HMS ''Anaconda'' was an 18-gun

brig-sloop During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. She was cruising as an American

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

until sailors from captured her in 1813. She served briefly in the Royal Navy during the later stages of the

, especially at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

, before being sold in Jamaica in 1815.

American career

''Anaconda'' was built in Middleton, Connecticut in 1812. In late 1812, Captain Nathanial Shaler took command of ''Anaconda'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. On 16 January 1813, while Captain Shaler was ashore on business, ''Anaconda's''

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

, George W. Burbank, encountered the American

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Commodore Hull'' and fired a broadside into her, seriously wounding her commander, before realizing his mistake. A

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

, however, absolved Burbank from blame. On 14 May 1813, while in the latitude of the

Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

, Burbank was able to capture the British

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

, an 8, 11, or 12-gun brig with a crew of 38, sailing from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

to England. After a fight lasting over half-an-hour, ''Express'' struck. Shaler took out $75,000 in specie and then divested the packet after ransoming her for $8000. U.S. sources reported that the bullion was worth $80,000. A later report stated that ''Express Packet'' had been armed with 12 guns and had had a crew of 38 men. She had engaged for 18 minutes before striking. In June, ''Anaconda'' took the 8-gun brig ''Mary'', sailing from

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. Later that month, ''Anaconda'' took the brig ''Harriet'', sailing from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

with a cargo of hides and tallow. ''Anaconda'', delivered ''Harriet'' to

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

. Some records indicate that ''Harriet'' may have been armed with 12 guns, and that Shaler converted one of the brigs to a

cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...

. In all, his prizes were worth $250,000. However, in early July Captain Shaler took refuge in Ocracoke Inlet.

Capture

On 11 July 1813, Lieutenant George Westphal,

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

of , led a group of boats into

Ocracoke Inlet Ocracoke Inlet ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

during Rear-Admiral

George Cockburn Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As a captain, he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary ...

's amphibious attack on the port of Ocracoke,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Their targets were ''Anaconda'' and a second privateer, the 13-gun schooner ''Atlas'' under Captain David Mafitt, as well as a revenue cutter. As the British boats approached, the Americans opened fire. Westphal's division, covered by rockets, (as directed by a Captain Russell and overseen by Lieutenant John Stevens) attacked and captured both privateers. However, the revenue cutter escaped up the Neuse to

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

, where she gave warning of the British attack, permitting the preparation of defences that forestalled the Royal Navy from any further advance. Shaler escaped with his crew. Both privateers were condemned at Halifax and the British took them into service, ''Anaconda'' under her name, and ''Atlas'' as . ''Anaconda'' was sold in September for £3,879 2 s 2 d and commissioned under Westphal, her captor.

British career

''Anaconda'' refitted at Halifax and Westphal received a crew of 60 men, most of whom were the dregs of the fleet, offered by their captains when Admiral

John Borlase Warren Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Early life Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshir ...

asked for drafts. Her first task was to escort a convoy of twelve merchant vessels from there to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. While doing so she fought off an attack by two large American privateers. One of the privateers surrendered after losing her jib-boom and fore-top-mast but escaped when ''Anaconda'' lost her own fore-top-mast chasing after the second privateer. Warren then transferred ''Anaconda'' to the Jamaica station. In March 1814, ''Anaconda'' was stationed off the

Mississippi delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

under the orders of Capt. Clement Milward of . Arsene Latour mistakenly named ''Anaconda'' as the fourth vessel present during the Battle of

Fort Bowyer Fort Bowyer was a short-lived earthen and stockade fortification that the United States Army erected in 1813 on Mobile Point, near the mouth of Mobile Bay in what is now Baldwin County, Alabama, but then was part of the Mississippi Territory. Th ...

, and this error has persisted. At the time of the battle, ''Anaconda''s log places her in the

Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche (), or Campeche Sound, is a bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. The ...

. The defeat at Fort Bowyer led the British to turn their attention to an attack on New Orleans. In the run-up to battle, Captain Nicholas Lockyer captured an American flotilla, consisting primarily of five

gunboats A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

, in the

Battle of Lake Borgne The Battle of Lake Borgne was a coastal engagement between the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy in the American South theatre of the War of 1812. It occurred on December 14, 1814 on Lake Borgne. The British victory allowed them to disembark their tro ...

. ''Anaconda'' did not contribute her boats and crew to the battle, but evacuated the 77 men who had been wounded there. During Sir

Alexander Cochrane Admiral Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane, GCB (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admi ...

's expedition against New Orleans in December, Westphal took ''Anaconda'' with great difficulty over shoals into

Lake Borgne Lake Borgne ( ; , ; ) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Geography In southern Louisiana, three large ...

. ''Anaconda'', gun-vessels and hired craft then moved the advance guard up the bayou in preparation for the

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Cochrane had ordered Westphal to lighten ''Anaconda'' and to get her into Lake Borgne. By forcing ''Anaconda'' over a bank five miles wide that was only eight feet under water, Westphal was able to get her into position 20 miles ahead of the other British warships where she could protect the boats bringing up supplies and troops. Captain

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

of wrote in a letter that ''Anaconda''s protection surely saved many of the boats from capture by the Americans. Westphal later landed with the greater part of ''Anaconda''s crew, who then fought in the naval brigade under Captain Edward Troubridge. At the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

they helped man the batteries. In February 1815, ''Anaconda'', and the schooner (under Westphal's orders), cruised off the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

coast north of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

had established for restitution of captures. The

Vice admiralty court Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

of Jamaica found for Glennie.

Fate

''Anaconda'' was paid off in April 1815. She underwent a survey at Jamaica that found that she had sustained too much damage in the New Orleans campaign to merit retention in service. ''Anaconda'' was condemned and then sold on 5 May 1815. Westphal returned to Britain in July as a passenger aboard .

Citations

References

* * * * *James, William (1818) ''A Full and Correct Account of the Military Occurrences of the Late War Between Great Britain and the United States of America''. (London, Printed for the Author).. * * * * * * *

External links

*Phillips, Michael - ''Ships of the Old Navy'' - HMS ''Anaconda'' (1813

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaconda (1813) Brig-sloops of the Royal Navy 1812 ships Privateer ships of the United States Captured ships War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom