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BUSTARD
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Ex ROYAL GEORGE bought and renamed 1806.
Sold in 1815. |
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- 1808 John Duff MARKLAND, 12/04/1808, after being on half pay for two years following promotion to commander. Portsmouth for Mediterranean.
- 1809-1810 BUSTARD formed part of the squadron operating in the gulf of Venice and the coast of Calabria.
On 28 July an enemy convoy was seen standing along the northern coast towards Trieste and EXCELLENT, Capt. John WEST, by going close inshore, forced them to take shelter in Duino, twelve miles along the coast. At midnight a detachment of boats pushed inshore, covered by the fire of ACORN and BUSTARD, the latter sloop leading the way in to a little known anchorage. Inside half an hour six Italian gunboats and ten coasters had been captured and brought out. One coaster sank but not before her cargo of flour had been removed. The others were laden with brandy, flour, rice and wheat. Three of the gunboats were armed with three 24-pounders and the rest with three 18-pounders. A small party of Royal Marines under Capt. Cummings, RM , covered the taking of the prizes and prevented the enemy from firing from the rugged cliffs surrounding the port.
One of BUSTARD's seamen, Peter CURRY, was mortally wounded and her master, Mr Katty ROBINSON, was severely wounded. The pilot, Josh. PELOSA and marine Robert Cullum were also wounded.
Three Italian officers (two wounded) and fifteen seamen and soldiers (one of whom died later) were taken prisoner. - On 17 May 1810 BUSTARD captured the French corvette MINERVE, pierced for eighteen guns but only mounting two.
- During July to September, Capt. MARKLAND commanded the sloops stationed at the Faro of Messina to protect Sicily against invasion by stationed at the Faro of Messina to protect Sicily against invasion by Marat's army of 40,000 men encamped on the opposite shore. BUSTARD and HALCYON destroyed several armed feluccas at Contessa under Cape del Arme on 24 July 1810 where they were defended by their crews, soldiers and local peasants. Her 1st. lieutenant, John HILTON, was wounded in four places while attempting to burn one of them. Because BUSTARD's master had been promoted into a frigate, Capt. MARKLAND and Lieut. Robert Milborne JACKSON were then obliged to keep watch and watch until the loss of his supply convoys forced Marat to give up the enterprise and return to Naples. During this time BUSTARD was continually in action with the French and Italian flotillas which numbered more than 80 gun and mortar boats between Scylla and Reggio.
The total number of prizes taken by Capt. MARKLAND in BUSTARD was twenty-five and the number of enemy vessels destroyed, thirty-nine. On 31 January 1811 he removed to ECLAIR. - 1812 Charles Burrough STRONG, 14/03/1811, Mediterranean.
- 1814 James Augustus CRICHTON, 10/08/1813, W. Indies. He removed to RINGDOVE on 15 November.
- 1815 Lord John HAY, Portsmouth.
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