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CHERUB
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Built in 1806, Dover.
Sold in 1820. |
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- 1808 George RAVENSHAW, Leeward Is.
- 1809 Thomas Tudor TUCKER, 12/1808, Leeward Is.
CHERUB assisted at the capture of Martinique and later came under the orders of Captain Phillip BEAVER, senior officer of the squadron blockading Basse Terre in Guadeloupe.
TUCKER and Captain DOWERS of JULIA volunteered to try and board and bring out two French frigates lying at Basse Terre under the protection of a strong fort.
The two brigs entered with a strong wind past the fire from two batteries and soon expected to be alongside the frigates when the wind suddenly died.
By putting the helm hard a-starboard the vessels just got out of gunshot before they lost way.
Sir Alexander COCHRANE gave strict orders that the attack should not be repeated and that an attempt (which proved unsuccessful) should be made using UNIQUE as a fireship. - On 14 June 1809 the frigates were seen to be getting under weigh and when they sailed during the night there were different opinions among the British captains as to which direction they would take.
TUCKER made sail to the northward and the following evening discovered them off St. Martin's.
He stood on through the Sombrero passage and when he found them right ahead at dawn on the 16th.
he sent hands to breakfast before clearing for action.
Unfortunately the wind moderated and the frigates increased their distance until, on the morning of the 17th., he found that they had escaped him.
One frigate, the FELICITE, was taken by LATONA the following day and the other, the FURIEUSE, by BONNE CITOYENNE on 6 July. - CHERUB took part in the reduction of Guadeloupe in 1810 and remained on the Leeward Islands station where she was rated as a post ship in August 1811, Captain TUCKER being promoted from the 1st. of the month to continue in command of her.
- At the end of September 1812 CHERUB returned to England with 96 merchantmen under convoy to undergo a refit at Portsmouth.
The crew were given a month's leave ashore and when she sailed for the Pacific in December not a man was absent.
By now most of the men had served under TUCKER for at least 7 years, since the whole crew and most of the officers had volunteered to follow him into CHERUB from EPERVIER.
This was so rare an instance that the C. in C. Portsmouth, Sir Richard BICKERTON, reported it officially. - In the summer of 1813 CHERUB joined RACOON and PHOEBE (36) under the command of James HILYAR and the three ships sailed round the Horn to the Galapagos Is.
RACOON was detached to destroy American fur stations on the Columbia River while PHOEBE and CHERUB searched the Chilean coastline for the American frigate ESSEX (46), Capt. David Porter, which had been preying on British merchant ships and smaller warships including the 10-gun whaler GREENWICH in May which Capt. Porter manned as a tender under Lieut. Gamble.
On 12 June the Americans captured the CHARLTON and the 14-gun SERINGAPATAM.
By the autumn the British whaling fleet had been cleared from the South Pacific.
Capt. Porter left his prisoners and the SERINGAPATUM with Lieut. Gamble at a base he had set up on Nukuhiva in the Marquesas Is. - After 5 months search PHOEBE and CHERUB found ESSEX at Valparaiso on 8 February 1814 and for 6 weeks they waited off the port for ESSEX to come out.
Then, on the afternoon of 28 March, they saw the American ship under weigh and immediately made to close with her.
As she rounded the point of the bay ESSEX lost her main-top-mast and anchored near the shore.
PHOEBE let off a few shots at about 4 o'clock with no visible effect so she and CHERUB moved closer in and anchored.
Serious firing then started and lasted for an hour until the American captain struck his colours with 23 dead and 42 wounded on board, at least 40 others were thought to have perished trying to reach the shore. - 161 were taken prisoner all together.
ESSEX was found to be stored and provisioned for at least 6 months and, although her upper-works, masts and rigging were damaged, there was no doubt that she would be able to make the voyage to Europe. - On the British ships only 5 were killed, including Lieut. William Ingram, 1st. of the PHOEBE, and 10 wounded.
Thomas TUCKER was severely wounded in both legs at the beginning of the action but remained on deck, as soon as his wounds were dressed, until the end.
In CHERUB marine William DERBYSHIRE was killed and corporal John EDWARDS and marine Christopher RAFFERTY wounded.
(HILLYAR took his prize home, arriving at Portsmouth on 13 November 1814) - Meanwhile in the Marquesas, the prisoners and some foreign born members of ESSEX's crew overpowered their guards and sailed SERINGAPATUM out of the bay to freedom.
Lieut. Gamble transferred supplies from GREENWICH to the smaller prize HAMMOND and sailed on 9 May with only seven men and no charts or navigating instruments.
In the middle of June they were captured by CHERUB and taken to Rio de Janeiro where, in February, they were allowed to sail for New York at the end of the war. - CHERUB returned home from Brazil escorting a large fleet of merchantmen.
- 1816 Portsmouth.
- 1817 William FISHER, Coast of Africa.
- 1818 George WILES, 10/1817, Coast of Africa.
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