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SWALLOW
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Built in 1805, Dartmouth (Cruizer class).
Broken up in 1815. |
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- 1807 A.
MILNER, Channel. She fell in with and captured the French privateer schooner FRIEDLAND some 22 miles south of the Lizard on 16 November 1807.
Her two guns were thrown overboard during the chase. She had sailed from Morlaix the previous day and had made no captures. - 1808 Ditto, coast of Spain.
- 1810 Edward Reynolds SIBLY, 12/1810, Mediterranean.
The boats of EURYALUS and SWALLOW captured, after a long chase off the island of Corsica, the French privateer INTREPIDE on 7 June. She was armed with two 8-pounders and carried 58 men.
On 26 July 1811 she captured LA BELLE GENOISE, a privateer of two 9-pounder guns and 37 men, off Sicily. - When SWALLOW, with a British squadron off Frejus, was sent inshore on 15 June 1812 to watch a French convoy at anchor near the islands of St. Margaritas she found herself exchanging fire with two of the escorts, the brig REYNARD, armed with twenty 30-pounder carronades, assisted by the schooner GOELAND mounting sixteen guns.
After a fight lasting some forty minutes at a maximum range of about 50 yards during which the enemy tried four times to carry her by boarding SWALLOW managed to rejoin the squadron having lost 6 killed and 17 wounded and being badly cut up, both in hull and rigging.
Early in the action the purser, Eugene RYAN, took charge of some of the guns when the officer in command had his leg shot off.
RYAN ordered them to be loaded with double canister plus a 32 lb bag of musket balls making a total of 96 lb and fired when they were close alongside REYNARD.
The French brig had her side stove in and she and the schooner lost 150 men killed or wounded. - Among those killed in the SWALLOW were a seaman named PHELAN and his wife.
He received a musket ball in the side and she had her head taken off by a shot while she was comforting him.
They left behind a three week old baby boy, Tommy, who, for was suckled by the officer's goat and thrived on the milk from the substitute nurse.
SIBLY commended the 1st. Lieutenant, Daniel O'HEA; acting lieutenant John THEED; master James CROCKER and master's mate COLE. - SIBLY acted as captain of BLOSSOM for a short period before returning to SWALLOW.
In company with IMPERIEUSE, SWALLOW captured the French privateer AUDACIEUX off the Straits of Bonifacio on 21 August.
On 16 September 1813 SWALLOW's boats under Lieut. Samuel E. COOK, Thomas COLE, mate, and Henry THOMAS, midshipman, captured a French government transport close to Port d'Anzo (Anzio) after a row of two hours. She was the brig GUERRIERE of four guns and had been under tow by small boats sent out from the port.
The cost was high, ordinary seamen Thomas PHILLIPS and N. JONES were killed and able seaman James DORSEY and ordinary seamen James FITZGERALD, John BOYLES and William DIXON were wounded. - Capt. DUNCAN in IMPERIEUSE with SWALLOW, RESISTANCE, ECLAIR and PYLADES, was off Anzio at the beginning of October watching a convoy and waiting for a suitable opportunity to attack.
He was joined by Capt. DUNDAS in EDINBURGH on the 5th.
and in the afternoon the ships bore up and took their stations.
ECLAIR and PYLADES to a battery to the south of the port SWALLOW opposite a tower with one gun where she opened fire with the others on signal.
All the works were destroyed and 29 vessels loaded with timber for the arsenal at Toulon were captured. - At the end of March the forts guarding La Spezia were attacked by Allied forces supported by a British squadron.
EDINBURGH and SWALLOW accompanied Major-General Montresor, dismantling the batteries as the enemy retreated.
AMERICA, FURIEUSE, CEPHALUS and AURORA arrived on the 25th. and anchored off Lerici where a company of the enemy tried to reoccupy the castle but were driven back by marines from the squadron.
The French retreated from La Spezia but the fortress of Santa Maria refused to surrender until six 18-pounders from EDINBURGH were hoisted onto the heights and three batteries constructed.
The enemy showed the flag of truce on the 30th. after a few hours fire. - 1814 Hon. Algernon PERCY, Lord PRUDHOE, 03/1814, Mediterranean.
He was appointed acting captain of COSSA
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