HMS Primrose (1807)
Encyclopedia
HMS Primrose was a Royal Navy
Cruizer class brig-sloop
built by Thomas Nickells (or Nicholls), at Fowey
and launched in 1807. She was commissioned in November 1807 under Commander James Mein, who sailed her to the coast of Spain.
On 14 May 1808 Primrose was in the Tagus
with the 14-gun brig Rapid. They saw and chased two merchant felucca
s thath took shelter under the protection of a shore battery. On 18 May the British decided to try to cut the feluccas out nonetheless, with Rapid leading the way. However, fire from the battery struck Rapid, opening two holes in her bow so that she filled quickly with water. Still, that evening Primrose was able to save Rapid's entire crew.
In January 1809 Primrose sailed for Spain with a convoy. During a snowstorm she ran aground at 5am on 22 January on Mistrel Rock, The Manacles
, a mile offshore, and was wrecked. (The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard
, close to the shipping lane into Falmouth, Cornwall
.) The sole survivor was a drummer boy. Lieut. J. Withers of the Manacles Signal Post prevailed on six local men to try to rescue survivors. For their efforts, albeit unsuccessful, the Admiralty directed that the volunteers each receive an award of 10 guineas from the Naval authorities at Falmouth.
On the same night another vessel also wrecked on the Manacles. She was the transport Dispatch, homeward-bound from Corunna
, with a detachment of the 7th Hussars
, who had been fighting out there with Sir John Moore. The Hussars lost 104 men in the wrecking. Only seven men from Dispatch were saved.
, where a 32-pounder carronade
that divers recovered in 1978 from the wreck of Primose stands by the lych-gate to the churchyard.
The Padstow
Shipwreck Museum, Cornwall, has a small (90mm bore and 125 kg weight overall) brass boat gun from Primrose. The curators have determined that it was cast in a Danish foundry.
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...
Cruizer class brig-sloop
Cruizer class brig-sloop
The Cruizer class was an 18-gun class of brig-sloops of the Royal Navy. Brig-sloops were the same as ship-sloops except for their rigging...
built by Thomas Nickells (or Nicholls), at Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
and launched in 1807. She was commissioned in November 1807 under Commander James Mein, who sailed her to the coast of Spain.
On 14 May 1808 Primrose was in the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
with the 14-gun brig Rapid. They saw and chased two merchant 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....
s thath took shelter under the protection of a shore battery. On 18 May the British decided to try to cut the feluccas out nonetheless, with Rapid leading the way. However, fire from the battery struck Rapid, opening two holes in her bow so that she filled quickly with water. Still, that evening Primrose was able to save Rapid's entire crew.
In January 1809 Primrose sailed for Spain with a convoy. During a snowstorm she ran aground at 5am on 22 January on Mistrel Rock, The Manacles
The Manacles
The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall close to Porthoustock, which is a popular spot for diving due to the shipwrecks around them. The name derives from the Cornish for 'church stone', the top of St Keverne church being visible from the area.The rocks...
, a mile offshore, and was wrecked. (The Manacles are a set of treacherous rocks off The Lizard
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
, close to the shipping lane into Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
.) The sole survivor was a drummer boy. Lieut. J. Withers of the Manacles Signal Post prevailed on six local men to try to rescue survivors. For their efforts, albeit unsuccessful, the Admiralty directed that the volunteers each receive an award of 10 guineas from the Naval authorities at Falmouth.
On the same night another vessel also wrecked on the Manacles. She was the transport Dispatch, homeward-bound from Corunna
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
, with a detachment of the 7th Hussars
7th Queen's Own Hussars
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
, who had been fighting out there with Sir John Moore. The Hussars lost 104 men in the wrecking. Only seven men from Dispatch were saved.
Postscript
Inland a few miles from the coast is St KeverneSt Keverne
St Keverne is a civil parish and village on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 started in St Keverne. The leader of the rebellion Michael An Gof was a blacksmith from St Keverne and is commemorated by a statue in the village...
, where a 32-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...
that divers recovered in 1978 from the wreck of Primose stands by the lych-gate to the churchyard.
The Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
Shipwreck Museum, Cornwall, has a small (90mm bore and 125 kg weight overall) brass boat gun from Primrose. The curators have determined that it was cast in a Danish foundry.