HMS Heron (1804)

HMS ''Heron'' was originally the merchant vessel ''Jason'', launched at Newcastle in 1803, that the Admiralty purchased in 1804 for the Royal Navy for use as 16-gun ship-sloop under the name HMS ''Heron''. During the Napoleonic Wars she served as a convoy escort on the Leeward Islands station. Then in 1810 the Admiralty had her converted into a bomb vessel and renamed her HMS ''Volcano''. As ''Volcano'' she served during the War of 1812, and in particular participated in the Battle of Baltimore. The Admiralty sold her in 1816. New owners returned her to mercantile service under her original name of ''Jason''. She was wrecked in 1821.

Career

''Jason'' appeared in the ''Register of Shipping'' (''RS'') for 1804 with Otway, master, W. Row, owner, and voyage Newcastle to Liverpool.''RS'' (1804), Seq.№197.
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As ''Heron''

The Admiralty purchased ''Jason'' in 1804. After the Treaty of Amiens, Britain had disarmed while France rearmed, so on the resumption of war the Admiralty found itself short of vessels for convoy escort. Because of the urgency of the situation, the Admiralty purchased twenty three-masted mercantile vessels; one was ''Jason''. ''Jason'' came into service with her original masts and yards even though she was under-canvassed and therefore slow, and without a cargo in her hold tended to roll; she became HMS ''Heron''.

She was commissioned in June 1804 under Commander John Edgecombe. At the end of the year he escorted a convoy of merchantmen from England to Barbados. Once in Barbados Edgecombe faced a dilemma. On the one hand there were reports of an enemy fleet in the Windward Isles that could threaten Barbados. On the other hand, a fleet of 28 merchantmen and two transports had gathered in Carlisle Bay, awaiting a warship to escort them to Halifax or Britain. Edgecombe decided to escort the convoy, risking court martial for leaving his duty station without orders. Five of the ships parted company for Halifax. , off Cape Clear, met six others that were going up the St. Georges Channel. ''Heron'' accompanied the remainder to the Downs, where the convoy arrived on 2 August 1805. The captains of the 19 vessels that Edgecombe had convoyed signed a letter, interceding with the Admiralty on his behalf. The letter proved moot as the Admiralty had already approved Edgecombe's actions.

Edgecombe realized that ''Heron'' was too slow to catch enemy cruisers; instead he decided to use guile. While she was sailing to Antigua with a convoy he noticed a schooner approaching. He hoisted American colours and dressed a midshipman as a woman.
The schooner showed French colours and approached. Unfortunately, the French vessel was too low for ''Heron''s guns to bear and rolled too much for her crew to secure grapnels. All that the British could do was raise the British ensign and discharge a volley of musketry before the French vessel escaped. later captured the schooner, which turned out to be ''Matilde'', of 16 guns.

Thereafter, ''Heron'' escorted convoys to Halifax, Newfoundland and Bermuda until December 1806 when Edgecombe, whose health had been impaired, left. ''Heron'' then remained in ordinary until 1810 when the Admiralty had her converted into a bomb vessel and renamed her ''Volcano''.

As ''Volcano''

Commander David Price assumed command of ''Volcano'' on 6 December 1813. In the summer of 1814 he sailed her to North America to join Sir Alexander Cochrane's fleet off the entrance to Baltimore harbor where she joined in the 25 hour bombardment of Fort McHenry starting the morning of 13 September 2014. Along with her were four other bomb vessels and a Congreve rocket vessel, . The entire attack squadron consisted of 16 vessels, and launched over 1,500 bombs during the attack, but succeeded in killing only four Americans and wounding 24 before giving up the attack.

Later, ''Volcano'' served in the Potomac under Rear Admiral Pulteney Malcolm. On 31 October 1814, while escorting a merchantman to Jamaica, ''Volcano'' nearly succeeded in capturing the 7-gun American privateer schooner ''Saucy Jack''. The two vessels exchange fire before the American took advantage of her greater speed and escaped. The British lost three men killed; the Americans lost seven killed and 14 wounded.

At the end of 1814, ''Volcano'' took part in the Gulf Campaign. Under the rules of prize-money, ''Thames'' shared in the proceeds of the capture of the American vessels in the Battle of Lake Borgne on 14 December 1814.
''Volcano'' was sent up the Mississippi, with another bomb vessel, , and (18), (12), and (10) to bombard Fort St Philip. It took the British vessels from 30 December to 9 January to work the forty miles up the Mississippi to the fort, by warping and hard towing to the Plaquesmines Bend, just below the fort. On 9 January 1815 ''Volcano'' dropped anchor on the south shore of the Mississippi, in a position out of the range of the fort's cannon, her mortar within range of the fort. After the British retired from New Orleans, ''Volcano'' sailed along the Gulf Coast and was present during the siege of Fort Bowyer in February 1815.Marshall (1830), p.38.

After end of the war with America, ''Volcano'' sailed for home on 5 April 1815 and arrived at Portsmouth on 31 May.Marshall (1830), p.38. Commander John Watling assumed command in June, but the Navy paid ''Volcano'' off in September.

Disposal: The Admiralty sold ''Volcano'' on 28 August 1816 for £1,100.

Mercantile ''Jason''

New owners returned ''Volcano'' to mercantile service under her original name. She appeared in the ''Register of Shipping'' for 1818 with D. Petrie, master, Gardner, owner, and trade London–Miramichi, New Brunswick. She had undergone a "good repair" in 1818.''RS'' (1818), "J" Supple. pages.
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Fate

''Jason'' appeared in the 1822 volume of the ''Register of Shipping'' with Thompson, master, Gardiner, owner, and trade Liverpool–Charleston. She had undergone small repairs in 1819.

''Lloyd's List'' reported on 12 June 1821 that ''Jason'', Thomson, master, had been driven ashore on the South Breakers of St Simon's Bar (St. Simons, Georgia), where she had bilged. She had been on a voyage from Falmouth to Savannah.''Lloyd's List'' №5600.
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Notes

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References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Volcano (1804)
1803 ships
Age of Sail merchant ships of England
Sloops of the Royal Navy
Bomb vessels of the Royal Navy
War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in June 1821