HMS Nova Scotia (1812)

When and captured the American privateer ''Rapid'' in 1812, the Royal Navy took her into service as the 14-gun gun-brig HMS ''Nova Scotia''. She was renamed HMS ''Ferret'' in 1813 and sold in 1820.

Privateer ''Rapid''

''Rapid'', of Portland, Maine, had two commanders, Captain W. Crabtree and Captain Joseph Weeks, during her career as a privateer. ''Rapid'' captured one ship, the ''Experience'', and two brigs. ''Experience''s cargo was valued at US$250,000.

The owners of one brig ransomed her and ''Rapid'' sent the other, ''St. Andrews'', of eight guns and sailing in ballast, into Portland. Another report has ''Rapid'' capturing a barque ''St Andrews'', of eight guns, that she sent into Portland. The ransomed vessel may have been the schooner ''Mary'', of St Thomas, which ''Rapid'' ransomed as ''Rapid'' could not spare the men for a prize crew. ''Rapid'' also captured the brig , sailing from Poole to St. Andrews, and the brig ''Tay'', sailing from Dundee for Pictou, New Brunswick. ''Rapid'' sent both into Portland. Lastly, ''Rapid'' captured and burnt the British New Providence privateer ''Searcher'', of one gun and twenty men.

Capture

On 17 October 1812, ''Maidstone'' and ''Spartan'', part of the squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren, were in company when ''Maidstone'' captured ''Rapid'' on the Saint George's Bank. ''Rapid'' was armed with 14 cannon – twelve carronades of various sizes and two long 6-pounder guns – but her crew had thrown eight of her cannons overboard to lighten her during the nine-hour chase. She had a crew of 84 men and was three days out of Portland. Her backers had provisioned her for a three-month cruise, first off the Azores, Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands, and then off Cayenne and Bermuda.

British service

The Vice admiralty court in Halifax, Nova Scotia condemned ''Rapid'', Joseph Weeks, master. Her cargo was lasted as guns, ammunition, and provisions.

The British commissioned her in Halifax in November 1812 as HMS ''Nova Scotia'' under Lieutenant Bartholomew Kent, who sailed her to Britain. She was fitted at Plymouth between 7 July and 30 September 1813 and renamed ''Ferret''. She was commissioned again in June or July of that year under Commander William Ramsden.

In May 1814 ''Ferret'' was at St Helena under Commander James Stirling. Stirling commissioned ''Ferret'' rapidly on Napoleon's return to France from Elba, and received praise for the speed with which he accomplished the task. On 19 July 1815, ''Ferret'' was in company with , , , , and when they captured the French vessels ''Fortune'', ''Papillon'', ''Marie Graty'', ''Marie Victorine'', ''Cannoniere'', and ''Printemis''. The attack took place at Korejou Bay, near Brest on the coast of Brittany, and during the action ''Ferret'' was able to prevent the escape of a French man-of-war brig that she forced ashore. The action cost ''Ferret'' one man. Apparently, this cutting out expedition was the last of the war.

''Ferret'' then sailed to St Helena again on 15 August 1815 as part of the squadron under that was taking Napoleon Bonaparte into exile. On her way home she encountered the Spanish brigantine ''Dolores''. At the time, ''Ferret''s armament consisted of only eight carronades, while ''Dolores'' had a long 32-pounder gun on a pivot, four long 9-pounder guns, and two 12-pounder carronades. ''Ferret'' was therefore outranged. ''Dolores''s initial fire killed two men in ''Ferret''. In the subsequent action, which lasted some three hours, ''Ferret'' lost another three men wounded, two of whom died later from their wounds, before she came alongside ''Dolores'', at which point the Spaniard struck. ''Dolores'' was carrying 275 slaves, so ''Ferret'' took her to Sierra Leone for the vessel and cargo to be condemned for violating the British prohibition on the slave trade. This gave rise to a suit in which the Court found that Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn was entitled to the flag officer's share of the prize money.

The Admiralty placed ''Ferret'' in ordinary at Plymouth in June 1816. She was fitted for sea again March–April 1817 under Lieutenant William Pitman. At some point in the year she may have come under the command of W. Ramsden, though she was under Pitman's command in 1818.

Fate

''Ferret'' was sold at Plymouth on 13 January 1820 to a Mr. Rundle for £460.

Notes

Citations

References

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*Dodson, John and William Scott (Baron Stowell), Great Britain. High Court of Admiralty (1828) ''Reports of cases argued and determined in the High Court of Admiralty: commencing with the judgments of Sir William Scott: Trinity term 1811-822'. (Printed by A. Strahan for J. Butterworth).
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*Goold, William (1886) ''Portland in the Past''. (Portland: Thurston & Co.), 482–486.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nova Scotia (1812)
Privateer ships of the United States
1812 ships
Ships of the Royal Navy
Captured ships