Ballahoo-class schooner
Introduction Plan of HMS ''Haddock'', c. October 1805The '''''Ballahoo'' class''' (also known as the '''Fish class''') was a Royal Navy class of eighteen 4-gun schooners built under contract in Bermuda during the Napoleonic War. The class was an attempt by the Admiralty to harness the expertise of Bermudian shipbuilders who were renowned for their fast-sailing craft (particularly the Bermuda sloops). The Admiralty ordered twelve vessels on 23 June 1804, and a further six on 11 December 1805.
Construction A number of different builders in different yards built them, with all the first batch launching in 1804 and 1805.The second batch were all launched in 1807.Goodrich & Co acted as the main contractor to the Navy Board, and in many cases the actual builder is unrecorded. They were all constructed of Bermuda cedar.This durable, native wood, abundant in Bermuda before the Blight, was strong and light, and did not need seasoning. Shipbuilders used it for framing as well as planking, which reduced vessel weight. It was also highly resistant to rot and marine borers, giving Bermudian vessels a potential lifespan of twenty years and more, even in the worm-infested waters of the Chesapeake and the Caribbean.
Operational lives Of the eighteen vessels in the class, only two were not lost or disposed of during the war, surviving to be sold in 1815-6.Twelve were wartime losses, and four were disposed of before 1815.William James wrote scathingly of the ''Ballahoo'' and subsequent ''Cuckoo''-class schooners, pointing out the high rate of loss, primarily to wrecks or foundering, but also to enemy action. He reports that they were "sent to 'take, burn, and destroy' the vessels of war and merchantmen of the enemy". The record suggests that none seem to have done so successfully. In the only two (arguably three) cases when the ''Cuckoo''-class schooners did engage enemy vessels, in each case the enemy force was much stronger and overwhelmed the ''Cuckoo''-class schooners.James also remarks that:
Ships ===Orders of 23 June 1803===The first twelve were intended for three different stations:*Newfoundland: ''Herring'', ''Mackerel'', ''Pilchard'', and ''Capelin''*Jamaica:- ''Barracuta'', ''Whiting'', ''Pike'', and ''Haddock''*Leeward Islands: ''Flying Fish'', ''Ballahou'', ''Grouper'', and ''Snapper''. Name  Builder  Begun  Launched  Completed  Fate ''Ballahoo'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Captured by American privateer off South Carolina 29 April 1814 ''Barracouta'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Wrecked on Padro Keys, near the Jardines (Cuba), on 3 October 1805; crew saved but captured. ''Capelin'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Wrecked on Parquette Rock off Brest on 28 June 1808; crew saved by ships in company. ''Flying Fish'' (or sometimes''Kingfish'') Bermuda 1803 1804 1804  ''Grouper'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Wrecked on a reef off Guadeloupe 21 October 1811; crew saved. ''Haddock'' Bermuda 1803 1805 1805 Taken by French 18-gun ''Génie'' in the Atlantic 30 January 1809. ''Herring'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Lost, presumably foundered with all hands, off Halifax in July 1813. ''Mackerel'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Sold at Plymouth for £400 on 14 December 1815. ''Pike'' Bermuda 1803 1804 1804 Taken and retaken; ultimate fate is unclear. ''Pilchard'' Bermuda 1803 1805 1806 Sold at Sheerness 23 February 1813. ''Snapper'' Bermuda 1803 1805 1806 Taken by French lugger ''Repace'' off Sables d'Olonne ''Whiting'' Bermuda 1803 1805 1806 Taken, released, and taken by 18-gun privateer ''Diligent'' 22 August 1812.===Orders of 11 December 1805=== Name  Builder  Begun  Launched  Completed  Fate ''Bream'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Sold or broken up 1816. ''Chub'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Driven ashore and lost with all hands near Halifax, Nova Scotia, 14 August 1812. ''Cuttle'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Broken up 1814. ''Porgey'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Grounded in the Scheldt Estuary and burnt to avoid capture. ''Mullett'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Sold at Plymouth for £300 on 15 December 1814. ''Tang'' Bermuda 1806 1807 1807 Lost, presumed foundered with all hands, in North Atlantic February 1808.
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