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SCOUT
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(18) |
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Built in 1804, Hull (Cruizer class).
Broken up in 1827. |
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- 1805 D. H. MACKAY, Portsmouth, preparing for foreign service.
On 4 October she sailed from Spithead with MELPOMENE, UNITE and MOSELLE as escort to a Gibraltar convoy of 33 merchantmen. She left the convoy on 13 October with three ships for Oporto. - 1807 William RAITT, off Cadiz.
On the morning of 27 March 1807 Capt. RAITT sighted a Spanish felucca privateer which anchored under Cape Plata an hour later. It was some hours before SCOUT could get within gun-shot of her, by which time the felucca was lying end on with an anchor to the shore. She had two long 24-pounders in her bow and they fired over SCOUT as the sloop came in but 10 minutes fire forced her to cut and run on shore. Some of SCOUT's shot must have pierced her between wind and water because she was soon full of water and lying on her side. In addition to her bow guns the felucca also mounted six 12-pounder carronades and two 18-pounders. The surf was too high for SCOUT's boats to go in so Capt. RAITT pulled out of the bay.
The following day he found the felucca a complete wreck. He was later informed that the privateer was the ADMIRAL of Tariffa, commanded by Sebastian Boralta and carrying 100 men. - Capt. RAITT observed some vessels coming round Cape Trafalgar on the evening of 21 May 1807 obviously intending to pass through the straits during the dark. When he was joined by MORGIANA he ordered her boats under Lieut. SUTHERLAND, together with SCOUT's cutter and jolly boat under Lieut. BATTERSBY, to go in to the shore and cut out the enemy. Under heavy fire on a very clear night, they brought out SAN FRANCISCO SETTARO, alias DETERMINADA, a Spanish privateer carrying one long 18 pounder and two carriage guns bound for Algeciras from Cadiz. James MACKFORD, captain of the foretop, was killed and able seaman William FORTH wounded.
- 1808 Ditto, coast of Portugal.
On 21 June 1808 she was off Lagos in the Algarve, Major General SPENCER, on board her, wrote his dispatch to Viscount Castlereagh describing the Spanish insurrection and the surrender of the French at Cadiz. - SCOUT spent the summer of 1809 off the south coast of France.
On the morning of 14 June 1809 Capt. RAITT sighted a convoy of 14 vessels under the protection of two gunboats rounding Cape Croisette, south of Marseilles. He made all sail in chase of them but by the afternoon the wind dropped and he sent off the boats under Lieut. Henry BATTERSBY. Seven off the convoy made for a small harbour some 10 miles east of the Cape followed by the boats who came under grape and musket fire. A landing party stormed and captured the battery, spiked the guns and carried off the 7 vessels with loss of 1 killed and 5 wounded. Lieut. FARRANT; the master, Mr BATTEN and master's mate, Mr Thompson, volunteered to accompany Lieut. BATTERSBY in the boats.
The prizes were laden with wool, grain, leather, flour and cheese. Two of them he had to destroy after removing their cargoes, the others were sent into Port Mahon. - A similar attack was made on a battery at Carry-le-Rouet, 20 miles west of Marseilles on 15 July by a party of seamen and marines under Lieut. BATTERSBY. The fort was carried without loss and the guns spiked. Five of the enemy were killed and seven made prisoners.
- An enemy convoy off the south of France was chased by a major squadron of COLLINGWOOD's fleet in October 1809 and its escorts the ROBUST (84), and the LEON (74) were driven ashore and burnt on the 23rd. The BOREE and a frigate ran on shore at the entrance to Cette. The transports they were escorting took refuge in the Bay of Rosas under the protection of an armed storeship, two bombards and a xebec, eleven vessels in all.
TIGRE, CUMBERLAND, VOLONTAIRE, APOLLO, TOPAZE, PHILOMEL, SCOUT and TUSCAN were appointed to bring them out and they anchored about 5 miles out. The boats went in on the 30th. and by the following morning every enemy vessel had been either burnt or brought off. The officers in SCOUT's boats were Lieut. John TARRANT and Lieut. Hon. William WALDEGRAVE and midshipman DAVY of VILLE DE PARIS. The losses were very heavy in some of the boats but SCOUT and PHILOMEL had no casualties. - 1811 Alex. Renton SHARPE, Mediterranean.
On the morning of 1 May 1811 SCOUT joined the frigates UNITE and POMONE off Sagone Bay on the east coast of Corsica where three enemy ships were anchored under the protection of a battery with 4 guns and a mortar, a gun in a tower and some 200 troops with field guns on the heights above. They were the GIRAFFE (13), NOURICE (14) and a merchantman. Capt. SHARPE offered to take charge of a landing party but, in view of the strong force ashore, and there being no wind, Captain Robert BARRIE in POMONE decided to tow his ships in within grape-shot range of the enemy guns. The action lasted for one and a half hours without break until two of the French ships, which were loaded with wood for the naval arsenal at at Toulon, blew up. Sparks from one set fire to the battery which also blew up. The first lieutenant, William NEAME, the boatswain, James STEWART, and one seaman, John WALLACE, were wounded. - SCOUT left Gibraltar for home in October 1811 but she was put back by westerly winds and carrying away her main boom in a squall. She sailed again after repairs.
- 1813 James MURRAY, 01/1813.
Took the French privateer FORTUNE off Cagliari in the straits of Bonifacio on 17 February 1813.
Armed with three guns and carrying 36 men she had bee N out of Tunis three days. - 1815 Ditto, Spithead.
In July 1815 Lieut. HELLARD faced a court martial charged with having threatened to shoot or drown T. SMITH, who had deserted from SCOUT, if he ever returned, and with disrespect to Capt. MURRAY. He was most severely reprimanded and placed bottom of the lieutenant's list. - 1816-17 Deptford 1818 Wm. RAMSDEN, 04/1818, Deptford, for the Mediterranean.
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