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ESPIEGLE
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Built in 1812, Ipswich (Cruizer class).
Sold in 1833. |
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- 1812 John TAYLOR, 09/1812.
She left Portsmouth for Surinam, Demerara and Barbados where she was later employed in the protection of trade bound for Nassau, New Providence.
On 8 February 1813 when running down the trades before a heavy sea Lieut. Frederick MARRYAT leaped overboard after Jacob SMALL, a sailor who had fallen from the main rigging, but was unsuccessful due to the time it took to bring ESPIEGLE to.
MARRYAT was picked up a mile and a half from the ship in an exhausted state. - On 24 February 1813 ESPIEGLE was repairing her rigging in the Demerara River when she was sighted by the American sloop HORNET.
While negotiating the sand banks in the river to reach her HORNET encountered the brig PEACOCK, William PEAKE, which had left ESPIEGLE some five hours previously, and sank her after an action lasting only a quarter of an hour.
ESPIEGLE meanwhile continued to mend her rigging and then moved into Demerara. - In the spring of 1814 ESPIEGLE returned to Portsmouth for the court martial of Cdr. TAYLOR.
He was found guilty of unofficer-like behaviour, of failing to exercise the gun's crews and of some acts of severity towards the crew, such as 'starting' the sick and flogging persons on the sick list, but the charge that he had failed in his duty by not pursuing HORNET was not proven.
He was dismissed from the Royal Navy for four years.
Many in the service thought that he was lucky to have escaped a capital charge. - 1914 Charles MITCHELL, to the West Indies.
He captured the American schooner WHALEBONE, 128 tons and carrying 12 men, on 25 January 1815.
At the beginning of August 1815 ESPIEGLE took part in the expedition to rid Guadeloupe of Buonapartists.
The fleet, consisting of BARBADOS, CHANTICLEER, COLUMBIA, DASHER, ESPIEGLE, FAIRY AND MUROS sailed from its assembly point off the Saintes on the 8th. with 5,000 troops artillery and equipment in two troop-ships and 53 transports, plus some French troops from Martinique in two corvettes and a schooner.
After CHANTICLEER had swept the beach at Sainte Sauveur a landing was made under the cover of ESPIEGLE and FAIRY.
Two more landings were made at Grande Anse and Baillif and the enemy capitulated on the morning of the 10th. - 1817-22 Portsmouth.
Henry Theodosius COLLIER, 03/1822, Cape of Good Hope.
He was posted 26/12/22. - 1823-4 Isham Fleming CHAPMAN 01/1823, Cape of Good Hope station.
During the early part of 1824 CHAPMAN examined the west coast of Africa between the Cape and and 14deg 14min South and discovered two uncharted rivers to the north of Warvis Bay to which he gave the names Somerset and Nourse.
He also found two columns erected by Bernado Diaz in 1484.
In August ESPIEGLE was at Zanzibar where Chapman, as a court martial later established, bought himself on the 16th., a young negress who disappeared while the ship was lying off Mombassa.
A midshipman from ESPIEGLE, James EMERY, became, as an acting lieutenant, commandant of Mombassa for almost two years from the summer of 1824 until the evacuation of British forces.
On 19 January 1826 a court-martial held on board GLADIATOR at Portsmouth, Rear-Ad. FOOTE presiding, found Capt. CHAPMAN guilty of a number of charges of misconduct brought by the purser of ESPIEGLE, Mr Alexander M'COY.
(In addition to questions about the Zanzibar negress, these included: Having taken out of the bread-room space to make a staircase and stowing bread between decks where it was trampled and stolen; ordering the purser, through Lieut. Richard NASH, to deliver to him for his private use, 50 dollars of public money and taking about 2,000 lb. more beef than his allowance.) The court expressed the opinion that the female had escaped out of the stern port unknown to the captain.
Capt. CHAPMAN was dismissed the service until the summer of 1828 when he was restored to his former rank. - 1825 Luke WRAY, 12/1824, Cape.
Arrived at Portsmouth from the Cape on 16 December 1825. - 1826 R. A. YATES, 01/1826, Portsmouth for Jamaica.
YATES returned home from Jamaica on board RATTLESNAKE 12 August 1827. - 1827 William SANDOM, 03/1827, Jamaica.
- 1828 Joseph
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