HM hired armed cutter ''Dart'' was a
hired armed vessel
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Royal Navy made use of a considerable number of hired armed vessels. These were generally smaller vessels, often cutters and luggers, that the Navy used for duties ranging from carrying and pa ...
that served 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 ...
between 15 June 1803 and 10 January 1805.
''Dart'' was under the command of Lieutenant Norton on 3 July when she arrived at Torbay, together with he hired cutter ''Venus''. Their role was to be to escort the Torbay fishing vessels. Still, on 6 September 1803 ''Dart'' brought into Dartmouth the smuggling cutter ''Dart'' and the smuggling lugger ''Clenk'' with 220 and 62 casks of foreign spirits.
''Ann'' was sailing from Teignmouth to Shields when a French privateer of 14 guns captured her. ''Dart'' recaptured ''Ann'', which arrived at Dartmouth on 2 June 1804. ''Dart'' fired on the privateer, which had a crew of 60 men, but declined the opportunity to engage ''Dart''.
''Dart'' detained ''St Andre'', Salvo, master, which was sailing from Cadiz to Dieppe. ''St Andre'' arrived at Dartmouth on 10 July.
On 11 September ''Dart'' brought into Dartmouth the smuggling lugger ''Hope'', of Beer, with 130 casks of spirits and some tobacco.
[" POSTSCRIPT". ''Trewman's Exeter Flying Post'' (Exeter, England), 13 September 1804, issue 2134.]
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dart
1800s ships
Hired armed vessels of the Royal Navy