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HMS Acasta (1797)
Encyclopedia
HMS Acasta was a 40-gun 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...
fifth-rate
Fifth-rate
In Britain's Royal Navy during the classic age of fighting sail, a fifth rate was the penultimate class of warships in a hierarchal system of six "ratings" based on size and firepower.-Rating:...
frigate. She saw service in the French Revolutionary
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...
and 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...
, as well as the 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...
. Although she never took part in any notable single-ship actions nor saw action in a major battle though she was at the 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...
, she captured numerous prizes and rid the seas of many Spanish, French and American privateers. She was finally broken up in 1821.
Design
Sir William Rule designed her to develop a frigate to replace the 44-gun ships that carried their armament on two decks. Consequently, she was one of the largest frigates built in England, mounting forty guns, thirty 18-pounders on one main gun deck, with another ten 9-pounder long guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. Later eight 32-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 replaced the 9-pounder guns. She was launched at the yard of John Randall & Co., of Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a residential district in inner southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area...
on 14 March 1797.
French Revolutionary Wars
Acastas first captain was Richard Lane, who took command in February 1797 and oversaw her launch and commissioning. He sailed her to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in February 1798.
She took numerous prizes in the Caribbean.
In May or thereabouts, Acasta also captured Herondelle, of 10 guns, another privateer of six guns, and a third privateer, pierced for 10 but carrying six and a crew of 40 men. Acasta and captured St Mary de Louvaine, which was carrying two guns and had a crew of 25 men. On 2 July Acasta and Ceres chased San Josef de Victorio (or San Josef de Victorioso, which had been sailing from Europe, ashore six leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
to windward of San Juan. Acasta sent in her boats to try to get the privateer off, but when they were unable to do so, they burnt her.
On 20 July, Acasta and Ceres destroyed Mutine, Va Tout and Marie. Lane and Captain Otway of Ceres had received intelligence that a French navy brig of 16 guns, two privateer schooners and several other vessels were anchored in Aguada Bay
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Aguadilla , founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 wards and Aguadilla Pueblo...
, under the guns of a Spanish fort. The British sent in a cutting out party in boats that according to the account in the Naval Chronicle brought out the all the vessels. Mutine carried sixteen 6-pounder guns and one 12-pounder chase gun, all manned with 90 men. The two privateers had four guns each and 45 men as crew. Lastly, there were four schooners that the French had taken as prizes. The British had no casualties though the French may have lost more than 40 men killed and drowned.
In April 1827, i.e., some 29 years later, head money was payable for all four French "vessels of war": San Josef de Victoire, Mutine, Va Tout and Marie.
In October 1798 Acasta was in company with as they cruised off Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
. In late 1798 or early 1799 Acasta captured the French privateer brig Actif (Active), of eight guns and 36 men and the Spanish armed schooner Cincinnatus, of two guns and 33 men. Acasta also burnt a French privateer schooner whose name was not recorded, of six guns and 60 men. With Trent, Acasta captured the Spanish armed ship Penada of 14 guns and 40 men.
Acasta also captured three merchant vessels and destroyed three. With Trent she captured four and destroyed seven.
On May 24 1799 Lane died suddenly at Jamaica. Captain Edward Fellowes replaced Lane and continued sailing her in the Caribbean. Between May and July, Acasta, in company with and , captured a Danish schooner that had been sailing from Jacquemel
Jacmel
Jacmel, also known by its indigenous Taíno name of Yaquimel, is a town in southern Haiti founded in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est and has an estimated population of 40,000, while the municipality of Jacmel had a population of 137,966 at the 2003 Census.The buildings are...
to St. Thomas with a cargo of coffee and dollars.
On 22 May 1799, Acasta captured the Antoine, Desiree, and Lukas. Prize money was due in January 1802.
Acasta captured the Spanish ship Juno, of 130 tons burthen. She was pierced for 16 guns but carried eight and had a crew of 22 men. She was sailing from La Guira, Cuba, to Cadiz with a cargo of cocoa and indigo
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
. Acasta also captured a polacca
Polacca
A polacca is a type of seventeenth-century sailing vessel, similar to the xebec. The name is the feminine of "Polish" in the Italian language. The polacca was frequently seen in the Mediterranean...
of 130 tons and two guns, which was sailing from St. Juan, Puerto Rico, to La Vera Cruz carrying brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
, wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and dry goods. Acastas boats took the French schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
the Aimable Eustatie, of 20 tons, one gun and 16 men, which was carrying 268 bags of coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
from Cape Francois
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
to St. Thomas. Lastly, Acasta destroyed two French schooner-rigged rowboats and two sloop-rigged Spanish doggers.
In addition to these larger prizes, Acasta or her boats also:
- broke up a Spanish sloop carrying plantains;
- took but then cut adrift the Spanish sloop
Ocoa Point
Ocoa Point is a steep headland backed by raised beach terraces at the head of New Plymouth harbour in Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica...
that was carrying a cargo of sugar;
Later, Acasta captured a 16-gun xebec
Xebec
A xebec , also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. It would have a long overhanging bowsprit and protruding mizzen mast...
carrying wine, brandy and dry goods. She had no papers and so the endpoints of her voyage were unknown. She ran onshore off of the east end of Puerto Rico where Acastas boats got her off. Next, Acasta took the Spanish felucca
Felucca
A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in protected waters of the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean including Malta, and particularly along the Nile in Egypt, Sudan, and also in Iraq. Its rig consists of one or two lateen sails....
Jesus Maria y San Josef, which was sailing from Cadiz bound to San Juan with dry goods, steel and paper.
The capture or destruction of two more armed vessels and several merchantmen followed. One armed vessel was a Spanish schooner of 20 tons that carried four swivel gun
Swivel gun
The term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
s. Acasta cut her out of Cape Codera, Venezuela, where she was anchored with her cargo of indigo and cotton. The other was also a Spanish schooner, this of 35 tons, armed with six guns. She was out of New Barcelona and too carried indigo and cotton, as well as hides.
Acasta took or sank numerous small, unarmed merchantmen as well. These were:
- French schooner of 15 tons sunk at anchor near Porto Gravois;
- French schooner
Saona Island
Saona Island is a tropical island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic, near La Altagracia Province. It is a government protected nature reserve and is part of East National Park...
, with her cargo of plantains and timber;
Around the middle of 1800, Acasta was in company with when they captured a Spanish brig laden with Tortula (Tortola) sugar, logwood, cotton, cochineal
Cochineal
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and...
, etc. Acasta was in company with , , and Aquilon when the took the Spanish schooner San Pablos del Mundo and her cargo of jerk beef. Lastly, Acasta and Queen took the Spanish schooner General Massaredo, which had been sailing from Havana to Campeche
Campeche, Campeche
San Francisco de Campeche is the capital city of the Mexican state of Campeche, located at,...
with dry goods.
Prize money for the Diana, Fortuna, Les Animas, and the cochineal taken in the Aimable Maria between May and June 1801 was due in July 1802. shared with Acasta in the capture of the Aimable Maria and her 42 seroons of cochineal. On 27 July 1801 Acasta captured the Spanish vessel Jupiter.
After these successes, Fellowes took Acasta back to England. On 4 January 1802 one of Acastas marines came before a court martial on . The charges were mutinous conduct, throwing a bottle at his corporal, and disorderly conduct. The court martial found him guilty and shortly thereafter he was hanged on Acasta.
In spring 1802 James Athol Wood
James Athol Wood
Sir James Athol Wood , British rear-admiral. Younger brother of Sir Sir Mark Wood, 1st Baronet. After serving on merchant ships for the East India Company from a young age, he entered the Royal Navy in 1774. Wood served in the navy for almost his whole life, and took part in several of the wars...
replaced Fellowes. Acasta spent some time the Mediterranean before returning to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 8 July 1802. She then sailed again for the Mediterranean on 8 November carrying dispatches relating to 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"...
. After her return to England Wood again recommissioned her. From January 1803 she was on the North sea station, based at Lieth
Lieth
Lieth is a municipality in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
. She sailed to Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
on 7 March 1803, being based there until the renewal of hostilities with the French.
Napoleonic Wars
From April Acasta was under the command of Captain James Oswald (temporary). In May Acasta picked up Admiral the Honourable William CornwallisWilliam 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...
in Lymington and took him to Torbay where he was to take command of the Channel Fleet. Acasta then joined him in patrolling off Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
, watching the French fleet in harbour at 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...
.
Under Oswald Acasta captured several prizes. First, on 24 May 1803, Acasta was in company with and the sloop when they captured the Batavian
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....
ship Berbice. On 28 May Acasta captured the French brig Margaretta, which had been carrying brandy, wine and the like from Sète
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
to Antwerp.
Then Acasta captured the Batavian ship Zorgwyk on 30 May. The next day Acasta captured the Swedish brig Gustava. That same day Acasta captured the Dutch ship Planter's Lust.
In June Acasta captured the:
By 4 July 1803, Acasta, again under the command of Wood, recaptured the Caerwent. Then on 2 October, Acasta captured the French privateer Aventure. The Aventure was out of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
and carried 20 guns and a crew of 144 men. The Acasta pursued her in the mid-Atlantic for 45 hours, finally bringing her to action and capturing her. Wood also recaptured two prizes, the Royal Edward and the St. Mary's Planter, that Aventure had taken from the Jamaican convoy and whose captains were aboard Aventure. When Acasta intercepted Aventure, she had been about to take possession of the Jane, before going after a fourth ship of the convoy.
In late Acasta escorted to a convoy to the West Indies. When she arrived at Jamaica, Sir John Duckworth
John Thomas Duckworth
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British naval officer, serving during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as the Governor of Newfoundland during the War of 1812, and a member of the British House of Commons during his...
ordered Wood to assume command of Hercule
French ship Hercule (1798)
The Hercule was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During her maiden journey, on 21 April 1798, and just 24 hours out of port, she was captured by the British ship HMS Mars after a violent fight, off Île de Sein near Brest...
, which was then at sea and which, on its return, would not be available. Duckworth then would return to England in Acasta under a new captain. However, even though Hercule was not in fact available, Duckworth refused to rescind his appointment of Captain Richard Dunn, with the result that Wood returned to England as a passenger in his own ship. On his return to England, Wood demanded a court martial of Duckworth on charges, inter alia, of tyranny and oppression. The court martial board ruled that Duckworth was within his rights and dismissed the charges. The Admiralty re-appointed Wood to Acasta, but he was unable to take up the appointment. The Admiralty then appointed Wood to . Also, the Admiralty passed a regulation barring an admiral on a foreign station from copying Duckworth's example.
Acasta, under the command of Dunn, next saw action under Duckworth in the 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...
on 6 February 1806. Duckworth sent Acasta and Magicienne
French frigate Magicienne (1778)
The Magicienne was a frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. The British captured her in 1781 and she served with the Royal Navy until her crew burned her in 1810 to prevent her capture after she grounded at Île de France...
to reconnoitre, and it was they that signaled that the French were at anchor, but getting under way. Duckworth formed up the smaller ships, Acasta, Magicienne, and windward of the line-of-battle ships to keep them out of the action.
forced the surrender of the Brave
French ship Cassard (1795)
Cassard was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Dix-août in 1798 and subsequently Brave in 1803.On the 27 March 1801, as she sailed with the fleet of Toulon, she collided with the Formidable and had to return to harbour.She was captured by the HMS Donegal on 6 February...
and directed Acasta to take possession of her, whilst the Donegal moved on to engage the other French ships. Brave This was one of the three that the British captured, the other two being the Jupiter
French ship Viala (1795)
The Viala was a 74-gun of the French Navy launched in 1795. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1806 and sold in 1814.-French service:...
and the Alexandre
French ship Indivisible (1799)
Indivisible was a Tonnant class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Originally named the Indivisible in 1793, she was commissioned in Toulon on 23 September 1800. On 5 February 1803, she was renamed Alexandre, and recommissioned in Brest under captain Leveyer.In December, under captain...
. To prevent the capture of their vessels, the captains of the flagship, Impérial
French ship Vengeur (1803)
The Vengeur was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané....
, and the Diomède
French ship Union (1799)
The Union was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was renamed Diomède in 1803. She was wrecked and burnt at the Battle of San Domingo....
, drove them on shore between Nizao
Nizao
-General information:Nizao is a city in the Dominican Republic and capital of the Nizao Municipality. It is the second large municipality of the Peravia Province and is located in southeastern corner of this province, in the angle formed by the estuary of the Nizao River and the Caribbean Sea...
and Point Catalan, their hulls broadside to the beach and their bottoms stove in by the reefs. On 8 February Duckworth sent boats from Acasta and Magicienne to the wrecks. Boarding unopposed, the boat parties removed the remaining French crewmen as prisoners and set both ships on fire. Lastly, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the surviving claimants from the action the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "St. Domingo".
On 8 June 1806, Acasta captured the Spanish Prize money
Prize money
Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...
droit
Droit
A droit is a legal title, claim or due.-Droits of admiralty :The term is used in English law in the phrase "droits of admiralty". This refers to certain customary rights or perquisites, formerly belonging to the Lord High Admiral, but now to the crown, for public purposes and paid into the...
s Fortunata.
Commanding the assaults in the Caribbean
In 1807, whilst Acasta was serving in the Channel, Captain Philip BeaverPhilip Beaver
Philip Beaver was an officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries...
replaced Wood. She escorted a convoy back to Britain from the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
in December, and performed the same duty again in 1808. Acasta then returned to the Leeward Islands.
On 17 July 1808 she captured the French navy's corvette Serpent at La Guiara. Serpent was armed with sixteen 24-pounder carronades and two long 6-pounder guns. She had a crew of 104 men under the command of Enseigne de Vaisseau Mons. Lamanon. Rear-Admiral the Honourable Sir Alexander Cochrane
Alexander Cochrane
Admiral Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane GCB RN was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars.-Naval career:...
provisionally named her Pert, but as there was already a brig by that name, the Admiralty named her .
In 1809 Cochrane decided to attack Martinique. Beaver's role, on Acasta, would be to organize the landing of the troops. Lieutenant-General Beckwith, the commander of the land forces, therefore sailed on her too. The fleet sailed from Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
on 28 January. On at dawn on 30 January Acasta Acasta and the transports were four leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
windward of Carvel Rock
Carvel Rock
Carvel Rock is an uninhabited islet of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, less than in size. It is only ever visited by boats as a dive site, but has sheer cliffs and no beach, and it would be almost impossible to make a landing....
. She then led the fleet into Bay Robert, being joined by , , , and ; had joined the previous evening.
The weather made anchoring off Loup Garou, an islet ten miles from Martinique, too difficult. Beaver decided instead to take his flotilla into the Cul de Sac, with the warships leading to protect the landing. He prepared carefully, sending boats to place flags to mark the shoals. Then Acasta led in and the transports. The flotilla successfully negotiated the passage with the result that all the vessels were at anchor by noon. The landing commenced and by sunset the first and second brigades, some 4,500 men, and some of the artillery and horses were on shore. By 7am the next morning even the reserve was on shore. On 24 February the French called for a truce after a magazine in the fort blew up as a result of the British artillery bombardment. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all surviving claimants from the action.
In April, Cochrane was blockading a French squadron consisting of three ships of the line and two frigates that had taken shelter in the Îles des Saintes
Îles des Saintes
The Îles des Saintes , also called simply Les Saintes , is a small archipelago of French Antilles located in the South of Basse-Terre Island, on the West of Marie-Galante and in the North of Dominica in the arc of Lesser Antilles...
near Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. Beckwith decided to send troops under General Maitland to take the islands and the ships, or at least force them out to sea. Cochrane then appointed Beaver, still in Acasta, as commodore of the division. The fleet sailed from Fort Royal Bay, Martinique, on 12 April with two or three thousand troops. By 10 o'clock on the morning of 14 April the ships were in place and Acasta led , , and into the channel and anchored opposite the Bois Joly bay. The frigates covered the landings; the only opposition was fire from guns on the Islet of Cabrit, which fired at the ships from over a ridge. Three days of fighting followed, which resulted in the reduction of the French forts and the capture of the French troops. However, the French squadron had already escaped on 14 April.
Next, Acasta shared in the prize money for the , which , and had captured on 17 April 1809.
Acasta then returned to England and was under repair in 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...
in 1811, with Captain Alexander Robert Kerr taking over command in April 1811. On 28 August, Acasta was in company with the gun-brig when they captured the Catharina Augusta. Then Acasta was in company with when on 19 October they took the schooner Trojan, which was wrecked. Three days later they captured the schooner Henry.
War of 1812
On the outbreak of the War of 1812War 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...
, Acasta was assigned to operate off the coast of America. On 24 July 1812 she captured the privateer Curlew, of 240 tons. Curlew was pierced for 18 guns but carried only sixteen, and had a complement of 172 men.
On 20 August Acasta captured the schooner Patriot, of 140 tons. She was sailing from Norfolk to Lisbon with a cargo of flour, peas, and beans. Ten days later Acasta captured the schooner Betsey, of 127 tons. She was sailing from Naples to Boston with brandy.
Acasta then captured the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Federal on 17 September. The Federal was bound for Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
from Prince's Island. Acasta also retook the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Blonde on 17 October, which had been on passage from Martinique to Newfoundland
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...
.
Further success followed in 3 November when Acasta, , and captured the privateer schooner Snapper of Philadelphia. Snapper was armed with ten guns and had a crew of 90 men.
On 10 December Acasta, and captured the 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...
brig Herald, bound from Bordeaux to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. The British took Herald into service as the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
. The next day Acasta took the schooner Farmer's Fancy, en route from Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
to Philadelphia. Around the 16th, Acasta and Poictiers captured the ship Pekin, sailing from Boston to Alexandria.
Poictiers and Acasta captured the privateer Highflyer on 9 January 1813. Highflyer was armed with five guns and had a crew of 72 men. She was returning from the West Indies , where she had made several captures. The Royal Navy took 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...
into service under her existing name.
Acasta, Poictiers and Maidstone captured the Lydia, out of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, on 17 January. Also in January, Acasta and Poictiers captured the schooner Rhoda.
Acasta was one of six vessels that shared in the capture of the American brigs Gustavus and Staunch on 24 February 1813. She was one of 12 sharing in the capture of the American
brigs Christina and Massasoit on 3 and 14 March 1813. Acasta was one of eight vessels sharing in the capture of the General Knox on 17 March.
On 17 June 1813, was in company with Acasta when they came upon in pursuit of an American brig off Cape Sable. The three British ships continued the chase for another 100 miles before they finally were able to capture the brig. She was the 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...
Porcupine, of more than 300 tons, and was carrying a valuable cargo from Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
to Boston. Captain Robert Dudley Oliver of Vollant described Porcupine as being only eight months old and an uncommonly fast sailer. After the capture, Wasp, which had recaptured a prize that the privateer Young Teazer
Young Teazer
The Young Teazer was an American privateer schooner that the 74-gun third rate trapped in a naval battle off Chester, Nova Scotia during the War of 1812. Young Teazer was under the command of William D. Dobson and Hogue was under the command of Captain Thomas Bladen Capel...
had taken, sailed in search of the privateer. In October 1830 head money was paid for the capture of Porcupine.
On 6 September, Captain Oliver of Valiant sent Acasta and up Long Island Sound "to endeavour to annoy the enemy". They returned five days later, having taken and destroyed fifteen small vessels, most of which they burnt as they were in ballast.
Further captures followed. She sent the American schooner Prudence, of four men and 17 tons, and the sloop Diana into Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in July 1814. Then on 2 August she took another two schooners, the Stephanie and the Hazard, and two sloops, the Jane and the Hazard.
On 2 July 1814, Acasta was among the vessels sharing in the capture of the schooner Little Tom and her cargo of lumber, plank, and shingles.
On 28 December 1814, Acasta, and captured the notorious American privateer Prince de Neufchatel
Prince de Neufchatel
The Prince de Neufchatel was a fast sailing United States schooner-rigged privateer, built in New York by Noah and Adam Brown in approximately 1812. She is a fine example of the peak of development of the armed schooner. Neufchatel operated in mainly European waters, damaging British shipping...
. Her most famous captain, John Ordronaux, who was also one of her three owners and who had inflicted massive casualties on the boats of , was apparently not her captain at the time; her commander was Nicholas Millin. At the time of her capture, Prince de Neufchatel was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 129 men. She was eight days out of Boston.
On 4 January 1815, Acasta, Leander and Newcastle recaptured the John.
Chasing the Constitution
Leander, under Sir George CollierSir George Collier, 1st Baronet
Sir George Ralph Collier, 1st Baronet KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812. He had an eventful early life, being shipwrecked early in his career and later captured by the French...
, had been watching the , then in harbour at Boston. When Collier had to interrupt his surveillance in order to take Leander to Halifax to resupply, he left Acasta and Newcastle off the port. Whilst Collier was away, Constitution and two other heavy frigates left Boston. Collier prepared to pursue, but had orders to send Acasta into Halifax for a refit. Captain Kerr pleaded to be allowed to join the chase; Collier relented and allowed Acasta to remain. The British squadron eventually sighted Constitution in heavy weather off Porto Praya on 11 March 1815. She was proceeding with two prizes, the sloops and . Due to the weather and some confusion, Constitution eluded the British.
Fire from Leander led Levants crew to run her ashore, where Acasta then captured her. Collier eventually left Acasta and Newcastle windward of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
while he searched for Constitution. However, she had returned to port, thus avoiding an engagement.
That same month, Acasta recaptured St Lawrence
HMS St Lawrence (1813)
HMS St Lawrence was a 14-gun schooner of the Royal Navy. She had been built in 1808 in St. Michels, Talbot County, Maryland for Thomas Tennant and sold to Philadelphians in 1810. During the War of 1812 she was the American privateer Atlas. The British captured her in 1813 and renamed her St Lawrence...
.
Fate
Acasta returned to England in 1815 where she was paid off to ordinaryReserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
on 12 September. She was broken up at Woolwich on 1 January 1821.