HMS Ambush (1814)
Encyclopedia
HMS Ambush, or Ambush No. 5, was the American Gunboat No. 5 , launched in 1805. She served in the Mediterranean later that year. The Royal Navy
captured her at the Battle of Lake Borgne
on 14 December 1814. She was sold in 1815.
had built for the defense of the United States. Price built her to a design by Josiah Fox, "Head Ship Carpenter and Navy Constructor", launched her on 1 March 1805. She may have been a double-ender, initially armed with two 32-pounder guns (one fore and one aft). She had 2600 pounds of copper in the sheathing for her hull and in her fittings, had a single mast amidships, and was rigged with a lanteen sail.
Gunboat No. 5 left Hampton Roads on 15 May and sailed to the Mediterranean, in company with Gunboat No. 10.Gunboat No. 5 is not the Gunboat No. 5 that Commodore Edward Preble
borrowed from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
in 1804 for use against Tripoli. He returned that vessel, the three other gunboats, and two bomb ketches he had borrowed, later in 1804. In 1805 the navy sent eight gunboats to the Mediterranean. For the voyage across the Atlantic, the gunboats received a dandy rig, a false keels, and lee boards. They stowed their guns below, but carried light guns, possibly swivel gun
s, in order to have some means of defense.
Although Gunboats No. 2 through 10 (minus No. 7) arrived in the Mediterranean too late to see action, they remained there with Commodore Rodgers's squadron until summer 1806. They then sailed back to the United States.
Gunboat No. 5 took up station at Norfolk, Virginia. On 13 March 1808 she sailed for Baltimore to assist the Collector of Customs there in enforcing the Embargo Act of 1807
and the subsequent Non-Intercourse Act
.
Robert Henly took command at Baltimore on 9 April 1808. (Henley later would command two divisions of 15 gunboats, Gunboat No. 5 not among them, that drove three British frigates from Hampton Roads on 20 June 1813.) At some point during her service enforcing the embargo Gunboat No. 5 detained the sloop John Upshaw. It was probably probably before that interception that Gunboat No. 5 sank.
She was under the command of Sailing Master B. G. Hipkins when on 18 June 1808 a squall sank her off Holland Island
in the Chesapeake. She lost three men drowned - the purser’s steward and two marines - before the schooner Victory, which saw the loss, could rescue the remaining crew. Though she sank in some six fathoms of water, she clearly was raised as she would continue to serve for at least seven more years.
In April 1813, Gunboats No. 5, No. 22, No. 65, No. 156, No. 162, and No. 163 sailed for Mobile, Alabama
, under the overall command of Captain John Shaw. There, on 19 April, the expeditionary force captured Fort Charlotte
from the Spanish. At the time, No. 5 was armed with one 24-pounder and four 6-pounder guns.
In August 1814, Sailing Master Jonathan D. Ferris took command. Under his command Gunboat No. 5 participated in the destruction of the pirates and smugglers at Barataria Bay
in September.Congress (1860), Report No. 361.The Congressional report refers to Ferris as a lieutenant, but all other reports give his rank as "Sailing Master". She captured an unarmed pirate brig on 23 September.
Ferris was still her commander at the Battle of Lake Borgne. At this time she had a crew of 36 and armed with a 24-pounder gun and four 12-pounder carronade
s.
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...
captured her at the 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:...
on 14 December 1814. She was sold in 1815.
US service (1805-14)
Gunboat No. 5 was built in Baltimore by William Price as one of the a number of gunboats that President Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
had built for the defense of the United States. Price built her to a design by Josiah Fox, "Head Ship Carpenter and Navy Constructor", launched her on 1 March 1805. She may have been a double-ender, initially armed with two 32-pounder guns (one fore and one aft). She had 2600 pounds of copper in the sheathing for her hull and in her fittings, had a single mast amidships, and was rigged with a lanteen sail.
Gunboat No. 5 left Hampton Roads on 15 May and sailed to the Mediterranean, in company with Gunboat No. 10.Gunboat No. 5 is not the Gunboat No. 5 that Commodore Edward Preble
Edward Preble
Edward Preble was a United States naval officer.-Early life and Revolutionary War:Preble was born at Falmouth, Eastern Massachusetts, now Portland, Maine, 15 August 1761, the son of Gen. Jedidiah Preble. As a boy, his home was destroyed in the burning of Falmouth by British Naval Commander Henry...
borrowed from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
in 1804 for use against Tripoli. He returned that vessel, the three other gunboats, and two bomb ketches he had borrowed, later in 1804. In 1805 the navy sent eight gunboats to the Mediterranean. For the voyage across the Atlantic, the gunboats received a dandy rig, a false keels, and lee boards. They stowed their guns below, but carried light guns, possibly 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, in order to have some means of defense.
Although Gunboats No. 2 through 10 (minus No. 7) arrived in the Mediterranean too late to see action, they remained there with Commodore Rodgers's squadron until summer 1806. They then sailed back to the United States.
Gunboat No. 5 took up station at Norfolk, Virginia. On 13 March 1808 she sailed for Baltimore to assist the Collector of Customs there in enforcing the Embargo Act of 1807
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 and the subsequent Nonintercourse Acts were American laws restricting American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years of 1807 and 1812. The Acts were diplomatic responses by presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison designed to protect American interests...
and the subsequent Non-Intercourse Act
Non-Intercourse Act
In the last four days of President Thomas Jefferson's presidency, the United States Congress replaced the Embargo Act of 1807 with the almost unenforceable Non-Intercourse Act of March 1809. This Act lifted all embargoes on American shipping except for those bound for British or French ports. The...
.
Robert Henly took command at Baltimore on 9 April 1808. (Henley later would command two divisions of 15 gunboats, Gunboat No. 5 not among them, that drove three British frigates from Hampton Roads on 20 June 1813.) At some point during her service enforcing the embargo Gunboat No. 5 detained the sloop John Upshaw. It was probably probably before that interception that Gunboat No. 5 sank.
She was under the command of Sailing Master B. G. Hipkins when on 18 June 1808 a squall sank her off Holland Island
Holland Island
Holland Island is a marshy, rapidly-eroding island in the Chesapeake Bay, in Dorchester County, Maryland, west of Salisbury. The island was once inhabited by "watermen" and farmers, but has since been abandoned...
in the Chesapeake. She lost three men drowned - the purser’s steward and two marines - before the schooner Victory, which saw the loss, could rescue the remaining crew. Though she sank in some six fathoms of water, she clearly was raised as she would continue to serve for at least seven more years.
In April 1813, Gunboats No. 5, No. 22, No. 65, No. 156, No. 162, and No. 163 sailed for Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, under the overall command of Captain John Shaw. There, on 19 April, the expeditionary force captured Fort Charlotte
Fort Conde
Fort Conde, located in Mobile, Alabama, is a reconstruction, at 4/5 scale, as a third of the original 1720s French Fort Condé at the site...
from the Spanish. At the time, No. 5 was armed with one 24-pounder and four 6-pounder guns.
In August 1814, Sailing Master Jonathan D. Ferris took command. Under his command Gunboat No. 5 participated in the destruction of the pirates and smugglers at Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
in September.Congress (1860), Report No. 361.The Congressional report refers to Ferris as a lieutenant, but all other reports give his rank as "Sailing Master". She captured an unarmed pirate brig on 23 September.
Ferris was still her commander at the Battle of Lake Borgne. At this time she had a crew of 36 and armed with a 24-pounder gun and four 12-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.