HMS ''Sherborne'' (also HM cutter ''Sherborne'', HMS ''Sherbourne'') was a 10-gun
cutter
Cutter may refer to:
Tools
* Bolt cutter
* Box cutter
* Cigar cutter
* Cookie cutter
* Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool)
* Glass cutter
* Meat cutter
* Milling cutter
* Paper cutter
* Pizza cutter
* Side cutter
People
* Cutter (surname)
* Cutt ...
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 ...
. She served in the English Channel for her entire career, operating against smugglers. She was sold in 1784.
Design and construction
''Sherborne'' was built at
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich - originally in north-west Kent, now in southeast London - whe ...
under the supervision of Master Shipwright Joseph Harris, to a design by Sir
Thomas Slade
Sir Thomas Slade (1703/4 – 1771) was an English naval architect best known for designing the Royal Navy warship HMS Victory, HMS ''Victory'', which served as Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalg ...
, and was launched on 3 December 1763, having cost £1,581.8.9d to build and fit.
Service
''Sherborne'' was commissioned under Lieutenant
John Cartwright, later to become a prominent parliamentary reformer, and was assigned to support the work of the
Board of Customs
HM Customs (His or Her Majesty's Customs) was the national Customs service of England (and then of Great Britain from 1707, the United Kingdom from 1801) until a merger with the Department of Excise in 1909. The phrase 'HM Customs', in use si ...
by operating against smugglers in the
English Channel
The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. Cartwright commanded ''Sherborne'' from 7 December 1763 to 14 May 1766. His area of responsibility was the South Coast of England, including
Dorsetshire
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to th ...
and
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
. His brother
George
George may refer to:
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* George (given name)
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* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE
* George, stage name of Gior ...
, when at loose ends, went with him in ''Sherborne'' on a cruise out of
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
to chase smugglers.
Lieutenant Christopher Raper succeeded Cartwright in 1766 as ''Sherborne''s commander for the next three years. Between 1769 and 1777 the cutter was commanded successively by Lieutenants Stephen Rains, Thomas Rayment and Thomas Gaborian, all the while remaining based in the Channel. Her final commanders were Lieutenant Arthur Twyman, from September 1777 until May 1778, and then Lieutenant Arthur Hayne until September 1779. She was then laid up.
In 1783 ''Sherborne'' participated in William Tracey's unsuccessful attempt to raise , which had sunk in
Spithead
Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...
in 1782. Although the dockyard rated ''Sherborne'' as unfitted for service, Tracey conducted some repairs and she was of some use.
[Spinney, J.D. 1949. "Weigh the Vessel Up". ''Blackwood's Magazine'' 266 (Oct), pp. 358-374.]
Fate
''Sherborne'' was finally sold at
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 ...
on 1 July 1784.
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherborne (1763)
Cutters of the Royal Navy
1763 ships