HMS Pelican (1812)
"Pelican" off Ricasoli Point, leaving the Grand Harbour, Malta, 1833, by Nicolas Cammillieri
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Pelican |
Builder | Robert Davy, Topsham |
Laid down | January 1812 |
Launched | August 1812 |
Commissioned | 11 December 1812 |
Decommissioned | 1865 |
Honours and awards | Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Pelican 14 Augt. 1813"[1] |
Fate | Sold June 1865 |
General characteristics [2] | |
Class and type | 18-gun brig-sloop |
Tons burthen | 38541⁄94 (bm) |
Length |
|
Beam | 30 ft 9 in (9.37 m) |
Draught | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) (unladen); 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) (laden) |
Depth of hold | 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) |
Propulsion | Sails |
Sail plan | Brig-sloop |
Complement | 121 |
Armament | 16 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 x 6-pounder guns |
HMS Pelican was an 18-gun
War of 1812
Pelican was commissioned under Commander John Fordyce Maples on 11 December 1812 for the Irish station. On 5 May 1813 Pelican captured the American schooner Neptune's Barge. Neptune's Barge had been sailing from Connecticut to Santiago de Cuba. Pelican sent her into Jamaica.[3]
Pelican was engaged in convoy escort duty to and from Britain. On 10 August 1813 she arrived in Cork, Ireland, having escorted a convoy from the West Indies. At the time Argus was raiding in British waters and two days later Pelican sailed to join the hunt for the American. On 14 August Pelican engaged Argus off St David's Head on the Pembrokeshire coast. After an engagement lasting 45 minutes Pelican was in a position to board, at which point Argus
Later that month Commander Thomas Mansell replaced Maples. On 13 January 1814 Pelican captured the American privateer Siro (or Sero) after a chase of 12 hours. Siro was a schooner out of Baltimore, armed with 12 guns. She had a crew of 50 men under Captain D. Gray. Captain Thomas Mansell described Siro in a letter as being pierced for 16 guns though carrying twelve 9-pounders, and new and a fast sailer.[5] She was only about two years old so the Royal Navy took Siro into service as Atalanta, and even though Pelican had to share the prize money with Castilian, Siro proved to be a valuable prize.[a]
On 26 January Castillian, with Achates in sight, recaptured the Swedish brig Apparencen. Pelican shared the salvage money by agreement with Castillian.[7] Then on 21 March Pelican recaptured Nossa Senhora de Monte and Jupiter. Teazer was in company with Pelican.[8]
Later in 1814, Pelican was in Lisbon. At some point Commander William Bamber replaced Mansell, only to have Commander Thomas Pricket replace him in December.
Post-war
On 8 August 1826 Captain
Irby wrote to the Greek governor of
Towards the end of the month, on 28 January,
During a voyage from Hong Kong to Portsmouth, Hampshire, Pelican ran aground on the Peel Bank in the English Channel off the coast of Hampshire on 13 January 1845.[12] She was refloated the next day and taken in to Portsmouth.[13]
Fate
The Admiralty transferred Pelican to the
Notes
- d; a sixth-class share, that of an ordinary seaman, was worth £18 14s 6d, or almost a year's wages.[6]
Citations
- ^ "No. 20939". The London Gazette. 26 January 1849. p. 244.
- ^ a b Winfield (2008), pp. 301–2.
- ^ "No. 16771". The London Gazette. 7 September 1813. p. 1767.
- ^ "No. 16766". The London Gazette. 21 August 1813. pp. 1664–1665.
- ^ Gentleman's Magazine (March 1814), p.274.
- ^ "No. 16956". The London Gazette. 12 November 1814. p. 2242.
- ^ "No. 16890". The London Gazette. 26 April 1814. p. 886.
- ^ "No. 17116". The London Gazette. 5 March 1816. p. 432.
- ^ a b Marshall (1832), Vol. 3, Part 2, pp1-13.
- ^ a b Pitcairn Jones (1934), pp. 50–2.
- ^ Pitcairn Jones (1934), pp. 52–7.
- ^ "Ship News". The Times. No. 18821. London. 15 January 1845. col E-F, p. 7.
- ^ "Shipping Intelligence". The Morning Chronicle. No. 23470. London. 16 January 1845.
References
- Pitcairn Jones, Charles Grey (1934). Piracy in the Levant, 1827-8: Selected from the Papers of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington. Publications of the Navy Records Society. Vol. 72. Navy Records Society.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.