''Bunker Hill'' was a Massachusetts privateer sloop, first commissioned in 1778. She made two cruises, capturing three prizes, but during her second cruise the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

captured her at

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

. The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS ''Surprize''. She served in the Caribbean, and was one of the two sloops that captured Essequibo and Demerara in March 1781. She sailed to Britain in late 1782 where the Navy sold her in 1783. The

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

may have purchased her. If so, they sold her in 1789.

''Bunker Hill''

''Bunker Hill'', under the command of Edward Rolland, departed on her first cruise in mid-June 1778. She returned on 26 September, having captured one vessel, which was possibly the 50-ton (bm) brig ''Mary'', Thomas Mallowney, master.American War of Independence - At Sea: Bunker Hill — accessed 10 September 2015.
/ref> Commander Nicholas Ogelbe commissioned ''Bunker Hill'' on 27 October. On 2 December he sailed her from Salem, intending to cruise off Barbados. Two days out of port ''Bunker Hill'' captured the 100-ton (bm) schooner ''Delaware'', Thomas Butler, master. She was sailing from Quebec to New York with a cargo of flour. Ogelbe sent her into Salem. Later, ''Bunker Hill'' captured a second vessel. On 22 December ''Bunker Hill'' sailed into Grand Cul De Sac Bay,

at night. She had made an error in navigation and thought she was joining up with the French fleet under Count d'Estaing, which was anchored about a league away from the British fleet under Admiral Barrington that had captured St Lucia. In the morning she discovered that she was anchored within cannon-shot of the British. ''Bunker Hill'' struck and the boats of Barrington's fleet took possession of her before any French vessel could intervene. Barrington decided to take her into service as she was a fast sailer and he had just been informed that the French had captured .''Remembrancer'', Vol. 7, pp.282-5.

HMS ''Surprize''

Admiral Barrington renamed ''Bunker Hill'' ''Surprize'' in recognition of the manner of her capture. The Royal Navy commissioned ''Surprize'' on 25 December 1778 with Barrington promoting Lieutenant James Brine,

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

of into her as master and commander. Barrington paid £1017 7 s d for ''Bunker Hill'' on 6 January 1779. He manned ''Surprize'' with 125 men. He also arranged an exchange of prisoners, the crew of ''Bunker Hill'' for the crew of ''Ceres''. On 3 April 1779 ''Surprize'' captured the ''Elizabeth''. In December 1779, Commander George Day replaced Brine. He sailed her to the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

on 25 December. On 27 February 1781 ''Surprize'' and (Commander Francis Pender), which Admiral Lord Rodney had sent from

St Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially "public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, south ...

, appeared at

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...

.Rodway (1891), Vol. 1, pp.275-283. In March, the sloops accepted the surrender of "Colony of Demarary and the River Essequebo". Shortly before they arrived, six British privateers had raided Essequibo and Demerara, captured sixteen Dutch ships, and forced the ''de facto'' surrender of the colonies. Around April 1782 Commander William Miller replaced Day. In August ''Surprize'' was at

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

being coppered.

Fate

The Navy paid off ''Surprize'' in November 1782. It then sold her on 16 January 1783 for £550. The French may have purchased her with her becoming the ''Surprise'', which was broken up at Rochefort in 1789.

Citations and references

Citations References * *Rodway, James (1891) ''History of British Guiana, from the Year 1668 to the Present Time''. (J. Thomson). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunker Hill (1778) 1778 ships American Revolutionary War ships of the United States Privateer ships of the United States Captured ships Sloops of the Royal Navy Massachusetts in the American Revolution