HMS ''Bold'' was a 14-gun ''Archer''-class

gun-brig A gun-brig was a small brig-rigged warship that enjoyed popularity in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, during which large numbers were purchased or built. In general these were vessels of under 200 tons burthen, and thus smaller than ...

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 ...

built at

Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard is a small body of water that used to be a shipyard on the River Thames in Blackwall, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987. History East India Company Blackwall was a sh ...

. She took part in several minor actions and captured some prizes before she grounded in 1811 and was broken up shortly thereafter.

Service

''Bold'' was commissioned under Lieutenant James Ides Short, for the Nore. Lieutenant James Agassiz replaced him in October 1801, and then in June 1802, Lieutenant William Chivers replaced Agassiz. On 18 October 1804, ''Bold'' was in company with the hired armed brig ''Ann'' and cutter ''Florence'' and the brig-sloop ''Cruizer'' when ''Cruizer'' captured the 17-gun privateer ''Contre-Amiral Magon'' in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. Actually, ''Cruizer'' left ''Bold'', ''Ann'' and ''Florence'' behind during the pursuit and they played no part in the capture. On 15 March 1805 ''Bold'' was in company with ''Cruizer'' and when they captured the ''Industria''. On the last day of March ''Bold'' and ''Ann'' captured the ''Neptunus''. On 3 August, ''Bold'' was in a squadron with ''Blazer'', , , , and when they captured ''Frederick Wilhelm''. On 2 November ''Bold'' and recaptured ''Ceres'', ''John and Amy'', and ''George''. On 1 October 1806 ''Bold'' captured ''Conceicas e Almas''. Lieutenant William Slaughter took command in 1805; Then at some point in 1806 Lieutenant William Chivers resumed command. On 29 May 1810

boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

from ''Bold'', , , and , all under the command of Lieutenant Samuel Radford, attacked several French armed vessels in the

Vlie The Vlie or Vliestroom () is the seaway between the Dutch islands of Vlieland, to its southwest, and Terschelling, to its northeast. The Vlie was the estuary of the river IJssel in medieval times. Today it's still possible to reach the port of ...

. They drove ashore and burned a French

lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or more masts. Luggers were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...

of six guns and 26 men, and captured and brought out another lugger of 12 guns and 42 men, a French privateer schuyt of four guns, a Dutch gunboat, and a small row boat. The British had no casualties; the French lost one man killed and three wounded.

Fate

''Bold'' was one of several vessels driven ashore near

Yarmouth, Isle of Wight Yarmouth is a town, port and civil parish in the west of the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river. The town grew near the river crossing, originally a fer ...

in a gale on 6 January 1811, but the crew was saved. She was broken up at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

in April that year.

Notes

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bold (1801) Gunvessels of the Royal Navy 1801 ships Ships built by the Blackwall Yard Maritime incidents in 1811