HMS Echo (1797)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Echo |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Ordered: | 19 December 1796 |
| Builder: | Thomas King, Dover |
| Laid down: | February 1797 |
| Launched: | September 1797 |
| Fate: | Sold May 1809 |
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | Echo |
| Owner: | Daniel Bennett |
| Acquired: | 1809 by purchase |
| Fate: | Wrecked 1 April 1820 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Echo-class brig |
| Tons burthen: | 341 9⁄94, or 342, or 345, (bm) |
| Length: | 96 ft 1 1⁄4 in (29.3 m) (overall); 75 ft 2 in (22.9 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 29 ft 6 in (9.0 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 10 ft 0 in (3.0 m) |
| Sail plan: | Ship-sloop |
| Complement: | 90 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Echo was launched in 1797 at Dover. She served on the Jamaica station between 1799 and 1806, and there captured a small number of privateers. The Navy sold her in 1809 and she became a whaler. She made four complete whale-hunting voyages and was wrecked in the Coral Sea in April 1820 during her fifth whaling voyage.
Echo was the sole vessel of her class. Her designer was John Henslow, and she was identical with his contemporaneous Busy except that Echo was a ship-sloop and Busy was a brig-sloop. Henslow's designs were in competition with a brig-sloop and a ship-sloop designed at the same time by Sir William Rule. Rule's design won as the Admiralty ultimately ordered 106 Cruizer-class brig-sloops.
Commander Graham Hammond commissioned Echo in October 1797 for the North Sea.
On 23 March 1798 Echo was scouting ahead of Apollo and the rest of her squadron when Echo discovered a cutter that she immediately chased. The cutter ran ashore a few miles north of Camperdown where her crew abandoned her when boats from the ships of the squadron deployed to attempt to bring her off. Surf, and the lateness of the hour prevented the British from recovering the cutter so they destroyed her. She had been armed with 10 guns and was out of Dunkirk.
Commander John Allen replaced Hammond in January 1799 and sailed Echo to the Jamaica station.
Captain E.T. Smith of Hannibal, and senior officer of a squadron patrolling off Havana, instructed Allen on 14 May to proceed to New Providence to re-provision and refill his water casks. After he had completed this, Allen sailed to stretch between the Dry Tortugas and the Colorados in an attempt to rejoin the squadron. Although Allen and Echo remained there until 3 July.
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Wikipedia