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CHILDERS
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(16) |
Brig-sloop
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Built in 1778, Thames.
Broken up in 1811. |
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- The first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at CHILDERS, Robert BARLOW, by the Brest forts on 2 January 1793.
A 48-pound shot destroyed one of her guns.
France did not declare war until the first of the next month. - 1795 J. MULLOCK.
- 1794 R. WARBURTON, 03/1794.
- 1796 S. POYNTZ, 01/1796.
- 1797 J. O'BRIAN, 03/1797.
- 1799 J. C. CRAWFORD, 04/1799, Plymouth.
In January 1800 she brought 12 sail of transports and merchantmen under convoy from Lisbon arriving at Portsmouth after a 3 weeks voyage on 5 February.
The convoy went on to the Downs. - On 24 March 1800 CHILDERS fell in with AGAMEMNON which had struck on a rock in the Penmarks and assisted her into Falmouth.
They had great difficulty in keeping her afloat and, when she arrived the water was above the magazine.
The LADY NELSON laden with fruit, which had been taken by a French privateer, was retaken by CHILDERS and sent in to Plymouth on 27 March.
At noon on the 23 October she captured a Spanish privateer lugger DILIGENTE with two 4-pounders, four swivels and 30 men, which was two days out of Vigo. - On 1 January 1802 CHILDERS, together with NEPTUNE and PRINCE, came into Plymouth from Torbay to be paid and victualled.
On 27 and 28 August CHILDERS and ROSARIO were stationed in Cawsand Bay to salute Earl ST. VINCENT and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty when they inspected the bay and ships in the Sound. - 1802 Capt. FANE, on his promotion from lieutenant in April.
- 1803 William BOLTON, 07/1803.
(In May 1803 he acted as proxy for Lord NELSON at his installation as a K. B.
and was knighted on the same occasion) During August CHILDERS was re-fitted in the Hamoaze. She went down into the Sound on 4 September to wait for orders and sailed for Portsmouth on the 7th. to join a convoy collecting there for the Mediterranean. - 1804 Mediterranean. She detained the Ragusan ship TERPSICHORE of 280 tons from the Isle of France bound for Livorno with sugar and coffee, on 24 December 1805.
- 1807 Thomas INNES, Spithead North Sea.
- 1808 William H. DILLON, North Sea.
In January 1808 CHILDERS arrived in the Leith Roads to give protection to the Gottenburg trade.
The Scottish merchants refused to to sail under her escort saying that she was too small to fight off privateers so she sailed to the Baltic alone. - On 14 March while cruising off Midby, Norway, Capt. DILLON sent in boats to cut out a small Danish vessel.
Acting-master Mr WILSON and Thomas Edward KNIGHT, mate took the cutter and Mr M'NICHOLL, gunner and Mr LE NEVE, purser the jolly boat. She was carried without loss in spite of the local inhabitants hurling stones on them from the cliffs.
The prize proved to be a galliot, partly loaded with fish and oil.
While they were bringing her out a Danish brig of war, LUGUM (20)(or LOUGEN) came out of Hitteroe and bore down on them.
CHILDERS opened fire and LUGUM moved inshore where, at night, only the flashes from her long 18-pounder guns could be seen.
Out-ranged with only 12-pounder carronades, (CHILDERS, and other brigs of the same class, had become so unseaworthy that they could no longer carry their original 18-pounders.) Capt. DILLON enticed the Dane to follow him out to sea, intending to get inshore of him.
Unfortunately the wind changed but he was able to pass close under the enemy's lee and pour round shot and grape on his decks.
The LUGUM tacked and was soon lost to sight. - CHILDERS had 5 feet of water in the bilge with the leaks worsening, but they managed to secure their original prize.
- 11 out of her crew of 56 were killed or wounded.
Killed: Mr ROBERTS, captain's clerk.
William JONES, Boatswain's mate.
Wounded: Capt. DILLON.
Midshipmen BATTERS and PARKER.
Marine corporal Allander.
Seamen John HOLDING and Dennis BARK.
Marine John Constable.
Boy John MARSHALL.
Capt. DILLON was badly wounded in both legs. - Joseph PACKWOOD, Leith.
On the morning of 19 October 1808 he gave chase to two sails and a little after 10 o'clock recaptured the sloop LORD NELSON of Leith, in ballast, which had been taken earlier that morning by a privateer, the other vessel.
He renewed the chase and at half past eleven came up with and captured the Danish sloop FRERNSKERNSTEN, four 4-pounders and two swivels, with 21 men from Stavanger in Norway. She had left there on the 15th. and had been on the Scottish coast for only
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