HMS Newcastle (1813)

HMS ''Newcastle'' was a 50-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy which saw service in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

A new type of warship, a large spar-decked frigate, ''Newcastle'' and her near sister were a response to the threat the heavy American spar-decked frigates posed during the War of 1812. ''Newcastle'' proved a successful ship and operated in squadrons that chased the American frigates, but ultimately failed to catch them before the war ended. She spent some time as the flagship on the North American Station before returning to Britain in 1822 and being laid up. She was later converted to a lazarette. She spent the rest of her career in this role, until she was sold in 1850 for breaking up.

Construction

HMS ''Newcastle'' was ordered from the Blackwall-based firm of Wigram, Wells & Green on 6 May 1813. She was laid down in June 1813 and built of pitch pine to a design by émigré designer Jean-Louis Barrallier. Built of softwood to get her into service as quickly as possible, ''Leander'' was launched on 10 November 1813, less than five months after laying down. She was moved to Woolwich Dockyard and completed there by 23 March 1814. The construction of fourth rates, a type that had fallen out of favour prior to the French Revolutionary Wars, was a response to the American spar-decked frigates, like and . Ordered alongside ''Newcastle'' was the similar 50-gun .

''Newcastle'' was a spar-deck frigate, designed to carry thirty 24-pounders on her main deck, and twenty-four 42-pounder carronades on her spar deck (two fewer carronades than her half-sister), with four 24-pounders on her forecastle. In 1815, after the War of 1812 and Napoleonic Wars, ''Newcastle'' and ''Leander'' were fitted with accommodation for a flag officer with a poop deck built over the quarterdeck, and were mostly used as flagships on foreign stations, replacing older 50-gun ships that had previously filled this role. Both ships were re-rated as 60-gun fourth rates in February 1817.

Career

''Newcastle'' was commissioned under her first commander, Captain George Collier, in November 1813, but Collier was moved to command of the ''Leander'' a month later, and was replaced as commander by Captain Lord George Stuart.

On 23 May 1814 ''Newcastle'' ran down ''Diligence'', Grant, master, which was sailing from Southampton to Guernsey with 40 passengers. The passengers were all saved but the mate on ''Diligence'' drowned. ''Diligence'' was towed back to Southampton and ''Newcastle'' had to put back to Portsmouth for repairs.

''Newcastle'', , and shared the proceeds of the capture on 28 December 1814 of the notorious American privateer ''Prince de Neufchatel''. Her most famous captain, John Ordronaux, who was also one of her three owners and who had inflicted massive casualties on the boats of , was apparently not her captain at the time; her commander was Nicholas Millin. At the time of her capture, ''Prince de Neufchatel'' was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 129 men. She was eight days out of Boston.
HMS ''Leander – Captain's Log

On 4 January 1815, ''Acasta'', ''Leander'' and ''Newcastle'' recaptured ''John''.

Chasing the USS ''Constitution''

''Leander'', under Sir George Collier, 1st Baronet, Sir George Collier, had been watching , then in harbour at Boston. When Collier had to interrupt his surveillance in order to take ''Leander'' to Halifax to resupply, he left ''Acasta'' and ''Newcastle'' off the port. Whilst Collier was away, ''Constitution'' and two other heavy frigates left Boston. On his return, Collier prepared to pursue, but had orders to send ''Acasta'' into Halifax for a refit. Captain Kerr of ''Acasta'' pleaded to be allowed to join the chase; Collier relented and allowed ''Acasta'' to remain. The British squadron eventually sighted ''Constitution'' in heavy weather off Porto Praya while he searched for ''Constitution''. However, she had returned to port, thus avoiding an engagement.

Fate

''Newcastle'' was paid off at Portsmouth in January 1822. Between April and June 1824 she underwent fitting there as a lazaretto. She then moved to Liverpool in September 1827. The Navy sold her on 12 June 1850 to John Brown for £2,500.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newcastle (1813)
Frigates of the Royal Navy
Ships built by the Blackwall Yard
1813 ships
War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom