Hired armed cutter Queen Charlotte
Encyclopedia
The hired armed
cutter Queen Charlotte served the Royal Navy
on two contracts, the first from 10 June 1803 to 13 February 1805, and the second from 17 September 1807 to 17 May 1814. She was of 75 14/94 tons burthen
and carried an armament of eight 4-pounder guns. There was also a cutter Queen Charlotte that was present at the taking of Saint Lucia
in May 1796 by British forces under Sir Hugh Christian
and Sir Ralph Abercrombie
.
On 17 July 1803 , and Queen Charlotte captured the Caroline. Then on 28 July, the same three vessels recaptured from the French the brig Mercure, which apparently was British-built and once called Mercury. In November Queen Charlotte was under the command of Lieutenant John G.M.B. McKillop.
In late 1804, Vice-Admiral Erasmus Gower
, then Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
, sent the Queen Charlotte, under Lieutenant Isaac H. Morrison, to Labrador
to investigate reports of an influx of American fishing boats. As a result of the report, the Admiralty decided to station a sloop in the fishing waters to chase off the Americans. In October Morrison transferred to command the newly-launched schooner , which was, however, a smaller vessel. His replacement in 1805 was Lieutenant John Brown.
declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive in the United Kingdom until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. Even though she was not yet on her second contract, Queen Charlotte was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate Speshnoy, then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship Wilhelmina at the same time. Later, Queen Charlotte was under master Mr Joseph Thomas when on 22 July 1810 she recaptured the William.
Then on 29 August 1810 near Alderney
Queen Charlotte encountered a French vessel of sixteen 12-pounder guns. After a fight of an hour and a half, the French sailed away. Queen Charlotte had one man killed and 14 wounded out of her total complement of 27, including her master and a passenger. One or more of the wounded may have died afterwards. The French vessel was believed to have been the former British revenue cutter Swan, captured two years earlier off Portland, and to have had a crew of 80 to 100 men. James reports the French vessel as having sixteen 6-pounders and a crew of 120. The passenger was a Mr P.A. Mulgrave, who had been employed in establishing a telegraph between Jersey
and the British fleet of Cherbourg. He was wounded above the eye while firing a musket but remained on deck, helping with ammunition, during the whole fight. Seven years earlier master J. Thomas had been second in command of the hired armed cutter Princess Augusta
during a less bloody but equally lop-sided and ultimately equally successful action.
Later reports have Queen Charlotte conveying vessels between Portsmouth and the Channel Islands
.
On 15 June 1812 Queen Charlotte was in company with the hired armed lugger Sandwich when Sandwich captured the French privateer Courageaux. Courageaux was armed with two guns and carried a crew of 24 men. She was four days out of Brehat and had not captured anything.
Queen Charlotte, under the command of William Nisbet and belonging to the Old Shipping Company, of Berwick
, encountered a French privateer cutter of 14 guns. The privateer fired a shot and called on Nisbet to surrender. Nisbet fired back and an engagement of more than an hour and a half ensued before the privateer sailed away empty-handed. Queen Charlotte was armed with six 18-pounder carronade
s and two long 4-pounders, as were all the vessels belonging to the company. The carronades probably gave Queen Charlotte a heavier broadside than the privateer. In the fight, Nisbet and another seaman were wounded.
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 Queen Charlotte 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...
on two contracts, the first from 10 June 1803 to 13 February 1805, and the second from 17 September 1807 to 17 May 1814. She was of 75 14/94 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...
and carried an armament of eight 4-pounder guns. There was also a cutter Queen Charlotte that was present at the taking of Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
in May 1796 by British forces under Sir Hugh Christian
Hugh Cloberry Christian
Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian KB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary Wars....
and Sir Ralph Abercrombie
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
.
First contract
On her first contract Queen Charlotte may initially have been under the command of Lieutenant John Drew, on the Newfoundland Station.On 17 July 1803 , and Queen Charlotte captured the Caroline. Then on 28 July, the same three vessels recaptured from the French the brig Mercure, which apparently was British-built and once called Mercury. In November Queen Charlotte was under the command of Lieutenant John G.M.B. McKillop.
In late 1804, Vice-Admiral Erasmus Gower
Erasmus Gower
Sir Erasmus Gower naval officer and colonial governor born Cilgerran, Wales and died Hambledon, Hampshire, England....
, then Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, sent the Queen Charlotte, under Lieutenant Isaac H. Morrison, to Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
to investigate reports of an influx of American fishing boats. As a result of the report, the Admiralty decided to station a sloop in the fishing waters to chase off the Americans. In October Morrison transferred to command the newly-launched schooner , which was, however, a smaller vessel. His replacement in 1805 was Lieutenant John Brown.
Second contract
On 26 October 1806 Tsar Alexander I of RussiaAlexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive in the United Kingdom until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. Even though she was not yet on her second contract, Queen Charlotte was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate Speshnoy, then in Portsmouth harbour. The British seized the Russian storeship Wilhelmina at the same time. Later, Queen Charlotte was under master Mr Joseph Thomas when on 22 July 1810 she recaptured the William.
Then on 29 August 1810 near Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
Queen Charlotte encountered a French vessel of sixteen 12-pounder guns. After a fight of an hour and a half, the French sailed away. Queen Charlotte had one man killed and 14 wounded out of her total complement of 27, including her master and a passenger. One or more of the wounded may have died afterwards. The French vessel was believed to have been the former British revenue cutter Swan, captured two years earlier off Portland, and to have had a crew of 80 to 100 men. James reports the French vessel as having sixteen 6-pounders and a crew of 120. The passenger was a Mr P.A. Mulgrave, who had been employed in establishing a telegraph between Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and the British fleet of Cherbourg. He was wounded above the eye while firing a musket but remained on deck, helping with ammunition, during the whole fight. Seven years earlier master J. Thomas had been second in command of the hired armed cutter Princess Augusta
Hired armed cutter Princess Augusta
The Hired armed cutter Princess Augusta served the Royal Navy from 12 July 1803 to 2 May 1814. She was armed with eight 4-pounder guns, had a complement of 26 men, and was of 70 tons burthen...
during a less bloody but equally lop-sided and ultimately equally successful action.
Later reports have Queen Charlotte conveying vessels between Portsmouth and the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
.
On 15 June 1812 Queen Charlotte was in company with the hired armed lugger Sandwich when Sandwich captured the French privateer Courageaux. Courageaux was armed with two guns and carried a crew of 24 men. She was four days out of Brehat and had not captured anything.
Other vessels
On 24 January 1804, the packetPacket ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
Queen Charlotte, under the command of William Nisbet and belonging to the Old Shipping Company, of Berwick
Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a border town in the north of England.Berwick may also refer to:- England :*Berwick Street Market, London*Berwick, Sussex**Berwick railway station*Berwick St John, Wiltshire...
, encountered a French privateer cutter of 14 guns. The privateer fired a shot and called on Nisbet to surrender. Nisbet fired back and an engagement of more than an hour and a half ensued before the privateer sailed away empty-handed. Queen Charlotte was armed with six 18-pounder carronade
Carronade
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 and two long 4-pounders, as were all the vessels belonging to the company. The carronades probably gave Queen Charlotte a heavier broadside than the privateer. In the fight, Nisbet and another seaman were wounded.