HMS Bermuda (1805)

HMS Bermuda was an 18-gun sloop of the Royal Navy.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Bermuda.

Bermuda
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Bermuda
Ordered: 1803
Launched: 1805
Fate: Wrecked on 22 April 1808
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: Bermuda-class sloop
Tons burthen: 399 (bm)
Length: 107 ft (32.6 m)
Beam: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
Draught: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Propulsion: Sails
Complement: 121
Armament: 16 × 24-pounder carronades + 2 ×  9-pounder bow chasers

Bermuda was built in Bermuda of Bermuda cedar in 1805, as the lead ship of her class. The Bermudas were modified versions of the Dasher-class sloop of 1797, and eventually consisted of six ships. She was launched in 1805, and commissioned in October that year under the command of William Henry Byam, who transferred from Busy, which was then on the Halifax, Nova Scotia station.[2] Bermuda only spent three years in service before being wrecked on Memory Rock, Little Bermuda, on 22 April 1808.

Bermuda was searching for a rich Portuguese ship when she hit a reef during the night. Next morning Byam sighted a ship aground about five miles away. She proved to be Concepcion, the vessel they were looking for Bermuda could not be freed from the reef, but Conception could be. Byam and his crew captured the Portuguese ship, which they sailed on 26 April to New Providence, arriving on 4 May. Before they sailed they left a lieutenant, a midshipman, and six seamen to guard the stores. (Five men also took the opportunity to desert in Bermuda's jolly boat.) Rescuers returned to the wreck, salvaging what they could, before abandoning the wreck on 3 June. The court martial attributed the loss to an excessively strong current.[3]

Captain Byam went on to command HMS Opossum.[2]

Citations and references

Citations
  1. Winfield (2008), p. 270.
  2. Marshall (1828), supple. Part II, pp.311–313.
  3. Hepper (1994), p. 123.

References
  • Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650-1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
  • Marshall, John (1823–1835). Royal naval biography, or, Memoirs of the services of all the flag-officers, superannuated rear-admirals, retired-captains, post-captains, and commanders, whose names appeared on the Admiralty list of sea officers at the commencement of the present year 1823, or who have since been promoted ... London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown.
  • Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-246-1.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.