HMS Snipe (1801)
HMS ''Snipe'' was a gun-brig and the first Royal Navy ship to bear the name ''Snipe''. Her grounding in 1807 inspired the invention of the Manby Mortar, an important development in maritime lifesaving equipment. History HMS ''Snipe'' was a gun-brig of the ''Bloodhound'' class, designed by Sir John Henslow. ''Snipe'' and nine other similar vessels were ordered on 7 January 1801, the draught was approved three days later, and all were being built by the end of the month. She was built by Balthazar and Edward Adams of Bucklers Hard and was launched on 2 May 1801. 1807 grounding On the 18th of February 1807, HMS ''Snipe'' ran aground during a storm off shore at Gorleston, south of Great Yarmouth, with a total of 67 people drowned, including French prisoners of war, women and children. The wreck was witnessed by captain George William Manby. Following this tragedy, Manby experimented with mortars, and so invented the Manby Mortar, (later used with the breeches buoy), that fired a ...
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Gun-brig
A gun-brig was a small brig-rigged warship that enjoyed popularity in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, during which large numbers were purchased or built. In general these were vessels of under 200 tons burthen, and thus smaller than the more common s or the even larger s. The gun-brigs generally carried 12 guns, comprising two long guns in the chase position and ten carronades on the broadsides. For brig-rigged sloops, see List of corvette and sloop classes of the Royal Navy. For gunboats, see List of gunboat and gunvessel classes of the Royal Navy. Development The earliest gun-brigs were shallow-draught vessels. Initially they were not brigs at all, but were classed as 'gunvessels' and carried a schooner or brigantine rig. They were re-rigged as brigs about 1796 and re-classed under the new term 'gun-brig'. They were designed as much to row as to sail, and carried their primary armament firing forward - a pair of long 18-pounders or 24-pounders, weapons which i ...