HMS Cruizer (1797)

HMS ''Cruizer'' (often ''Cruiser'') was a Royal Navy ''Cruizer''-class brig-sloop built by Stephen Teague of Ipswich and launched in 1797. She was the first ship of the class, but there was a gap of 5 years between her launch and the ordering of the next batch in October 1803; by 1815 a total of 105 other vessels had been ordered to her design. She had an eventful wartime career, mostly in the North Sea, English Channel and the Baltic, and captured some 15 privateers and warships, and many merchant vessels. She also participated in several actions. She was laid up in 1813 and the Commissioners of the Navy sold her for breaking in 1819.

Design

''Cruizer'' was a prototype brig-rigged sloop-of-war designed in 1796 by Sir William Rule, the Surveyor of the Navy. Her hull was identical to the ''Snake''-class ship-sloop, but she carried a pair of square-rigged masts instead of the three masts fitted in the ''Snake'' class. The original design had an armament of eighteen 6-pounder long guns but it was soon decided to replace the broadside weapons with sixteen 32-pounder carronades, leaving two 6-pounders as chase guns. The net effect was to increase the broadside weight of shot massively, at the cost of reducing her broadside's effective range. This mix became the pattern for all the other, later members of her class.

Construction

''Cruizer'' was ordered by the Admiralty on 19 December 1796 to be built in the commercial yard of Stephen Teague at Ipswich. She was laid down in February 1797 and launched on 20 December the same year.

Service history

Commander Charles Wollaston commissioned her in February 1798 for the North Sea.

North Sea (1798 – 1800)

On 27 March 1798 ''Cruizer'' captured the French privateer lugger ''Jupiter'' after a three-hour chase. ''Jupiter'' had eight guns and a crew of 36 men. She was 14 days into her cruise from Boulogne.

On 4 and 5 May ''Cruizer'' was among the vessels that captured 12 outward-bound Greenland ships. The other vessels included the hired armed cutters ''Fox'', and ''Marshall Cobourg'', and , though most were much larger and included , , , , , among others. ''Cruizer'' shared with , , and the hired armed cutter ''Rose'' in the proceeds from the capture on 13 May of the ''Houismon'', ''Welfart'', and ''Ouldst Kendt''.

Then on 19 May, ''Cruizer'' was six or seven leagues SE by S off Lowestoff when she encountered two French privateer luggers. During the chase one lost her main and foremast and struck. ''Cruizer'' continued in chase of the other until 5 pm when it became clear that the quarry was gaining, and Wollaston was losing sight of the lugger that had struck. He therefore gave up the chase and returned to the first lugger. She was ''Chasseur'', from Honfleur, and had been out eight days without taking anything. She was armed with four 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 48 men. The lugger that escaped was ''Dragon'', of four 6-pounder guns. The two luggers had left Honfleur together and were going to cruise the Dogger Bank.

In August ''Cruizer'' captured the Dutch Greenlandsmen ''Fortuna'', Jacob Sroertjes, master, and ''Endraght'', Claas Boertjes, master.

''Cruizer'' shared with , , and the hired armed cutter ''Courier'' in the proceeds from the capture on 16 April 1799 of the Prussian hoy ''Dolphin''. That same day ''Cruizer'' captured ''Commerce'', Christiansen, master. ''Cruizer'' was a part of Admiral Lord Duncan's fleet on 21 April and shared in the proceeds of the capture of ''Harmonie''.

''Cruizer'' shared with , and the hired armed cutters ''Fox'' and ''Hazard'' in the proceeds of the capture on 24 April 1799 of the Swedish brig ''Neptunus''. Two days later, ''Scorpion'' and ''Cruizer'' captured ''Adelaide'', Bose, late master.

On 12 May ''Cruizer'' captured ''Vrow Etje'', Meertens, master. ''Cruizer'' shared the proceeds with and . Four days later ''Cruizer'' captured ''Reformator'', Scheepens, master.

Also between 8 March and 12 May, ''Cruizer'' captured several other small Dutch vessels.

On 21 May ''Cruiser'' was south of St Abb's Head when at 11 am she sighted two luggers further south. Wollaston set off after them, but the weather was too unsettled for him to keep them continually in sight. Still, by correctly estimating where they were headed he was able to catch up by 4:30, only to have a sudden gust of wind take away ''Cruizer''s main-top-gallant-mast. ''Cruizer'' was not able to catch up with them again until 9 p.m. Wollaston was not able to close and lost sight of them again. However, at daylight, as ''Cruizer'' was about two or three leagues off Scarborough Castle, Wollaston again sighted one of the luggers about eight miles away. After a six-hour chase, ''Cruizer'' captured the privateer, which turned out to be ''Deux Freres'', Captain Jacques Bellet, 14 guns (12 of which she had thrown overboard during the chase), and 50 men. She was from Calais and had been cruising since 16 April. Captain Bellet informed Wollaston that the second lugger was ''Tipoo Sahib'', of 12 guns. ''Tipoo Sahib'' had thrown all her guns and her boat overboard during the chase and had gone either to France or Norway. Wollaston decided that as 26 of his crew were away in prizes, and he had 50 prisoners on board, that he would come into Yarmouth to land the prisoners before returning to his station.

''Cruizer'' continued operating in the North Sea, capturing the privateer ''Courageux'' on 13 July after a chase of three hours. ''Courageaux'' carried 14 guns and a crew of 47 men. She was six weeks out of Dunkirk. During her cruise she had captured four vessels, one of which ''Cruizer'' had recaptured the evening before. On 25 August ''Cruizer'' captured ''Catharina Magdalena'', Ahrens, master.

''Cruizer'' captured the 14-gun French privateer ''Perseverant'' on 23 March 1800. ''Cruizer'' had been boarding two brigs when she sighted a suspicious sail to the east. ''Cruizer'' gave chase and after five hours succeeded in capturing the French privateer cutter ''Perseverant''. ''Perseverant'' was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 47 men under the command of Captain Delattre. Wollaston described her as "a remarkably fine Vessel, copper-bottomed, and has captured an amazing Number of Vessels in the North Sea." On this cruise, ''Perseverant'' was 20 days out of Dunkirk, having stopped at the Texel for two days, but had not captured anything.

Two days later ''Cruizer'' captured the 14-gun ''Filibustier''. ''Cruizer'' had been boarding a brig from Bremen, whose master reported that three hours earlier a French privateer steering to the NE had hailed him. ''Cruizer'' immediately set of in chase and by eight-thirty had caught up with and captured the privateer. ''Flibustier'' had a crew of 54 men under the command of Captain Cany. She was only one day out of Dunkirk and had captured nothing.

Wollaston sent both ''Perseverant'' and '' Flibustier'' into Yarmouth.

On 22 May ''Cruizer'' and captured ''Maria Charlotta'', Backendorff, master.

In August, ''Cruizer'' detained ''Elizabeth'', J. M. Farrer, master. ''Elizabeth'' was bound for Amsterdam and carried 25 hogsheads of sugar. Then on 18 September ''Cruizer'' captured ''Vertrouwen'', Simons, master.

Copenhagen (1801)

In January 1801 Commander James Brisbane recommissioned ''Cruizer''. On 23 February she recaptured ''Aberdeen Packet'', of Aberdeen, and ''Harriot'', of Sunderland.

''Cruizer'' was then assigned to Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's expedition to the Baltic, which had as its objective to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality. In March ''Cruizer'' sailed with Parker's fleet from Yarmouth roads for Copenhagen.

On 30 March, prior to the battle, the boats and masters of and ''Cruizer'' placed buoys to mark the narrow channel between Saltholm and Middelgrund ("the Middle Ground" shoal), part of the waterway of Øresund between Copenhagen and Malmö. Brisbane impressed his immediate superior, Vice Admiral Nelson, with this work, and was promoted to post captain after the subsequent battle of Copenhagen. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Copenhagen" to all surviving claimants from the action.

In April, Commander John Hancock took command of ''Cruizer'' for the North Sea station. ''Cruizer'', , and shared in the proceeds of the capture on 1 October of ''Antonius'', and the capture the next day of ''Jonge Jacob''.

Blockade of the Netherlands (1803 – 1806)

Together with ''Jalouse'' and ''Immortalité'', ''Cruizer'' captured two French armed vessels, the schooner ''Inabordable'' and the brig ''Commode'' on 14 June 1803 after they had run aground under the guns of a shore battery for protection. After about an hour's firing by the batteries, the British sloops, and the French gun-vessels, the boats were able to take possession and refloat the two gun-vessels. Each of the French gun-vessels was armed with three 24-pounder guns and one 8-pounder gun. Later reports described the two French vessels as gun-brigs, and gave their names as ''Inabordable'', and ''Mechanté''. The Royal Navy did not take either into service.

''Chiffonne'', , and ''Cruizer'' shared in the capture of ''Flore'' on 5 August 1803. The same three vessels shared the salvage money arising from the recapture on the same day of ''Margaret'', Robert Lacs, master.

Boats from ''Cruizer'' and ''Rattler'' cut out the 4-gun cutter ''Colombe'' from Sluis on the night of 8 March 1804. Unfortunately ''Colombe'' grounded and when the cutting-out party was unable to free her, they set her on fire to prevent her recapture.

Later that month ''Cruizer'' and ''Rattler'' were anchored off Blankenberge; 13 armed vessels carried troops from the shore with the intention of boarding, but they were beaten back until the shallow water and the guns of the Ostend batteries prevented further chase.

Later in 1804 ''Cruizer'' was used as the inshore vessel in the blockade of Flushing, and as part of her duties she was required to report the movements of vessels in and around the harbour to the officer in command of the operation, Captain Sir Sidney Smith of ''Antelope''. On 15 May 1804 ''Cruizer'' reported 22 vessels sailing from Ostend. By morning it was apparent that a flotilla of 59 vessels, comprising prams, schooners, and schuyts, had sailed from Flushing and was making its way along the shallow coastal waters to Ostend. ''Cruizer'' and ''Rattler'' attacked that afternoon, just as the wind changed and forced the Dutch vessels to turn back for Flushing. The frigates ''Penelope'' and ''Antelope'' attacked the leading vessels, and ''Aimable'' was sent to assist ''Cruizer'' and ''Rattler'' in dealing with the rearmost vessels. The British were surrounded by a host of small vessels, and operating in shallow water. The engagement lasted six hours, and ''Cruizer'' lost one man killed and three wounded. Much damage was done to the Flushing flotilla, although more sailors were killed in trying to destroy the grounded vessels over the next few days than were lost in the engagement.''Age of Nelson'' ''Antelope'', ''Rattler'', and ''Cruizer'' shared in the proceeds of the capture on 16 May of Dutch schuyt No. 98.

''Cruizer'' captured the French privateer ''Contre Amiral Magon'' on 16 October 1804 after a chase of 100 miles. The gun-brig , the hired armed brig ''Ann'', and cutter ''Florence'' were also in company but fell behind in the chase. The French brig, under the command of Captain Blauckman, surrendered without a fight after ''Cruizer'' sent three warning shots from her 32-pounder carronades. She was quite new and on her first cruise. She was pierced for 18 guns but mounted 17: fourteen 6-pounder guns, two 18-pounder carronades, and one 9-pounder gun. Her crew of 84 men consisted of Frenchmen, Danes, Swedes, and Americans. Of the 67 men aboard, 19 being away in prizes, seven of the Americans promptly joined the crew of ''Cruizer''.

''Contre-Amiral Magnon'' had been out from Dunkirk 18 days and had captured the ship ''Belisarius'', of Newcastle, the brig ''Scipio'', and ''Content's Increase''. The last two had cargoes of coal and the privateer had sent them straight into Dunkirk. A British naval brig had recaptured ''Belisarius'' within two hours of her capture. The masters of all three British vessels, together with their crews, some 20 men in all, were on ''Contre Amiral Magon'' at the time of her capture and ''Cruizer'' took them on board. ''Cruizer'' sent ''Contre-Amiral Magon'' into Yarmouth where soon afterwards she was wrecked by being driven on shore. Her crew were sent to prison, but Captain Blauckman remained aboard . He managed to escape and shortly thereafter returned to Dunkirk.

On 23 October 1804 ''Cruizer'' and her accompanying gun-brigs were in again action off Ostend with two small praams and eighteen schuyts. Shallow water allowed the French to retreat as the tide fell and the gun-brig grounded due to the fault of her pilot. Her crew abandoned her but later returned together with men from ''Cruizer'', the hired armed cutters ''Admiral Mitchell'', and ''Griffin'', and some of the other ships in the squadron to try to recapture or destroy her. The cutting-out expedition was unsuccessful, with ''Cruizer'' suffering four officers and men wounded, ''Conflict'' losing one man killed and five wounded, and ''Griffin'' having two men wounded in the attempt.

The next year continued to be a busy time on blockade for ''Cruizer'' as she was in action 104 times with various enemy ships, coastal batteries and privateers.

On 11 February 1805 ''Cruizer'' and ''Ann'' captured ''Hoop'', Mailer, master.

On 8 March ''Cruizer'' captured the galiot ''Triton'' and recaptured ''Vriendschap''. ''Cruizer'' shared with ''Minx'' and ''Bold'' in the proceeds of the capture seven days later of ''Industria'', Labea, master.
''Cruizer''s crew did a little better from the capture on 20 June of ''Johanna Tbolen''.

Earlier, on 5 June, ''Cruizer'' was in company with the hired cutter ''Active'' and brig ''Ann'', and the brigs , and when they captured ''Dogter Catherina''.

''Cruizer'' was again in company with ''Ann'' on 2 August 1805 when they captured ''Frederick''. Then on 22 August they captured ''Susannah Margaretha''. ''Cruizer'', , ''Mariner'', and ''Minx'' shared in the proceeds of the detention on 5 September of ''Sophia Amelia''. ''Cruizer'', ''Minx'', and ''Mariner'' were in company and shared with and in the proceeds of the recapture on 29 September of ''Rover'', of Newcastle, Hillary, master.

On 13 November ''Cruizer'' intercepted two French pirate luggers attempting to take a brig. Hancock chased them and after two hours captured ''Vengeur'' after his bow guns brought down the lugger's main topsail and main- lug sail. ''Vengeur'' was under the command of Jean Augustin Hirrel, carried a crew of 56 men, and was armed with 14 guns. She was two days out of Boulogne and had that day taken two Swedish brigs, one laden with salt, from Liverpool, the other from Boston, in Lincolnshire, in ballast.

On 27–8 January 1806 captured "sundry Smuggling Vessels". Hancock decoyed a number of smugglers off shore by disguising his ship as an American. He captured one cutter, which he used as a tender. He then sailed ''Cruizer'' and the cutter in the direction he thought most of the smugglers had sailed. Next morning he found four luggers and a cutter within easy reach and proceeded to capture them too. The tender captured two luggers, each with 1000 tubs of geneva, rum, and the like. In all, the haul included 26,000 gallons of spirits and a large quantity of tobacco, plus other contraband. The proceeds amounted to £2236 19s 7d, which the officers and crew shared. Despite this singular success against the smugglers, when ''Cruiser'' returned to port Hancock had to turn over command of ''Cruiser'' to Commander Pringle Stoddart. Unfortunately for Hancock, the battle of Trafalgar had taken place a few months earlier. The battle had resulted on 21 January in a great many promotions in Admiral Lord Nelson's fleet, with a number of the beneficiaries displacing Hancock in the list of candidates for promotion.

Baltic (1807-1810)

At 8 am on 6 January, ''Cruizer'' was eight leagues south of the Galloper when she sighted a suspicious lugger heading for the coast of Flanders. ''Cruiser'' gave chase and after four hours caught up with and captured the French privateer ''IÄ—na''. ''Iéna'' was armed with sixteen 3 and 4-pounder guns, two of which she had thrown overboard during the chase. She was a new vessel, only 14 days out of the stocks, and was under the command of M. Morel. She had captured three English vessels on 1 and 2 January some seven leagues from Flamborough Head. A gale had separated ''Felicity'' of Yarmouth, ''Neptune'' of Sunderland, and ''Bee'' of Kikaldy from the Baltic convoy they had been part of, resulting in their vulnerability. The masters and crew of all three were aboard ''Iena''; Stoddard thought that there was a good chance the Royal Navy would recapture the three as they and the privateer had tried to enter port at Gorée, only to be chased away by a frigate and a cutter. The Royal Navy took ''IÄ—na'' into service as .

On her way from Walcheren towards the Galloper Shoal in the North Sea, on 26 January 1807, ''Cruizer'' spotted the 16-gun privateer lugger ''Braave'' (or ''Brave'') and, after a long chase, drove her onto the beach three miles west of Blankenberge. The captain and much of the crew then fled ashore. ''Cruizer''s boats captured the privateer under musket fire and brought her off. ''Cruizer'' freed the masters and crew of the Tyne collier brig ''Leander'', and of an English galiot carrying government rum, who were prisoners aboard ''Brave''. ''Cruizer'' recaptured ''Leander'' the same afternoon, as well as ''Guardian'', of Bridlington. ''Guardian'' was one of five vessels, including four from the Baltic, that the French privateer ''Revanche'' had captured off Flamborough Head.

Around this time ''Cruizer'' captured two fishing vessels, ''St. Would Beloop'' and ''Fortuyn''. On 2 March, ''Cruizer'' recaptured the Danish ship ''Familien''.

From August 1807 ''Cruizer'' formed part of Admiral Gambier's inshore squadron for the second battle of Copenhagen. On 23 August, ''Cruizer'' was part of the advance squadron, which took up position near the entrance to the harbour. An engagement of four hours ensued between the squadron and the Danes, who marshaled the Crown Battery, floating batteries, three praams of 20 guns each, some 30 gunboats, and block ships. The shallowness of the water prevent the Royal Navy from bringing in any large ships to support the advance squadron of brigs, sloops, and ketches. Eventually the British withdrew. Lieutenant Woodford of ''Cruizer'' was among the dead, and the only casualty from ''Cruizer''.

Commander George M'Kenzie took command later in 1807.

, , and ''Cruizer'' shared the proceeds of the detention during August of the Danish merchant vessels ''Anne and Catherine'', ''Anne and Margaret'', and ''Three Brothers''. , , hired armed cutter ''Joseph'', and shared with ''Cruizer'' in the proceeds of ''Twee Gebruders''.

''Cruizer'' and ''Kite'' shared in the capture on 20 August of the ''William August'', Thuren, master. That same day ''Cruizer'' and ''Kite'' captured ''Patriot'', Thomson, master. Eleven days later, ''Cruizer'' captured ''Mary''. Two days later ''Cruizer'' captured ''Emanuel''.

''Cruizer'' shared with and in the capture on 16 April 1808, of a Danish mail boat. The mail boat was carrying, ''inter alia'', foreign gold, silver, copper coins, Holstein and Sleswick paper notes, and £2000.

''Cruizer'' was in company with , Captain George Dundas, in the Great Belt when on 11 June they discovered several vessels at anchor close to shore at the entrance to the river Naskon. Dundas anchored at dark and sent a cutting out party in four boats from the two ships to destroy the vessels. The cutting out party burnt two large troop transports and retrieved a gun-vessel armed with two 18-pounders and carrying 64 men. The successful foray took place directly under the guns of a Danish battery of three 18-pounder guns and numerous enemy troops who lined the shore. The enemy lost seven men killed (and possibly a number drowned), and twelve wounded; the British had one man slightly wounded. In 1817 the crews of the British ships received prize money for "Danish gun-boat E".

''Cruizer'' recaptured ''Mary'' on 31 August.

On 1 November, ''Cruizer'' was under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Wells (acting). She was off Gothenburg when 20 gunboats attacked her; she captured a schuyt of ten 4-pounder guns and 32 men, and drove off the others, which took refuge at Læsø. On 16 November Wells wrote to his wife Nancy that she should buy a weekly paper to see his letter describing his capture. His feat resulted in Well's promotion to the rank of Commander some weeks later. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Cruizer 1 Novr. 1808" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Wells was still a lieutenant and acting captain when between 1 and 9 November ''Cruizer'' captured the Danish vessels ''Rinaldo'', ''Proben'', ''Trende Brodre'', and ''Kirstina''.

''Cruizer'' shared with the bomb-vessel in the proceeds of the salvage arising from the recapture on 2 November of the ''Maria Elizabeth''. ''Cruizer'' and shared in the proceeds of the capture on 23 November of ''Fier Broders'', J. Eynerson, master. , ''Cruizer'', ''Alexandrine'' ic(probably ), and ''Fury'' shared in the proceeds of the capture, also on 23 November, of the Danish ships ''Vrow Sophia'' and ''Yonge Nessa''. On 6 December seven Danish vessels arrived at Yarmouth. They were prizes to ''Cruizer'', ''Starling'', and .

Two days later, ''Cruizer'' captured the Danish vessels ''Erndre'', ''Prince Charles'', ''Aurora'', ''Lawrence Caroline'', and ''Two Brothers''. Apparently that same day ''Cruizer'' also captured ''Jonge Ness'', ''Vrou Sophia'', ''Johannes'', and ''Elbe''. ''Starling'', ''Cruizer'', ''Alexandrine'', and ''Fury'' shared in the proceeds of the capture, also on 25 November, of the Danish ships ''Salskabed'' and ''St. Jorrison''. Other vessels that ''Cruizer'' captured between 22 and 25 November were ''Fier Brodre'', ''Maria Elizabeth'', and ''Speculation''. ''Cruizer'' shared with ''Hearty'' in the proceeds from the capture of ''Fier Brodre''. On 25 November ''Cruizer'' also captured the Danish vessels ''Prince Charles'', ''Aurora'', ''Ernize'', ''Lawrence Caroline'', and ''Two Brothers''.

On 26 November 1808 Commander Thomas Richard Toker replaced Wells.

In March and April 1809 ''Cruizer'' captured five prizes. On 13 March she captured ''Albion''. The next day she captured ''Printz Frederick'' and ''Erstotning''. On 21 March it was ''Unge Maria''s turn to fall prey. , , , and ''Cruizer'' shared in the proceeds of the capture on 8 April of ''Vergnugen'' and ''Gustaff''. On 9 April ''Cruizer'' captured ''St. Johannes''. ''Cruizer'' shared with ''Tartar'', ''Superb'', and ''Orion'' in the proceeds of the capture that same day of ''Caroline''. The same four British vessels shared in the capture, two days later, of the Danish sloop ''Brigetta'' and the Prussian galiot ''Erwaftnung''. Lastly, on 27 April ''Cruizer'' captured ''Lille Peder''.

On 7 May ''Cruizer'' was off Baltiysk (then called Pillau), with a letter for Louis Drusina (also known as Heinrich Hahn), a secret agent who had previously been British Consul. ''Cruizer'' shared with in the proceeds of the salvage of ''Experiment'', Becker, master, on 8 May. The next day ''Cruizer'' was in company with ''Urgent'' when they captured the French privateer cutter ''Tilsit'', of ten guns and 41 men.

''Cruizer'' captured the 6-gun Danish ''Christianborg'' on 31 May 1809. She had a crew of 37 men, but 13 were away in a boat that another British warship had captured. Of her six guns, ''Christianborg'' had throw three overboard in an unsuccessful attempt to gain speed. She was only six hours out of Earthholms () and had not captured anything. ''Cruizer'' was in company with .

On 30 May 1810, ''Cruizer'' captured ''Hercules''. Then on 19 June ''Cruizer'' captured the Danish galiot ''Frau Magdalena'', and the Prussian sloop ''Jonge Laura'', on 26 June. On 12 July ''Cruizer'' captured ''Jonge Johannes'' Next, on 13 July, ''Cruizer'' captured the Danish sloop ''Zwey Gebroeders'' while was in sight. Two days later ''Cruizer'' captured the hoy ''Elizabeth'' (or ''Jonge Elizabeth''). Then a week later, on 22 July, ''Cruizer'' captured the Swedish hoy ''Concordia''.

In September and October, ''Cruizer'' brought four prizes (''Schwan'', ''Blanch'', ''Albertina'', and ''Byie'') into Hull. She had captured the Prussian sloop ''Schwan'' on 31 July, the Dutch galiot ''Familiens Well'' on 17 September, and ''Albersina'' on 21 August. ''Cruizer'' shared the capture of ''Albersina'' with .

Around this time ''Cruizer'' shared with a number of vessels in the capture of ''Aeolus'', Zubeck, master; ''Jonge Pieter'', Musterdt, master; ''Jusrow Alyda'', Pottjewit, master; ''Ferwagting'', Dirks, Master; ''Vinnern'', Paulsen, master; and the ''Almindeligheden'', Watzes, master; ''Neptunus'', Hanses, master; ''Sen Soskende'', Barnholdt, master; ''Bornholm'', Junge, master; ''Fabius'', Desvertiey, master; ''Zee Star'', Muller, master; and ''Frou Eagle'', Rotjer, master.

She was in Yarmouth and the Nore in January 1811, refitted in Chatham in November 1811, and was in Portsmouth in February 1812.Naval Database

Toker was appointed to post captain on 4 December 1813.

Fate

''Cruizer'' was laid up in ordinary at Sheerness in November 1813.

The Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy gave notice that the "Cruizer brig, of 384 tons", lying at Sheerness, would be offered for sale on 3 February 1819. Mr Job Cockshot bought ''Cruizer'' for £960 on 3 February for breaking up.

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

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* NB. Benyon uncharacteristically confuses ''Cruizer'' with her predecessor, the cutter of 1781, although the cutter sank in 1792. All the entries here are for the ''Cruizer''-class brig-sloop of 1797.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruizer (1797)
1797 ships
Cruizer-class brig-sloops
Ships built in England
Sloops of the Royal Navy