HMS Anaconda (1813)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Builder: | Middletown, Connecticut |
| Launched: | 1812 |
| Captured: | Captured on 11 July 1813 |
 UK
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| Name: | HMS Anaconda |
| Acquired: |
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| Fate: | Sold on 5 May 1815 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 18-gun brig-sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 383 91⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
| Complement: | 120 men (privateer) |
| Armament: |
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HMS Anaconda was an 18-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy during the War of 1812. She was cruising as an American privateer until sailors from HMS Sceptre captured her in 1813. She served briefly in the Royal Navy during the later stages of the War of 1812, especially at the Battle of New Orleans, before being sold in Jamaica in 1815.
Anaconda was built in Middleton, Connecticut in 1812. In late 1812, Captain Nathanial Shaler took command of Anaconda in New York City.
On 16 January 1812, while Captain Shaler was ashore on business, Anaconda's first lieutenant, George W. Burbank, encountered the American schooner Commodore Hull and fired a broadside into her, seriously wounding her commander, before realizing his mistake. A court martial, however, absolved Burbank from blame.
On 14 May 1813, while in the latitude of the Cape Verde Islands, he was able to capture the British packet ship Express, an 8, 11, or 12-gun brig with a crew of 38, sailing from Rio de Janeiro to England. After a fight lasting over half-an-hour, the Express struck. Shaler took out $75,000 in specie and then divested the packet after ransoming her for $8000.
In June, Anaconda took the 8-gun brig Mary, sailing from Gibraltar. Later that month, Anaconda took the brig Harriet, sailing from Buenos Aires to London, delivering her to New Bedford. Some records indicate that Harriet may have been armed with 12 guns, and that Shaler converted one of the brigs to a cartel. In all, his prizes were worth $250,000.
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Wikipedia