HMS Highflyer (1813)
Encyclopedia
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. She then participated in several raids on the Chesapeake and coastal Virginia before the Americans recaptured her later in 1813.
in 1811, and operated out of Baltimore. She was of 138 tons and was originally set up for six long nine-pounder cannon. She apparently sailed with one long 12-pounder and four 9-pounder carronades.
Under Captain John Gavet, on 21 July 1812 she captured the British merchantman Jamaica, with seven guns and 21 men, and the Diana. The next day, she captured the Mary Ann, with 12 guns and 18 men. On 26 August, she sent into Baltimore the schooner Harriet, of four guns, which had been sailing from New Providence
to Havana
. On her second cruise, under Captain Jeremiah Grant, she captured the brig
Porgie, sailing from Antigua
, and the brig Burchall, traveling from Barbados
to Demerara
, plus a number of coasting vessels operating among islands of the West Indies. She also took the brig Fernando, which was, however, retaken. Lastly, she sent into Charleston
the ten-gun brig Active.
took Highflyer into service with the Royal Navy
as an eight-gun schooner
, still under her original name.
She was initially employed in the Chesapeake as a tender to Sir John Borlase Warren
's . On 13 April 1813, Warren's squadron, consisting of Highflyer, and more importantly San Domingo, , , , , and Mohawk
, pursued four schooners into the Rappahannock
. The British sent boats 15 miles upriver before capturing their prey. The British took three of the schooners into service. The six-gun Chesapeake schooner Lynx became Mosquidobit
. Of the three Baltimore schooners, the Racer became Shelburne
; the Dolphin
retained her name; lastly, it is not clear what became of Arab, which with Dolphin, put up some resistance. Dolphin had been on a privateering cruise; consequently she carried 100 men and 12 guns.
On 29 April, boats from Dolphin, Dragon, Fantome, Highflyer, Maidstone, Marlborough, Mohawk, Racer and Statira went up the Elk River
in Chesapeake Bay under the personal command of Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn
. Their objective was to destroy five American ships and stores, and by some accounts, a cannon foundry at French Town
. This took until 3 May 1813 to complete. On the way, after a battery at Havre de Grace fired on them from the shore, a landing party destroyed the battery and burned much of the town
. The Navy issued 48 clasps — marked "28 April Boat Service 1813" - to the Naval General Service Medal for the action.
On 30 April Highflyer supported Fantome and Mohawks boats when the vessels gathered cattle for the fleet's use, paying with bills on the Victualling Office. The next day, the vessels secured more cattle from Spesutie (Spesucie) Island
just south of Havre de Grace at the mouth of the Susquehanna River
.
At some point in May, Highflyer captured the American lookout boat Betsey, under the command of Captain Smith. Highflyer burnt her captive and took the crew aboard.
On 23 May 1813, the Virginia privateer schooner Roger departed Norfolk
under Captain Roger Quarles, an experienced merchant seaman. The 188 ton vessel carried 14 guns and 120 men. Some days after leaving Norfolk, Roger and Highflyer encountered each other and an indecisive, though prolonged, fight ensued. At the time of this encounter, Highflyer carried five guns and a crew of 50. After suffering the death of her captain, Lieutenant Theophilus Lewis, and two other men, as well as twelve men wounded (two of whom would die later), as well as damage to her sails, Highflyer was unable to pursue Roger as she sailed off. During the fight, two men from Betsey were able to escape in a boat and get to land. After the fight, the British gave Smith and the remainder of his crew a boat in which they were able to get to Norfolk.
On 11 July, a squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral George Cockburn
in , and comprising , , , and and Highflyer, "tenders", anchored off Ocracoke Island, on the North Carolina
coast. The next day they landed troops under Lieutenant Colonel Napier of the 102nd Regiment of Foot. The two tenders and the a number of smaller vessels were in the third division.
The squadron faced resistance from a brig and a schooner, the only American armed vessels. The first division, under Lieutenant Westphall, came in under covering fire from Congreve rocket
s and captured the two American vessels. These two were the Atlas and the Anaconda, both letters of marque
. Anaconda was a brig-sloop of 18 long 9-pounder guns and a crew of 160, with a home port of New York
. Atlas, of 10 guns and 240 tons, had a home port of Philadelphia. Both subsequently entered the Royal Navy. retained her own name; Atlas became a 14-gun schooner under the name .
While the navy was capturing the American vessels, the troops captured Portsmouth and Ocracoke islands.
recaptured Highflyer on 23 September 1813 off Nantucket Sound
. President's captain, John Rodgers
, had captured British recognition signals and so was able to decoy Highflyer alongside. He then captured her without firing a shot, together with a number of despatches and more British signals. A prize crew then took Highflyer to Newport
; her captain, Lieutenant George Hutchinson, remained a prisoner on board President. The Americans did not take Highflyer into service.
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....
built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes. 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...
captured her in 1813. She then participated in several raids on the Chesapeake and coastal Virginia before the Americans recaptured her later in 1813.
As a privateer
Highflyer was built in Dorchester County, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1811, and operated out of Baltimore. She was of 138 tons and was originally set up for six long nine-pounder cannon. She apparently sailed with one long 12-pounder and four 9-pounder carronades.
Under Captain John Gavet, on 21 July 1812 she captured the British merchantman Jamaica, with seven guns and 21 men, and the Diana. The next day, she captured the Mary Ann, with 12 guns and 18 men. On 26 August, she sent into Baltimore the schooner Harriet, of four guns, which had been sailing from New Providence
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. On her second cruise, under Captain Jeremiah Grant, she 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...
Porgie, sailing from Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, and the brig Burchall, traveling from 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...
to Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
, plus a number of coasting vessels operating among islands of the West Indies. She also took the brig Fernando, which was, however, retaken. Lastly, she sent into Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
the ten-gun brig Active.
In the Royal Navy
On 9 January 1813 , under Captain John Poo Beresford, with assisting, captured Highflyer. She was armed with five guns and had a crew of 72 men when the British captured her on her way back from the West Indies. The AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
took Highflyer into service with 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...
as an eight-gun 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....
, still under her original name.
She was initially employed in the Chesapeake as a tender to Sir John Borlase Warren
John Borlase Warren
Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet , was an English admiral, politician and diplomat. Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, he was the son and heir of John Borlase Warren of Stapleford and Little Marlow...
's . On 13 April 1813, Warren's squadron, consisting of Highflyer, and more importantly San Domingo, , , , , and Mohawk
USS Viper (1806)
USS Viper – commissioned as USS Ferret – was a brig serving the United States Navy during the early days of the republic. Viper was assigned to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807 along the U.S. East Coast. During the War of 1812, while cruising in the Caribbean, she was captured by the more heavily...
, pursued four schooners into the Rappahannock
Rappahannock
-Military:*Battle of Rappahannock Station I, a battle in the American Civil War*Battle of Rappahannock Station II, a battle in the American Civil War-Places:*Rappahannock River, a river in eastern Virginia...
. The British sent boats 15 miles upriver before capturing their prey. The British took three of the schooners into service. The six-gun Chesapeake schooner Lynx became Mosquidobit
HMS Mosquidobit (1813)
HMS Mosquidobit was the Chesapeake-built six-gun schooner Lynx that the British Royal Navy captured and took into service in 1813...
. Of the three Baltimore schooners, the Racer became Shelburne
HMS Shelburne (1813)
HMS Shelburne was the American privateer schooner Racer, built in Baltimore in 1811 and captured by the British in 1813. She served on the American coast, capturing the American brig Frolic...
; the Dolphin
HMS Dolphin (1813)
HMS Dolphin was the 12-gun American privateer schooner Dolphin captured by Admiral John Borlase Warren's squadron on 13 April 1813. She participated in boat actions on 29 April and 5 May 1813 for which the Royal Navy issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal...
retained her name; lastly, it is not clear what became of Arab, which with Dolphin, put up some resistance. Dolphin had been on a privateering cruise; consequently she carried 100 men and 12 guns.
On 29 April, boats from Dolphin, Dragon, Fantome, Highflyer, Maidstone, Marlborough, Mohawk, Racer and Statira went up the Elk River
Elk River (Maryland)
The Elk River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long, and as the most northeastern extension of the Chesapeake Bay estuary, serves as one entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. It is located in Cecil County, Maryland, with its headwaters extending...
in Chesapeake Bay under the personal command of Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
. Their objective was to destroy five American ships and stores, and by some accounts, a cannon foundry at French Town
Frenchtown, Cecil County, Maryland
Frenchtown was a historic settlement on the Elk River in Cecil County, Maryland, United States.Frenchtown was an important link in the north-south travel route during the 18th and 19th centuries. As a depot, it was burned by the British under Rear Admiral George Cockburn on April 29, 1813. The old...
. This took until 3 May 1813 to complete. On the way, after a battery at Havre de Grace fired on them from the shore, a landing party destroyed the battery and burned much of the town
Raid on Havre de Grace
The raid on Havre de Grace was a seaborne military operation that took place on 3 May 1813. A squadron of the British Royal Navy under Rear Admiral George Cockburn attacked the town of Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River...
. The Navy issued 48 clasps — marked "28 April Boat Service 1813" - to the Naval General Service Medal for the action.
On 30 April Highflyer supported Fantome and Mohawks boats when the vessels gathered cattle for the fleet's use, paying with bills on the Victualling Office. The next day, the vessels secured more cattle from Spesutie (Spesucie) Island
Spesutie Island
Spesutie Island is a island located in the Chesapeake Bay in Harford County, Maryland, southeast of Aberdeen. Spesutie Narrows bounds the island on the west and the bay bounds it on the north, east, and south. The island is part of Aberdeen Proving Ground....
just south of Havre de Grace at the mouth of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
.
At some point in May, Highflyer captured the American lookout boat Betsey, under the command of Captain Smith. Highflyer burnt her captive and took the crew aboard.
On 23 May 1813, the Virginia privateer schooner Roger departed Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
under Captain Roger Quarles, an experienced merchant seaman. The 188 ton vessel carried 14 guns and 120 men. Some days after leaving Norfolk, Roger and Highflyer encountered each other and an indecisive, though prolonged, fight ensued. At the time of this encounter, Highflyer carried five guns and a crew of 50. After suffering the death of her captain, Lieutenant Theophilus Lewis, and two other men, as well as twelve men wounded (two of whom would die later), as well as damage to her sails, Highflyer was unable to pursue Roger as she sailed off. During the fight, two men from Betsey were able to escape in a boat and get to land. After the fight, the British gave Smith and the remainder of his crew a boat in which they were able to get to Norfolk.
On 11 July, a squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral George Cockburn
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
in , and comprising , , , and and Highflyer, "tenders", anchored off Ocracoke Island, on the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
coast. The next day they landed troops under Lieutenant Colonel Napier of the 102nd Regiment of Foot. The two tenders and the a number of smaller vessels were in the third division.
The squadron faced resistance from a brig and a schooner, the only American armed vessels. The first division, under Lieutenant Westphall, came in under covering fire from Congreve rocket
Congreve rocket
The Congreve Rocket was a British military weapon designed and developed by Sir William Congreve in 1804.The rocket was developed by the British Royal Arsenal following the experiences of the Second, Third and Fourth Mysore Wars. The wars fought between the British East India Company and the...
s and captured the two American vessels. These two were the Atlas and the Anaconda, both letters 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...
. Anaconda was a brig-sloop of 18 long 9-pounder guns and a crew of 160, with a home port of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Atlas, of 10 guns and 240 tons, had a home port of Philadelphia. Both subsequently entered the Royal Navy. retained her own name; Atlas became a 14-gun schooner under the name .
While the navy was capturing the American vessels, the troops captured Portsmouth and Ocracoke islands.
Return to American control
The USS PresidentUSS President (1800)
USS President was a nominally rated 44-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was named by George Washington to reflect a principle of the United States Constitution. Forman Cheeseman was in charge of her construction, and she was launched in April 1800 from a...
recaptured Highflyer on 23 September 1813 off Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound is a roughly triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean offshore from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is long and wide, and is enclosed by Cape Cod on the north, Nantucket on the south, and Martha's Vineyard on the west. Between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard it is connected to the...
. President's captain, John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
, had captured British recognition signals and so was able to decoy Highflyer alongside. He then captured her without firing a shot, together with a number of despatches and more British signals. A prize crew then took Highflyer to Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
; her captain, Lieutenant George Hutchinson, remained a prisoner on board President. The Americans did not take Highflyer into service.
External links
- Phillips, Michael. Ships of the Old Navy. http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=1139