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WEAZLE
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Built in 1805, Topsham (Cruizer class).
Sold in 1815. |
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- 1805 Peter PARKER, to the Mediterranean on 21 August.
Capt. PARKER was promoted to command the MELPOMENE off Cadiz in October. - 1806 John CLAVELL. He was appointed by Vice-ad. Collingwood immediately after the battle of Trafalgar where he received a head-wound from which he never fully recovered.
WEAZLE was first employed watching the enemy off Cartagena, Santa Cruz, Teneriffe and Madeira. She captured the Spanish privateer SECONDO CORNELO (8), off Catalonia. - In the autumn WEAZLE joined the squadron in the Gulf of Venice where, without assistance, she took the island of Cherso (now Cres), some 15 miles south of Fiume (Rijeka), together with a number of French and Austrian vessels. CLAVELL and Lieut. Edmund MILLER were both wounded in an attack on another island when WEAZLE accompanied the frigate UNITE.
- In the summer of 1807 WEAZLE was sent to Corfu with dispatches for the British Minister from the senior officer off Venice. CLAVELL landed at night and, with only his servant carrying a box, made his way to the Minister's house. As he was about to enter he was accosted by a Greek who gave him the news that, as a result of the Treaty of Tilsit, the Tzar had handed Corfu to the French and that the French general and his officers were at that moment dining in the house. CLAVELL and his servant immediately made their way back to WEAZLE's boat passing French guards that they had not noticed before.
The Greeks kept silent until he was well clear of the land then began to jeer the French sentinels. - During the night WEAZLE was attacked by three privateers but they were driven off or sunk.
At daybreak she found herself surrounded by transports escorted by three gunboats the whole of which she captured together with 400 French soldiers.
After replenishing at Malta WEAZLE returned to the Adriatic where CLAVELL was promoted into the GLATTON,44. - 1808 Henry PRESCOTT, 04/2/OO.
He was promoted out of OCEAN by Lord COLLINGWOOD.
On 1 April following he sighted a French fleet off Sardinia consisting of ten ships of the line, three frigates, a brig and a storeship. He shadowed them for a day then hastened to inform Lord Collingwood off Sicily.
Unfortunately the Admiral was hampered by a strong westerly wind and the enemy were able to reach Toulon. - In August 1808 a convoy of 34 coasting vessels laden with tribute from the provinces of Calabria to the Neapolitan government was assembled at Diamante, south of the Gulf of Policastro, where they were protected by gun boats and a shore battery. They were blockaded there by WEAZLE pending the arrival of reinforcements.
- Lieut. General Sir John STUART, commanding the forces in Sicily, detached Lieut. Colonel Alexander BRYCE, R. E., to co-operate with the Navy to take or destroy them.
His arrival off Diamante was delayed by calms on the five day passage from Milazzo and he was clearly visible from the shore during the last three.
The town stands on a peninsular, nearly inaccessible on three sides, and is commanded by a building of considerable strength. This last was bombarded for several hours by WEAZLE and HALCYON, assisted by a Sicilian galliot, before 250 men of the regiment of Malta under Major HAMMILL and 100 men of the 58th. regiment under Capt. O'BRIAN were landed at daybreak on 8 September about half a mile to the north of the town.
They were accompanied by Capt. CAMPBELL of the Royal Artillery with a howitzer and two 3-pounders. - The enemy consisted of about 400 men of the Civil-Guard stiffened by some French troops and they were gradually forced back on the town but, instead of attempting to defend it, they fled to the mountains leaving their battery of four heavy guns to be taken without loss.
All the vessels then fell into British hands as well as 20 guns and carronades ashore which were destroyed. - On the 27 October 1809 he captured a French letter of marque VELOCE of 4 guns and 83 men. She was four days out of Tunis without making any captures. A polacca-rigged privateer from Marseilles named EOLE was taken on the 25 December after a chase of nine hours and an exchange of fire for an hour and a half.
The privateer was pierced for 20 guns but only mounted 14 long eight and sixes, she lost five killed and nine wounded. WEAZLE lost marine William FREKE killed and able seaman George SEAGE badly wounded.
Between this period until June 1810 WEAZLE made seventeen prizes and recaptures off Sardinia including a French privateer schooner IPPOLITE of 5 guns and 78 men - On 25 July 1810 WEAZLE spotted a large convoy close in shore off Amanthea and signalled THAMES and PILOT. As the other two ships came up the enemy hauled the merchant vessels up on the beach and protected them with gunboats and scampavias. Small batteries covered the flanks.
The British ships formed into line and drove the enemy crews ashore with grape, then PRESCOTT pushed off in his boats with Lieut. Thomas John James DAVIS; George CAYME, the master and midshipmen William HOLMES and John GOLDING. He was closely followed by the other boats and the seamen started to bring off the vessels under the protection of Royal marines under Lieut. MACADAM RM.
Twenty-eight transports were brought off with six of the gunboats (four 18-pounders and two brass 36-pounders) and two scampavias. The rest, 7 gunboats, 5 armed vessels and 31 transports, were destroyed.
The loss on the British side was 1 marine killed and 6 seamen wounded, including Robert ROOKE, seaman of WEAZLE, her only casualty. Two days later Capt. PRESCOTT again landed at Amanthea, supported by marines from CUMBERLAND (74) and, after destroying several vessels, brought off a gun. Three of WEAZLE's men were wounded. - During August Capt. PRESCOTT was engaged with two convoys and captured six vessels, two of which he was forced to abandon when WEAZLE's main yard was shot away and it proved impossible to tow them out from the protection of a French battery. Six of his men were wounded, one fatally.
- The loss of the convoy at Amanthea, which had been commanded by Capitano Carracciolo, and of one earlier in the month, forced Murat to abandon his plans for the invasion of Sicily and he returned to Naples.
The British vessels off Calabria were dispersed and WEAZLE was sent to Smyrna where Capt. PRESCOTT was superseded and promoted for his bravery at Amanthea, his commission being dated from the day of the action. - 1811 John Strutt PEYTON, 02/1811, in the Aegean.
WEAZLE conveyed the Archduke Francis from Smyrna to Sardinia.
At Cagliari PEYTON was invited to dine with the King and Queen of Sardinia and, in return, he gave a ball on board WEAZLE on the birthday of George III for their majesties and the Austrian prince.
Her majesty danced with Captain PEYTON and the king presented him with a gold snuff box with his initials set in brilliants.
The officers later attended a masked ball and all the crew were generously entertained. - Returning to the Aegean WEAZLE captured a French privateer ROI DE ROME, 10, a fine vessel only 45 days old and commanded by Antoine Michel who styled himself a Chevalier of the Royal Order of the Two Sicilies. The privateer had left Alexandria six days earlier in pursuit of seven English merchant ships bound for Malta but her only capture was a Maltese bombard.
On 26 September 1811 Capt. PEYTON was posted into MINSTREL. - 1812 John W. ANDREW, 11/1811, Mediterranean.
WEAZLE and VICTORIOUS (74) Capt. George TALBOT, arrived off Venice on 16 February 1812 to keep watch on a French squadron lying at anchor there. For several days they were kept offshore by fog but during the afternoon of the 21st. a brig was sighted, followed shortly after by a large ship, two more brigs and two settees.
Capt. ANDREW was ordered to bring the brigs to action and, just after 4 o'clock the following morning, he engaged one at half pistol-shot for about 40 minutes before she suddenly blew up. Only three men were rescued. She was the MERCURE of eighteen 24-pounder carronades. Another brig which had been engaging WEAZLE made off as soon as she saw the fate of her companion and was lost in the darkness. - In the morning she was seen about three miles away so Capt. ANDREW, making all sail and using his sweeps, went in chase but was soon recalled by Capt. TALBOT who had been engaging the large ship, the 74-gun RIVOLI, and was now in only 7 fathoms off the Point of Grao.
Although RIVOLI was almost unmanageable, VICTORIOUS was also disabled and Captain TALBOT had been badly wounded and had been forced to hand over command to Lieut. Thomas PEAKE, so WEAZLE helped VICTORIOUS by crossing and re-crossing RIVOLI's bows, raking her until she fired a gun to leeward and hailed to say that she had struck.
RIVOLI carried the pendant of of Commodore Barre, who was Commander-in-chief of all the enemy forces in the Adriatic and he did not surrender until over 400 men, half his crew, had been killed or wounded, including his captain and most of his officers. VICTORIOUS had only 506 men on board and 60 of them were on the sick list, she lost 42 killed and 99 wounded. A splinter deprived Capt. TALBOT of his eyesight for several days.
WEAZLE had no casualties.
Many of the enemy wounded were sent under flag of truce to Pirano in Istria and the remainder in a schooner to Spalatro in Dalmatia from Lissa, to which island RIVOLI was taken under jury rig after the battle. - On 21 and 26 August, between Parga and Corfu, WEAZLE captured a bombard laden with oil and an armed settee carrying mail and passengers.
- 1812 James BLACK, Mediterranean.
On 21 December 1812, her boats, under Lieut. Michael QUINN, in company with those of APOLLO (40) landed on the coast of Apulia and blew up the watch tower at St. Cataldo (the strongest between Brindisi and Otranto) containing 6 guns and a telegraph. - On 6 January 1813 WEAZLE and the frigate BACCHANTE intercepted five French gunboats 15 miles S. E. Cape Ortranto. The enemy boats divided and BACCHANTE's boats went after three of them and WEAZLE's boats with one from BACCHANTE after the other two who were trying to reach Fano. WEAZLE made what way she could in the light airs to support them. Midshipman Edward WEBB of BACCHANTE in the leading boat boarded and carried one, and left her to be secured by Lieut. WHALEY and Midshipman STEWART of WEAZLE. She was the ARROGANTE, armed with one 14-pounder and one 6-pounder. The second, the SALAMINE, of one 9-pounder and one 6-pounder, was also taken. The enemy had left Corfu the previous evening to take money to Otranto to pay troops on the island. Unfortunately two of the gunboats which were sent into Zante (Zakinthos) under prize crews were lost; one foundered in a storm, the other was retaken by the original crew.
- Early in the morning of 22 April 1813 off Spalato (now Split) WEAZLE, with a depleted crew due to absence in prizes, encountered a convoy, escorted by 10 French gunboats, and bound for Dalmatia. Both sides anchored within a pistol shot and began a cannonade. After half an hour the gunboats cut and ran inshore to the protection of some cannons and muskets in Bossolina (or Boscaline) Bay where they were out of range of carronades. WEAZLE followed and, in spite of fire from three heavy guns ashore, took three of them, sank one and drove the rest ashore.
She was then almost disabled by fire from the shore and grape from four other gunboats hiding behind a spit of land in a fight that lasted all day. WEAZLE was now in a critical situation with much of her rigging gone, sails shot away and 5 shot through the hull between wind and water. In addition 5 men had been killed and 20 wounded. - That night BLACK sent in a boat party to destroy the beached gunboats together with eight of the convoy.
He then started to use their anchors to warp WEAZLE off shore during the 23rd.
under raking fire from the remaining eight gunboats and musket fire from the heights.
The following day they came under additional fire as they had to warp past a battery which the enemy had mounted. By 5 o'clock WEAZLE could use one broadside against the gunboats which were driven off and soon she was out of range. The dead were James TOBY, boatswain; John BOWES, quartermaster; John KENNEDY, able seaman, William HEYDON, boatswain's mate, and William TREVICK, marine.
Among the 25 wounded were Captain Black, a musket ball had passed through his right hand, the first lieutenant Thomas WHALEY, master's mate William SIMKIN, who lost his right arm early on, midshipman James STEWART, and carpenter Benjamin BREMNER.
Cdr. BLACK was promoted and medals were awarded for the action. - On 24 May 1813 WEAZLE, accompanied by the gunbrig HAUGHTY,captured and destroyed six French vessels laden with grain and bound for Cataro (Kator) from Stagus.
The master of HAUGHTY was slightly wounded. - On 16 June 1813 WEAZLE's boats captured two parties of soldiers reinforcing Mezzo, an island near Ragusa (now Dubrovnik).
Mezzo was attacked by the marines of WEAZLE and SARACEN on 17 June. WEAZLE's gunner, Mr Brien, constructed a battery of four brass guns on top of a rocky mountain which commanded the the castle in which the French garrison had barricaded themselves and after a few hours of well directed fire the French surrendered on the 22nd. Two of WEAZLE's marines were wounded. - Two gunboats sailed from Fano on the evening of the 23 August 1813 and were standing for Otranto when WEAZLE sighted them the following morning. They were captured after a chase of six hours. The TONNANTE was commanded by enseigne Simon and the AUGUSTE by enseigne Cranotich. Both carried two guns.
- On 4 August the boats of WEAZLE and MILFORD attacked the fort of Ragosniza on the Isle of Lissa (now Vis). They landed after rowing about 20 miles through the night and, in the morning, they were able to surprise the garrison by sweeping down from the top of a hill into the open rear of the battery.
They captured six 24 pounders and two mortars which WEAZLE took to Lissa together with stores and ammunition. The French lost two men killed and one wounded, and two officers and 61 soldiers were taken prisoner. There were no British casualties. - On 18 August WEAZLE's marines and small-arm men under Cdr. MORESBY of WIZARD stormed the batteries guarding the entrance to Buco di Cattaro (Kotor), spiked the guns and threw them into deep water before retiring.
- She took the French gunboats TORRANTE and AUGUSTE on 24 August after a chase of 6 hours.
They were on their way from Corfu to Otranto and had 37 officers and non-commissioned officers of the French army as passengers. - During October WEAZLE and WIZARD plus four frigates supported Austrian troops and British landing parties at the attack on Trieste which surrendered on 29 October.
WEAZLE lost two men killed and four wounded. - 1814 Hon. Frederick NOWELL. 07/1813, Adriatic Sea.
In March 1814 WEAZLE helped in the recovery of the twenty-four 18-pounder guns belonging to BACCHANTE which had been jettisoned when that ship had grounded off Corfu. Only 11 of them were salvaged. - 1815 Portsmouth.
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