44-gun frigate and a gun-brig. The Spaniards chased her for 14 hours and were gaining on her so Nicholson had to throw all his guns overboard to gain speed. He succeeded in escaping only when darkness arrived. Suworow then came into Plymouth for a refit.
In early October Suworow sailed into Brest under a flag of truce, bringing with her a senior officer. Nicholson ended up having dinner with Admiral Villaret, the commander of the French fleet, and the Spanish Admiral, Don Gravina. Madame Villaret presented Lieutenant
Nicholson with a morocco purse, having a bust of Bonaparte under glass, set in silver. Admiral Villaret sent a basket of fruit to Admiral Cornwallis as well.
Fate
After the signing of the Treaty of Amiens brought peace with France, the Admiralty terminated Suworows contract on 28 October, as it did the contracts of the other hired vessels. The hired vessels turned in their guns and stores prior to being paid off. Prize money from Jean Bart, Bon Citojan, Morbiham, Clair Voyante and Jeune Annette was paid on 22 March 1802.One report has Black Joke (under that name and not Suworow) being accidentally burnt in Sutton Pool, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
on 28 January 1802. She was discovered to be on fire amongst a tier of ships and after she had burned with great fury she was scuttled. She sank without doing any harm.
However, another report suggests that she may have reverted to her old name and served as the hired armed lugger Black Joke
Hired armed lugger Black Joke
The hired armed lugger Black Joke was a lugger of ten 12-pounder carronades and 108 92/94 tons burthen that entered into the service of the Royal Navy on 22 May 1808....
from 1808 until her capture by the French in 1810. Furthermore, there was a lugger Black Joke that received a 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...
on 5 May 1801. She was of 25 tons burthen, had two 2-pounder guns and was under the command of Captain Phillip Dupont.
External links
- Phillips, Michael - Ships of the Old Navy - http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=2149