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SOPHIE
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(18) |
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Built in 1809, Pelhams of Frindsbury (Cruizer class).
Sold in 1825. |
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- As a new brig she was first commissioned by Commander Nicholas LOCKYER on 26 Oct.
- 1809.
From the autumn of 1812 she was employed on the Halifax station. - He captured the brig EXPERIENCE from Rio for Boston on 25 November 1812 and, in company with MAIDSTONE, the sloop MARY ANN from Philadelphia to Charleston in December.
On 11 December he took the schooner FANNY AND MARIA and the ship SYRUS.
In January 1813 SOPHIE took the schooners POLLY MERICK from Norfolk and GEORGE WASHINGTON from from Windson, both bound for New York.
SOPHIE was employed in the blockade of the Chesapeake under Capt. BARRIE in DRAGON.
On 5 November the boats of SOPHIE and DRAGON under Lieut. PEDLAR of that ship brought out, without loss, three American vessels from a creek in the Potomac. She had a busy time, burning two schooners and capturing one sloop and burning another between the 6 and 19 November 1813. - Between 22 and 28 November she joined forces with ACTEON and they destroyed two schooners and a sloop and captured three schooners and two sloops.
All the vessels were engaged in coastal trade. - Capt. LOCKYER captured the American privateer schooner STARKS on 24 April 1814.
With two guns and 25 men she had been out of Wilmington for 24 days without taking any prizes. - At the beginning of August 1814 SOPHIE took brevet Captain WOODBINE to Pensacola to communicate with friendly Indians who had been driven into Spanish territory.
On 23 August she joined with HERMES (20) Hon. William Henry PERCY, and they landed a detachment of troops to fortify fort San Miguel in conjunction with the Spaniards.
Six days later Capt. PERCY directed SOPHIE to proceed to Barataria on the southern side of the Mississippi delta to communicate with the Indians and freebooters there and tempt them into the British service by offering lands in HM
colonies.
In fact their leader Lafitte passed the proposals on to Governor of Louisiana. - At the beginning of September PERCY decided to attack fort BOWYER on Mobile Point.
This he believed to be a low wood battery of little strength mounting between 6 and 14 guns of small calibre.
Its capture would stop the trade of Louisiana. - On the morning of the 12th. he landed Lieut. Colonel NICOLLS with a party of 60 marines and 130 Indians and a howitzer about 9 miles to the eastward and on the 15th., when contrary winds died down, crossed the bar with HERMES, SOPHIE, CARRON, Capt. SPENCER, and CHILDERS, Capt. UMFREVILLE.
The fort opened fire at 4.16 p.m.
and at 4.30 HERMES replied at pistol-shot range.
Ten minutes later SOPHIE opened fire but the other two vessels were unable to come up.
Two hours later, having made little impression on the fort, HERMES grounded and lay helpless under showers of grape.
SOPHIE's boats took off her people and she was set on fire.
The remaining ships anchored for the night some one and half miles from the fort and in the morning crossed over the bar.
SOPHIE had 6 killed and 16 wounded and HERMES 17 killed, 5 mortally wounded and 20 wounded.
When finally taken by the British in February 1815 the fort mounted three long 32-pounders, eight 24s, six 12s, five 9s and a mortar and a howitzer.
The garrison consisted of 375 officers and men.
A court-martial concluded that the attack was justified by the circumstances. - In December SEAHORSE, ARMIDE and SOPHIE were sent from Pensacola by Vice Admiral COCHRANE to Lake Borgne where the Bayou Catalan (or De Pecheurs) at the head of the lake, and 60 miles from the troopship anchorage, was to be the disembarkation point for the attack on New Orleans.
They reported that two American gun boats, large light draught sloops, had fired on them as they passed Cat Island and three more were seen from the masthead, so when the fleet arrived on the 11th. all their boats were placed under the command of Capt. LOCKYER of SOPHIE and sent into the lake to hunt them out.
(The boats came from TONNANT, NORGE, BEDFORD, ROYAL OAK, RAMILLIES, ARMIDE, CYDNUS, SEAHORSE, TRAVE, SOPHIE, METEOR, BELLE POULE and GORGON) - He formed the boats into three squadrons, the first commanded by himself, the second by Capt. MONTRESOR of MANLEY and the third by Capt. ROBERTS of METEOR, and they sailed on the night of the 12th.
After a tedious row of 36 hours they located the five American vessels drawn up in line abreast at anchor off St. Joseph's Island.
Capt. ROBERTS cut off and captured an armed brig that attempted to join them. - At 10 o'clock on the morning of the 14th. the boats had closed to within long gun-shot and Capt. LOCKYER ordered their crews to breakfast.
When they had finished they took to their oars and pulled up to the enemy against a strong current under a heavy fire of round and grape.
The whole of the flotilla was boarded and taken within five minutes but the British losses were heavy, 3 midshipmen, 13 seamen and 1 private marine killed; 1 captain, 4 lieutenants, 1 lieutenant of marines, 3 master's mates, 7 midshipmen, 50 seamen and 11 marines wounded.
Some of the wounded, including Lieut. PRATT of SEAHORSE who was in Capt. LOCKYER's boat, died later.
SOPHIE's only casualty was Capt. LOCKYER who was severely wounded.
The captured flotilla carried 16 long guns, 14 carronades, 2 howitzers, 12 swivels and 245 men, 6 of whom were killed and 35 wounded.
Vice-Ad. COCHRANE, considering - the captured flotilla as the equivalent of a 36-gun frigate appointed Capt. LOCKYER to command it as soon as his wounds permitted.
(Capt. MONTRESOR took command pro.
tem.) - 1815 Ditto, West Indies.
Capt. LOCKYER was promoted to post rank on 19 March 1815. - 1816 Chatham.
- 1820 Sir W. S. WISEMAN, 08/1818, fitting out for Jamaica.
He was posted into TAMAR (26), on 22 November 1820 following the death of Capt. Arthur SNOW. - 1822 George FRENCH, 12/1820, E. Indies until 20 July 1822 when he was transferred to LEANDER.
Unfortunately his commission did not arrive before LEANDER had sailed leaving him on half pay in Madras.
He had to return home at his own expense. - George RYVES was appointed out of ALLIGATOR, where he was first lieutenant, to act as commander in SOPHIE on 8 April 1823.
His appointment was confirmed in the following October.
At the outbreak of the Burma War SOPHIE and the little paddle steamer DIANA were placed under the command of Frederick MARRYAT in LARNE. - The people of SOPHIE joined with those of ARACHNE in the naval force co-operating with the army in the attack on Martaban, about 100 miles east of Rangoon, on 30 October 1824.
Lieut. BAZELY's gallantry was especially mentioned in the report by Lieut.-Colonel Sir A. Campbell. - When the post at Kemmendine was hard pressed by the enemy Capt. CHADS, the senior officer at Rangoon, ordered Cdr. RYVES on 2 December 1824 to sail on the next flood to support Major Yates commanding on shore.
Lieut. KELLETT with ARACHNE's boats and 30 seamen in the gunboats were placed under his orders.
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