HMS Wolverine (1805)

Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Wolverine
Ordered:	7 November 1803
Builder:	Thomas Owen, Topsham
Laid down:	February 1804
Launched:	1 March 1805
Decommissioned:	Aug/Sept. 1815
Honours and awards:	Naval General Service Medal "MARTINIQUE"
Fate:	Sold 15 February 1816
General characteristics
Type:	Cruizer class brig-sloop
Tonnage:	387 bm
Length:	100 ft 1.5 in (30.518 m) (overall) 77 ft 4.5 in (23.6 m) (keel)
Beam:	30 ft 8 in (9.35 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

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Wolverine.

HMS Wolverine was a Royal Navy 18-gun Cruiser class brig, launched in 1805 at Topsham, near Exeter. Early in her career she was involved in two friendly fire incidents, one involving a British frigate and then a newsworthy case when she helped capture a British slaver. She later captured several privateers and took part in the invasion of Martinique. Wolverine was decommissioned ("paid off into Ordinary") in August or September 1815 and was sold on 15 February 1816.

Service

Wolverine entered service in 1805 under Cmdr. John Smith (or Smyth). In November Wolverine and the frigate Amethyst encountered each other off the coast of Madeira. After a series of ambiguous and misinterpreted moves by the other, the two captains mistook each other for enemies and opened fire. Both vessels survived and the two captains proceeded to exchange mutually recriminatory letters.

Cmdr. Francis Augustus Collier replaced Smith on 15 January 1806. Wolverine deployed to the Caribbean in July 1806.

On 30 November there occurred a second unfortunate incident of friendly fire when Wolverine fired on a British merchant vessel engaged in lawful trade. At 10pm, Dart, under Cmdr. Joseph Spear, and Wolverine came upon a ship that they suspected was a French privateer and that kept up a running fight until morning, only surrendering after her captain and several of her crew had been wounded, of whom six later died. The vessel turned out to be the British 24-gun slaver Mary, out of Liverpool, under Capt. Hugh Crow. He had thought that the two vessels chasing him in the dark were French privateers out of Cayenne and was determined not to surrender his vessel without a fight. Cmdr. Spear gave him a letter of praise for his determined resistance and the fight became something of a sensation; on his return home Crow received honour, glory and a substantial reward for his gallantry. Also, "many of the wretched negroes were killed or injured."

On 31 January 1807 Wolverine chased and captured the French privateer Petite Confiance, which had been cruising from Guadeloupe for the previous month. During the chase she had thrown one of her three guns overboard. She had a crew of 50 and had been out of Guadeloupe for a month without taking any prizes. Then on 12 March Wolverine captured the French schooner Tremeuse, armed with two 9-pounder carronades and one long 6-pounder; she had a crew of 53 men and was also from Guadeloupe. On 16 October Wolverine captured the packet Guadeloupe, of one gun and 42 men. Together with Dart, Wolverine then captured the 8-gun Jeune Gabrielle, with a crew of 75, on 9 November and Marianne, of one gun and 46 men, the next day.

On 22 April 1808, the sloop Goree, under Cmdr. Joseph Spear, engaged the French brigs Palinure and Pilade in an inconclusive action. The schooner Superieur came to Goree's assistance, followed a little while later by the frigate Circe and Wolverine, which arrived too late actually to engage. On 31 October Circe captured Palinure.

Command briefly passed to Cmdr. John Simpson in 1809, who commanded Wolverine during the invasion of Martinique in January and February 1809. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "MARTINIQUE" to all still surviving participants in the campaign. Simpson transferred to Goree and command then passed to Cmdr. Joseph Spear. On the morning of 12 April Spear arrived at the Admiralty office with Rear-Ad. Alexander Cochrane's dispatches announcing the surrender of Martinique.

A seaman from Wolverine was tried by court martial on 7 October on a charge of absenting himself without leave and taking away one of the ship's boats. He was sentenced to 300 lashes. Serving with the Channel Fleet, Wolverine sailed against French privateers. On 9 November she captured the 14-gun privateer schooner Courageuse, with a crew of 70 men. Cmdr. Charles Kerr took command on 11 December 1809.

Two years later, on 7 November 1813, she captured the 6-gun Lugger no. 961, off Barfleur. She belonged to the Cherbourg flotilla, mounted six guns, had a crew of 32 men and was under the command of Lieut. Berard. At about this time Wolverine intercepted the King of Rome, an American letter of marque, laden with colonial produce.

On 15 February 1812, Wolverine was present when the hired armed lugger Sandwich recaptured the North Star. On 4 November salvage was due to the officers and company of Wolverine, who were present at the recapture of the North Star.

On 26 April 1814, Wolverine sailed with a convoy for Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick. On 4th September Kerr received an order to act as Captain of the Tonnant, the flagship of Sir Alexander Cochrane, on the coast of North America. On 5 October George Guy Burton was promoted to Commander and removed from Tonnant to Wolverine, which then spent some time on the Mediterranean station.

Fate

Wolverine was paid-off in August or September 1815. She was then sold at Deptford on 15 February 1816 for ₤810.

References

• Crow, Hugh, Captain (1970). Memoirs of the Late Captain Hugh Crow of Liverpool. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-714618012. 
• James, William (1837). The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France in 1793, to the Accession of George IV.. 5. R. Bentley. 
• Norie, J. W. (1842) The naval gazetteer, biographer and chronologist; containing a history of the late wars from 1793 to 1801; and from 1803 to 1815, and continued, as to the biographical part to the present time. (London, C. Wilson).
• Michael Phillip's Ships of the Old Navy - Wolverine (1805)
• Willis, Sam (2008) Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century. (Woodbridge:Boydell Press). ISBN 978-1843833673
• Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1861762461.