Mohawk (1781 ship) facts for kids
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Mohawk
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Massachusetts |
|
| Name | Mohawk |
| Namesake | Mohawk people |
| Builder | Beverly, Massachusetts, or Philadelphia |
| Launched | 1781 |
| Homeport | Beverly, Massachusetts |
| Captured | October 1782 |
 Great Britain |
|
| Name | HMS Mohawk |
| Acquired | October 1782 by capture |
| Fate | Sold 1783 |
 Great Britain |
|
| Name | Mohawk |
| Owner |
|
| Acquired | 1783 by purchase |
| Homeport | Bristol |
| Captured | July 1801 |
 France |
|
| Name | Mohawk |
| Acquired | July 1801 by capture |
| Fate | Sold June 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 130,, c.280, 28486⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 26 ft 4 in (8.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 16 ft 10 in (5.1 m) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
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The ship Mohawk (sometimes called Mohawke) was first launched in 1781 in Beverly, Massachusetts. It started its life as a privateer, which was a privately owned ship that was allowed to attack enemy ships during wartime. The Mohawk went on two such voyages.
In 1782, the Royal Navy (Britain's navy) captured the Mohawk. They used it for a short time under the same name before selling it in 1783. After that, it became a merchant ship, carrying goods for trade. Later, in 1796, some investors in Bristol, England, bought it and turned it back into a privateer.
By 1799, the Mohawk became a letter of marque ship. This meant it was mainly a merchant ship but was also allowed to defend itself and capture enemy ships if attacked. In 1801, the French Navy captured it. The Mohawk then served in the French Navy, even capturing a British privateer in 1805. Finally, it was sold in 1814.
Contents
Mohawk: An American Privateer
In 1781, a group of merchants from Beverly, Massachusetts, including William Leach and William Bartlett, asked for permission for their new ship, the Mohawk, to become a privateer. They chose Elias Smith to be its commander. The Mohawk was a brand new ship, built especially for this purpose.
First Voyage and Captures
On its very first trip, the Mohawk captured three enemy ships and sent them to Martinique. One of these was the Adventure, which was sailing from Quebec to the West Indies. The Mohawk also captured another ship called the Daniel, which was heading home from Bilboa. The Daniel was sent to Beverly.
Later, Captain John Carnes took over as commander of the Mohawk. He set sail on September 6, 1782. However, this trip was very short. On October 5, 1782, a British warship called HMS Enterprise, commanded by Captain John Payne, captured the Mohawk near Cape Ann. The Mohawk had 20 guns and about 106 to 108 crew members on board.
After capturing the Mohawk, the Royal Navy bought it. In November 1782, they added a special layer of copper to the bottom of its hull in Antigua. This "copper sheathing" helped protect the ship from barnacles and worms, making it faster and last longer.
Ship Design and Sale
Drawings of the Mohawk show that it had ten gun ports on each side of its main deck. It also had nine ports on each side of its upper deck. The Navy then assigned the ship to Commander Robert Sutton in the Leeward Islands. It was armed with 14 guns. Commander Sutton sailed the ship to Great Britain, arriving in August 1783. The Royal Navy decided not to keep the ship in its official fleet for long. Instead, they sold it on September 25, 1783, for £1,120 to a person named Samuel Scott.
Mohawk: A Merchant Ship and Privateer Again
After being sold by the Royal Navy, the Mohawk became a merchant ship. It was about 280 tons in size and was built in New England in 1781. In 1784, it was listed in Lloyd's Register, which is a record of ships. Its owner was Scott & Co., and it sailed between London and Africa. It still had its copper bottom from 1782.
Early Merchant Voyages
In March 1784, Captain John Griffith sailed the Mohawk from London to the Gold Coast region of Africa. The ship then sailed to Kingston, Jamaica, arriving in July 1785. After that, it returned to London in October.
By 1786, the ship's owner changed to St Barbe & Co., and its trade route changed to London to Smyrna (a city in Turkey). In 1787, the Mohawk was reported to be in Leghorn (Livorno, Italy) after sailing from Smyrna.
Later Merchant Voyages
In 1795, the Mohawk, now 284 tons, sailed from Bristol, England, to the West African coast. It visited places like the Gold Coast, Gabon, and Sierra Leone. It then sailed directly back to Bristol, arriving in June 1796.
Becoming a Privateer Again
In November 1796, the Mohawk was put up for sale. The advertisement said it was 285 tons and had most of its cannons. It also mentioned that the ship had been fully repaired in 1795 and was very fast and good at sea, making it perfect for privateering.
New buyers fitted the ship out as a privateer in January 1797. James Baker became its commander. The ship had 100 men and 25 guns of different sizes, plus a swivel gun (a small cannon that could turn easily). It sailed for the Cape Verde Islands in March. On its way, it fought a French warship with 20 guns for an hour and a half before the French ship left. The Mohawk had one man wounded and some damage to its sails.
In August 1797, the Mohawk arrived in St Jago (Santiago, Cape Verde) with two Spanish ships it had captured, which were carrying fish. The Mohawk returned to Bristol in October. However, its owners were not happy and put it up for sale again in November.
Return to Merchant Trade
By 1799, the Mohawk was listed with a new master, Kempthorn, and new owners, Hunters. Its trade route was from Bristol to Naples. In November 1800, James Kempthorne received a letter of marque for the ship. This meant the Mohawk was now mainly a merchant ship, but it could still fight if needed. It had 40 men and 20 guns. In June 1800, an advertisement said the Mohawk was ready to sail to Palermo and Naples without a convoy (a group of ships protected by warships).
In March 1800, the Mohawk had a brief fight with a 14-gun French ship in the Bay of Biscay.
On June 24, 1801, a French fleet led by Admiral Ganteaume captured a British warship called HMS Swiftsure. During this mission, on July 4, the French fleet also captured the Mohawk. This happened between Lampedusa and Pantelleria, as the Mohawk was sailing from Bristol to Malta with general goods.
The French Navy officially took the Mohawk into service at Toulon, keeping its name. It was first commanded by Poncel.
From December 1801 to January 1803, during a time of peace called the Peace of Amiens, the Mohawk was commanded by Lieutenant Joseph-Antoine Ganteaume. It carried messages and passengers from Cap-François (now Cap-Haïtien) to Rochefort, France.
Ganteaume, who was promoted in March 1805, was still in command of the Mohawk in May 1805. During this time, the Mohawk captured a British privateer named Neptune off Cap Roux, between Frejus and Cannes. In April 1809, Ganteaume took command of another ship, and Lieutenant Lecrosnier took over the Mohawk.
Battle and Escape
On February 13, 1812, the Mohawk, still under Lecrosnier, was escorting a French supply ship called the Mérinos from Livorno to Sagone, Corsica. They were near Cap Corse when they met a British warship, HMS Apollo. The Apollo chased the Mérinos and quickly caught up to it. The Mérinos surrendered after firing only a few shots.
The Mohawk tried to get closer to the fight by using its small boats to tow itself, but when its crew saw the Mérinos surrender, they gave up and escaped. The Apollo chased the Mohawk for two hours, exchanging fire, before giving up and returning to its captured ship. The Mohawk then safely reached Saint-Florent.
Captain Bridges Taylor of the Apollo described the Mérinos as a large supply ship, built like a frigate. It had 20 guns and a crew of 126 men. Taylor also reported that the Mohawk had sailed away instead of helping the Mérinos. He noted that the Mohawk was originally a British ship captured in 1799 and had about 130 men.
Final Days of the Mohawk
The Mohawk was taken out of service at Toulon and ordered to be sold on June 16, 1814.
