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GROWLER
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(12) |
Gun-brig
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Built in 1804, Buckler's Hard.
Sold in 1815. |
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- 1805 Lieut. James ROSE, Plymouth.
He captured the French gunbrig No.193 and took her in to Falmouth on 15 February 1805. She was one of a squadron of brand new vessels bound for Brest from Bayonne and was armed with two long 24-pounders, one 18-pounder and four swivels.
They had been attacked on the 10th. by the MELAMPUS frigate and the RHODA and FRISK hired armed cutters.
The wind being offshore the French had not been able to keep close in land and they had captured eight.
There were 30 men on each lugger of whom only one was a seaman, the rest being soldiers.
They were described as miserable craft with only straw for both officers and men to lie on.
GROWLER had her mainmast-head shot away - On 25 March Lieut. ROSE cut out and secured two gunboats forming part of flotilla proceeding through the Passage du Raz.
- 1806 Lieut. Thomas NESBITT, Channel.
While sailing to take up station off Brest on 28 January, GROWLER captured the French privateer lugger VOLTIGEUR of St. Malo. She was pierced for 14 guns but only had six 9-pounders on board. - 1807 Lieut. Richard CROSSMAN. She took part in the attack on French fleet in Basque Roads from 11 April 1809.
With ENCOUNTER, four other gunbrigs, AETNA and BEAGLE she bombarded grounded French warships in the mouth of the Charente.
HAZARD, GROWLER, CONFLICT and COLPOYS were cruising off the Pertuis Breton on 27 July when sixteen enemy vessels were seen making to the eastward.
Since it was nearly calm the boats of the little squadron were sent in chase of them and succeeded in capturing nine chasse-maree after their crew had taken to their boats and escaped ashore.
A tenth was scuttled and the remaining six driven ashore - 1811 Lieut. WEEKS, convoy to Mediterranean. She arrived at Plymouth from Coruna with dispatches on 4 October 1811.
That night the wind increased to a hurricane from the S. E. and at 2 AM
GROWLER, which was lying off St. Nicholas (Drake's) Island, parted one of her bower cables and lay with her keel across the cables of ORESTES.
While efforts were made to disentangle them a squall swung the gunbrig round so that they were lying alongside each other.
Sails were set and she was cast adrift to try and run towards the Catwater but, with the flood tide on the starboard bow and the wind right aft, this was impossible and she grounded on the beach a little to the east of Firestone Point.
The masts were cut away and she was floated off on the next tide to be towed into dock for repairs. - 1812 Lieut. Hugh ANDERSON, off L'Orient.
On 22 May 1812 NORTHUMBERLAND (74) Capt. Henry HOTHAM, with GROWLER in company sailed to intercept two French frigates and a brig making for L'Orient.
After a destructive exchange of fire HOTHAM forced the enemy to ground on the rocky coast and then he hauled off to repair his rigging while GROWLER continued the bombardment.
During this time the French vessels had fallen on their sides as the tide left them and their crews had scrambled ashore.
NORTHUMBERLAND returned, anchored and opened fire at point blank range.
All three were completely destroyed by the time the two British ships left at midnight.
The French vessels were the 44-gun frigates ARIANNE and ANDROMAQUE and the MAMELUKE (18) brig.
Between them they had destroyed 36 vessels in the Atlantic since January. - On 25 November 1812 a prize crew was put on board the French brig LA SUIR MAREE.
It consisted of two seamen from GROWLER, MILLINGTON and WILLIAMS, and five other seamen, under Mr ANDREWS, master's mate and Mr BOLEN, quarter-master.
Their orders were to take the prize into Plymouth.
During the night of the 29th., while they were off the Scillies, Five of the seamen, MARTIN and BAPTIST, both blacks, JOACHIM, a Portuguese, and the two from GROWLER, murdered Messrs. ANDREWS and BOLAN and a passenger, Mr Winsland, as part of a plan to take the vessel into a French port.
The two other seamen, BOYD and GRANT, were detained below by the mutineers. - When two sails were seen in chase of them the following morning JOACHMIN and MARTIN lowered a boat over the stern and rowed away giving BOYD and GRANT a chance to overpower the remaining three.
BAPTIST was hit on the head and thrown overboard and MILLINGTON and WILLIAMS were seized and their hands tied behind their backs.
They stood towards the approaching frigates and soon after a boat from AQUILLON came alongside and they were taken on board DIANA. - The two prisoners were tried by court martial on board the SALVADOR DEL MUNDO in the Hamoaze during December and sentenced to be hung from the yard-arm.
- 1814 Ditto, Downs.
- 1815 Portsmouth.
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