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TARTAR
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(32) |
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Built in 1801, Frindsbury.
Wrecked in 1811. |
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- 1803 Capt. PERKINS, Jamaica station.
- 1804 Capt. Keith MAXWELL (posted on 1 May 1804), Jamaica.
- On 31 July 1804 TARTAR was in the narrow and intricate channel between the island of Saona and San Domingo and sighted a schooner using her sweeps in attempt to escape. Supposing her to be a privateer Capt. MAXWELL gave chase until neither vessel could go any farther through the channel then hoisted out three boats and sent them off under Lieuts. MULLAH and LOCKYER and several midshipmen. The schooner hoisted French colours and opened fire with grape from her great guns and musketry from 50 men lining her side. In the noon heat she was captured for the loss of two men wounded, one seaman and one marine. The French lost 9 killed and 6 wounded, the latter breing sent to San Domingo under flag of truce. The privateer was the HIRONDELLE, Capt. La Place, armed with ten 4-pounders.
- 1804 Capt. Edward HAWKER removed from the THESEUS to TARTAR at the end of 1804 and was sent from Jamaica to the Halifax station.
- On 9 June 1806 TARTAR and the BACCHUS cutter captured the French national brig OBSERVATEUR, Capt. Crozier, of 18 guns and 104 men. She had sailed from Cayenne on 13 May with the brig-of-war ARGUS victualled for a cruise of 4 months. Later in the year Capt. HAWKER exchanged with Capt. S. POYNTZ of MELAMPUS and TARTAR returned to England under reduced masts to repair damage received in a hurricane.
- In December Capt. G. E. B. BETTESWORTH, fitting out at Deptford for service in the Baltic.
- On 15 May TARTAR approached Bergen under Dutch colours to attack the Dutch frigate GUELDERLAND which had been undergoing repairs there. Unfortunately the enemy had already sailed, so during the night TARTAR's boats attempted to attack other shipping in the harbour. When they came under heavy fire TARTAR came in to cover them but she was attacked by the schooner ODIN and two gunboats. Capt. BETTESWORTH and twelve men were killed before she was able to make her escape.
- 1808 Capt. Jos. BAKER, Leith. While escorting a convoy off the Naze of Norway on 3 November, a sloop was seen from the masthead having the appearance of a privateer. TARTAR gave chase and, after three hours, captured her. She proved to be the Danish privateer NAARGSKE GUTTEN, of seven 6 and 4-pounders and 36 men. She was quite new and only one day out from Christiansand.
- On 15 May 1809 Capt. BAKER chased a Danish privateer sloop on shore near Felixberg on the coast of Courland. She was armed with two 12 pounders and two long 4-pounders and carried a crew of 24. These, armed with muskets, took up positions behind the sandhills where they were joined by some country people. He sent in his boats under Lieuts. SYKES and PARKER and, without loss, they boarded her, turned her guns on the beach, and brought her off.
- One of the prize crew was lucky to discover a lighted candle set in a powder cartridge in the magazine and extinguished it when it had only a half an inch to burn. Since the magazine contained about a hundredweight of powder the destruction would have been very great. Capt. BAKER was incensed by this dishonourable mode of warfare.
- At the beginning of March 1811 Vice Ad. Sir James SAUMAREZ received information of an intended attack by the Danes on the Island of Anholt, then garrisoned by British forces. TARTAR sailed from Yarmouth on the 20th and anchored off the north end of the island on the 26th.
- On the 27 March the enemy was sighted off the south side of the island and when Capt. MAURICE, the governor, marched to meet them with a brigade of howitzers and 200 infantry, he signalled TARTAR and SHELDRAKE They immediately weighed and, under a heavy press of sail made every endeavour to beat south but the shoals forced them to stand so far out that it took them many hours.
- The enemy, with eighteen heavy gunboats covering them offshore, landed in darkness and fog on the south side and attempted to outflank the British positions but were driven back by the batteries at Fort Yorke and Massareene. When the gunboats were forced to get under weigh and move off to the westward by the batteries and the gunfire from TARTAR and SHELDRAKE, the enemy troops ashore offered to surrender. The gunboats made their escape over the reefs while the ships had to beat round the outside. TARTAR chased three of them towards Laeso but found herself in shoal water as night approached so had to give up. SHELDRAKE managed to capture two of the others. The enemy on the western side managed to embark on board fourteen gunboats and make their escape.
- On 18 August 1811 TARTAR struck on a sand bank in the Baltic and was wrecked. All the crew were saved and distributed among the ships on the station.
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