British hired cutter 'Swan' (1803)

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Swan

11643
Nominal Guns10BWAS-1793
NationalityUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
OperatorRoyal Navy
Hired6.8.1803BWAS-1793
ShipyardUnknownBWAS-1793
CategoryHired VesselBWAS-1793
Ship TypeCutterBWAS-1793
Captured28.4.1811BWAS-1793

Dimensions


DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Burthen119 27⁄94Tons BM 

Armament


1803Broadside Weight = 60 Imperial Pound ( 27.21 kg)BWAS-1793
Gun Deck10 British 12-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement


Date# of MenNotesSource
24.5.180840EstablishmentW005

2 Ship Commanders


DatesRankNameSource
1805 - 10.1805Lieutenant
William Richard WallaceBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1790-1805
N-GAZ24.5.1808 - 1808Lieutenant
Mark Robinson LucasBritish
Naval Sailor
Service 1799-1816
W005

Service History


DateEventSource
26.1.1805Took the Privateer
Flip (Unknown) 1805-1805
Dutch Unknown Gun
Privateer Unknown
N-GAZ
21.10.1805Returned to ownersBWAS-1793
3.8.1807Re-hiredBWAS-1793
24.5.1808Sank an unidentfied Danish cutter of BornhelmW005
28.4.1811Taken by three Danish Gunboats and later sunkBWAS-1793


Notes on Ship


Action of BornhelmW005
On the 24th of May 1808, at noon, the British hired cutter Swan, of ten 12-pounder carronades, and 40 men and boys, Lieutenant Mark Robinson Lucas, being off the island of Bornholm, on her way to Rear-admiral Sir Samuel Hood, with despatches from the commander-in-chief, observed a cutter-rigged vessel standing from the land towards her. The Swan immediately hove to, and hoisted a Dutch jack for a pilot. This decoyed the strange cutter so far from the shore, that, at 2 p.m., the Swan found herself in a situation to chase with a prospect of overtaking the vessel before she could get back.

At 4 p.m. the Swan got within gun-shot; when the strange cutter opened her fire. The battery of Bornholm also commenced firing at the Swan, then about a mile from the beach. Attempting now to get a long gun in her stern to bear upon her pursuer, the strange cutter was caught in the wind. This accident enabled the Swan to get within musket-shot; and, after an action of 20 minutes, her antagonist blew up. As the Swan now lay nearly becalmed under the land, and as the batteries were still firing, and several boats approaching from the shore, Lieutenant Lucas was under the necessity of quitting the wreck without saving the life of a single individual of the crew. The Danish cutter appeared to be a vessel of about 120 tons, mounted eight or 10 guns, and was apparently full of men. Neither the Swan nor a man on board of her sustained the slightest injury.
 
Previous comments on this page

Posted by Sven Fafner on Tuesday 24th of September 2024 07:21

Correction to dates & some service history:
Lt. Mark Robinson Lucas was appointed commander of "Swan" on 17.08.1807.
On 24.08.1807 the "Swan" seized the Danish ship "Haabet" (Nicolai Petersen Joost) - bound from Cette to Flensburg with a cargo of wine and brandy - off Marstrand, Sweden.
Source: National Archives, UK.

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