During the period of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, two vessels have served the British

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 ...

as His Majesty's Hired armed cutter ''Idas'', named for Idas, a figure from Greek mythology.

The first ''Idas''

The first ''Idas'' was a cutter that served the

from 10 November 1808 to 5 September 1812. She carried ten 6-pounder guns and was of 142 tons ( bm). In August–December 1809, ''Idas'' participated in the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign while under the command of Lieutenant James Duncan. She helped cover the initial British landing and then carried dispatches from Rear-admiral Sir

Richard Strachan Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB (27 October 1760 – 3 February 1828) was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of admiral. Sir Dicky, as his friends r ...

back to England, arriving there on 6 August. ''Idas'' spent much of the expedition carrying dispatches or Admiral Strachan from one location to another. Still, on 1 December, ''Idas'' was in company with the hired armed lugger ''Speculator'', when they recaptured ''Respect''. On 16 March 1810, boats from ''Idas'' and the hired armed cutter ''King George'' brought out a French privateer

schuyt A Dutch barge is a traditional flat-bottomed shoal-draught barge, originally used to carry cargo in the shallow ''Zuyder Zee'' and the waterways of Netherlands. There are very many types of Dutch barge, with characteristics determined by region ...

, of four guns, from the Texel. They did so despite strong small arms fire from the shore. In January 1811, the galiot ''Gabriel'', a prize to ''Idas'', was driven on shore near Yarmouth. However, in November 1812 the Custom-house officers of Arundel seized ''Idas'' while she was at anchor in the Downs and took her into Little Hampton harbour for having carried on an illicit trade.

Letters of marque

This ''Idas'' may have served as a privateer under a Letter of Marque both before and after her service with the Royal Navy. *On 24 December 1807, an ''Idas'', cutter under the command of John May, of 141 (or 141) tons burthen and fourteen 6-pounder guns, received a letter of marque. *On 12 January 1814, an ''Idas'', cutter under the command of Thomas Newton, of 141 tons burthen and sixteen 9 and 6-pounder guns, received a letter of marque. On 25 February 1814, ''Idas'', privateer of Hastings, captured ''Commodore Perry'', which had been sailing from Philadelphia to Bordeaux. ''Idas'' brought her into the Downs on 2 March.

The second ''Idas''

The second ''Idas'' was a cutter of 10 guns and 102 tons (bm) that served the Royal Navy from 21 April 1809 until she grounded and was captured on 4 June 1810. The

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

refloated her and took her into service. She served until ca. 1815. British service: Lieutenant William Wells is the first officer on record as having commanded ''Idas''. Initially she participated in the

Gunboat War The Gunboat War (, ; 1807–1814) was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the materially superior Royal Nav ...

. On 19 June 1809 she captured the Danish brig ''Haabet''. At the time the hired armed ship was in sight. That same day ''Idas'' captured the Danish vessels ''Fortuna'' and ''Joannes''. ''Idas'' shared the proceeds of the capture on 4 July of ''Gunild Cecilia'' and ''Fortuna'' with . On 25 July she captured the privateer ''Haberbaden'' and then on 14 August the privateer ''Flora'', of six guns and 30 men. ''Flora'' was nine miles from

The Skaw Skagen Odde, also Skagens Odde, sometimes known in English as the Scaw Spit or The Skaw, is a sandy peninsula which stretches some northeast and comprises the northernmost area of Vendsyssel in Jutland, Denmark.HMS ''Allart'' had captured her. Then on 14 August ''Idas'' recaptured the Danish ship ''Laurentius and Maria''. Next, on 6 September she captured ''Margaretha Dorothea'' while in company with the gun-brig . Two weeks later, on 20 September, ''Idas'' captured ''Margaretha'' and ''Tra Broders''. On 7 October ''Idas'' captured the Danish sloops ''No. 59'', ''Cecilia Maria'', and ''Bonus''. On 7 November she captured the Danish sloop ''Four Sisters'' while in company with the hired armed cutter ''Hero''. Two days later, on 9 November, ''Idas'' captured the Danish brig ''Resolution''. A partial disbursement of the prize money for ''Resolution'' amounted to £1400. On 4 June 1810, while under the command of Lieutenant J. Rayson, ''Idas'' grounded on the end of Ellebourge Sand at the entrance on the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

where the French captured her. The schooner ''Porgey'' came to her rescue while under enemy fire, but also grounded and was burnt to avoid capture. A party from arrived with orders either to free ''Idas'', or burn her if necessary to prevent the French from taking possession. The officer commanding the party, Lieutenant Langley was not in uniform, and though he was two years Rayson's junior, Rayson mistook him for ''Drake''s captain. Langley ordered Rayson to leave with his crew, which Rayson did, understanding that Langley would blow up ''Idas''. Langley left with his men on the last boat, not having set fire to ''Idas'' but instead intending to return after he had delivered his men back to ''Drake''. Langley was, however, unable to return due to the swiftness of the currents and fire from the shore. Consequently, the French were able to capture ''Idas''. The court martial for the loss of the ''Idas'' reprimanded Langley for his actions. French service: The

refloated ''Idas'' on the next day and commissioned her under her existing name. The French ceded her to the Netherlands at Antwerp in August 1814. She was declared unserviceable in March 1815.

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References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Idas, Hired armed cutter Hired armed vessels of the Royal Navy Captured ships Ships of the French Navy Maritime incidents in 1810