Hussar (1812 ship)
Hussar was an American privateer active during the War of 1812. Hussar was launched in 1812 and made several cruises, first two as a letter of marque, and two as a privateer, but apparently without success. HMS Saturn captured her.
History | |
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Name: | Hussar |
Owner: | John Hollins, John Smith Hollins, William Hollins, & Michael McBlair |
Builder: | Talbot County, Maryland |
Launched: | 1812 |
Captured: | 25 May 1814 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Tons burthen: | 211 (bm) |
Length: | 96 ft (29.3 m) |
Beam: | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
Depth of hold: | 10 ft 3 in (3.1 m) |
Sail plan: | Schooner |
Complement: |
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Armament: |
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Letter of marque and privateer
- First letter of marque: Captain Joshua Mezick commissioned Hussar on 10/31/12.[1]
- Second letter of marque: Captain Tom Manning commissioned her on 7/17/13.[1]
- First privateer cruise: Captain Joshua Mezick commissioned her on 11/3/13.[1] No record of any captures.[3]
- Second privateer cruise: Captain Francis Jenkins commissioned her on 5/17/14.[1]
Capture
On 25 May 1814 Saturn captured Hussar at 40°8′N 73°28′W after a four-hour chase. Hussar was armed with one 12-pounder gun and nine 12-pounder carronades, eight of which she threw overboard during the chase. Her complement consisted of 98 men. She had been in commission for only a week and had left New York the previous evening for her first cruise, bound for Newfoundland; she was provisioned for a four-month cruise. Nash described her as "coppered, copper-fastened, and sails remarkably fast".[2][Note 1]
Fate
Hussar was condemned at the Vice admiralty court, Halifax, Nova Scotia.[5]
Notes, citations and references
Notes
Citations
- Cranwell and Crane (1940).
- "No. 16916". The London Gazette. 12 July 1814. p. 1415.
- Emmons (1853), p.182.
- "No. 17136". The London Gazette. 14 May 1816. p. 911.
- Vice-admiralty court, Halifax (1911), p.128.
References
- Cranwell, John Philips, & William Bowers Crane (1940) Men of marque; a history of private armed vessels out of Baltimore during the War of 1812. (New York, W.W. Norton & Co.).
- Emmons, George Foster (1853) The navy of the United States, from the commencement, 1775 to 1853; with a brief history of each vessel’s service and fate ... Comp. by Lieut. George F. Emmons ... under the authority of the Navy Dept. To which is added a list of private armed vessels, fitted out under the American flag ... also a list of the revenue and coast survey vessels, and principal ocean steamers, belonging to citizens of the United States in 1850. (Washington: Gideon & Co.)
- Vice-Admiralty Court, Halifax (1911) American vessels captured by the British during the revolution and war of 1812. (Salem, Mass.: Essex Institute).