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LARNE
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Ex LIGHTNING renamed LARNE in 1832.
Broken up in 1866. |
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- 1832 Wm.
Sidney SMITH, 09/1832, North Sea station.
On the morning of the 4 April 1833 LARNE, cruising between Calais and the South Foreland in thick and rainy weather, detained a Dutch galliot bound for Rotterdam.
SMITH placed a master and a pilot on board and took her in tow making for the Downs. - It was raining and the visibility was poor but, at half past ten a steeple in Calais was seen about 4 miles S. E. by S. At half past twelve the course was altered from N. W. to W. N.W.
and almost immediately the ship struck the outer side of the Goodwin Sands.
All the guns, save five, were thrown overboard together with everything else on deck to lighten the vessel; pilot boats from Deal and warships in the Downs provided assistance and, on the next tide, she was floated off. - On 18 April a court-martial was assembled on board HMS VICTORY to try Capt. SMITH for the loss of his vessel.
- After the facts had been presented, evidence for the prosecution showed that after a long prevalence of easterly wind a sudden change to the westward probably increased the velocity of the eastern current, thus setting the ship to leeward.
At the time a pilot was on deck but the lead was not being used.
At 2 o'clock, when the prosecution closed its case, Capt. SMITH requested an adjournment until the following day to prepare his defence. - At 9 AM
on 19 April, when the court re-assembled, Capt. SMITH, in his defence, called the look-out men, who were stationed in the usual manner to give warning of the approach to danger; and also Captains Nicholas LOCKYER of STAG, and Henry EDEN of CONWAY, who both bore testimony to the general ability and zeal of Capt. SMITH in the discharge of his duty during the late winter, while cruising in the North Sea. - At ten o'clock the court was cleared and at half past eleven sentence was pronounced.
The court found that that LARNE took the ground in consequence of the course recommended by the pilot having been shaped without sufficient regard to the strength of the current; and that Capt. SMITH had not attended to the general printed instructions respecting pilotage; but in consideration of the general vigilance and zeal displayed by him during the winter cruise, and the great and effectual exertions used in extricating the ship from the perilous situation in which she was placed, the court adjudged him to be reprimanded, and admonished to be more attentive to the said instructions in future. - Shortly afterwards LARNE sailed for the West Indies and Halifax station were she was employed until ordered home to Portsmouth in 1836.
- 1837 P. J. BLAKE, 03/1837, East Indies.
- 1840 Ditto, East Indies.
- 1844 John BRISBANE, 11 /1843, Coast of Africa.
- 1848 Sheerness.
Broken up at Charlton, March 1866.
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