HMS Pictou (1813)
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Pictou |
| Acquired: | 20 April 1813 |
| Renamed: | 1813 |
| Fate: | Captured and destroyed by USS Constitution on 14 February 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 215 tons |
| Length: | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Crew: | 57 |
| Armament: | 16 guns |
HMS Pictou was a 16-gun schooner built as the American privateer Syren which was captured by the Royal Navy on 20 April 1813. Pictou was one of five British warships captured or destroyed during the War of 1812 by the American frigate USS Constitution.
History
During the War of 1812 Pictou was captured and destroyed by the USS Constitution on 14 February 1814. At this time the ship was escorting the armed merchant Lovely Ann from Bermuda to Surinam. In the morning the USS Constitution under the command of Captain Charles Stewart stopped HMS Pictou with a precise shot through her sails and captured her. A few hours before, Constitution had already captured Lovely Ann and had taken her as a prize. Captain Stewart decided to keep the merchant vessel only and commanded Pictou to be destroyed.
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.
- Rif Winfield: British Warships in the Age of Sail: 1793-1817. Revised edition, Seaforth Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84415-717-4.
- Tyrone G. Martin: A Most Fortunate Ship. A Narrative History Of Old Ironsides; Revised Edition USA 2003; p. 185/186.
