HMS Whiting (1805)
Introduction '''HMS ''Whiting''''' was a Royal Navy ''Ballahoo''-class schooner (a type of vessel often described as a Bermuda sloop) of four 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20.The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1805.She was a participant at the Battle of Basque Roads. A French privateer captured her at the beginning of the War of 1812, shortly after the Americans had captured and released her in the first naval incident of the war.
Napoleonic Wars In 1805 ''Whiting'' was under the command of Lieutenant John Orkney at Halifax on her way to Portsmouth for completion, which took place between 26 April and 19 May 1806.Before that, however, at end-September she captured and sent into Bermuda an American vessel from Bordeaux carrying brandy and wine. ''Whiting'' was commissioned in June 1806 under Lieutenant George Roach for the North Sea. However, already on 18 June ''Whiting'', , and the hired armed cutter ''John Bull'' arrived at Madeira. They were to join up with a squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren, and they sailed from Madeira to Join it on 21 June.Even so, ''Whiting'' was still or again under the command of Orkney when on 29 November she captured the Spanish lugger ''Felicided''. Orkney had also destroyed another vessel after transferring a small quantity of hides to the ''Felicidad''.On 7 September 1807 ''Whiting'' was part of the fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen.In January 1808 Lieutenant Henry Wildey assumed command. On 30 June ''Whiting'' was in attendance when her sister ship  hit the Parquette Rock off Brest, France and sank. At the beginning of March 1809 ''Whiting'' joined the fleet assembling for an attack on the French fleet in the Basque Roads. William Congreve, who had arrived with a transport, fitted ''Whiting'' and the two hired armed cutters ''Nimrod'' and ''King George'' with rockets. On 11 April the three vessels took up a position near the Boyart Shoal (see Fort Boyard) while fireships made a night attack on the French ships. The next day all three, together with a number of other vessels, opened fire upon the French ships ''Océan'', ''Régulus'', and the frigate ''Indienne'', as those ships lay aground. The first two eventually escaped, and the last was one of four eventually destroyed, though by her own crew some days later to avoid capture. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Basque Roads 1809" to all surviving British participants in the battle.On 13 April ''Whiting'' sailed for Portugal. For the next few years she sailed in the Channel, to the west, and to the coast of Spain going as far as Cadiz and Gibraltar. Wildey was promoted to Commander on 3 May 1810. ''Whiting'' sent ''Mountaineer'', Dow, master, into Plymouth, where she arrived on 6 July 1811. ''Mountaineer'' had been sailing from London to Honduras when she ran into ''Whiting'' off Dungeness, carrying away her main mast, and for and mizzen topmast.On 20 December 1811 ''Whiting'' left Plymouth for Padstow, to assist the gun brig , which had run on shore near there.In 1812 Lieutenant Lewis Maxey assumed command of ''Whiting''. On 1 May he sailed for the Americas.
War of 1812 ''Whiting'' did not survive the opening months of the War of 1812.Having sailed from Plymouth, she entered Hampton Roads on 8 July 1812 with despatches for the American government, and lowered her anchor. Unfortunately war had been declared about two weeks earlier. As Maxey was being rowed ashore, the Norfolk privateer ''Dash'', under Captain Garroway, was leaving port and captured her. ''Dash'' had one large gun on a pivot and a crew of 80.Not only were a third of ''Whiting''s crew in her boat, the rest were not at the guns as they were unaware that Britain and the United States were now at war. This could have been the first naval capture of the war. However, ''Whiting'' was carrying official dispatches for the American government, which ordered her release. Instead, the first capture by either side was the British capture of  on 16 July.In mid-August, the US Revenue Cutter  led ''Whiting'' out to the Hampton Roads and turned over to Maxey her crew "at the place where they were taken". The Americans then ordered Maxey to quit American waters with all possible speed.
Fate Shortly after ''Whiting'' left Hampton Roads for England, on 22 August the French 18-gun privateer brig ''Diligent'', under Alexis Grassin, captured her. On 8 September ''Diligent'' would capture the 10-gun schooner .
Post-script On 21 July  came into the Chesapeake, not aware that war had broken out. The privateer  took possession of ''Bloodhound''. The US Government released ''Bloodhound'' and sent her back to Plymouth with despatches.
See also *List of historical schooners*List of ships captured in the 19th century*List of ships captured in the 18th century*Bibliography of 18th-19th century Royal Naval history
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