Hired armed cutter Princess Augusta
His Majesty's Hired armed cutter Princess Augusta served the Royal Navy from 12 July 1803 to 2 May 1814. She was armed with eight 4-pounder guns, had a complement of 26 men, and was of 70 56⁄94 tons (bm). She participated in several single ship actions and took several prizes before the Navy returned her to her owners near the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1803 Lieutenant Isaac William Scott took command of Princess Augusta for the North Sea. In the second week of September she delivered orders from Lord Keith to warships off Hellevoetsluis, Texel and the Elbe.
On 20 September, 45 miles northeast of Texel, she encountered two schooners that bore down on her and opened fire, killing two of Princess Augusta's crew and mortally wounding Scott. The two schooners were Dutch: Union, under Lieutenant Commander St. Faust, of 12 guns and 70 men, and Wraak, under Lieutenant Commander Doudet, of eight guns and 50 men. The Dutch attempted to board but were unable to do so. Eventually, they sailed off. In addition to the two men killed in the initial broadside, Princess Augusta had suffered three wounded, including Scott, who died the next morning. Command devolved on her Master, Joseph Thomas, who made for Dover. The tide was against them and they were unable to land until the afternoon of 23 September. Wraak reportedly lost one man killed and several wounded. (Seven years later Thomas would be in command of the Hired armed cutter Queen Charlotte when he would participate in another, bloodier, but equally successful fight against great odds.)
Later, someone signing himself "De Faust" wrote a letter to the Delft Courant claiming, inter alia, that Unie (Union) had carried only four small guns when he had put to flight Princess Augusta, of fourteen 8-pounder guns. He further asserted that only her sailing off had prevented him from boarding her.
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