HMS Sappho (1806)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Sappho.

Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Sappho
Ordered:	27 January 1806
Builder:	Jabez Bailey, Ipswich
Laid down:	April 1806
Launched:	15 December 1806
Honours and awards:	Naval General Service Medal "SAPPHO 2 MARCH 1808"
Fate:	Broken up 1830
General characteristics
Type:	Cruizer class brig-sloop
Tonnage:	383 64/94 bm
Length:	100 ft 3 in (30.56 m) (overall) 77 ft 6.5 in (23.6 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
Complement:	121
Armament:	16 x 32-pounder carronades 2 x 6-pounder bow guns

HMS Sappho was a Cruizer class brig-sloop built by Jabez Bailey at Ipswich and launched in 1806. She defeated a Danish brig, the Admiral Yawl in a single-ship action during the Gunboat War, and then had a notably successful two months of prize-taking in the first year of the War of 1812. She was wrecked in 1825 off the Canadian coast and then broken up in 1830.

Gunboat War

Sappho was commissioned in February 1808 under Commander George Langford. She was cruising in the North Sea and on the morning of 2 March she was standing to the eastward from off Scarborough, when she discovered an armed brig that was steering a course as if with the intention to cut off several merchant vessels to leeward. Sappho gave chase and at about 1330 hours fired a shot over the brig, which was flying British colours. The brig of war then exchanged Danish colours for the British colours she been flying to evite scrutiny and fired a broadside at Sappho. Langford immediately bore down and brought what turned out to be the Admiral Yawl to close action. The engagement lasted about half an hour before Admiral Yawl struck her colours. In the exchange of fire, Sappho had two men wounded. Admiral Yawl had two dead: her second officer and a seaman. As a result of the action Langford received promotion to Post-captain, and in 1847 all then surviving officers and crew were qualified to receive the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "SAPPHO 2 MARCH 1808".

The Sappho carried 16 32-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder guns, manned by a crew of 120 men and boys. The Admiral Juul was a brig, but unusual in that she had her armament on two decks; on her first or lower deck she had 12 18-pounder carronades and on her second,or principal deck she carried 16 long 6-pounders. Her crew consisted of 83 men and boys. The weight of the broadsides favored Sappho at 262 pounds versus 156 pounds for the Admiral Yorol.

The Danish captain was the colourful and erratic adventurer Jørgen Jørgensen, who in 1801 had been a member of the crew, and perhaps second in command, of Lady Nelson. On Lady Nelson he participated in at least one voyage of exploration along the coast of Australia. In his autobiography he states that his father joined seven other merchants from Copenhagen jointly to purchase the Admiral Yawl and present it to the Crown in a spirit of reprisal against the British after the Battle of Copenhagen (1807). The Government commissioned, manned, and armed Admiral Yawl. Jorgenson reports that by cutting through the ice a month before it was expected that any vessel could get out, he was able to come unawares among the English traders and capture eight or nine ships before Sappho interrupted his cruise.

In April Cmdr. William Charleton replaced Langford. On 8 June Sappho and the Revenue Service brig Royal George, Capt. Curry, chased a lugger that surrendered to Royal George. The lugger was the Egle, M. Olivier, of 16 guns (3 and 4-pounders), with a crew of 56 men. She was nine days out of Dunkirk and had taken one prize, the Gabriel out of Yarmouth, which she had attempted to scuttle after taking the master and crew on board. Ringdove, one of Sappho's sister ships, found the Gabriel, but she was sinking fast and could not be saved.

Charleton then sailed Sappho for Jamaica on 22 June . In 1810 Cmdr. Thomas Graves took command, followed by Cmdr. Edmund Denman in late 1810. Commander Hayes O'Grady had been appointed to command of her on 15 June 1810, but apparently did not take actual command until 1811.

War of 1812

On 13 May 1812, Sappho fired on U.S. Navy Gunboat No. 168. This occurred about a month before the declaration of war. Sappho had interceded to permit the merchant vessel Fernando (or Fernandeno), to escape the port of Fernandina. With the approval of President James Madison and Georgia Governor George Mathews, insurgents known as the "Patriots of Amelia Island" had seized the island. After raising a Patriot flag, they replaced it with the United States Flag. American gunboats under the command of Commodore Hugh Campbell, maintained control of the island in an attempt to secure East Florida to prevent a Spanish-English alliance in the area in advance of the war.

In late 1812 Sappho took some eight prizes:

• 31 August - Santa Maria, bound to Malanzas, laden with provisions.
• 8 September - General Apodaca, bound for Philadelphia with a cargo of sugar, etc.
• 15 September - Alexander, bound to Havana, laden with flour.
• 26 September - Schooner Josepha, from Baltimore to Havana; together with Rattler.
• 27 September - Sloop Molly (or Polly) from Philadelphia to Havana; together with Rattler.
• 11 October - Schooner Blanche, recaptured, with cargo of dry goods.
• 13 November - Schooner Flora from San Domingo to Turk's Island.
• 26 November - Schooner Mary from Santiago to Alexandria, Virginia.

On 20 June 1813, the US schooner Carolina chased a British 14-gun privateer for three hours when an 18-gun British brig, which the Carolina's captain believed to be Sappho, approached. The two British vessels then set off in pursuit of the American schooner, which, however, after a chase of just over two hours, outdistanced them. The next day Carolina encountered the same British brig again, and again was able to escape.

On 17 July Sappho took the Eliza, and on 3 December she captured the brig San Fransisco Navier. Two days later she captured the privateer Carthagenian. On 1 January 1814 she captured the Ann.

On 7 June 1814, O'Grady advanced to Post-captain while with Sappho on the Jamaica station.

Post-war

Sappho underwent repairs at Chatham in 1815. However, she was not fitted for sea until February to May 1818. On 2 February 1818 she was recommissioned under Cmdr. James Hanway Plumridge, for Cork. He commanded her at Saint Helena and the Irish station. In August and October Sappho captured three American smuggling vessels on the Irish station, one of which had 400 bales of tobacco. Cmdr. Henry Rous took command in November 1820 and Cmdr. William Bruce in March 1822.

In February 1822 she was under Cmdr. Jenkin Jones for the Halifax station. In April 1824 Cmdr. William Hotham took command; his replacement in April 1825 was Captain W. Canning.

On 14 September Sappho arrived at Halifax in some distress, having lost the head of her foremast, and foretop-mast, on 26 August on her passage to Bermuda from Portsmouth. The falling of the spars had killed one man and wounded four others. The Sappho had struck on the Sisters Rocks in coming into the harbour, but the weather being moderate was soon off again.

Loss

On 25 September Sappho arrived at the port of Quebec. Shortly thereafter she wrecked on the Canadian coast. On 8 November she was condemned as not seaworthy and on 21 November her officers returned home in Tweed, arriving at Plymouth on 14 December. She was finally broken up at Halifax in 1830.

References

• Cusick, James G. (2007) The other War of 1812 : the Patriot War and the American invasion of Spanish East Florida. (Athens: University of Georgia Press). ISBN 978-0-8203-2921-5
• Dudley, William S. (1992) The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History. (Washington, DC: Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center), V. 2.
• Marshall, John ( 1823–1835) Royal naval biography, or, Memoirs of the services of all the flag-officers, superannuated rear-admirals, retired-captains, post-captains, and commanders, whose names appeared on the Admiralty list of sea officers at the commencement of the present year 1823, or who have since been promoted ... (London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown).
• Robinson, G.G. & J. (1808) The New annual register, or General repository of history, politics, and literature, for the year .... (G. Robinson: Paternoster Row, London, England).
• Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.