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RATTLER
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(16) |
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Built in 1795, Northam.
Sold in 1815. |
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- 1795 Willoughby Thomas LAKE, 04/1795, a Channel cruiser under the orders of Sir Peter PARKER.
He was posted into the PROSERPINE frigate in January 1796. - 1796 John COCHET, 01/1796.
After cruising off the French coast for some time she sailed to the West Indies where Cdr. COCHET was posted into the ABERGAVENNY by Sir Hyde PARKER. - 1797 J. ALLEN, 06/1797. J. HALL, 07/1797.
- 1798 John Wentworth LORING, Jamaica, where he was promoted commander into RATTLER by his patron, Sir Hyde PARKER in June 1798.
Cdr. LORING superintended the evacuation of the Caymites Islands near San Domingo in conjunction with Brigadier Sir Brett Spencer and was appointed to LARK in September. - 1799 J. HAYES, 02/1799.
John Mathias SPREAD, 04/1799, Jamaica.
RATTLER captured a French 10-gun privateer in 1799 and a Spanish gunvessel mounting two guns in June 1800.
RATTLER returned to Portsmouth with dispatches on 11 June 1802 and 10 days later sailed to Deptford to be paid off. - 1803 Deptford.
- 1804 Francis MASON, 01/1804.
In February she joined Sir W. Sidney SMITH off Flushing.
On the night of 8 March 1804 the boats from RATTLER and CRUIZER cut out the cutter COLOMBE from the harbour at Sluys.
Unfortunately the prize grounded on the bar and had to be burnt to avoid recapture. - On 15 May, CRUIZER and RATTLER, under the command of Capt. HANCOCK of the former, were off Ost.end when they saw the enemy flotilla hauling out.
The following morning the Flushing flotilla of two praams, 19 schooners and 38 schuyts came out and sailed down the coast towards Ost.end.
ANTELOPE signalled this news to HANCOCK and CRUIZER and RATTLER proceeded to attack the long line of enemy ships, particularly the two praams, both more powerful than themselves.
The flotilla attempted to return to Flushing after ANTELOPE cut off the van and they were pursued by the two sloops in the Inner Welling.
One praam, la VILLE D'AIX, was engaged by RATTLER for three hours during the afternoon; the praam keeping close inshore and frequently grounding, RATTLER constantly filling and backing to keep abreast of her.
Just after 5 p.m., with the praam fast ashore, RATTLER hauled off to repair her rigging.
RATTLER lost 2 men killed and 10 wounded in the action.
Three shots entered between wind and water and a number of others passed through the hull.
A shell stove in the quarter-deck and all her lower masts were disabled as were her sails, yards and rigging After re-fitting at Sheerness she returned to her station off the Belgian coast.
On 23 June MASON saw 26 schuyts coming out from Ost.end and made sail across the Binnen Sand to join GALGO and INSPECTOR who had already joined action.
For nearly three hours she ran along the shore keeping up a brisk fire with the schuyts and the batteries ashore until proximity to the Stroom Sand forced her to haul off after forcing one vessel ashore.
Three shells landed on RATTLER.
One stove in planks on the quarterdeck, the second damaged the head of the main mast.
The third was scooped up in his hat by a boy, one of Capt. MASON's servants, and thrown through a port.
Several shot had gone through the hull and one gun carriage was disabled. - On 5 January 1805 boats from RATTLER and the lugger FOLKSTONE made an unsuccessful attempt to cut out a French privateer anchored near St. Valery en Caux.
Mr DALYELL, acting lieutenant of RATTLER, and Mr DONALDSON, acting commander of FOLKSTONE, were both severely wounded.
The privateer was the 60 ton lugger VIMEREUX, armed with 15 guns and commanded by Jan B. Pollet with a crew of 69 men.
After sailing from St. Valery on the 17th. she was captured by Capt. ELPHINSTONE in GREYHOUND the following day. She was a fine sailor and Capt. ELPHINSTONE believed that if he had not been favoured by frequent changes in wind his pursuit of her would have been fruitless. - In May 1805 RATTLER sailed for Newfoundland and, over a period of five days had some unpleasant close encounters with icebergs in foggy weather over the Banks. She returned to England with a convoy of merchantmen and was sent back to Newfoundland with the westbound trade.
0ff the south of Ireland she was damaged in a collision with a merchantman and had to go into Kinsale for repairs.
When she continued her voyage she had a narrow escape from a French squadron from Rochefort.
Throughout the winter of 1805/6 RATTLER was frozen up in St John's harbour.
Capt. MASON was promoted to post rank on 22 January 1806 but was not superseded in command until 3 July. - During the following two years RATTLER continued to escort convoys across the Atlantic.
- 1807 J. AGASSIZ to Newfoundland 13 September.
- 1808 Ditto, to Newfoundland on 21 September.
- 1809 Alexander GORDON, 12/1809, convoying transports to Lisbon.
- 1811 Ditto, Cork, later North American station under Vice-Ad. SAWYER.
At the end of May 1811 he was on a board of enquiry at Halifax into the action between LITTLE BELT and the American frigate PRESIDENT. - In 1812 Capt. GORDON commanded a small detachment in the Bay of Fundy where they captured many prizes.
Later in the year RATTLER moved further south off New Jersey and Maryland where she made more captures in September - 17th.
Schooner RUMNEY, Baltimore to St. Bartholomew's
- 24th.
Schooner SANTA MARIA, Boston to Havana. - 25th.
Brig ARMISTED, Philadelphia to Havana. - 26th.
Schooner JOSEPHA, Baltimore to Havana. - 27th.
Sloop POLLY, Philadelphia to Havana - The last two were captured in company with SAPPHO.
- On 2 May 1813 he chased the American privateer schooner GALLYNIPPEE ashore near Bayley's Mistake. She was then attacked and destroyed by RATTLER'S boats under acting master James CUTLIP.
The American was armed with 2 long 6-pounders and carried a crew of 35 men.
On the 19th. of the same month he drove ashore an 18-gun privateer ALEXANDER which was returning to Salem after a 10 week cruise.
Most of the crew escaped ashore at Kenebank but several were drowned as they swam from her.
The schooner BREAM helped RATTLER get her off.
GORDON removed to the CHESAPEAKE frigate on 28 June 1813. - 1814 Henry BOURNE.
RATTLER came under the orders of Sir Alexander COCHRANE at Bermuda and made more captures.
9 February 1814 Schooner FLASH, San Domingo to New York.
17 February 1814 Sloop VIPER, Nashawa Is. to Nantucket.
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