HMS Pert (1804)

HMS ''Pert'' was the French privateer ''Bonaparte'', a ship built in the United States that captured in November 1804. The Royal Navy took ''Bonaparte'' into service as HMS ''Pert''. ''Pert'' was wrecked off the coast of what is now Venezuela in October 1807.

French privateer

On 21 June 1804 ''Bonaparte'' encountered the 18-gun off Antigua. Captain Kenneth Mackenzie (or M'Kenzie) of ''Hippomenes'' took advantage of her Dutch design had disguised her as a Guinea trader. ''Buonaparte'', of Guadeloupe, was armed with 18 long 8-pounders and a crew of 146 men under the command of Captain Paimpéni. He sighted ''Hippomenes'' and sailed to take her. The two vessels exchanged fire until ''Buonaparte'' ran into ''Hippomenes''. Mackenzie had his crew lash the privateer's bowsprit to the mainmast and jumped on board the privateer, followed by his officers and a few men, some 18 in all. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew, a particularly poor lot, refused to follow. In the fight on the privateer, the British lost five dead and eight wounded; only nine of the original 18 managed to escape back to ''Hippomenes'' (two officers and two men remained on board ''Buonaparte'' as prisoners). The boarding party barely got back in time before the lashings gave way and the vessels parted, at which time ''Bonaparte'' sailed away. On ''Hippomenes'' his wounds rendered Mackenzie himself senseless for a while. In the engagement prior to the boarding, ''Buonaparte'' had lost five dead and 15 wounded. She then returned to Pointe-à-Pitre roads.

In about October 1804, , Bousfield, master, ''Penelope'', Robinson, master, and ''Thetis'', Marnley, master, were one day out of Barbados when they encountered a French privateer. An action developed in which the British merchantmen succeeded in driving off the privateer. They then gave pursuit and brought her to action again. The British succeeded in causing the privateer heavy casualties and such damage that she could not escape. However, the British did not have enough men to capture the privateer by boarding and so departed. The next day the British advised the Governor of Barbados of what had transpired. He reported that they had encountered the privateer ''Buonaparte'', and dispatched the private man of war in pursuit.

On his return to England, Bousfield discovered that Marnley, of ''Thetis'', had claimed all the credit for the repulse of ''Buonaparte''. Bousfield wrote a letter to the ''Naval Chronicle'', including with his letter one from Captain Painpeny (Paimpéni), of ''Buonaparte'', that acknowledged ''Ceres'' and Bousfields's role in the action.

Capture

Early in the morning of 11 November 1804, ''Cyane'' was off Marie-Galante when she encountered a French privateer brig. After a short chase and a running fight of half an hour, the brig surrendered. She had no casualties but ''Cyane'' had some men injured when a cartridge exploded on deck. The French brig was the ''Bonaparte'', pierced for 22 guns but carrying 18. Captain George Cadogan of ''Cyane'' described ''Bonaparte'' as "a very fine Brig", but in a shattered state, having lost her foremast, bowsprit, and top-masts in an engagement with three English letters of marque three days earlier.

Royal Navy service

The Royal Navy commissioned ''Bonaparte'' as HMS ''Pert'' in June 1805 under the command of Commander James Pringle. On 16 August 1806 ''Pert'' captured the schooner ''Catalina'', Quaremberg, master. Then on 17 September ''Pert'' captured the schooner ''General Eaton'', Robinson, master. Next, ''Pert'' shared with , , and in the capture on 4 October, of the schooner ''Rebecca'', Cook, master.

On 16 February 1807 a French privateer of three guns and 70 men captured , Gibbs, master, which was sailing from London to Jamaica. The next day ''Pert'' recaptured ''Britannia'' and sent her into Barbados.

In May 1807 Commander Donald Campbell replaced Pringle.

Under Campbell's command, ''Pert'' captured four vessels in May–June:
*Brig ''Dorothea'', Boyeson, master, 10 May
*Ship ''Juliana'', Christensen master, 29 May
*Brig ''Betsey'', Sounderson, master, 20 June
*Schooner ''Eagle'', Tatein, master, 21 June

Prize money for these vessels was paid in December 1808. A second-class share was the share of a lieutenant; a fifth-class share was the share of a seaman.

Also in early June, on the 5th, ''Pert'' captured the schooner ''Caroline'', Wood, master.

Then ''Pert'' and the privateer schooner ''Ambuscade'', Captain Francis Criqui Frist, shared in the capture of the ship ''Commandant Von Scholten'', Jelger Willems, master, on 25 June.

''Pert'', ''Maria'', and shared in the capture of ''Jane'', Collins, master, that same day.

''Pert'' captured the schooner ''Johann'', Benners, master, on 9 July.

On 2 August, ''Pert'' was in company with the sloop ''Maria'' when they captured the schooner ''Governor M'Kean''.

''Pert'' shared with ''Galatea'' in His Majesty's grant for the capture of the Danish brig ''Catharini'', Hogens, master, on 13 October.

, , , , , ''Pert'', and ''Hart'', shared in His Majesty's grant for the Danish schooner ''Danske Patriot'', Outerbridge, master, captured on 20 October. The vessels shared the grant for the capture as members of a squadron as on 16 October ''Pert'' was lost due to a storm.

Fate

On 14 October ''Pert'' was off the coast of what is now Venezuela when she sighted a ship that she then chased. ''Pert'' caught up with her quarry off Margarita Island and captured her. The quarry turned out to be the Spanish packet ''Alarma'', 40 days out of Ferrol and bound for the Spanish Main and Havana. Before the British could board ''Alarma'', she sent a boat to the island of Mucana with the dispatches that she was carrying. Campbell immediately too sent a boat to the island to try to retrieve them. Campbell put the crew of ''Alarma'' into boats and sent them to Cumana under a flag of truce. While he waited for his boats to return, Campbell anchored. The weather worsened to a gale that on the morning of 16 October drove ''Pert'' on to the rocky shore of Margarita Island after her anchor cable parted. The gale pushed her onto her side, and the rocks bilged her, letting in water. The crew scrambled ashore as quickly as they could, but ten men drowned. The next morning the weather improved and ''Alarma'' rescued the survivors. Head money for the crew of ''Alarma'', Infanzon, master, was paid in November 1810.

The gale that wrecked ''Pert'' may have been part of the hurricane among the Leeward Islands that on 16 October sank ''Maria'' with the loss of her entire crew.

''Pert'' also shared with ''Galatea'' in His Majesty's grant for the capture of the Danish brig ''Amalia'', Dills, master, captured on 17 October.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pert (1804)
Ships built in the United States
Privateer ships of France
Captured ships
Brigs of the Royal Navy
Maritime incidents in 1807
Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea