HMS Spitfire (1782)

Career (Great Britain)
Name:	HMS Spitfire
Ordered:	28 November 1780
Builder:	Stephen Teague, Ipswich
Laid down:	December 1780
Launched:	19 March 1782
Completed:	By 18 July 1782
Fate:	Sold for breaking up on 30 July 1825
General characteristics
Class and type:	Tisiphone-class fireship
Tons burthen:	422 6/94 bm
Length:	108 ft 10 in (33.2 m) (overall) 90 ft 8 in (27.6 m) (keel)
Beam:	29 ft 7 in (9.0 m)
Depth of hold:	9 ft (2.74 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Brig
Complement:	55 (as fireship) 121 (as sloop)
Armament:	As fireship: 8 x 12pdrs As sloop: 14 x 18pdr carronades 2 x 6pdrs 4 x swivels

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

HMS Spitfire was a Tisiphone-class fireship of the Royal Navy. She served during the years of peace following the end of the American War of Independence, and by the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, had been reclassified as a 14-gun sloop-of-war. Spitfire went on to serve under a number of notable commanders during a successful career that saw her capture a considerable number of French privateers and small naval vessels. She spent most of her career in Home waters, though during the later part of her life she sailed further afield, to the British stations in North America and West Africa. She survived the Napoleonic Wars and was eventually sold in 1825 after a period spent laid up.

Early career

Spitfire was built at the yards of Stephen Teague, of Ipswich, and was launched on 19 March 1782. She had been completed at Sheerness by 18 July 1782, having been first commissioned in March that year under Commander Robert Mostyn, for service in the English Channel. He was succeed by Commander Thomas Byard in November, and he by Commander Charles Bartholomew in January 1783. Spitfire was paid off in April that year and spent a period laid up in ordinary at Sheerness, briefly being refitted for a period of service in 1790 under the command of Commander Robert Watson. Spitfire was then paid off again. More extensive work was carried out the following year, and she recommissioned in March 1791 under Commander Thomas Fremantle. Fremantle commanded her until her paying off in September that year, upon which she was almost immediately recommissioned as a sloop under Commander John Woodley. She served under Woodley in the Irish Sea and the English Channel, until Woodley was succeeded in February 1793 by Commander Philip Charles Durham.

French Revolutionary Wars

Durham went on to enjoy considerable success during his brief stint in command during the early months of the French Revolutionary Wars. On 19 February 1793 he sent off his boats against a privateer sloop and two other sloops near Dieppe. The fire from some 2,000 troops ashore with field pieces made it impossible to bring the prizes off but they managed to knock the privateer to pieces and set fire to the other two vessels which were laden with brandy. Also in February he captured the privateer cutter Afrique; and the following month captured the privateer St Jean and destroyed the Marguerite. On 27 April 1793 Spitfire fell in with two French armed brigs and engaged them for half an hour under the fort at Cherbourg before being forced to break off to avoid grounding.

Durham stepped down in June 1793, and was replaced by Commander James Cook. Cook's death by drowning in January 1794 necessitated the assigning of Commander John Clements to take over the Spitfire. Clements was succeeded in October 1794 by Commander Amherst Morris, and he in 1796 by Commander Michael Seymour.

Commander Michael Seymour

Seymour would spend the next four years as her commander and, like Durham before him, enjoyed considerable success in actions against small French raiders. He captured at least nine privateers and small vessels of the French Navy.

He was active off the English and Irish coasts during the French attempt to invade Ireland in early 1797 and on 12 January 1797 he captured the one of the expedition's storeships, Allègre, off Ushant. He followed this success by capturing the 6-gun privateer Bons Amis off the Eddystone on 2 April 1797, the 14-gun privateer Aimable Manet in the Channel on 1 May 1797, and the 6-gun privateer Trompeuse later that month.

Seymour and Spitfire took the 3-gun privateer Incroyable off the Lizard on 15 September 1797. A little over a year later, on 27 December 1798, he recaptured Sybille, of Dartmouth, while in the Channel. The French privateer Vigilant had captured Sybille while Sybille was taking bullocks and sheep to Guernsey. She then had a narrow escape from Vigilant off Start Point while returning to Plymouth. One week later Spitfire captured the 14-gun transport Wilding in the Bay of Biscay. Wilding's crew consisted of seamen from three French ships of the line and she had been taking firewood for the French Navy from Aber Wrac'h to Brest under the escort of the Levrette, a gun vessel from which she had parted company. Wilding was a captured British ship that had been in the West Indies trade. On 31 March 1799 Spitfire took the 14-gun privateer Résolue of St. Malo, off Scilly during a violent gale. Also in March, the prize agent, J. Hawker esq., paid Spitfire's foremast men nearly £40 each. One man spent it in two days and finished up owing his landlady 15 guineas.

On 18 April 1800 a French privateer in the Channel plundered the American vessel A. B. C. two hours before Spitfire boarded her. When A.B.C. reported the privateer, Seymour left A.B.C. to make her own way into Plymouth and set off in pursuit. Finally he caught up with and captured the 14-gun privateer brig, the Heureuse Societé. She had been cruising for two weeks before her capture. Seymour took her into Plymouth on the 20th.

In May Spitfire sailed through a severe gale on the 16th. to arrive safely in Guernsey. On 19 June, thirty miles SSE off Scilly, Spitfire captured a French privateer brig, the Heureux Courier of Granville. The privateer was armed with sixteen brass French 6-pounders and was on her way from her first cruise. She had made three captures, two Newfoundland brigs and a Portuguese schooner, which she had cut out at St. Michael's. The British privateer Tartar, of Guernsey, recaptured the Portuguese schooner.

Spitfire returned to Plymouth on 14 July from a cruise off the Île de Batz. She then sailed to cruise against smugglers and captured the lugger Three Friends, with 150 ankers of spirits. Three Friends had landed part of her cargo at Polperro but Spitfire took several boats that were endeavouring to escape; one smuggler was killed in the process. The prize was brought into Plymouth on 4 August.

On 11 August Seymour received a promotion to post-captain. His replacement on Spitfire was Commander Robert Keen, who spent the next four years on the Irish station.

Commander Robert Keen

Towards the end of September Spitfire detained the American merchantman Robust, on passage from Baltimore to Amsterdam, and put a mate and six men on board as a prize crew to take her into Plymouth. While three men were aloft trimming the sails and two in the hold stowing the cable tier, the Americans, armed with pistols, seized the steersman and the prize-master, who was having breakfast, and threatened to shoot the men aloft if they did not give up the ship. Off the Eddystone the Americans forced the prize crew into a boat; after a long pull the British reached Salcombe. Robust resumed her voyage to Amsterdam.

On 3 October, Spitfire the Anna, bound for Philadelphia from Amsterdam into Plymouth. During 20 to 21 March 1801 a hurricane blew in the Channel. Spitfire, Suffisante and Renard had to ride it out before seeking shelter in Jersey. In July, a court martial was held on board the flag ship Cambridge in the Hamoaze to try Spitfire's purser, Mr. Bamfield for disobedience of his captain's orders. The charge was fully proven but several officers testified to Bamfield's excellent character; he was reinstated with the loss of a year's pay.

On 17 January 1802 Spitfire and Weazle were ordered to fit-out and victual for foreign service. On 21 January a messenger came by express from the Admiralty to Plymouth with orders for a fast sloop to be ready to sail at a moment's notice with dispatches for the Straits. Weazle and Spitfire went out into the Sound, still very rough from a gale the previous night, to await orders. Weazle sailed the following day; Spitfire had to wait for orders until 6 February. The next morning she and Hunter sailed for the St. Georges Channel to intercept smugglers.

Spitfire was paid off and laid up in ordinary at Sheerness on 30 August 1804 and she remained out of commission through 1805.

Napoleonic Wars

Spitfire underwent a repair and refit at Sheerness between April 1805 and April 1806, returning to active service under Captain William Green. While in the Channel under the command of Lieut. Parry (acting), on 28 December she recaptured the English trading brig Friendship, which the French privateer luggers Deux Freres and Espoir had captured, and sent her in to the Downs. The next day he captured Deux Frères, which had only four of her 14 guns mounted. She nevertheless had put up a fight and did not surrender till she had lost her captain and her third officer killed and four men wounded. (Spitfire's surgeon had to amputate the arm one of the wounded men.) Spitfire was unable to rescue Friendship's master and crew as they were on Espoir, which escaped. Spitfire was then paid off.

She recommissioned again in February 1807 in her original role as a fireship, under the command of Commander Henry Butt. She served in the Downs, at first under Butt, and then from 1808 under Commander John Ellis. Ellis would eventually spend six years with Spitfire, serving at a number of British ports and spending some time in North American waters, including the Greenland station in 1813.

On 22 October 1808, Spitfire and Basilisk sailed to the assistance of the sloop Cygnet, which the Dowlaw signal station, near Dunbar, reported had cut away her masts and bowsprit and thrown some of her guns overboard. Basilisk and Spitfire brought Cygnet back to Leith Roads.

Spitfire was cruising with the 32-gun frigate Alexandria off North Cape on 19 July 1813. There they chased the 44-gun American frigate President and her consort, the schooner Scourge, away from a British convoy out of Archangel. Captain John Rodgers of President excused his fleeing the British by claiming that he had fled from a ship of the line and a frigate.

Fate

Commander James Dalton took over in 1814, commanding the Spitfire on the West African coast, before returning to Britain the following year. Spitfire was paid off for the final time and laid up at Portsmouth in May 1815. She remained there for the next ten years, finally being sold for breaking up to a Mr Ranwell for the sum of £1,205 on 30 July 1825.

Notes

a. ^{^} J. J. Colledge in the 2006 edition of Ships of the Royal Navy lists a launch date of 19 March 1783. This appears to be a typographical error, as other works show a launch date of 19 March 1782, and officers commissioned as commanders throughout 1782.

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. 
• Winfield, Rif (2007). British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-295-X. 
• "No. XV. Sir Michael Seymour, of High Mount, County Cork, and Friary Park, Devon, Bart. and K.C.B.; Rear-Admiral of the Blue; and Commander-in-Chief on the South American Station". The Annual Biography and Obituary for the Year 1835. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1835. pp. pp. 195–201.