HMS ''Canceaux'' was a
sloop active in both the
hydrographic exploration of the
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...
and
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
coastline and in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. She played an integral role in the battle for control of Maine, in particular at the Burning of Falmouth.
[Conforti, Joseph ''Creating Portland: History and Place in Northern New England'' (2007) pp. 31&55–58] She began her life as a merchant vessel and would eventually be transformed to a military vessel for 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 ...
, equipped to command the razing of major settlements. After leaving the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
estuary in 1771, ''Canceaux'' actively shaped the maritime history of the American Revolution.
Incident at Fort William and Mary
In December 1774 HMS ''Canceaux'', under the command of Lt. Henry Mowat, attempted to restore order to Fort William and Mary following the seizure of supplies by colonial forces led by
Paul Revere
Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...
. The fort, located on
New Castle Island near
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...
, was seen as essential to reasserting control over the insurrection mounting amongst the populace. The concern caused by the colonial seizure of sixteen
cannon
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...
and about one hundred barrels of
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...
prompted the ''Canceaux'' to quickly depart
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
for Portsmouth.
[Henry Mowat, Henry Mowat logbook extract from HMS Canceaux, 1775. Library of Congress. Last accessed 05–10–2016.] She arrived four days after the colonial forces had taken said resources from the fort. She was then grounded by the local
maritime pilot
A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots know local details s ...
and thus remained within an estuary of the
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River to the Atlant ...
, stranded for many days.
Involvement in Thompson's War
In early spring of 1775 ''Canceaux'' was actively patrolling the coastline of New England in an attempt to prevent
smuggling
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
and enforce British law. She anchored in
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an bay, open bay of the Gulf of Maine on the coast of Maine in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chart for Casco Bay marks the dividing line between the bay and the Gulf of Maine as running from ...
in March to prevent colonists from enforcing the
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...
boycott of all goods from Britain. The
militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
of
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...
, controlled by Samuel Thompson, endeavored to drive the ship and her crew from the region in order to regain their authority within the city. After a militia boarding party in small boats had been deterred by
grapeshot from ''Canceaux'' cannon, the local militia changed tack. Rather than targeting the entire ship and her crew they narrowed their sights upon the ship’s commander Lieutenant
Henry Mowat. While the Lieutenant endeavored to arrange church services for his crew he was kidnapped and held by Thompson’s militia. This obvious affront to the authority of the British Navy and this crew in particular engendered ire amongst the crew and
loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...
population alike. The highest ranking officer remaining aboard ''Canceaux'', the first lieutenant, threatened the local populace to release Mowat or else they would begin to shell the city. The crew initially discharged the cannon loaded only with gunpowder, but no shot, in a veiled threat to the surrounding people. This threat was met by Thompson with the claim that for each shell fired at Falmouth, Mowat would lose a finger. By now the cannon fire had attracted local
minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...
to Falmouth where they proceeded to loot the homes and valuables of loyalists residing in the city. The confrontation was eventually resolved as the local populace convinced Thompson to release the British commander. Mowat returned to ''Canceaux'' but was unable to take any locals into custody for his abduction, a reality that infuriated the commander.
She eventually departed from
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an bay, open bay of the Gulf of Maine on the coast of Maine in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chart for Casco Bay marks the dividing line between the bay and the Gulf of Maine as running from ...
to return to Boston to resume her typical activities of patrolling to preventing smuggling and enforcing British maritime law.
Summer 1775
Following her failures at
Fort William and Mary, her involvement in
Thompson’s War and the continued insurrection permeating thought the maritimes and New England’s coast, HMS ''Canceaux'' resumed the activities typical of a
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 ...
ship of the time. Her activities were primarily focused upon patrolling the coastline and preventing the illegal trade activities supported by colonial forces.
[Mowat Genealogy. Notes for Captain Henry Mowat. Last Accessed 05–10–2016. http://mowatfamilyhistory.ca/ps03/ps03_497.htm] Throughout the summer she fulfilled said function in order to enforce the laws and weaken the American efforts at insurrection. She captured many ships thought the summer including those smuggling between colonial ports and even those smuggling internationally.
She habitually escorted captured ships and impressed crewmen regularly.
Role in the Burning of Falmouth

In order to suppress the insurrections and reinforce the clout of the British Vice Admiral
Samuel Graves
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Samuel Graves (17 April 1713 – 8 March 1787) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War, American War of Independence.
Ancestry
He is thought to have been born i ...
was ordered "to exert yourself to the utmost towards crushing the daring rebellion that (has) now extended itself almost over the whole continent of America". Admiral Graves placed Lieutenant Mowat in charge of the plans for the retribution razing of seaports
Marblehead,
Salem,
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
,
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
,
Newburyport,
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
Saco, Falmouth, and particularly
Machias.
[Leamon, James S. ''Revolution Downeast: The War for American Independence in Maine'' (1995) ]University of Massachusetts Press
The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...
pp.69–70 He was placed at the command of a flotilla containing five ships including ''Canceaux''. The exact armaments are still contested but it is believed that ''Canceaux'' was accompanied by the ''Cat'',
HMS ''Halifax'',
HMS ''Symmetry'' and
HMS ''Spitfire''. These ships were a 20-gun ship, a 12-gun
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 ...
, a supply ship and a
bomb sloop respectively.
The supply ship served as a
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
for the bomb sloop during this engagement. As a safety measure to prevent loss of a ship through accidental ignition of unfired incendiary
carcasses, carcasses were transferred by
lighter
A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typic ...
from the non-firing supply ship to the bomb sloop as needed. The exact armaments onboard ''Canceaux'' are unknown but it is believed that she carried six ships guns of an unknown poundage.
The fleet proceeded north as instructed by Graves, choosing to focus upon
Falmouth. In an overt attempt to avenge the insults made by the local populace during
Thompson's War, Mowat resolved to raze the town. On 18 October 1775, he ordered the nine-hour bombardment of Falmouth using regular and
heated shot
Heated shot or hot shot is round shot that is heated before firing from muzzle-loading cannons, for the purpose of setting fire to enemy warships, buildings, or equipment. The use of heated shot dates back centuries. It was a powerful weapon agai ...
. He also ordered a landing party to be sent ashore to complete the town's destruction; the party captured four American vessels and destroyed eleven more. Among the colonies, news of the attack led to rejection of British authority and the establishment of independent governments. It also led the Second Continental Congress to contest British naval dominance by forming the
Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...
. Both Mowat and Graves suffered professionally as a consequence of the event.
Final years
Following her experiences from summer 1775, HMS ''Canceaux'' was in need of repairs and thus was once again sent to the Royal Dockyards on the Thames. After having reached Gallion’s Reach in January of 1776 the extensive damaged caused by her time in Falmouth was repaired, restoring ''Canceaux'' to her former glory.
She would return to America in the following April to live out the remainder of her time patrolling and surveying the coast of New England and the Maritimes.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canceaux
1764 ships
Sloops of the Royal Navy
Massachusetts in the American Revolution
New Hampshire in the American Revolution
Maine in the American Revolution