HMS Whiting (1805) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Whiting |
| Ordered | 23 June 1803 |
| Builder | Goodrich & Co. (prime contractor), Bermuda |
| Laid down | 1803 |
| Launched | November 1805 |
| Honours and awards |
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Basque Roads 1809" |
| Captured |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ballahoo-class schooner |
| Tonnage | 7041⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
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| Beam | 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 0 in (2.7 m) |
| Sail plan | Schooner |
| Complement | 20 |
| Armament | 4 x 12-pounder carronades |
HMS Whiting was a small but important ship in the Royal Navy. She was a type of ship called a Ballahoo-class schooner, which was a fast sailing ship. Whiting had four 12-pounder carronades (a type of short cannon) and a crew of 20 sailors.
The ship was built in Bermuda by Goodrich & Co. and was launched in 1805. Whiting took part in the famous Battle of Basque Roads. She was captured by a French privateer (a privately owned warship) at the start of the War of 1812. This happened shortly after an American ship had captured and then released her in an early event of the war.
Contents
HMS Whiting in the Napoleonic Wars
In 1805, Whiting was under the command of Lieutenant John Orkney. She was sailing from Halifax to Portsmouth, England, to be finished. This work happened between April and May 1806. Before that, in September 1805, Whiting captured an American ship carrying brandy and wine from Bordeaux. She sent this ship to Bermuda.
In June 1806, Lieutenant George Roach took command of Whiting for duty in the North Sea. However, on June 18, Whiting, along with Moucheron and the hired armed cutter John Bull, arrived at Madeira. They were supposed to join a group of ships led by Sir John Borlase Warren. They sailed from Madeira to meet this group on June 21.
Later, Lieutenant Orkney was again in command of Whiting. On November 29, 1806, he captured a Spanish ship called Felicided. He also destroyed another ship after moving some animal hides to the Felicided.
On September 7, 1807, Whiting was part of the large British fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen.
In January 1808, Lieutenant Henry Wildey became the new commander. On June 30, Whiting was present when her sister ship Capelin hit a rock near Brest, France, and sank.
Battle of Basque Roads (1809)
In early March 1809, Whiting joined a fleet preparing to attack the French navy in the Basque Roads. William Congreve, who invented rockets, helped equip Whiting and two hired armed cutters, Nimrod and King George, with these new rockets.
On April 11, these three ships took up positions near the Boyart Shoal (close to Fort Boyard). That night, British fireships attacked the French fleet. The next day, Whiting and other British ships fired upon the French ships Océan, Régulus, and the frigate Indienne, which were stuck on the ground. The first two French ships eventually got free. The Indienne was one of four ships that were later destroyed by their own crews to prevent the British from capturing them.
Years later, in 1847, a special medal called the Naval General Service Medal was given to all British sailors who had taken part in the Battle of Basque Roads.
After the battle, on April 13, Whiting sailed to Portugal. For the next few years, she patrolled the English Channel and the coasts of Spain, going as far as Cadiz and Gibraltar. Lieutenant Wildey was promoted to Commander on May 3, 1810.
On December 20, 1811, Whiting left Plymouth to help the gun brig Bloodhound, which had run aground near Padstow.
In 1812, Lieutenant Lewis Maxey took command of Whiting. On May 1, he sailed for the Americas.
HMS Whiting in the War of 1812
Whiting did not last long in the War of 1812. She sailed from Plymouth and arrived in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on July 8, 1812. She was carrying important messages for the American government.
However, war had been declared between Britain and the United States about two weeks earlier, and Whitings crew did not know this. As Lieutenant Maxey was being rowed ashore, an American privateer ship called Dash, led by Captain Garroway, left port and captured Whiting. The Dash had a large gun and a crew of 80. A third of Whitings crew were in the boat with Maxey, and the rest were not ready for battle because they did not know about the war.
This could have been the first ship captured in the war. But because Whiting was carrying official messages for the American government, she was ordered to be released. So, the first capture by either side in the war was actually the British capture of USS Nautilus on July 16.
In mid-August, the American ship Gallatin led Whiting out to Hampton Roads and returned her crew to Lieutenant Maxey. The Americans then told Maxey to leave American waters as quickly as possible.
Fate of HMS Whiting
Soon after Whiting left Hampton Roads to sail back to England, she was captured again. On August 22, 1812, a French privateer brig with 18 guns, called Diligent, captured her. The Diligent was commanded by Alexis Grassin. Later, on September 8, Diligent would also capture the 10-gun schooner HMS Laura.
See also
- List of historical schooners
- List of ships captured in the 19th century
