HMS Magnet (1807)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Magnet |
| Ordered: | 1 October 1806 |
| Builder: | Robert Guillaume, Northam, Southampton |
| Launched: | 19 October 1807 |
| Fate: | Wrecked 1809 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Cruizer-class brig-sloop |
| Tonnage: | 382 41⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 30 ft 6 in (9.3 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft 9 in (3.9 m) |
| Sail plan: | Brig rigged |
| Complement: | 121 |
| Armament: | 16 x 32-pdr carronades + 2 x 6-pdr long guns |
HMS Magnet was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop built at Robert Guillaume’s yard at Northam and launched in 1807. She served in the Baltic, where she took two prizes, one an armed privateer, before wrecking in 1809.
She was commissioned under Lieutenant George Morris, who sailed her for the Baltic. During the Finnish War or (Russo-Swedish War of 1808-1809) Sweden and Britain were allies and Britain had stationed a squadron there with as its main objective preventing the Russian high seas fleet from putting to sea.
On 2 June 1808. Magnet was in company with the frigate Salsette when they, together with the boats of Centaur and Implacable, captured four Russian vessels carrying corn. They also captured the boat Humbug.
On 20 August, Salsette, the ship sloop Ariel and Magnet joined the squadron under Samuel Hood in Centaur, which was blockading the Russian fleet in Rogerwick Bay. On 30 August Sir James Saumarez arrived in Victory, together with a number of other ships of the line and Cruizer, Magnet's sister and the name ship of their class. A number of other smaller vessels also arrived the next day.
The British made preparations to send in Baltic and Erebus as fire ships but when that proved impossible made no real attempt to attack the Russians. On 30 September the British raised the blockade and sailed for Karlskrona; the Russians immediately sailed for Kronstadt. The bulk of the British fleet, including Saumarez, then departed Karlskrona for Britain, arriving in the Downs on 8 December. Magnet was one of the ships that stayed behind in the Baltic for trade protection purposes.
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Wikipedia