HMS Talbot (1807)
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Talbot |
| Ordered: | 4 October 1805 |
| Builder: | James Heath & Sons, East Teignmouth |
| Laid down: | March 1806 |
| Launched: | 22 July 1807 |
| Fate: | Sold 1815 into mercantile service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Cormorant class ship-sloop; reclassed 1811 as Post ship |
| Type: | Quarterdeck ship-sloop |
| Tonnage: | 484 46/94 bm |
| Length: |
113 ft 2.5 in (34.506 m) (overall) 94 ft 1 in (28.7 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 31 ft 1.375 in (9.48373 m) |
| Draught: |
|
| Depth of hold: | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Talbot was a British Royal Navy 18-gun sloop-of-war built by James Heath & Sons, of East Teignmouth and launched in 1807. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment was the reversal of the liberation of Iceland carried out by the colorful, erratic, former Royal Navy seaman and privateer Jørgen Jørgensen. Talbot was sold in 1815 for mercantile service.
Talbot Class
Talbot was the name ship for a class of two sloops; her sister ship was Coquette. Both were enlarged versions of the Cormorant-class ship-sloop. In 1811 the Admiralty re-rated Talbot and Coquette as 20-gun post ships.[1]
Service
The Admiralty commissioned Talbot in September 1807 under Cmdr. the Honourable Alexander Jones, who about a year later sailed her to Portugal.[1] (On 15 June 1804 a court martial had ordered Jones, then a lieutenant in Naiad, shot for striking Lieutenant Dean, the senior lieutenant, during a quarrel. Dean was dismissed from the service and Jones had to wait for 10 days to learn that he had received a pardon and was to be restored to his former rank. Jones was promoted to Commander on 22 January 1806.)[2]
In 1809 Talbot was in the North Sea where, on 13 June, she captured the Danish privateer Loven, off the Naze. Loven had two long guns and a crew of 11.[1]
More interestingly, Talbot entered the harbour at Reykjavik on 14 August. After some investigation Jones took Jørgen Jørgensen into custody. Jørgensen had arrested the Danish governor and proclaimed himself "His Excellency, the Protector of Iceland, Commander in Chief by Land and Sea". With Talbot's arrival, the Danish government was restored and Jørgensen was taken to England, where he ended up in prison for more than a year, but for breaking parole after his earlier capture by Sappho, not for his adventures in Iceland.[3]
In 1811, Talbot's captain was Captain Spelman Swaine as she sailed on the Irish station. On 30 November she was in company with the frigate Saldahna as they sailed from their base in Lough Swilly, Donegal. Four days later they were caught in a gale. Saldanha foundered with the loss of her entire crew, but Talbot survived.
Later Talbot sailed in protection of the Newfoundland and West Indies trade. Capt. Swaine removed to Statira on 28 April 1814 after Lieutenant Thomas Walbeoff Cecil of Argo killed Captain Hassard Stackpole, of Statira, in a duel. (Cecil was promoted into Electra but died of yellow fever in 1814.)[4] Swaine's successor, in April 1814, was Capt. Henry Haynes.[1]
Fate
In September 1814 Capt. William Dowers took command of Talbot. Capt. Archibald Tisdall succeeded him in July 1815. She was paid off in August or September 1815 before the Admiralty sold her on 23 November for ₤1,610 for mercantile use. Talbot entered mercantile service as the George.[1]
Post-script
Early in 1815 Talbot captured the John, an American merchant vessel. However, it turned out that the US and Great Britain had signed a peace treaty on Christmas Eve 1814, so she was not a prize. Furthermore, the John was lost to "the perils of the sea" while in custody, leading to a suit by her owners against Talbot's captain. That suit was dismissed, but the United States claimed on behalf of the owners against the British government, and the court judged that the government did owe compensation. The settlement took place after 1853.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Winfield (2008), p. 263.
- ↑ [1] Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy.
- ↑ Simmonds (2002), pp.51-2.
- ↑ [2] Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy.
- ↑ Cobbett, Pitt (1909-13) Cases and Opinions on International Law: pt. II. War. pt. III. Neutrality. (London: Stevens and Haynes), pp.229-232.
- Simmonds, Jane (2002). Iceland. London: APA.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.
