HMS Halifax (1806)
| Career (Great Britain) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Halifax |
| Namesake: | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Ordered: | November 27, 1802 |
| Builder: | Halifax Naval Yard, M/Shipwright William Hughes |
| Launched: | 11 October 1806 |
| Fate: | Broken Up 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 378 30/94 bm |
| Length: |
106 ft 6 in (32.5 m) (overall) 87 ft 7 in (26.7 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Sail plan: | Full Rigged Ship |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: | 16 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 × 6 pounder guns |
HMS Halifax was a ship rigged sloop of the Merlin Class built in 1806 for the British Royal Navy at the Naval Yard in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[1] Built to fill a pressing need for coastal patrol sloops on the North American Station, Halifax was one of the few warships built at Halifax Naval Yard in the Age of Sail as the yard's primary function was supply and refit.[2]
Service
Halifax was commissioned under Commander John Nairne, for the Halifax station.[3] In November 1806 Commander Lord James Townshend assumed command.[3] She arrived in Plymouth on 16 January 1808 to make good defects.[3] Townshend was posted on 2 January 1809. In 1809 Halifax was under the command of Commander John Thompson, and then in 1810 under Commander Alexander Fraser, still at Halifax.[3]
A deserter from HMS Halifax, Jenkin Ratford, was one of the men seized from USS Chesapeake in 1807 during the controversial Chesapeake-Leopard Affair. Ratford was hanged from the yardarm of Halifax on August 31, 1807.[4] In April 1809, Halifax captured a fast, new French schooner the Caroline, which was subsequently commissioned as HMS Caroline.[5]
Fate
Halifax was laid up In Ordinary at Portsmouth form 1812 to 1814. She was broken up in January 1814.
References
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: the complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 9781861762818. OCLC 67375475., p. 251.
- Gwyn, Julian (2004a) Ashore and Afloat: The British Navy and the Halifax Naval Yard Before 1820. (University of Ottawa. ISBN 9780776605739
- Gwyn, Julian (2004b) Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia Waters, 1745-1815 (Vancouver, BC: UBC Press). ISBN 9780774809115. OCLC 144078613,
- Lyon, David (1993) The Sailing Navy List.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.
