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VICTOR
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(18) |
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Built in 1798, Lynn.
Sold in 1808. |
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- 1799 J. RENNIE, North Sea.
- 1800 George Ralph COLLIER (as a Lieutenant in ISIS (50) he was sent back to England with Admiral MITCHELL's dispatches from the Texel in 1799 and promoted into VICTOR), Sheerness for the East Indies.
- In 1801 VICTOR was employed convoying the troops sent to Egypt from India and on returning from the Red Sea she called in at Diego Garcia to provision with turtle meat and water. She sailed on 27 August and on 2 September fell in with a French corvette near the Seychelles which she soon brought to action. COLLIER got in to broadsides but the Frenchman, as usual, directed his fire at VICTOR's masts and sails and endeavoured to escape while the damage was repaired. She was chased until the night of the 4th when COLLIER lost her. So far the casualties were one man wounded by two musket balls andthe master's mate Mr MIDDLETON slightly wounded.
Judging by her course the corvette was heading for the Seychelles so COLLIER followed and had the satisfaction of seeing the enemy at anchor in the inner harbour at Mahe. Mr CRAWFORD and Mr MIDDLETON, though he was ill with fever, as were some 30 members of the crew, volunteered to go in and take soundings, an enterprise they carried out until repeatedly fired on by a boat from the corvette.
Because of the unfavourable wind COLLIER had to warp his way in through a narrow channel until his broadsides could be brought to bear then, after an exchange of fire for more than two hours, the enemy was seen to be sinking. The first Lieutenant, Mr M'LEAN, with a party of seamen left to board her but discovered that she was on fire. Lieut. SMITH and other officers were sent to help but she rolled onto her larboard side and sank in deep water. - She proved to have been the French national corvette FLECHE commanded by Lieutenant de Vaisseau BONAMY and armed with twenty long 8-pounders and two stern chasers. She had landed a number of banished Frenchmen in the Seychelles and was intending to sail to the Bay of Bengal to prey on British shipping. Although the French captain claimed that only four had been killed, COLLIER thought that the true figure was much higher. VICTOR suffered no further losses although her hull, sails and rigging were badly damaged.
- FLECHE was later raised by the French and in November 1803 the FOX frigate and the ST. FIORENZO touched at the Seychell while on passage from Madras to Bombay and found her being re-fitted. The French abandoned her on the appearance of the British vessels and Capt. BINGHAM burnt her. Capt. COLLIER was promoted into the LEOPARD (50).
- 1802 John HORNSEY, East Indies. He died at Madras on 17 January 1803.
- 1804 George BELL, (acting Cdr.) East Indies.
- On 4 September 1804, while serving in the East India squadron under Vice-Ad. Peter RAINIER, he took the French PHOENIX of 600 tons and laden with pepper and spices. He was sent to the Persian Gulf as escort to a convoy which arrived safely at Bushire on 20 May 1805. Just inside the Persian Gulf he captured the French privateer AMIS REUNIS on the 7th. Armed with two long 4-pounders and manned by 38 men she was 80 days from the Ile de France without taking any prizes. Bewcause of the convoy Capt. BELL had to destroy her.
- In the spring of 1807 VICTOR was off Batavia where she captured four brigs and on 15 April she took three proas off Cheribon (Tjirebon). Some 120 prisoners were taken out of two of them and placed under guard by Lieut. James WEMYSS but those in the third, which was hanging off the quarter, refused to come up from below decks. BELL fired a carronade and some musket shots into her then fired a stern chaser, the sparks from which set off some powder spilt whilst being unloaded from the other proas. Lieut. H. BLAXTON and five of the crew were killed outright and Capt. BELL, the gunner and 24 others were either burnt by the explosion or wounded by the prisoners who took advantage of the confusion to attack the ship. Eighty of them were killed and the rest driven overboard before VICTOR was secured.
- Most of the wounded died after VICTOR's arrival at Penang. BELL was confirmed as a commander in October 1807 and VICTOR was paid off in September 1808.
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