HMS Hyacinth (1806)
| History | |
|---|---|
 UK
|
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| Name: | HMS Hyacinth |
| Ordered: | 12 July 1805 |
| Builder: | John Preston, Great Yarmouth |
| Laid down: | November 1805 |
| Launched: | 30 August 1806 |
| Completed: | 21 November 1806 at Chatham Dockyard |
| Commissioned: | October 1806 |
| Out of service: | Broken up December 1820 |
| Honours and awards: |
Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Malaga 29 May 1812" |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 18-gun Cormorant-class sloop |
| Tons burthen: | 424 23⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 29 ft 7 in (9.0 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 9 ft (2.74 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Sloop |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Hyacinth was an 18-gun ship-sloop of the Cormorant class in the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Great Yarmouth. In 1810 she was reclassed as a 20-gun Post-ship (but without being re-armed). She was again re-rated as 24 guns in 1817. Hyacinth took part in some notable actions on the coast of Spain, one of which earned qualified in 1847 for the Naval General Service Medal. She was broken up in 1820.
Hyacinth was commissioned in October 1806 under Commander John Davie.
On 21 April 1807 Hyacinth captured the Frau Justina. Then on 15 August 1807 Hyacinth, under Commander John Davie, captured the Zeenymph. That same day Hyacinth was in company with Forrester and Flora when Flora captured the fishing vessels Hoop, Nepthun and Hoffnung. Nine days later Hyacinth and Vestal were in company with Flora when Flora captured the St. Sylvester.
Hyacinth then sailed for South America on 15 February 1808. In August 1809, Commander John Carter took command while Hyacinth was still in South America. She returned to Britain and spent the period May through July 1811 in Portsmouth undergoing maintenance. At some point in 1812 the Admiralty re-rated Hyacinth as a post ship, and Captain Thomas Ussher took command of her.
In the spring of 1812 Hyacinth received the task of stopping several fast vessels that were operating as privateers from Malaga, all under the command of "Barbastro". Unfortunately, Hyacinth was not fast enough to catch the privateers and although Usher disguised her as a merchantman, this ruse too failed. Usher then assembled a small squadron consisting of Goshawk, Resolute and Gunboat No. 16 to attack the privateers in their base.
On the evening of 29 April, Usher sent in his squadron's boats carrying a cutting out party. Hyacinth's gig and pinnace with Usher, Lieutenant Thomas Hastings and 26 men, attacked a battery of fifteen 24-pounder guns. Her barge, with Lieutenant Francis Spilsbury and John Elgar, purser, and 24 men attacked a second battery of four 24-pounder guns opposite the first. Commander Lilburne of Goshawk, with 40 men in Lieutenant Cull's gunboat, attacked the chief privateer ship Brave (or Braave, alias Sebastiani). The remaining boats, under Lieutenant Keenan, attacked the other privateers.
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Wikipedia