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STAUNCH
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(14) |
Gun-brig
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Built in 1804, Dartmouth.
Lost in 1811. |
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- 1805 Lieut. Benjamin STREET, Channel.
On 31 July 1805 Mr John LEWIS, second master and pilot of STAUNCH was tried by court martial for drunkenness and neglect of duty in that he assisted Sub Lieut. John WOOD to desert while a prisoner.
He was sentenced to be dismissed from his office and to be never employed as an officer again.
He was also sentenced to six months in the Marshalsea Prison. - 1807 Lieut. STREET sailed for Cape of Good Hope on 30 August 1806.
When it was learnt that the Spanish colonists had recaptured Buenos Ayres which had been garrisoned by Col. Beresford, vessels from the Cape were sent with Col. Crauford's transports to the Argentine.
STAUNCH took part in the attack on Monte Video in January 1807 when about 800 seamen and Royal Marines were landed from the ships of the squadron under Rear-Ad. STIRLING to act with the troops.
Because of the shallow water in the Plate the ships had to lay a great distance from the shore and everything had to be dragged through heavy surf and up a sandy road.
On most days there were up to 1400 men ashore.
The enemy put up such a strong resistance that the squadron had only two days powder and shot left when a breach was made in on 3 February and the town and citadel were taken by storm.
STAUNCH lost two killed, landman Thomas START, alias Joseph DICKINS, and ordinary seaman Richard WALKER.
There were eight wounded, Sub-Lieut. George STEWART; capt.
of foretop John FRYAR; landman John MOONEY; able seaman Thomas OLDEN; capt.
of forecastle Peter REES; midshipman John MORRISON; ordinary seaman David MILLER; landman John MOORE. - Shortly after the surrender of Reunion in July 1810 NEREIDE, SIRIUS and Staunch sailed for Mauritius with some grenadiers of the 33rd. and 69th. regiments to attack the Isle de la Passe about 4 miles from Port Sud-Est.
On the night of 10 August the boats of the two frigates with 400 seamen, marines and seamen, were taken in tow by STAUNCH but, in the darkness and bad weather, several of them ran foul of each other and the black pilot declared that it was impossible to enter the channel so the enterprise was abandoned for the time being.
In a second attempt on the 13th., 71 officers and men from SIRIUS under Lieut. Henry CHADS occupied the batteries on the island. - On the 17th. Capt. WILLOUGHBY embarked 50 men from the 33rd. and 69th. regiments, 40 men from STAUNCH and 100 marines and seamen from NEREIDE, and landed at the Canaille de Bois on Mauritius.
After a march of six miles, attended by three of the NEREIDE's and STAUNCH's boats with guns mounted covering the road, they carried the fort at Point du Diable which commanded the N. E. passage into Grand Port.
At nightfall they returned to their own ships but landed again on three successive days to destroy the guns in the fort and the signal house at Grande Riviere. Meanwhile STAUNCH had been sent to join the squadron off Port Louis.
On the 20th. five sail were seen approaching Grande Port and Capt. WILLOUGHBY, using the French signal books was able to entice the BELLONE and MINERVE frigates, the VICTOR sloop, and the WINDHAM and CEYLON, prizes, within range.
The French ships however, managed to enter Grand Port except for the WINDHAM which was captured by eleven unarmed British seamen.
On the 23rd. NEREIDE, SIRIUS, IPHIGENIA and MAGICIENNE stood down the channel into Grand Port.
NERIEDE lost 230 killed at wounded out of 281 on board before she surrendered, MAGICIENNE ran aground and was blown up and the same fate befell SIRIUS.
IPHIGENIA was warped out and anchored off the Isle de la Passe and surrendered on the 28th.
On the morning of 12 September 1810 Capt. ROWLEY in BOADICEA with OTTER and STAUNCH weighed anchor from the Bay of St. Paul's in the Isle of Bourbon (now Reunion) in order to attack two enemy frigates, ASTREA and IPHIGENIA, which were in the offing to windward.
As they stood out from the Bay they were joined in the chase by AFRICAINE which, having the wind, closed with the enemy during the night before the others came up and was captured by them.
Capt. ROWLEY brought up OTTER and STAUNCH and led them towards the enemy who abandoned AFRICAINE with an officer and nine Frenchmen plus about 83 wounded of her crew. - When three sail were seen in the offing on the morning of 18 September BOADICEA, OTTER and STAUNCH weighed but, because of light airs, they were unable to clear St. Paul's Bay for some hours.
When they did close with the enemy one, which had a crippled frigate in tow, made off.
The third, which had lost her top-masts, bore up to protect the frigate but after a short action she struck to BOADICEA. She was the French national frigate VENUS (44) Commodore Hamelin, which, together with the VICTOR corvette, had taken his Majesty's ship CEYLON, the frigate under tow.
OTTER took possession of CEYLON and BOADICEA took VENUS under tow.
(she was taken into the Royal Navy as NEREIDE) - In October Vice-Ad. BERTIE in AFRICAINE detached CEYLON and STAUNCH, now under Lieut. Henry CRAIG, acting, to convoy troops from Bourbon to Rodriguez while he proceeded to that anchorage to join Rear-Ad. DRURY's squadron.
The convoy arrived on 12 November, more troops from Bengal on the 21st. and, on 29th., the whole fleet of nearly 70 sail anchored in Grand Bay, about 12 miles to windward of Port Louis and marines and seamen disembarked.
On 2 December the French Governor proposed terms of capitulation and these were ratified the following day. - 1811 Lieut. Henry CRAIG.
During June 1811 STAUNCH was wrecked off Madagascar. All lost.
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