Sir John Sherbrooke (Saint John) facts for kids
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The Sir John Sherbrooke was a brig.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | New Orleans Packet |
| Captured | August 1811 |
 Nova Scotia |
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| Name | Sir John Sherbrooke |
| Namesake | John Coape Sherbrooke |
| Port of registry | Saint John, New Brunswick |
| Commissioned | 27 November 1812 |
| Captured | 30 October 1813 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Brig |
| Tons burthen | 187 bm |
| Sail plan | brig |
| Crew | 20 |
| Armament | 10 cannons |
The Sir John Sherbrooke was a type of sailing ship called a brig. She was originally an American ship named New Orleans Packet. In 1811, a British warship captured her. She was then bought by merchants in Saint John, New Brunswick, and renamed after Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, who was the Governor of Nova Scotia.
When the War of 1812 started, the Sir John Sherbrooke became a privateer. This meant she was a private ship allowed by the government to attack enemy ships. However, an American privateer ship captured her in October 1813.
Contents
From American Trader to Canadian Privateer
The Sir John Sherbrooke started her life as an American trading ship called New Orleans Packet. She sailed the seas carrying goods between different countries.
Why the Ship Was Captured
In the early 1800s, there were big conflicts in Europe involving Napoleon I of France and Great Britain. These conflicts affected ships trading across the ocean. Great Britain allowed its warships to capture vessels that were trading with France.
The New Orleans Packet, led by Captain Harris, was on a trading trip. She was supposed to go to Lisbon but ended up in Gibraltar. She waited there, hoping that France would lift its trade rules. When she finally sailed to Bordeaux, France, the French authorities still held her because she had been in a British port. Eventually, in June 1811, France released her, and she sailed for Boston.
However, on August 25, 1811, a British warship named HMS Guerriere stopped the New Orleans Packet. The British ship sent her to New Brunswick, where she was officially taken over by the British government. Local merchants then bought her.
Becoming the Sir John Sherbrooke
After being bought by merchants in New Brunswick, the ship was renamed Sir John Sherbrooke. She was officially ready for duty on November 27, 1812. She had ten cannons and a crew of 30 men. Because she had a smaller crew for her number of guns and carried less ammunition, she was likely used more for armed trading than for capturing other ships.
Life as a Privateer Ship
The Sir John Sherbrooke made several trips to the West Indies, which are islands in the Caribbean Sea. These were trading voyages.
First Capture and Escape
On January 11, 1813, an American privateer ship called Defiance captured the Sir John Sherbrooke. This happened near Cow Bay, Jamaica. The American crew, led by Captain John P. Chazal, abandoned the ship later. In February, the Sir John Sherbrooke managed to reach Bermuda from Jamaica.
Final Capture by an American Privateer
After this, the Sir John Sherbrooke had several more successful trading trips. On October 11, she left Richibucto, New Brunswick, with a smaller crew of 20 men.
On October 31, she met an American privateer ship near Cape Maize. This was in the Windward Passage, a sea lane between Cuba and Haiti. The Sir John Sherbrooke fought bravely for about five hours. During the fight, Captain Robson was badly wounded. The two ships then accidentally crashed into each other. The American sailors boarded the Canadian ship and captured her.
The Sir John Sherbrooke lost one crew member who was killed, and seven were wounded, including Captain Robson. Two of the wounded crew members later died. The American privateer was the schooner Saucy Jack, again captained by John P. Chazal. The Saucy Jack had 15 men wounded in the fight. The Americans took the Sir John Sherbrooke to Cuba as a prize.
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