HMS ''Racer'' was a 16-gun ''Racer''-class

brig-sloop In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

of 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 ...

. Commissioned in 1833 she served on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the t ...

where she was badly damaged by what became known as ''Racers hurricane in 1837. After repair at Havana she returned to England where she was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

. ''Racer'' was recommissioned later in 1838 and returned to North America where, in 1840, her commanding officer was drowned in an accident. She was refitted in 1842 and served on the

South America Station The South America Station was a formation of the Royal Navy which existed from 1808 to 1838 when it was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of America Station. Following the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon, the Portuguese cou ...

and on anti-slavery patrols off West Africa. An 1848 refit reduced her to 12 guns and she afterwards served as a tender to HMS ''Caledonia'' and in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. ''Racer'' was sold out of service in 1852.

Construction

''Racer'' was the name ship of the ''Racer'' class of

s designed by Sir William Symonds in 1832. The class was a slightly modified version of the ''Snake''-class brig-sloops; ''Racer'' was ordered on 10 July 1832. Her keel was laid at

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

in September and she was launched on 18 July 1833 having been commissioned on 13 July. ''Racer'' was completed on 5 September. Her construction cost £8,313, increasing to £12,152 including fitting out. Her

Builder's Old Measurement Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship bas ...

was 430 63/94 . ''Racer'' measured in length and in beam. She was classed as a 16-gun

(a "Second Class" brig) and originally mounted 14x32 pounder

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

s and 2x12 pounder cannons.

Service

After commissioning ''Racer'' sailed under Commander James Hope for service on the

. ''Racer'' was at sea in the northwestern Caribbean on 28 September 1837 when she encountered what became known as ''Racers hurricane. ''Racer'' endured winds of up to force 12 on that and the following day. She was dismasted and blown on her

beam ends ''Beam Ends'' is a 1937 novel by Australian actor Errol Flynn. It was his first novel although he had written non fiction for many years. See also References External linksReview of bookat Kirkus 1937 Australian novels New Guinea {{194 ...

twice before re-righting, losing almost all

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...

, navigational tools, and provisions in the process. A

ship's boy ''Cabin Boy'' is a 1994 American fantasy comedy film, directed by Adam Resnick and co-produced by Tim Burton, which starred comedian Chris Elliott. Elliott co-wrote the film with Resnick. Both Elliott and Resnick worked for '' Late Night with Dav ...

died of injuries sustained on the lower deck, and two crewmen went missing. ''Racer'' afterwards put in to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba, for repairs. ''Racer'' was

on 13 June 1838 but recommissioned on 19 September for service on the North America and West Indies Station under Commander George Byng. By 1840 she was commanded by Commander George Percy Hall; he drowned off Vera Cruz on 14 September 1840 when his boat was upset. Percy's replacement was Commander Thomas Harvey, who was given the command on 6 November. ''Racer'' was paid off again in October 1842, at Portsmouth. She received minor repairs and was refitted at the dockyard there between October 1842 and June 1843, at a cost of £6,920. ''Racer'' was recommissioned on 28 April 1843 under the command of Commander Archibald Reed and served on the

and then the West coast of Africa, where she captured the slave ship ''Bom Destino'' on 7 September 1844. She was paid off at Plymouth on 20 November 1847. ''Racer'' was refitted in 1848 as a 12-gun vessel. A surviving plan in the collection of the

Royal Museums Greenwich Royal Museums Greenwich is an organisation comprising four museums in Greenwich, east London, illustrated below. The Royal Museums Greenwich Foundation is a Private Limited Company by guarantee without share capital use of 'Limited' exemption, co ...

shows her proposed bow and figurehead from this refit. The latter was a half-length bust of a male jockey. ''Racer'' was recommissioned on 24 June 1848 under Lieutenant Henry Bacon and served as a tender to HMS ''Caledonia''. From 28 February 1849 she was commanded by Commander Charles Henry Beddoes in the

. ''Racer'' was paid off for the final time on 8 March 1852 at Plymouth and was sold to Wilson & Company on 17 September 1852 for £820.

References

{{reflist 1833 ships Brig-sloops of the Royal Navy Ships built in Portsmouth