Hired armed cutter Tartar
Encyclopedia
HM Hired armed
cutter Tartar served the Royal Navy
from 14 July 1794 to 11 November 1801. She was of 9063/94 tons burthen
and was armed with twelve 4-pounder guns.
Tartar was a popular name for British privateers with some 23 letters of marque
being issued between 1793 and 1815. Among these there was one 90-ton cutter. She was armed with eight 2-pounder guns and six swivel guns. Her crew of 24 men was under the command of Benjamin Jelly Worthington, and her letter was dated 25 February 1793.Interestingly, there was a later letter of marque issued to a cutter Tartar, Benjamin J. Worthington, Master, issued on 9 June 1803. This Tartar was described as being of 103 tons, armed with eight 4 and 6-pounder guns, and having a crew of 25 men.
While not His Majesty's Hired armed cutter Tartar, a privateer named Tartar made a notable capture in 1804. This Tartar received her letter of marque on 6 February 1804. Her letter describes her as a lugger, under the command of Francis Pironet, Master, of 116 tons and armed with eight 4- and 6-pounder guns. Writing to Admiral Sir James Saumarez
from Guernsey
on 18 March 1804, the owners Peter Maingy and Sons reported that on 9 March their lugger Tartar had captured the French privateer brig Jeune Henry.
Tartar had encountered and captured the French brig after a fight of two hours. Jeune Henry was from Bordeaux and under the command of Rio Delagesse. She had sailed from Viverro
in Spain two days earlier but had not yet captured anything. The owners of Tartar described Jeune Henry as a fine, British-built and coppered vessel. Both vessels had 50 men on board; Jeune Henry had two wounded in the engagement. What made the capture noteworthy though, was that Jeune Henry was armed with twelve 12-pounder guns and two 4-pounders, whereas Tartar had ten 4-pounders, giving the French brig a broadside of almost four times the weight of that of her captor.
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 Tartar 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...
from 14 July 1794 to 11 November 1801. She was of 9063/94 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 was armed with twelve 4-pounder guns.
Tartar was a popular name for British privateers with some 23 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...
being issued between 1793 and 1815. Among these there was one 90-ton cutter. She was armed with eight 2-pounder guns and six swivel guns. Her crew of 24 men was under the command of Benjamin Jelly Worthington, and her letter was dated 25 February 1793.Interestingly, there was a later letter of marque issued to a cutter Tartar, Benjamin J. Worthington, Master, issued on 9 June 1803. This Tartar was described as being of 103 tons, armed with eight 4 and 6-pounder guns, and having a crew of 25 men.
While not His Majesty's Hired armed cutter Tartar, a privateer named Tartar made a notable capture in 1804. This Tartar received her letter of marque on 6 February 1804. Her letter describes her as a lugger, under the command of Francis Pironet, Master, of 116 tons and armed with eight 4- and 6-pounder guns. Writing to Admiral Sir James Saumarez
James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez
Admiral James Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez , GCB was an admiral of the British Royal Navy, notable for his victory at the Battle of Algeciras.-Early life:...
from 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 18 March 1804, the owners Peter Maingy and Sons reported that on 9 March their lugger Tartar had captured the French privateer brig Jeune Henry.
Tartar had encountered and captured the French brig after a fight of two hours. Jeune Henry was from Bordeaux and under the command of Rio Delagesse. She had sailed from Viverro
Viveiro
Viveiro is a town and municipality in the province of Lugo, in the northwestern Galician autonomous community of Spain. It borders on the Cantabric Sea, to the west of Xove and to the east of O Vicedo...
in Spain two days earlier but had not yet captured anything. The owners of Tartar described Jeune Henry as a fine, British-built and coppered vessel. Both vessels had 50 men on board; Jeune Henry had two wounded in the engagement. What made the capture noteworthy though, was that Jeune Henry was armed with twelve 12-pounder guns and two 4-pounders, whereas Tartar had ten 4-pounders, giving the French brig a broadside of almost four times the weight of that of her captor.