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WOLVERINE
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(16) |
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Built in 1836, Chatham.
Lost in 1855. |
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- 1837 Hon. Edward HOWARD, 09/1836, Chatham for Mediterranean.
- On 27 January 1837 she arrived at Cartagena and supplied CHILDERS with bread before taking stores to the British squadron off Tarragona.
- 1840 William TUCKER, 06/1839, Coast of Africa.
- On 15 January 1840 WOLVERINE was about 4 miles off the River Brass, one of the many rivers of the Niger delta. While they were fitting out the ship's boats a canoe came alongside with two Nigerian chiefs bringing news of a slaver flying the American flag in the River Nun which, although it has its own mouth to the sea, also has a connection with the Brass.
- An expedition left WOLVERINE at mid-morning with Lieut. DUMARESQ in the pinnace, Mate Arthur KINGSTON in the cutter and another mate, Mr THORBURN, in charge of the cutter, the two natives agreeing to act as pilots.
- Ten miles up the Brass they entered the Nun and rowed a further 30 miles before darkness came on and a halt had to be made. The two natives went on in a canoe but were soon back with the news that the prize was close at hand. The three boats closed with her in little more than 10 minutes and were they able to take possession of her with no resistance from the surprised crew of 30 Spaniards. She proved to be a fine schooner named LARK and her papers showed that she was indeed a slaver.
At dawn the schooner was got under weigh but, there being no wind, the boats had to tow her down river. After nine miles a big schooner was sighted coming up towards them and DUMARESQ ordered the boats to be hidden on the blind side of LARK with the pinnace and gig standing ready to board the stranger while Mr KINGSTON remained in charge of LARK with the cutter's crew. The crew of the new vessel allowed the two boats to come alongside and take possession of her without a fight. Among the Spanish crew were some men in shore-going clothes who claimed to be passengers and Lieut. DUMARESQ allowed them to depart, only discovering later that they had taken a considerable amount of money with them. The new prize was called ASP and as soon has her crew had been secured WOLVERINE's boats started towing the two schooners down the river.
As they approached the mouth of the Nun towards evening they discovered that they would have to cross three bars against a strong wind and with a heavy sea running. ASP led the way with the little LARK, towing the cutter and the schooner's boat, following in her wake. As she approached the first shoal a white wall of surf broke over LARK and her boat began to fill and had to be cut loose. At a quarter to eight they were hailed by some men in the pinnace which had broken adrift from ASP along with the gig. KINGSTON cut the anchor stoppers with an axe and LARK was brought up all standing in about 2 fathoms and the pinnace was brought alongside with four exhausted men on board. LARK was now in a perilous position. The seas continued to break over her and and smashed a cask of palm oil which covered the deck in a slippery coating that no one could walk on, the Spaniards, who outnumbered the British by four to one, were watching for an opportunity and a large roller first threw the cutter on board and then washed her off so that she had to be cut adrift to prevent more damage. After a while the sea and wind began to moderate and KINGSTON was able to con LARK and the pinnace through the shoals until, at about 10 o'clock, he came up with ASP outside the river. The two schooners then ran down to WOLVERINE lying ten miles away off the mouth of the Brass. They were later sent into Sierra Leone and condemned. - 1842 J. S. W. JOHNSON, 12/1841, Chatham, for China.
- On 20 December she left Hong Kong for Singapore.
- 1844 Charles F. BROWN, 03/1844, East Indies.
- 1846 William J. C. CLIFFORD, 09/1844, East Indies.
- 1848 Chatham.
- 1850 Maxwell FALCON, Coast of Africa.
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