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HAVANNAH
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(36) |
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Built in 1811, Liverpool.
Training ship in 1860. |
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- 1811 Capt. Hon. George CADOGAN (Later Lord OAKLEY), Channel.
On 6 September 1811 he sent the first lieutenant, William HAMLEY, to bring out or destroy six chasse-maree which were sheltering on the south-west side of the Penmarks and to spike the guns of a battery of three 12-pounders.
Four of the prizes were laden with wine and a fifth with salt.
The sixth was burnt.
HAVANNAH served with the inshore squadron off Toulon and later in the Adriatic where, expecting a French attack, the British decided to take over the island of Lissa as a major base.
HAVANNAH, EAGLE and APOLLO entered Port St. George on 24 April with the new governor, Lieut. Col. Robertson. - On 6 January 1813 Lieut. HAMLEY and a division of the ship's boats came under musket fire from the shore as they rowed up a creek and they were called upon to surrender.
They persisted and, when the creek widened, came across a gunboat made fast to the shore and three merchant vessels. At two o'clock in the afternoon they attacked and carried the enemy, which was far superior to them in force, being armed with one long 24-pounder and carrying 35 men well supported by troops on shore. She was Gunboat No. 8, commanded by enseigne de vaisseau Joseph Floreus. The merchant vessels were also taken. Mr Edward PERCIVAL, master's mate, was killed and two seamen wounded. - A battery of 7 guns on the coast of Manfredonia was destroyed on 7 February and two transports captured.
Four gunboats and nineteen vessels laden with ordnance stores were scuttled and left full of water. - On the morning of 22 March her boats captured a large trabaccolo of three 9-pounders, and burnt a similar one laden with oil, under the town of Vasto, 35 miles south of Pescara on the Italian coast.
the French officer commanding the troops ashore was killed - Five armed trabaccolos and five feluccas laden with salt were seen hauled up on the beach near Fortore on the 26th. and dismantled. They were covered by troops and the guns of the latter vessels which had been landed. Lieut. HAMLEY took the boats in wide of the spot and carried their positions killing one of the enemy, then, whileLieut. HOCKLY's marines held the perimeter, the vessels were rigged and got afloat. HAVANNAH had two men very slightly wounded in the two actions. HAVANNAH was back off Vasto on the morning of 27 June 1813 when an armed convoy of ten vessels, which had run themselves ashore and taken every possible precaution against attack, were captured by Lieut. HAMLEY and the boats of the ship which landed on the right and forced the enemy from their eight guns killing six and wounding seven of them for the loss of only three men slightly wounded.
The area was secured all day while the captured vessels were rigged and got afloat. - On the morning of 18 July HAVANNAH and the sloop PARTRIDGE attacked a small enemy convoy on the N. W. coast of Manfredonia. One Neapolitan gunboat from the 5th. division and armed with one 18-pounder was captured and another similar one burnt. A pinnace with a 6-pounder was destroyed together with two armed trabaccolos laden with salt. Two more trabaccolos, each armed with three guns, were captured.
Lieut. HAMLEY was presented with an Austrian gold medal for these services. - Lieut. George GOSLING of HAVANNAH, who had a good knowledge of the French language, was sent off with a detachment of boats to excite the spirit of revolt among the inhabitants of the various islands and after the capture of Sagna sailed an open boat through a violent bora, or N. E. gale, to the squadron off Fiume.
He subsequently followed Rear Ad. FREMANTLE to the Brioni Is. before returning to his ship. - In November 1813, while Rear Ad. FREMANTLE with all his squadron were attacking Trieste, HAVANNAH and WEAZLE were sent to blockade Zara (Zadar). When they arrived they found that the fortress was well supplied and ready to stand a long siege, so Capt. CADOGAN determined to attack it.
Zara was a regular fortification with 110 pieces of brass cannon, 7 mortars and 11 howitzers mounted and a garrison of 2,000 veteran troops commanded by an experienced French general, Baron Roise.
Twelve or thirteen gunboats, each carrying a long 24-pounder and one smaller gun were moored under the walls. - Lieut. HAMLEY with a force of 60 men was given the job of setting up batteries.
To assist him he had Lieut. Michael QUINN of WEAZLE, Lieut. Hockley, RM and Messrs. STEWART and HAMILTON, master's mates of HAVANNAH. Two 32-pounder carronades, eight long 18-pounders and seven long 12-pounders, together with all the necessary powder and ammunition, were landed from HAVANNAH and WEAZLE and, working entirely at night, dragged on a sledge across swamps and ditches a distance of about 3 miles. - The union jack was hoisted on each of three batteries on 23 November and they started a bombardment that was to last for thirteen days and nights in almost incessant rain.
The enemy fire broke up their defences at first and sandbags were continually needed to fill the breaches.
One long 18-pounder and the carronades were redirected to deal with the gunboats and, after an hour and a half, not one remained afloat. - On 6 December, when the batteries had only one round of shot left, the enemy sent out a flag of truce and capitulated to the British seamen and marines and and to 1,500 Austrians who had contributed two howitzers.
The gunboats were weighed and military stores loaded into a large ship in the harbour but, as they were about to leave for Trieste with their prizes, an order arrived to give them up to the Austrian general.
The value of the guns, stores and vessels was estimated at 300,000 pounds of prize money lost to HAVANNAH and WEAZLE. - HAVANNAH, with Capt. SIBLY acting in command, captured the privateer schooner GRANDE ISABELLE off Corfu on 15 April 1814. She carried 4 guns and 64 men and had sailed from Corfu on the 9th., capturing one vessel from Trieste to Messina which was retaken by HAVANNAH.
- 1815 Capt. William HAMILTON, North America.
After the news of peace between America and Britain following the treaty of Ghent on 24 December was received off Mobile Rear Ad. CODRINGTON sailed in HAVANNAH, first for Bermuda, arriving on 23 February, and then for home. - 1816 To St. Helena and the Cape.
- 1817 Out of commission at Portsmouth.
- 1818 Sheerness.
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