Hired Armed Lugger Nile

At least two vessels known as His Majesty's hired armed lugger ''Nile'' served the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. These may have been the same vessel on sequential contracts.

The first lugger ''Nile''

The first lugger ''Nile'' had a burthen of 176, and was armed with two 6-pounder guns and ten 12-pounder carronades. She served on a contract from 23 March 1799 to 21 November 1801.

From 1799 to 1800 ''Nile'' was under the command of Lieutenant Ricard Whitehead. On 12 January 1800 ''Nile'' was under the command of her master, Stephen Butcher (or Bucher), Lieutenant Whitehead being ill on shore, when she captured the French privateer lugger ''Moderé''. ''Modere'' was armed with four 4-pounder guns and had a crew of 42 men. She was only six hours out of Boulogne and hand not taken anything. As ''Nile'' was boarding her prize, came up. Captain Baker, of ''Nemesis'' took ''Moderé'' in charge and took her, as well as another captured privateer, ''Renard'', and a recaptured brig, and took them into the Downs. Before leaving, Baker sent ''Nile'' to watch the port of Calais to try and intercept some other privateer luggers known to be out, and any captured British ships. ''Nile'' shared in the proceeds of ''Moderé'' and ''Renard'' with ''Nemesis'' and the cutter ''Stag''.

On 6 February ''Nile'' brought into Deal two recaptured West Indiamen, one, ''Elizabeth'', had sailed from Jamaica.

At some point in early 1800, ''Nile'' and the hired armed cutter ''Earl Spencer'' recaptured ''Molly'', which was in ballast. This was probably ''Molley'', which had been sailing from Exeter to Newcastle when a French privateer had captured her. ''Molley'' came into Deal on 14 February.

''Nile'' was among the many British vessels that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French frigate ''Désirée'', which HMS ''Dart'', under Patrick Campbell, captured on 8 July in the Raid on Dunkirk. ''Nile'', under Butcher, performed a useful service by laying as a leading mark at Gravelines Hook. ''Nile'' then brought the news of the action into Dover the next day.

While under Bucher's command, ''Nile'' captured ''Marie''.

On 25 July 1800 ''Nemesis'' was part of a squadron that also included ''Terpsichore'', , , and ''Nile'', when it encountered the Danish frigate HDMS ''Freja'', which was escorting a convoy of two ships, two brigs and two galliots. Baker hailed her and said that he would send a boat to board the convoy. The Danish captain refused, and said that if a boat approached he would fire on it. Baker sent a midshipman and four men in a boat, and the Danes fired several shots, which missed the boat, but one of which killed a man on ''Nemesis''. ''Nemesis'' then opened fire with her broadside. After an engagement of about 25 minutes, ''Freja'', much damaged, struck. She had suffered eight men killed and many wounded; both ''Nemesis'' and ''Arrow'' each suffered two men killed and several wounded. The British brought ''Freya'' and her convoy into the Downs on 6 March.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 4, p.157. They later released her, and presumably the rest of the convoy. This incident led to strained relations with Denmark, and, in order to anticipate any hostile move from Copenhagen, the British government despatched Earl Whitworth in August on a special mission to Copenhagen. The Danes not being ready for war, his mission staved off hostilities for about a year. In 1807, after the second battle of Copenhagen, the British captured ''Freja'' and took her into the Royal Navy as HMS ''Freya''.

Much less momentously, on 27 October, ''Nemesis'' and ''Nile'' captured five fishing vessels.

On 1 November ''Nile'' captured the French privateer ''Renard'' off Folkestone. Lieutenant Whitehead was again sick on shore so ''Nile'' was under the command of Mr. Butcher. ''Renard'' was armed with two 3-pounder guns, and had a crew of 13 men under the command of Michael Bernard Hamelin. She had left Calais at 4pm the previous afternoon and when she was captured she was alongside a merchant ship.

Second lugger ''Nile''

The second lugger ''Nile'' had a burthen of 170, was armed with fourteen 12-pounder carronades, and had a crew of 50 men. She served on a contract from 26 April March 1804 to 25 October 1806. The Admiralty paid an annual charge of £4576 for her hire. She may have been the lugger ''Nile'' of 174 tons, fourteen 12-pounder guns, and 55 men under the command of John Blake, that received a letter of marque on 21 July 1803.Letter of Marque
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In 1805 ''Nile'' was under the command of Lieutenant John (or George) Fennell (or Fennel). In March she captured the French chasse maree ''Deux Freres'' and the brig ''St François''. On 17 June ''Nile'' captured the French brig ''Jeune Nanine''.

Fennel was still in command of ''Nile'' at the battle of Cape Finisterre (Calder's Action). Though the cutter ''Frisk'' and ''Nile'' stayed out of the fight and suffered no casualties, as per regulations they shared in the proceeds for the capture of the Spanish ships ''Firme'' and ''San Rafael''.

Fennel died in 1805 and his replacement, in September, was Lieutenant Symonds (or Simmonds). On 2 May 1806 ''Nile'' was in company with two Jersey privateers, the ''Success'' and the ''Phoenix'', when they captured the Spanish brig ''Santa Alodias'', or ''Alvalia''.

''Nile'' may also have been the lugger ''Nile'', of 175 tons (bm), ten 12-pounder guns, and 40 men, whose master, Thomas Butcher, received a letter of marque on 30 December 1808.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nile, Hired armed lugger
Hired armed vessels of the Royal Navy
1800s ships
Napoleonic-era ships