USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island privateers in King George's war, 1739-1748 > Part 13
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The Fame, Captain Thompson, cruised in consort with the privateer schooner Industry of New Providence, 10 guns, Captain Ellis, and on September 1, 1746, in sight of Morro Castle at The Havana, the Fame and the Industry captured a Spanish sloop laden with pitch and tar. Captain Thompson burned this vessel. Later the same day, the Fame engaged a large Spanish privateer sloop. Six broadsides were exchanged in a running fight. By this time the Industry joined in the fight, fired one broadside at the Spaniard, but unfortunately received a shot in her powder room and blew up, sinking almost immediately. Captain Thompson was just about to board the Spaniard, when the explosion on the Industry diverted his attention, and he went to the assistance of his consort. The Spanish vessel was thereby enabled to escape and reached
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The Havana in safety. The Fame succeeded in picking up 44 of the 65 men that made up the crew of the Industry. Twenty of those saved were "still in a miserable condition", when the Fame reached Charleston two weeks later.
The Fame sailed over to the Florida shore, anchored near a key, and took on board wood and water. On September 3, she was struck by a hurricane, that lasted sixteen hours, and that drove her on a reef, where Captain Thompson was obliged to throw her guns overboard and cut away all her masts, in order to lighten the vessel and get her off. With the utmost difficulty she was extricated from this precarious predicament. Two jury-masts were erected, and the Fame made the best of her way to Charleston, S. C., where she arrived on Sep- tember 14, 1746. Eighteen of the Fame's carriage guns were nine pounders. She was in the merchant service in March 1746-7, and was still commanded by Captain Thompson.
A TERRIBLE LOSS.
In 1745 Godfrey Malbone fitted out two large privateers, and named them after His Majesty's two sons. Malbone is given as sole owner of the Duke of Cumberland, a ship of 180 tons, armed with 20 carriage and 30 swivel guns, and carrying a crew of 130 men. Jahleel Brenton and John Cole were associated with Malbone in sending out the Prince of Wales, a a ship of 200 tons, mounting 22 carriage guns, and carrying a crew of 130 men. Both vessels carried provisions for 10 months.
The Prince of Wales was commanded by Capt. Thomas Brewer, and his officers were First Lieutenant Thomas Child, Second Lieutenant John Webb, formerly mate on the Success, Master Ezekiel Hatch, who had been mate on the Duke of Marlborough, Mate Adam Wallace, Captain's Quartermaster
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Andrew Watson, Second Mate Thomas Poole, Gunner John Pelham and Boatswain William Muggworth.
The command of the Duke of Cumberland was given to Capt. Benjamin Cranston, who had just returned from a successful cruise in the King George. The other officers were First Lieutenant Clement Stanton, formerly of the Caesar, Second Lieutenant John Petel, Master Benjamin Langworthy, who had served in this capacity on the Caesar, Master's Mate John Nisbet, Captain's Quartermaster William Wanton, and Gunner William Edmonds, who had served under Captain Cranston on the King George.
Sheffield tells us that "according to the custom of the time their horoscope was cast and the figure had disclosed that they should sail on Friday, the 24th of December, 1745". The two vessels sailed on December 24, at the commencement of a northeast snow storm, which increased in great violence during the following day, and were never heard from again. Peterson says that "upwards of four hundred lives were sacrificed and nearly two hundred women became widows by this disaster". This double shipwreck was considered as one of the greatest calamities that ever befell Newport.
Such losses as these, together with the long and costly litigation so often envolved in prize cases and their appeals, undermined the profits of privateering and led to its decline.
THE SLOOP Jonathan.
The sloop Jonathan, 90 tons, named after Jonathan Nichols, later lieutenant governor of Rhode Island, was fitted out at Newport as a privateer in 1747 by Jonathan Nichols and Robert Sherman. She was armed with 10 carriage guns and 12 swivels, carried a crew of 60 men, and provisions for six months. Her outfitting return was dated February 2,
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1747-8, and her command was given to that famous priveteers- man, Capt. John Dennis. The other officers were: First Lieutenant Robert Gibbs, formerly of the Duke of Marl- borough, Second Lieutenant Edward Wanton, Master Fones Hazard, Mate Job Gardiner, Gunner William Sargant, Boat- swain Daniel Vaughn, probably he who had served as boat- swain on the Prince Frederick in 1743, and Carpenter William Thurston.
THE SLOOP Ranger.
The sloop Ranger, which was fitted out as a privateer at Newport in 1748 by Jonathan Nichols, Robert Sherman, William Casey and Robert Nichols, all of Newport, was a vessel of 90 tons, mounting 10 guns, manned by 40 men, and provisioned for six months. Her outfitting return was dated April 16, 1748. She may have been identical with the trans- port sloop Ranger, which joined the Rhode Island expe- ditionary fleet on December 13, 1746, having been sent to replace the lost snow Africa.
The officers of the privateer Ranger, in 1748, were: Capt. Elisha Johnson, Lieutenant Robert Gibbs, probably he who had served in this capacity on the Duke of Marlborough and the Jonathan, Master Henry Stevenson, who had served as master on the Prince Frederick in 1746, and Mate Job Gardner, who had served in this capacity on the Jonathan. It is possible that Gibbs gave up this berth to take command of the Rebecca, or that Captain Gibbs may have been a different man. The coastwise sloop Review was in 1747 commanded by Capt. Robert Gibbs.
THE SLOOP Duke of Cumberland.
The sloop Duke of Cumberland, 90 tons and 8 guns, was fitted out at Newport by Charles Bowler. Her outfitting
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return, which was dated April 16, 1748, credits her with 50 men, and lists her officers as Capt. William Bennett, Jr., Lieutenant Seth Harvey, formerly master on the Prince Frederick, Master Josias Thing and Mate Zeben'r Spring.
THE SLOOP Rebecca.
John Channing, Walter Chaloner and Moses Lopez fitted out the privateer sloop Rebecca, 45 tons, 6 guns and 40 men, with provisions for six months. The Rebecca's outfitting return, dated April 25, 1748, gives her officers as: Capt. Robert Gibbs, Lieutenant Daniel Denton, who had served under Captain Dennis, been taken by the Spaniards and held in reprisal at The Havana, Master William Loud, who had served in that capacity on the Tartar in the Louisbourg expedition, and Gunner Thomas Grinnell.
The Rebecca was probably named after Moses Lopez's wife. News of the peace of Aix-la-chapelle was probably received before the Rebecca had a chance to start on her privateering cruise.
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CHAPTER XI
THE Reprisals
With the fitting out of the Reprisal in 1744, Providence, at the head of Narragansett Bay, entered the field of privateer- ing. Of course Providence had sent merchant vessels to sea before this time, but its maritime ventures were of so little importance, that previous to this time, when "Providence" is mentioned in the maritime news in the newspapers, it almost invariably refers to Providence in the Bahamas, now called Nassau on New Providence Island.
The sloop Reprisal was a vessel of 90 tons, mounted with 12 carriage guns and 16 swivel guns. She was fitted out by Stephen Hopkins, John Andrews and John Mawney of Provi- dence and Joseph Lippitt of Warwick. Stephen Hopkins later became many times governor of Rhode Island, and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. John Andrews became colonel in the Old French and Indian War, sheriff of Providence County and Vice-Admiralty Judge.
The command of the Reprisal was given to Capt. John Hopkins, brother of Stephen Hopkins, one of the owners, and of William Hopkins, formerly captain of the privateer Prince Frederick. The Reprisal carried a crew of So men and pro- visions for a six months' cruise. Her officers were First Lieutenant William Dunbar, Second Lieutenant Joseph Arnold of Smithfield, Master Jeremiah Jenckes, Mate John Yeats, Captain's Quartermaster Philemon Saunders, Gunner John Dunwell, Boatswain Thomas Davis and Carpenter James Stone.
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A MODEL OF A XEBECK OR CHEBEQUE OF ABOUT 1748, WITH LATEEN SAILS In the Musèe de la Marine, Paris
From "Souvenir de Marine" by Admiral Paris
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The commission was dated November 10, the Admiralty certificate November 17, and the Reprisal sailed on November 26, 1744, but her departure was accomplished so quietly "that 'twas never publickly known that she had sailed", until she returned from her cruise.
On December 28, in latitude 29° N, off Bermuda, she attacked a French snow, and the two vessels fought "stoutly for five hours". When the Reprisal attempted to board the snow, the latter surrendered. She was the St. Clara, 160 or 200 tons, mounting II carriage guns, and commanded by Capt. René Cuette. Her officers were Second Captain Jean Joseph Michel de Kuenny and Lieutenant Guillaume Benoist. She belonged to Madame Charron of Nantes, and was bound from Martinique for France with a cargo of sugar, cocoa, cotton and coffee. She had a letter-of-marque from the King of France, and carried a crew of 24 Frenchmen and one negro boy slave.
The Reprisal lost one man killed named Donald and three slightly wounded, while the St. Clara lost seven in the engage- ment. The two vessels arrived at Providence on January 17, 1744-5, the Reprisal at this time having a crew of 53 men. It is possible that she had put a prize crew of 26 men on the snow, or it may be that she did not sail with her full comple- ment, a not uncommon occurrence. The St. Clara was the first French letter-of-marque brought into the colony of Rhode Island.
The Reprisal was fitted out for another cruise in the spring of 1745. The captain's certificate, which is dated May 28, gives the owners as Stephen Hopkins, John Mawney et als, and the crew as 90 men. Jeremiah Lippitt, as well as Joseph Lippitt, had an interest in the Reprisal at this time. The three chief officers, Hopkins, Dunbar and Arnold, continued in
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their respective offices, and the other officers were Master George Crow, Mate John Tillinghast, Captain's Quartermaster Archibald Yeats, who had commanded the merchant ship Huxney in 1742, Gunner Godfrey Hand (Handley or Hanley), who had served as gunner on the Revenge in 1744, Boatswain Henry Sniedoer, and Carpenter Thomas Eddy. The Reprisal carried provisions for six months. On June 15, John Mc- Kusick of Portsmouth, N. H. was chosen by the crew as company's quartermaster, so that this must have been about the time that the Reprisal sailed.
On September 18, 1745, in the "Bite of Malacoi on the , Spanish Main", the Reprisal seized the brigantine Hope alias Hoop, IIO tons, Jan van der Biest, "schipper" or master. The Hope, Slater Clay, master, had sailed from Philadelphia some sixteen months before, and had been captured by a French privateer of 10 carriage and 20 swivel guns, commanded by Captain Martin, and carried into Port Louis, St. Domingo, where she was condemned in May 1745. She was brought into Newport by the Reprisal, where she was libelled October 24, 1745. The Hope had a cargo of 160 hogsheads and 40 barrels of sugar, 12 barrels of indigo, and was sailing under Dutch papers, which were fraudulent, with a motley crew consisting of three Dutchmen, two Frenchmen, one Spaniard, one mulatto, three Indians and four negroes. Francis Allen and William Adams served on the Reprisal during this cruise,
The Reprisal met the Duke of Marlborough, Captain Carr, and these two privateers cruised in consort. On February 1, 1745-6, they attacked a large Spanish ship of 36 guns, and a very bitter engagement followed, in which Capt. John Hopkins of the Reprisal was killed. This misfortune so disorganized and disheartened the Rhode Island men that the Spaniard escaped. Captain Hopkins was succeeded by Lieut. William
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Dunbar in the command of the Reprisal, which continued to cruise in consort with the Duke of Marlborough, as is related in the account of that vessel.
Upon returning to Rhode Island, the Reprisal was refitted for another cruise and provisioned for nine months. Christo- pher Lippitt had by this time purchased an interest in her. Two more carriage guns were added to her armament at this time, giving her 14 guns. She sailed on Monday, August II, 1746, with a crew of 70 men. Her chief officers were: Capt. William Dunbar, who was commissioned on July 23, 1746, First Lieutenant Joseph Arnold and Second Lieutenant Archi- bald Yeats, all of whom had served under Captain Hopkins, and had been advanced upon his death. The other officers were: Master George Crow, who had served in that capacity on the previous voyage, Mate Oliver Hunt, Captain's Quarter-master Richard* Thompson, Surgeon Ebenezer Moorhead, Gunner John Dunwell, Boatswain John Morrison and Carpenter John Moore.
In July, 1746, a notice of the proposed privateering cruise of the sloop Reprisal was posted at William Pearce's house in Providence, and Henry Paget, owner of 18 part of the vessel, objected to sending her on a privateering voyage, and brought legal action against the owners of the other 78 part of the vessel, namely Stephen Hopkins, John Mawney, John Andrews, Christopher Lippitt, Jeremiah Lippitt and Joseph Lippitt, all of Rhode Island, and Eliphalet Dyer of Windham, Con- necticut. The court appointed a committee consisting of Thomas Wickham, Philip Wilkinson and Benjamin Wickham, who appraised the Reprisal on August 7, 1746, as worth £3,820 old tenor (including £80 for one old mainsail and £2 for an old cable and anchor). In case the Reprisal was lost or captured, the owners were bound to pay Paget 18 of £3,820. Paget had previously offered to buy the vessel at £4,400.
*Given erroneously as " John " in outfitting return.
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The Reprisal, Captain Dunbar, cruised in consort with the Trelawney galley, Capt. Joseph Rouse, and about the middle of November captured a small Spanish schooner. From the crew of this vessel, it was learned that a large sloop, sometimes under Danish colors and sometimes under Dutch colors, but with a Spanish cargo, was trading to windward of La Guayra. On November 23, 1746, the two privateers sighted this vessel sailing under Danish colors and gave chase. The Trelawney galley overhauled her and captured her without resistance, about five leagues south of the island of Orchilla, within sight of the Reprisal, which was about three leagues distant at the time. The prize was the sloop Young Benjamin, a Bermuda- built vessel of 70 tons, mounting 8 guns, and commanded by John Zeagors. She was said to have been used as a privateer as well as a trader by the Spaniards. Her captain said he would have resisted one privateer, but thought it was useless to fight against two. The Young Benjamin carried a crew of 35 men, mostly Frenchmen and Spaniards, but including four renegade Englishmen, who had deserted from an English privateer at St. Kitts. They took the Young Benjamin into the uninhabited island of Orchilla, where they transferred some of the cargo to the Trelawney, put most of the crew of the prize on shore, and put a prize crew on board of her. The cargo consisted of cocoa, hides, dry-goods, money, flints and tallow, valued at 15,257 pieces-of-eight. Captain Rouse took over 100 pistoles, 600 pieces-of-eight, almost 700 dollars and some small coin. The Young Benjamin's papers were in- correct, that is fraudulent, as was so often the case with West India traders.
James Peate and another man from the Reprisal, with three men from the Trelawney, were put on the Young Benja- min as a prize crew to bring her to Newport. They sailed northward as far as latitude 29°, when at midnight the prison-
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ers arose, overpowered the prize crew, and took possession of the vessel. She was headed southerly, and wrecked in a storm off the coast of Porto Rico. James Peate was the only man saved. Considerable litigation resulted from the loss of this vessel, and the owners obtained a judgment of £1,741 against Dunbar.
The Reprisal and the Trelawney galley parted after sending the Young Benjamin northward, and the Reprisal soon fell in with the Charming Betty, Captain Fry, the privateer Diana of Bermuda, Capt. William Wilkinson, and the schooner Nancy, Capt. Edward Wells. The Reprisal had taken a small schooner and was using her as a tender at this time.
On November 29, 1746, off Los Roques, the Diana and the Charming Betty sighted a sail to leeward and went in chase, while the Reprisal chased a sail to windward. Soon the Charming Betty and the Nancy joined the Reprisal in her chase. After a chase of three or four hours, the prey was finally brought to by the Charming Betty, the Nancy being about a league distant and the Diana out of sight.
The prize was the Dutch sloop Eendragt alias Concord, formerly the packet boat Royal, 4 guns, Capt. Clas Depole alias Nicholas Dirksz. She sailed from Curacao, and had been chartered by Joshua Tew for the voyage, to Cumana and Margarita. She had a cargo of guns, powder, shot, flour, brandy and dry goods, valued at £10,037-2-6 O. T. Captains Fry and Dunbar took some of her cargo on board of their vessels, and most of the crew of the Eendragt were put on board of the Reprisal's schooner, which was given to them.
Captain Fry advanced Samuel Dickinson to the rank of lieutenant of the Charming Betty, and then gave the command of the Eendragt to him. Lieut. Archibald Yeates of the
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Reprisal, Morris Burn, gunner from the Nancy, and John Higgins, formerly of the Diana, served in the prize crew, which was made up of three men from the Charming Betty, three from the Reprisal and two from the Nancy. The Eendragt reached Newport in safety in December 1746.
A "French schooner", with a cargo said to be richer than that of the Cezard, was captured by the Reprisal, Captain Dunbar, and sent northward for condemnation, arriving at Newport late in December 1746 or early in January.
The sloop Reprisal, called "the Providence privateer", and up to that time the only privateer that had sailed from Provi- dence, R. I., arrived at Newport on February 19, 1746-7. In addition to the prizes already sent in, Captain Dunbar re- ported taking a French vessel of 200 tons, laden with coffee and sugar, and bound for Old France from Martinique. This prize was "hourly expected".
On February 23, 1746, David Hogg, Aholiab Halliwell and James Stone appointed John Andrews their attorney in all matters relating to parts and shares in all prizes taken by the Reprisal in her late cruise. Halliwell had 134 shares. On March 10, 1746, David Swanton, mariner on the sloop Reprisal, sold to John Andrews and Darius Sessions, for £250, his "part, share, proportion and dividend of in and unto all . prize or prizes taken by the privateer sloop on her late cruise". William Still, mariner on the Reprisal, on the same date, March 10, 1746, sold his share and interest to Darius Sessions for £130.
After the capture of the Industry, the "officers, seamen and those who had purchased shares together with the owners of the sloop Reprisal", appointed John Andrews as their agent. This power of attorney was dated February 9, 1748, and was in behalf of:
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1
RHODE ISLAND PRIVATEERS
Silvr. Sweet Jr. 2 shares Willm Douglas 2
Willm Carmon I share
Henry Wills
2 shares
James Dilliber
Wm Brown 2
Pompy Brown
I share
Thomas Jenkins I
Sam Lippitt (negro) I
William Healy 2
1/
Ard (Archibald) Yeats
2 shares
Wm. Benchley
I share
Sweet Olverson
I
Estate of Jno. Talman I
66
Jacob Frost I
60
Nathanael Wheten
I
Francis Parker
Jere. Lippitt
owner of 1/8 part of sloop
66 66 66 66
66
Jos. Lippittt
66 66
66
Chris. Lippitt
"
1/24
66
66
George Crow
Williams Eats
I share
John Eadle
Joseph Hull
I
Wm. Morgan
Patrick Rogers
1/2 shares
James Whelon
I share
Richard Bland
I
66
Brezeal Fisher
I
66
Richard Potter
3/4
Peleg Thurston
George Crow
3 shares
Richard Ball
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66
66
66
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Elm Hand
I12 shares 66
Joseph Arnold
3
On February 24, 1748, John Andrews was appointed agent for the estate of Oliver Hunt of Rehoboth for his interest in prize ship Industry.
Unusual as it may seem, the outfitting returns state that Stephen Hopkins and Obadiah Brown fitted out two privateers called the Reprisal, and filed the two returns on the same date, November 2, 1747. One is described as a sloop of 90 tons and the other as a snow of 180 tons. Hopkins had for some time been part owner of the privateer sloop Reprisal, and Brown seems to have purchased an interest in her about this time. Her former lieutenant, Joseph Arnold, was advanced to cap- tain, succeeding Captain Dunbar, who was given the command of the snow Reprisal. The other officers of the sloop Reprisal were: First Lieutenant Oliver Hunt, formerly her mate, Second Lieutenant Richard Thompson, formerly her quarter- master, Master Jeremiah Jenckes, who had served as master in 1744, Mate Stevens, Quartermaster Lyon, Gunner Samuel Dunwell and Boatswain William Douglas. Many of the old officers shipped on the new snow Reprisal. Her armament is given as 12 guns, instead of 14, and her provisions for a ten months' cruise.
The sloop Reprisal, Captain Arnold, touched at Tortola, one of the Virgin Islands. Finding that Captain Purcel, Governor of Tortola, was planning to go to Santa Cruz in a sloop, Captain Arnold offered to convoy him, and the Governor was very glad to accept this offer. They arrived safely at Santa Cruz, but soon afterwards five enemy privateers were seen hovering off the port. The Reprisal went out to fight them, followed by the sloop, which Captain Purcel had fitted out and commissioned. The Reprisal "chiefly attacked the
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HOUSE OF CAPTAIN DANIEL FONES On post-road in North Kingstown
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largest", which was a Spanish privateer, mounting 8 carriage guns and a number of swivels, and manned with 120 men. After an engagement lasting three hours, the Reprisal sank the Spanish vessel, all of her crew, except 19, being lost. The Reprisal lost seven killed, received 36 shots "under her whale", and had four feet of water in her hold, when she reached Tortola. The other four vessels were small French privateers, two of which they took into Tortola, one they drove ashore, and the fourth escaped.
THE SNOW Reprisal.
Stephen Hopkins and Obadiah Brown, gratified by the success of the sloop Reprisal, fitted out a snow of 180 tons, mounted with 18 guns, and named her the Reprisal in honor of the aforesaid sloop. Many of the officers of the sloop Reprisal were transferred to the snow. The officers were Capt. William Dunbar, First Lieutenant George Crow, Second Lieutenant William Brown, probably from the King George, Master Archibald Yeates, Quartermaster Henry Dunbar, Mate Silvester Sweet, Gunner Godfrey Hanley, Boatswain Thomas Austin, from the Prince Frederick, and Carpenter John Moore. The snow carried 140 men, provisions for ten months, and was the second privateer to hail from Providence, R. I.
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CHAPTER XII
THE COLONY SLOOP Tartar
The Admiralty looked upon the colonies as corporations, and not as potential states, and hence claimed that the armed vessels owned or operated by the colonies were privateers and usually so described them.
The building of the colony sloop Tartar was one of the first works of defense undertaken by the colony of Rhode Island upon the outbreak of King George's War. In order to protect the coast from ravages, such as had been suffered in previous wars, the General Assembly in February 1739-40 authorized the construction of a colony war vessel of 115 tons. Work was begun during the last week in March, her keel being laid at Newport about the 26th, only a month after her construction was authorized. The work progressed very rapidly, and her launching took place on Tuesday, May 6, 1740, thirty-six working days after her keel was laid.
She was christened the Tartar after H. M. S. Tartar, a pink of 20 guns, which had called at Newport in 1737. The Tartar was described as "a fine sloop of the burthen of one hundred and fifteen tons," armed "with twelve carriage and twelve swivel guns," and furnished "with small arms, pistols, cutlasses &c. to defend us against the enemy, should we be attached;" as "a privateer able to fight a hundred men on her deck and ready for all emergencies," and one occasion,* though probably erroneously, as "a brig", for there is every reason to believe that she was sloop-rigged.
* In 1745
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On June 17 the committee was ordered to procure a master and five men for the Tartar, to provision her, and to send her on a short cruise. Col. John Cranston, one of the committee that built the Tartar, was appointed captain of her. It will be remembered that he served as captain of vessels employed by the colony in emergencies in Queen Anne's war, three decades earlier. Capt. Nathaniel Potter was appointed lieutenant.
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