HMS Poictiers (1809)

HMS ''Poictiers'' was a 74-gun Royal Navy third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 9 December 1809 at Upnor. During the War of 1812 she was part of the blockade of the United States. She was broken up in 1857.

Active service

On 28 July 1810 ''Poictiers'' shared with ''Seine'' and in the recapture of the ''Starling''. On 22 April 1811, ''Poictiers'', and the hired armed cutter ''Nimrod'' captured the French vessel ''Auguste''. They removed her cargo of casks of wine and destroyed the ship.

On 24 March 1812, ''Poictiers'' was in company with , , and when they captured ''Emilie''.

On 14 August ''Poictiers'' accompanied Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, who was sailing to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on , together with , , and . ''Magnet'' disappeared during the voyage and was presumed foundered with all hands.

On 18 October 1812, ''Poictiers'' participated in an action where she rescued by capturing , commanded by Jacob Jones. Four hours after ''Wasp'' had captured ''Frolic'', Captain Sir John Poer Beresford hove in sight and captured ''Wasp'' and recaptured ''Frolic''. He then brought both to Bermuda. ''Frolic'' returned to duty and ''Wasp'' became HMS ''Loup Cervier''. In November 1818 the proceeds of the sales of ordnance stores and head-money for the men captured on board ''Wasp'', also for ordnance stores recaptured on board ''Frolic'' was paid.

Thereafter, ''Poictiers'' captured a number of merchant vessels, alone or with other ships.
* 29 October: the brig ''Little William'', of the Isle of Mayo and sailing to Philadelphia;
* 3 November: the brig ''Logan'', from Boston, sailing to Baltimore;
* 25 November: the ship ''Rebecca'', from Philadelphia and sailing to Madeira;
* 11 December: schooner ''Betsy'', from Providence (Rhode Island), sailing to Norfolk;
* December: ship ''Pekin'', from Boston sailing to Alexandria (''Poictiers'' in company with ).

One of these may or may not have been a ship from Brazil carrying a cargo of hides and tallow that had captured. ''Poictiers'' recaptured the ship off the Virginia Capes in mid-December and sent her into Bermuda.

On 28 December ''Poictiers'' and ''Acasta'' captured the American letter of marque ''Herald'', of 18 guns (10 mounted), and 50 men, as ''Herald'' was sailing from Bordeaux to Baltimore. ''Herald'', prior to herself being captured, had taken a ship, a brig, and a schooner. The cargo of the ship ''Friendship'' alone had an estimated value of US$400,000. ''Poictiers'' was in company with ''Acasta'' and .

More captures followed.

''Poictiers'' took the American schooner , of five guns and 72 men, on 9 January 1813. She was on her return from the West Indies, where she had made several captures. Under the command of Captain Jeremiah Grant, ''Highflyer'', of Baltimore, had captured two ships, four brigs, one schooner and one sloop; three of these vessels had been armed. The Royal Navy took ''Highflyer'' into service under her existing name.

In early January 1813, the warships of the squadron blockading New York, of which ''Poictiers'' was one, captured a number of vessels:

* Schooners ''Syren'' and ''Tropic'', sailing from New York to Charleston;
* Sloop ''Almira'', New York to Fredericksburg;
* Brig ''Industry'', Rhode Island to Virginia; and,
* Brig ''Caroline'', Charleston to New York.

The British armed ''Syren'' with one gun and gave her a crew of 40 men. She then captured ''American Eagle'', Herlitz, master, which had been sailing from Cadiz to New York.

* 17 January 1813: ship ''Lydia'', from Rhode Islands sailing to Norfolk (''Poictiers'' in company with ''Acasta'' and ''Maidstone''; and,
* January: schooner ''Rhoda'' (''Poictiers'' and ''Acasta'').
* 24 February: American brigs ''Gustavus'' and ''Staunch'' (''Poictiers'' shared with six other British ships);
* 24 February: American brig ''Hannah'' (''Poictiers'' with the same six other British ships).
* 13 March 1813: Swedish brig, from Martinique.
* 29 March 1813: American ship ''Montesquieu'' (''Poictiers'' in company with and the actual captor, the schooner ).
* 17 April: Portuguese schooner ''Alliance'', sailing from Philadelphia to Jamaica with a cargo of flour, and sent in to Bermuda;
* 28 April: English schooner ''Bermuda'' recaptured while sailing from Bermuda to Philadelphia, and used as a tender to ''Poictiers'';
* 1 May: American sloop ''Providence'' sailing from Philadelphia to Boston with a cargo of flour and corn, and sent in to Bermuda; and
* 10 May: American sloop ''Factor'' sailing from Philadelphia to Boston with a cargo of cotton, cargo removed and vessel set adrift.

''Poictiers'' was part of a squadron of 12 ships that shared in the capture on 13 and 14 March of ''Christina'' and ''Massatoit''.

On 4 (or 5) July 1813 the American smack ''Yankee'' captured the brig ''Eagle'', which was serving as a tender to ''Poictiers''. The Americans put 40 militiamen on board ''Yankee'' and sailed her where ''Eagle'' was known to be patrolling. The militiamen concealed themselves while on ''Yankee''s deck there were three men dressed as fishermen, and a calf, a goose, and a sheep were tethered. When ''Yankee'' encountered ''Eagle'', ''Eagle'' fell for the bait of fresh meat and came alongside. The Americans, under Sailing-Master Percival, came out of hiding and fired their small arms. Although ''Eagle'' carried a brass 32-pounder howitzer loaded with canister, she was unable to get off a shot. The Americans then took ''Eagle'' into New York. ''Eagle'' had two men killed, including her commander Master's Mate H. Morris, and Midshipman W. Price mortally wounded. The remaining eight seamen were taken prisoner.

''Poictiers'', with ''Poictiers'' and ''Maidstone'' in company, captured ''Yorktown'', of 20 guns and 140 men, on 17 July. ''Yorktown'', under Captain T. W. Story, had taken 11 prizes, including ''Manchester'', before ''Maidstone'' captured ''Yorktown'' after a four-hour chase. The British sent ''Yorktown'' and her crew into Halifax, Nova Scotia.

''Poictiers'' in company with ''Maidstone'' and captured several vessels.
* 13 August 1813: brig ''Anna'', of 125 tons, Diego Martinez, master, sailing from Newhaven to Laguira.
* 18 August: ship .

''Poictiers'' alone captured:
* 29 August: brig ''Mariner''; and
* 3 September: brig ''Watson''.

These incidents aside, ''Poictiers'' had an uneventful war, though there is a record of one humorous incident. The exhibit center of the town of Lewes, Delaware, has a framed copy of a handwritten letter from Captain Beresford to the town's chief magistrate. Dated 16 March 1813, the letter says:

Col. Samuel Boyer Davis, commander of American troops in Lewes, refused the demand, so on 6 and 7 April Beresford shelled the town, killing a chicken and wounding a pig. There is a cannonball from ''Poictiers'' lodged in the stone foundation of Lewes's Marine Museum.

In November 1813 ''Poictiers'' was at Halifax, Nova Scotia, preparing to escort a convoy of merchant vessels to England when a gale hit the city. It destroyed or damaged many vessels, though ''Poictiers'' was able to ride out the gale.

''Poictiers'' was at Chatham in 1814.

Post war and Fate

''Poictiers'' underwent a "Large Repair" at Chatham between April 1815 September 1817. She was fitted at Sheerness as a guard ship between March 1836 and September 1837. She remained in that role at Chatham until March 1848 when she became a depot ship until 1850. In 1857 she was sold out of service and broken up, the breaking up being completed on 23 March 1857.

Postscript

''Poictier's'' figurehead went to the small museum in Chatham Dockyard. In the 1920s, the figurehead was moved to Sheerness and placed on display inside the dockyard but towards the 1980s, the condition of the wood was such that the figure fell apart, leaving no single piece that could reasonably be salvaged for purposes of reconstruction.

The pieces were therefore used, in conjunction with archive photographs, to carve a replica. Andy Peters was commissioned to analyse samples of the paint and to carry out the carving. He then created a sculpture that provides a record of the figure's former glory, complete with gold leaf detailing. Since 2008, the replica has been on display for public viewing at the Blue Town Heritage Centre alongside the original figurehead from .

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Poictiers (1809)
Ships of the line of the Royal Navy
Vengeur-class ships of the line
1809 ships
War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom
Ships built on the River Medway