Bluenoses Made Out Like Bandits-- Part 6: The Crown

Continued from July 27th.

Solomon Jennings was still mad about the HMS Atalante cutting in on his prize and especially impressing two of his sailors, but sailed out again with just a crew of 19.

Sailing along the coast of Maine, he captured two or three small American ships. On April 30th, the Crown chased the sloop Increase, mounting six guns (to the Crown's one) and a crew of 80.

Jennings did not know that the Increase was out to act a lure to catch the schooner HMS Bream. The Crown was defeated and crew taken prisoner until exchanged.

The Vice Admiralty Court eventually decided that the Sibac was a joint capture.

Sure Made Jennings' Day. --Brock-Perry

Why It Takes So Long to Do This Blog

This would also apply to my other six blogs.

I get started with an article and one things leads to another, until I am several related subjects away.

The last several days it started with Nova Scotia privateers during the War of 1812.  That led to the term "Bluenoses."  Then, the Nova Scotian privateer Crown which had a prize taken away by a bigger British ship. 

That ship was the HMS Altalante which was eventually wrecked at Sambro Island (Halifax) Lighthouse, where another ship was wrecked in 1920, the Norwegian freighter Romsdalfjord.  Then I got into some of the Atalante's cruises and captures while serving on the British North America and West Indies Stattion, something else I had to look up.

By the way, the Sambro Island Lighthouse is the  oldest surviving North American lighthouse.

Then, there is the story of the American privateer Young Teazer which captured two ships off the light, then was chased and blew up casing the so-called Teazer Light (spooky).

I will be writing more about these things.

Well, That's Why. One Thing leads to Another.   --Brock-Perry

The HMS Atalante (Atalanta)-- Part 2: The Wreck

Continued from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic site.

The Altalante was headed for Halifax, returning from a patrol with dispatches.  In heavy fog, despite heavy precautions, it struck the dreaded Blind Sisters ledge near Sambro Island.  The bottom of the ship ripped open and it broke in two.

Due to the efforts of its captain and well-disciplined crew, all 79 men and 1 woman survived.

The Atalante's Captain, the same Frederick Hickey who commanded the ship when it cut in on the Crown's prize, was acquitted of blame for the ship's sinking.

Stay Off the Ledge.  --Brock-Perry

The HMS Atalante (Atalanta)-- Part 1

In the last post, I wrote about the problems the Nova Scota privateer Crown had with the British warship HMS Atalante when it claimed part of the capture of the American brig Sibac.  It sure sounded like the Atalante was late on the scene, but decided to cut in on the prize money the Sibac would bring,  When the Crown's Captain Jennings complained, the Atalante's Captain Hickey impressed two of his crew.

Time to do some research on the HMS Atalante and there wasn't much.  I did find more on a previous HMS Atalante which was a captured French ship that sank in 1807.

But, the Atalante (also called the Atalanta) in question with the Crown Affair was an 18-gun sloop launched in 1808 and wrecked in 1813 according to Wikipedia, which does not have an article on it.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, in its On the Rocks: Find a Wreck site said the HMS Altalante was 107 feet long, had three masts and was one of six Bermuda-class sloops.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

Bluenoses Made Out Like Bandits-- Part 5: The Privateer Crown's Problems With the HMS Atalante

Two days into the first cruise in April 1813, they spotted and chased a ship five times bigger than the Crown.  After a two and a half hour chase, they captured the brig Sibac of Boston, put on a prize crew and transferred the Sibac's seven-man crew to the Crown in handcuffs.

The crew was not happy when the HMS Atalante arrived on the scene and claimed partial capture so it could get a cut of the prize money.

Captain Solomon Jennings of the Crown so loudly protested that British Captain Frederick of the Atalante forced two of the Crown's crew into the Royal Navy, which was a highly unusual action when dealing with British privateers.

The Vice Admiralty in Halifax did not hear the case for several months.  In the meantime Jennings put into Shelburne and discharged his prisoners and replaced the two crew that had been impressed.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

Bluenoses Made Out Like Bandits-- Part 4: the Privateers

Some Halifax privateer ships of note:  Crown, Sir John Sherbrooke, Fly, Weazel and George.

Some Liverpool privateer ships:  Retaliation, Wolverine (Hey, a movie of that name is coming out), Rolla,  Shannon, Lively, Rover, Minerva, Saucy Jack, Dart and the Dove.

Annapolis privateers:  Royal, Matilda and the Broke.

Also, the Retrieve operated out of Windsor and the Lunenburg operated out of Lunenburg.

The Crown, out of Halifax, was commissioned in February 1813 under Captain Solomon Jennings.  It was 12 metres long and had a crew of 30, many just boys.  Its armament consisted of one 9-pound carronade.  Privateers preferred carronades to long guns. 

Carronade cannons were lighter, used less powder, took up less room and were cheaper.

When a Long Just Won't Do.  --Brock-Perry