Hired armed cutter Lion
Two vessels have borne the designation, His Majesty's hired armed cutter Lion. The first served during the French Revolutionary Wars, capturing five privateers and several merchant vessels. The second served briefly at the start of the Napoleonic Wars. Both vessels operated in the Channel. The two cutters may have been the same vessel; at this juncture it is impossible to know. French records report that the French captured the second Lion in 1808 and that she served in the French Navy until 1809.
This vessel served on a contract from 30 March 1793 to 27 January 1801. She was of 85 65⁄94 tons (bm) and was armed with ten 3-pounder guns. She may have been built in 1789.
She was commissioned under Lieutenant W.R. Davies. In late 1793 Lion served in a small squadron under the command of Sir James Saumarez in the frigate Crescent, together with the frigate Druid and the brig Liberty. They convoyed some transports with troops for Jersey and Guernsey, and their picked up pilots for Rear-Admiral MacBride. On 28 November Saumarez detached Lion to take the pilots to MacBride.
Lieutenant Thomas Baker was appointed acting commander from December or perhaps January 1794. He served on her in the Channel as part of the forces under MacBride, before moving into the lugger Valiant on 20 May 1794.
On 8 March 1795 Lion, while under the command of Nick Simmons (or Simmonds, or Symonds) captured the ship Apparencen.
On 16 August 1796, Lion and the revenue cutter Swallow were four leagues WSW of Beachy Head when they observed a signal from the signal post alerting them to the presence of an enemy vessel. They set out in pursuit and captured a privateer lugger and her prize, a sloop. The privateer was armed with swivel guns and small arms, and had a crew of 17 men. She was three days out of St Valory and had only captured the sloop.
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