HMS Racehorse (1806)
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Racehorse |
| Ordered: | 7 November 1803 |
| Builder: | Hamilton & Breed, Hastings |
| Laid down: | June 1804 |
| Launched: | 17 February 1806 |
| Honours and awards: |
|
| Fate: | Wrecked on 14 December 1822 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Cruizer-class brig-sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 385 bm |
| Length: |
100 ft (30 m) (overall) 77 ft 3.5 in (23.559 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Brig-sloop |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Racehorse was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Hamilton & Breeds and launched in 1806 at Hastings.[1] She served in the Channel, where she captured a small privateer, and in the East Indies, where she participated in the capture of Île de France and the operations around it. She was wrecked in 1822.
Contents
Service
Racehorse was commissioned in March 1806 under Cmdr. Robert Forbes, who sailed her for the Mediterranean on 25 May.[1] By June 1807 she was under Captain William Fisher, cruising in the Channel.[1] On 2 March 1808 she captured the 4-gun privateer Amiral Ganteaume in Home waters. She then cruised the Channel Islands.[1]
Fisher sailed for the Cape of Good Hope on 29 September.[1] There a number of her crew volunteered aboard other ships during the Invasion of Ile de France.
In December 1810, Cmdr. James de Rippe replaced Fisher.[1] Racehorse was sent to Mauritius to join the squadron there under James Hillyar that had been assembled to attack the French squadron under Francois Roquebert that was expected from Brest.
The French squadron evaded Hillyar, but Racehorse and the rest of the squadron, now under Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg, caught them off Tamatave in Madagascar. In the ensuing Action of 20 May 1811, the British defeated the French and captured two of their ships. Racehorse was not heavily engaged, and suffered no casualties. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "OFF TAMATAVE 20 MAY 1811" to the remaining survivors of that action.
Racehorse was present at the capture of the Néréide three days later.[1] Racehorse then sailed for the Cape on 7 August.[1]
Post-war
Racehorse was paid off into Ordinary at Portsmouth in 1813.[1] Between February 1816 and July 1818 she underwent repair and fitting for sea there.[1] She was recommissioned in May under Cmdr. George Pryse Campbell, who took command on 5 May, for the Mediterranean.[1] Racehorse came under the command of Cmdr. Charles Abbot on 27 January 1821 when Campbell was promoted to Post-captain.
Fate
Racehorse returned to Britain in 1822 under Captain William Suckling, who had taken command in February 1822, but was wrecked on 14 December 1822 on a reef of rocks off Langness on the Isle of Man. Her pilot mistook the light on Langness Pier for the light on Douglas Pier.[2] Five out of the 125 men aboard drowned. In addition, three seamen from Castletown perished in rescue attempts.[2].
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.
- Gossett, William Patrick (1986) The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. (London:Mansell). ISBN 0-7201-1816-6
- Lyon, David and Winfield, Rif (2004) The Sail and Steam Navy List, All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815-1889 (Chatham). ISBN 1-86176-032-9
- Ships of the Old Navy
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.
