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SPARROW (16) Built in 1805, Yarmouth.
Sold in 1816.

  • 1805 Fitting out at Sheerness.
  • 1807 Hon. W. PACKENHAM, North Sea.
    Rowland BEVAN, to the West Indies on 16 November.
  • 1808 Edward BURT, coast of Spain.
  • 1809 Ditto, West Indies.
    SPARROW took part in the blockade of the city of San Domingo which led to the surrender of the French garrison there on 7 July.
    On 1 July Capt. Price CUMBY in POLYPHEMUS anchored at Caleta and complied with a request from Major-Gen CARMICHAEL to put eight of the guns from that ship aboard SPARROW, to be landed at Palenqui for the use of the batteries to the westward of the city.
    Two of the guns were manhandled some 30 miles across almost impassable country from Adre Bay.
  • 1810 J. R. ROWLEY, Jamaica.
  • 1811 Joseph Needham TAYLER, 02/2/1811.
    During the summer of 1811 SPARROW cruised off San Domingo and in the Mona passage until she was ordered to join ELK in escorting a convoy of merchantmen from Negril Bay to England where she arrived on 27 September having recaptured a large ship on the way.
    After a refit SPARROW joined the squadron operating along the north coast of Spain where Capt. TAYLER surveyed Socoa and St. Jean de Luz and drew plans of French fortifications along the coast.
    In June and July 1812 SPARROW formed part of Sir Home POPHAM's squadron which attacked enemy positions in the 50 mile stretch of coast to the west of San Sebastian.
    Lekeitio was reduced on 21 June followed by the destruction of fortifications at Bermeo, Castro and Plencia.
    At Plencia, where there were batteries on either side of the inlet below the bar of the Bilboa river, Capt. TAYLER blew up one corner of a fort and was in the act of ramming a stone into the train-hole preparatory to demolishing the rest, when some gunpowder accidentally ignited and set off the mine.
    The shock stunned the captain and he was nearly killed by masonry which fell close to him.
    Several men were badly burnt and the gunner nearly lost his sight.
  • On 18 July SPARROW assisted in an attack on Getaria and shortly after she covered the landing of a party from the squadron which set up a battery on the island of Mouro at the entrance of Santander harbour.
    SPARROW lost one man killed and two wounded from musket fire and seven shots from a field piece which damaged her boats and sails.
    Fortunately the heavy guns in the battery would not depress sufficiently to aim at her hull.
    Later Capt. TAYLER took soundings and cross-bearings in the harbour for a future attack.
    While surveying Santona SPARROW had one man severely wounded by a musket ball from the shore.
    During the winter gales the rest of the squadron kept to the westward of Cape Machichaco but SPARROW maintained contact the Spanish coast to the east and captured a French letter of marque and a brig.
  • Castro de Urdeales had been garrisoned by 1200 Spanish troops after its capture the previous summer and, after two attempts to retake it had failed, the French invested it with increased forces, estimated at 13,000 men, on 25 April 1813.
    SPARROW, LYRA, ROYALIST and the schooner ALPHEA arrived on 4 May to support the garrison.
  • On the 7th. one of SPARROW's 24 pounders was landed with great difficulty on a small island within point-blank range of a battery of two 12-pounders the French had erected to the westward of the town.
    The gun had to be parbuckled 600 feet up a sheer rock face.
    (Parbuckle: Two ropes with one end fastened at the high point.
    The other ends are looped round the gun-barrel and back up to the other end) It was fitted with a new sight designed by Capt. TAYLER resulting in most shells falling in the enemy batteries.
    During the day SPARROW, and her boats at night, kept watch off Portugalete where the French were rumoured to have guns waiting to be transported to Castro.
  • Capt. TAYLER was in the act of aiming a carronade at an enemy column when it was struck by 12-pound shot which made a dent equal to half the diameter of the ball in the upper part of the breech and destroyed the carriage.
    The gun was then lashed to a rock and the fire maintained.
    A second 24-pounder was landed from SPARROW on the 10th. but when the enemy made a breach in the wall their position on the island became untenable and Capt. BLOYE of LYRA ordered its evacuation the following day when the French broke through into the town with about 3,000 men.
    The garrison, after disputing the advance house by house, was evacuated by the boats of the squadron but two companies remained in the castle and managed to throw all the guns into the sea although they were unable to blow it up before the breakthrough; however all the troops were brought off and landed safely at Bermeo.
    Here SPARROW and ROYALIST took on board 140 French prisoners and carried them to Corunna.
  • SPARROW had 10 men wounded: Charles WEIR, quarter gunner; Thomas COLLETTE, quarter-master; two seamen and two marines.
    ROYALIST lost 4 wounded and the garrison had about 100 killed and wounded.
    The French losses were estimated to be at least 2,500 men.
  • During the night of 10 June SPARROW and CONSTANT, answering a call for assistance from Spanish troops hard pressed by the enemy, closed the shore and brought off 1270 soldiers at Lekeitio and delivered them safely at Santander.
  • After the French occupation of Castro the British cruisers maintained a blockade which cut off all supplies to the garrison.
    The French commandant resolved to retire to Santona and the sudden arrival of SPARROW on the scene on 22 June obliged him to do this so precipitately that he was prevented from destroying his artillery and powder although a lighted match was found beside a powder trail.
    SPARROW's seamen and marines promptly occupied the castle.
    They found only a few old women among the ruins of the town, the Franco-Italian garrison having carried out a policy of indiscriminate slaughter amongst the inhabitants, more than 3,000 being killed.
    Fourteen of those responsible were later taken in Bilbao and put to death.
  • SPARROW then sailed Plymouth with dispatches announcing the defeat of the French at the battle of Vittoria which had taken place on 20 June and she returned as quickly as possible to join Sir George COLLIER's squadron off San Sebastian, under siege by Wellington's army.
    Capt. TAYLER was ordered to set up a battery with one of SPARROW's carronades high up above the town then, after two breaches had been made in the walls, the vessels in the squadron were ordered to make a diversionary attack while the town was stormed.
    The attack was unsuccessful and abandoned after 900 casualties.
    When Capt. TAYLER rejoined his battery ashore he was badly injured by a shell which fell on top of him.
  • 1813 F. E. LOCH, 16/08/1813, Channel fleet until September 1814.
    On 1 September 1813 SPARROW's boats joined those from eleven other vessels under the command of Capt. GALLWAY of DISPATCH to demonstrate off the rock at San Sebastian while an assault was made on a breach by Wellington's troops.
    (SURVEILLANTE, REVOLUTIONAIRE, PRESIDENT, LYRA, BEAGLE, DISPATCH, CHALLENGER, HOLLY, JUNIPER, Gunboats 14 and 16)
  • Their appearance had the effect of diverting a large proportion of the garrison when the attack was made at 11 AM
    and the town was entered by half past one.
    During the attack which led to the fall of San Sebastian on the 8th., SPARROW and CHALLENGER were stationed off the Bidassoa.
  • Six weeks later Wellington asked for another demonstration while he was attacking the French lines and VESUVIUS, CHALLENGER, RACER and SPARROW were ordered off the harbour of St. Jean de Luz to see what damage they could do.
    Unfortunately the swell was so heavy on the morning of the 10th. that nothing more than a demonstration could be undertaken.
    However it kept the enemy batteries occupied and SPARROW received some slight damage to her hull and sails.
  • In thick weather off Brest on 26 March SPARROW fell in with two French frigates, ETOILE and SULTANE.
    In the subsequent action SPARROW's master was killed and two of her seamen were wounded before HANNIBAL and HEBRUS came to her rescue and forced the French to surrender.
  • The following summer she was employed in bringing to England generals on the staffs of the allied sovereigns and convoying paid-off Sardinian soldiers to Genoa.


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