HMS Spitfire (1783)

HMS ''Spitfire'' was a of the Royal Navy. She served during the years of peace following the end of the American War of Independence, and by the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, had been reclassified as a 14-gun sloop-of-war. ''Spitfire'' went on to serve under a number of notable commanders during a successful career that saw her capture a considerable number of French privateers and small naval vessels. She spent most of her career in Home waters, though during the later part of her life she sailed further afield, to the British stations in North America and West Africa. She survived the Napoleonic Wars and was eventually sold in 1825 after a period spent laid up.

Early career

''Spitfire'' was built at the yards of Stephen Teague, of Ipswich, and was launched on 19 March 1782. She had been completed at Sheerness by 18 July 1782, having been first commissioned in March that year under Commander Robert Mostyn, for service in the English Channel. He was succeeded by Commander Thomas Byard in November, and he by Commander Charles Bartholomew in January 1783. ''Spitfire'' was paid off in April that year and spent a period laid up in ordinary at Sheerness, briefly being refitted for a period of service in 1790 under the command of Commander Robert Watson. ''Spitfire'' was then paid off again. More extensive work was carried out the following year, and she recommissioned in March 1791 under Commander Thomas Fremantle. Fremantle commanded her until her paying off in September that year, upon which she was almost immediately recommissioned as a sloop under Commander John Woodley. She served under Woodley in the Irish Sea and the English Channel until Commander Philip Charles Durham succeeded him on 12 February 1793.O'Byrne (1849), Vol. 1, p.319.

French Revolutionary Wars

Durham went on to enjoy considerable success during his brief stint in command during the early months of the French Revolutionary Wars. On 13 February 1793, he captured the privateer cutter ''Affrique'' (or ''Afrique''), of Le Havre. ''Affrique'' was a small vessel of only 22 tons (bm). She carried six swivel guns, twelve stand of small arms, fifty pistols, and 25 swords, all for a crew of 21 men. The capture of ''Affrique'' was the first capture of a vessel flying ''La tricolore''. For this feat Lloyd's of London gave him a piece of plate worth 100 guineas, or £300 pounds, their first such award of the war.

On 19 February 1793, Durham sent off his boats against a privateer sloop and two other sloops near Treeport, about a dozen miles north-east of Dieppe. The fire from some 2,000 troops ashore with field pieces made it impossible to bring the prizes off but the British managed to knock the privateer to pieces and stove in and set fire to the other two vessels, one of which was carrying a cargo of fine brandy.

In the following month ''Spitfire'' captured the privateer ''St Jean'' and burnt the merchant vessel ''Marguerite''. On 27 April, ''Spitfire'' fell in with two French armed brigs, one of 16 guns and the other of 12. ''Spitfire'' and the brigs exchanged fire for half an hour under the fort at Cherbourg, which contributed her fire to the encounter. The brigs fled into the harbour and ''Spitfire'' let them go rather than risk grounding. Despite the cannonading that she had been subject to, ''Spitfire'' suffered no damage or casualties.

''Spitfire'' recaptured the galiot ''Two Brothers'' in May.

Durham was promoted to post captain on the frigate on 24 June, and Commander James Cook replaced him on ''Spitfire''. Cook's death by drowning in January 1794 necessitated the assigning of Commander John Clements to command ''Spitfire''.

Commander Amherst Morris succeeded Clements in October. In 1796 Commander Michael Seymour replaced Morris.

Commander Michael Seymour

Seymour would spend the next four years as ''Spitfire''s commander and, like Durham before him, enjoyed considerable success in actions against small French raiders. He captured at least nine privateers and small vessels of the French Navy.

In September and October ''Spitfire'' captured a number of merchant vessels, one being particularly valuable. On 2 September, she captured the Danish ship ''Sobestern''. On 15 September ''Spitfire'' captured ''Concordia''. Thirteen days later, ''Spitfire'' captured the Danish brig ''Apollo''. Then on 4 October ''Spitfire'' captured ''Argos'', and two days later ''Jacoba''.

''Spitfire'' was active off the English and Irish coasts during the French attempt to invade Ireland in early 1797 and on 12 January 1797, about 30 leagues west of Ushant, she captured ''Allègre'' (or ''Allegrer''), one of the expedition's storeships. ''Allègre'' was a brig of 200 tons (bm), and was carrying ammunition and entrenching tools.

Seymour followed this success by capturing the privateer cutter ''Bons Amis'', of six guns and 32 men, off the Eddystone on 2 April 1797, and after a five-hour chase. She had been out three days and had not made any captures. ''Bons Amis'' was the former ''Friends Endeavour'', of Fowey.

Next, Seymour captured the privateer brig ''Aimable Manette'' in the Channel on 1 May 1797, after an eight-hour chase. She was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 69 men. She was a new vessel, half coppered, and beautiful. She had been out 13 days, and not only had she not taken anything, the evening before she had encountered an outward-bound English yellow-sided ship armed with sixteen 9-pounder guns. The engagement had cost ''Aimable Manette'' 15 men killed and wounded and forced her to sheer-off.

Then ''Spitfire'' captured the privateer schooner ''Trompeuse'', of Morlaix, later that month. ''Trompeuse'' was armed with six guns and had a crew of 40 men. ''Trompeuse'' had been out five days and had taken two Prussian vessels from Embden, one sailing to Liverpool and the other to Oporto. ''Spitfire'' had also been in sight when HMS ''Unite'' recaptured a brig. ''Spitfire'' also recaptured the ''Rodney and Hannah''.

In July, ''Spitfire'' captured the ship ''Sally''.

Seymour and ''Spitfire'' took the French privateer schooner ''Incroyable'' 13 leagues SW off the Lizard on 15 September. She was armed with three 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 31 men. She was 14 days out of Saint Malo but had captured nothing.

During the first half of 1798 ''Spitfire'' also captured the smuggling lugger ''Argus''.

At the end of 1798, on 27 December, ''Spitfire'' recaptured ''Sybille'', of Dartmouth, while in the Channel. The French privateer schooner ''Vigilant'' had captured ''Sybille'' on 25 December while ''Sybille'' was carrying bullocks and sheep to Guernsey for the troops there. She then had a narrow escape from ''Vigilant'' off Start Point while returning to Plymouth.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 1, p.165.

One week later ''Spitfire'' captured the 14-gun transport , of 400 tons (bm), in the Bay of Biscay. ''Wilding''s crew consisted of seamen from three French ships of the line and she had been taking firewood for the French Navy from Aber Wrac'h to Brest under the escort of ''Levrette'', a gun vessel from which she had parted company. ''Wilding'' had been a British ship in the West Indies trade before the French had captured her.

On 15 March 1799, the prize agent, J. Hawker esq., paid ''Spitfire''s foremast men nearly £40 each. One man not only spent it in two days but ended up owing his landlady 15 guineas. (This money may have been prize money for ''Concordia''.)

On 31 March 1799, ''Spitfire'' took the privateer brig ''Résolue'' of St. Malo, 14 leagues off Scilly during a violent gale. She was armed with fourteen 6 and 8-pounder guns, and had a crew of 65 men. She was a new vessel, out two days from Saint Malo on her first cruise, and had made no captures. Her owners also owned ''Hirondelle'', which the ill-fated had captured in a notable fight.

On 12 April, orders arrived at Plymouth for to take on board 183 French prisoners from and ''Spitfire'' for onward conveyance to Portsmouth.

On 9 May ''Spitfire'' brought a smuggling lugger called ''Providence'' into Plymouth. The lugger had a cargo of 90 ankers of spirits and 26 bales of tobacco.

Later that month came upon seven enemy vessels which made to engage her, but then turned away when she sailed towards them in "a spirited style". ''Arethusa'' captured one, an armed ship, which was carrying sundries from Saint-Domingue. ''Spitfire'' took the prize into Plymouth on the 23rd while ''Arethusa'' sailed off in search of the other six.

On 28 June ''Jupiter'', Monk, master, arrived at Plymouth. She had been sailing from Surinam to Copenhagen with sugar and coffee, supposedly Dutch property, when ''Spitfire'' detained her.

In September, ''Spitfire'' convoyed the linen fleet from Belfast to The Downs. On 3 November, she brought into Plymouth the Guernsey smuggling lugger ''Endeavour'', with her cargo of 299 ankers of spirits and 23 bales of tobacco.

''Spitfire'' and the cutter captured the brig ''Gute Hoffnung''. In December 1799 ''Spitfire'' captured the Danish ship ''Twilling Riget''.

On 22 January 1800 ''Spitfire'' came in from Kinsale to Plymouth with a Danish vessel, ''Havel Rerli'', with a cargo of spices and the like, from Batavia. The cargo was worth £150,000 and supposed to be Dutch property. Five more vessels were reported to be following.

On 16 April 1800, a French privateer in the Channel plundered the American vessel ''A. B. C.'' two hours before ''Spitfire'' boarded her. When ''A.B.C.'' reported the privateer, Seymour left ''A.B.C.'' to make her own way into Plymouth and set off in pursuit. ''A.B.C.'' arrived at Plymouth on 19 April.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 3, p.328.

Early in the morning of 17 April 1800, ''Spitfire'' was nine leagues south of the Bolt Head, came up and fired a broadside at the quarry, but then too fell behind. At 2p.m. ''Spitfire'' finally captured the privateer about four leagues from Cape Levy on the French coast. The privateer was ''Heureuse Societé'' of Pleinpont, of 14 guns and 64 men. She was a new vessel that had been out only three days and had made no captures. ''Spitfire'' later shared the prize money with ''Telegraph''. ''Spitfire'' brought ''Heureuse Societé'' into Plymouth on 20 April.

''Spitfire'' captured a French privateer brig ''Heureux Courier'', of Granville on 19 June, ten leagues SSE of Scilly. The privateer was armed with sixteen brass French 6-pounders and had a crew of 54 men, others being away on the three captures she had made. She was on her way home from her first cruise. Her three captures were two Newfoundland brigs and a Portuguese schooner, ''Nostra Senora del Carno'', De Casta Pinto, master. The privateer had cut out the schooner at St. Michael's (probably St Michael's Mount), where the schooner was loading. The British privateer ''Tartar'', of Guernsey, recaptured the schooner.

In May ''Spitfire'' sailed through a severe gale on the 16th to arrive safely in Guernsey. The gale had set several vessels, including ''Telegraph'' on their sides, but none were lost.

''Spitfire'' returned to Plymouth on 14 July from a cruise off the ÃŽle de Batz. She then sailed to cruise against smugglers and captured the lugger ''Three Friends'', with 150 ankers of spirits. ''Three Friends'' had landed part of her cargo at Polperro. ''Spitfire'' took several boats that were endeavouring to escape, in the process killing one smuggler. She brought ''Three Friends'' into Plymouth on 4 August.

On 11 August Seymour received a promotion to post-captain.

Commander Robert Keen

Seymour's replacement on ''Spitfire'' was Commander Robert Keen, who spent the next four years on the Irish station.

On 13 December 1800 ''Spitfire'', , , and cutter ''Swift'' (2) shared in the recapture of ''Defiance''.

On 25 December, ''Spitfire'' and ''Renard'' captured the Danish galiot ''Palmboom''. That month ''Spitfire'' also captured ''Vrouw Elizabeth''.

''Suffisante'' and ''Spitfire'' shared the proceeds of the recapture of the brig ''Honduras Packet''. ''Honduras Packet'' (or ''Honduras Planter''), of eight guns and 16 men under the command of Captain J. Goodwin, had been sailing from London to New Providence. A French privateer, of fourteen guns and 125 men, captured her after an action of one hour and a quarter. ''Spitfire'' recaptured her on 18 February 1801, off Abervrac and she arrived at Plymouth four days later. ''Spitfire'' arrived the next day.

During 20 to 21 March, a hurricane blew in the Channel. Even so, ''Spitfire'', ''Suffisante'', and ''Renard'' arrived safely in Jersey.

''Spitfire'' and ''Renard'' shared in the proceeds of the capture on 25 April, of ''Prince Frederick van Prussia''. On 26 May, ''Spitfire'' and captured a French brig of unknown name carrying a cargo of rye.

In July, a court martial on board in the Hamoaze tried ''Spitfire''s purser, Mr. Banfield, for disobeying Keen's orders. The charge was fully proven, however several naval officers testified to Banfield's excellent character; the board reinstated him as purser but ordered him mulcted of a year's pay.

On 11 July, ''Spitfire'' captured ''Commerce''. Then in August ''Spitfire'' captured ''St. Esprit'' and a sloop of unknown name, as well as a chasse maree carrying "310 Burr Stones". Lastly, on 2 September, she captured ''Betsey''.

Towards the end of September ''Spitfire'' detained the American merchantman ''Robust'', on passage from Baltimore to Amsterdam, off the Eddystone. Kean put a mate and six men on board as a prize crew and sent her to Plymouth. On the way, while three men were aloft trimming the sails, two in the hold stowing the cable tier, one at the helm, and the prize-master having breakfast, the Americans, armed with pistols, seized the steersman and the prize master. The Americans threatened to shoot the men aloft and below if the prize crew did not give up the ship. The Americans put the prize crew into a boat, and after a long pull the seven men reached Salcombe. ''Robust'' resumed her voyage, reaching Amsterdam.

On 3 October, ''Spitfire'' brought ''Anna'', Gildea, master, bound for Philadelphia from Amsterdam, into Plymouth. ''Anna'', was carrying supposed Dutch property.

Then on 12 November, ''Spitfire'' arrived at Plymouth where an order was in effect that as vessels came in their crews were to be paid off and their sails furled. ''Spitfire'', however, remained in service on the Milford and Irish stations. After Keen arrived, he reported that he had encountered a French convoy of 30 vessels off Havre, under the escort of a gun-brig. ''Spitfire'' did not engage as hostilities had ended two days earlier.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 6, p.430.

On 17 January 1802 ''Spitfire'' and were ordered to fit-out and victual for foreign service, ''Spitfire'' for the West Indies and ''Weazel'' for the Mediterranean. It was assumed that they would carry with them copies of the definitive peace treaty.

On 21 January a messenger came by express from the Admiralty to Plymouth with orders for a fast sloop to be ready to sail at a moment's notice with dispatches for the Straits. ''Weazle'' and ''Spitfire'' went out into the Sound, still very rough from a gale the previous night, to await orders. The dispatches arrived in the morning three days later and ''Weazle'' sailed immediately. ''Spitfire''s orders, however, did not come.

''Spitfire'' had to wait for orders until 6 February. The next morning she, , and two gun-brigs sailed for the St. Georges Channel to intercept smugglers.

In early 1802, ''Spitfire'' recaptured the brig ''Lowestoffe''.

On 19 March 1803 Admiral Lord Keith hoisted his pennant aboard as commander in chief of the fleet. Admiral Dacres, second in command of the fleet and port admiral, shifted his flag to ''Spitfire''.

On 9 April Keen again recommissioned ''Spitfire'' in the Hamoaze. Before she could sail, however, she had to have her bottom examined. By 4 May she was completely rigged and fitted for sea, but lacked a full crew. War with France resumed on 22 May.

On 2 March ''Spitfire'' escorted a convoy that was leaving Waterford for Newfoundland. That same night two vessels from the convoy, ''Ranger'' and ''Mary Ann'', separated in the night in a heavy squall. Four days later the French privateer ''General Aujereau'', of Bayonne, and of 16 guns and 120 men, captured them about 120 miles west of Cape Clear. The privateer plundered ''Ranger'' and then released her; she returned to Waterford on the 10th. The privateer sent ''Mary Ann'' into France or Spain.

''Spitfire'' was paid off and laid up in ordinary at Sheerness on 30 August 1804, and she remained out of commission through 1805.

Napoleonic Wars

''Spitfire'' underwent a repair and refit at Sheerness between April 1805 and April 1806, returning to active service under Captain William Green.

While in the Channel under the command of Lieutenant R. Parry (acting), on 28 December she recaptured the English trading brig ''Friendship'', from Mogadore that the French privateer luggers ''Deux Freres'' and ''Espoir'' had captured, and sent her in to the Downs. The next day ''Spitfire'' captured ''Deux Frères'', which had only four of her 14 guns mounted, the rest being stored in her hold. She nevertheless put up a fight and did not surrender till she had lost her captain, H. Trebon, and her third officer killed, and four men wounded out of her crew of 55. (''Spitfire''s surgeon had to amputate the arm of one of the wounded men.) ''Spitfire'' was unable to rescue ''Friendship''s master and crew as they were on ''Espoir'', which escaped. ''Spitfire'' was then paid off.

Commander Henry Samuel Butt recommissioned her again in February 1807, in her original role as a fireship. She served in the Downs, at first under Butt, and then from mid-1807 under Commander John Ellis. Ellis would eventually spend six years with ''Spitfire'', serving at a number of British ports and spending some time in North American waters, including the Greenland station in 1813.

In 1814, ''Spitfire'' received a grant from His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent, for what should have been her share of Danish ships detained at Sheerness between 26 and 29 August and on 1 September 1807 on the outbreak of war with Denmark. Ellis and ''Spitfire'' had been omitted from the original grant.

On 4 June, ''Spitfire'' 1808 captured ''Alexis'', ''Rebecca Angel'', and ''Duen''.

On 22 October 1808, ''Spitfire'' and sailed to the assistance of the sloop , which the Dowlaw signal station, near Dunbar, reported had cut away her masts and bowsprit and thrown some of her guns overboard. ''Basilisk'' and ''Spitfire'' brought ''Cygnet'' back to Leith Roads.

On 29 June 1809, ''Spitfire'' captured ''Wilhelmina Fredericka''.

Ellis sailed ''Spitfire'' from Leith on 23 May 1810, escorting a convoy to Quebec.

On 11 January 1811, Ellis and ''Spitfire'' towed into port ''Economy'', which had fought off or out-sailed several privateers and lost her rudder in a gale and was trying to steer by sails.

''Spitfire'', , and '' Sybille'' (''Sybelle''), shared in the capture on 28 January 1812, of the American vessel ''Zone''.

Lastly, when news of the outbreak of the War of 1812 reached Britain, the Royal Navy seized all American vessels then in British ports. ''Spitfire'' was among the Royal Navy vessels then lying at Spithead or Portsmouth and so entitled to share in the grant for the American ships ''Belleville'', ''Janus'', ''Aeos'', ''Ganges'', and ''Leonidas'' seized there on 31 July 1812.

''Spitfire'' was in company with on 18 April 1813, when they recaptured the brig ''Fermina''.

''Spitfire'' was cruising with the 32-gun frigate on 19 July 1813, off North Cape. There they chased the 44-gun American frigate and her consort, the privateer schooner ''Scourge'', away from a British convoy out of Archangel. Captain John Rodgers of ''President'' excused his fleeing the British by claiming that he had fled from a ship of the line and a frigate.

On 14 June 1814 ''Spitfire'' recaptured ''Hugh Jones''. ''Hugh Jones'', Thomas, master, had been sailing from Belfast to Guadeloupe when a privateer had captured her. ''Hugh Jones'' arrived at Plymouth on 7 July.

Post-war

Commander James Dalton took over in 1814. ''Spitfire'' arrived on the West African coast in January, under the command of Commander John Ellis, to join the West Africa Squadron. When she arrived, Captain John Maxwell, captain of the sloop and governor of the Sierra Leone station, sent ''Spitfire'' to the Gallinas River where an English slave trader called Crawford was working with a Spanish schooner carrying slaves that Crawford had gathered. The schooner had captured the British privateer and murdered John Roach, her master. The Spaniards plundered ''Kitty'' before scuttling her. The schooner also enslaved the black crew on ''Kitty'', including two freed Negroes from Sierra Leone, and sold them into slavery at Havana. On 22 February ''Spitfire''s boats narrowly missed capturing Crawford, though they were able to seize his trade goods and free ''Kitty''s crew.

In April, ''Spitfire'' engaged in an unsuccessful chase of an American privateer sailing under British colours.

Fate

''Spitfire'' returned to Britain in 1815, where she was paid off for the final time and laid up at Portsmouth in May. She remained at Portsmouth in ordinary for the next ten years. Some records report that she served as a prison hulk at Portsmouth between 1818 and 1820.

Finally, the "Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy" offered the "Spitfire sloop, of 422 tons", "lying at Portsmouth", for sale on 11 July 1825. She was sold for breaking up to a Mr Ranwell for the sum of £1,205 on 30 July.

Notes

Citations

References

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*Edwards, Bryan (1819) ''The History, Civil and Commercial, of the British West Indies''. (G. and W.B. Whittaker).
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*O’Byrne, William R. (1849) ''A naval biographical dictionary: comprising the life and services of every living officer in Her Majesty's navy, from the rank of admiral of the fleet to that of lieutenant, inclusive.'' (London: J. Murray).
*Page, William, ed. (1907) ''The Victoria History of the County of Suffolk''. (Constable).
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitfire (1782)
Fireships of the Royal Navy
Brigs of the Royal Navy
1782 ships
Ships of the West Africa Squadron