Harpooner (1771 ship)

Harpooner was launched at Liverpool in 1771. In 1778 she became a privateer. She captured at least two French merchantmen before a French privateer captured her in January 1780.

For other ships with the same name, see Harpooner (ship).

History
Kingdom of Great Britain
Name:	Harpooner
Owner:	P.Sheppard[1]
Builder:	Liverpool
Launched:	1771
Captured:	January 1780
General characteristics
Tons burthen:	200 (bm)
Propulsion:	Sail
Complement:	56 (at capture)
Armament:	20 × 12 & 12 × 4-pounder guns[1]

Career

Harpooner entered Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1779 as a Cork-based privateer. Her master was G. Arnold, and her owner was Sheppard. She had undergone a thorough repair in 1778.[2]

Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 16 March 1779 that privateer Harpooner, of London, Arnold, master, had captured two French vessels, Friendship and Achilles. Friendship had been sailing from France to America with bale goods, ammunition, etc. Achilles had sailed from San Domingo with sugar. Harpooner brought both into Cork.[3] On 13 June Achilles arrived at Portsmouth from Cork. The value of her cargo of sugar and coffee was put at £18,000.[4]

The 1780 volume of LR showed Harpooner's master as L. Hill, and that she was now based in London.[1]

Fate

LL reported on 28 January 1780 that the French privateer Marquis of Seignety, of Dunkirk, with 160 men, had captured Harpooner, Hill, master, of 56 men and boys. The action had lasted two hours and Marquis had taken Harpooner into Havre de Grace.[5]

On 9 December 1780 HMS Solebay and Portland captured two French privateers behind the Isle of Wight after a short action. The two were Comptesse of Buzanisis, Lux, master, and Marques de Seiguley. Each had a crew of 150 men. Comptesse was armed with twenty 12-pounder guns and Marques was armed with twenty 9-pounder guns. In the action Solebay had one man wounded, and Portland had nine, two of whom died later. Comptesse of Buzanisis was believed to have been the English privateer Harpooner.[6][Note 1]

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

1. Comtesse de Buzençois was a privateer active in November and December 1780 under André Lux. After the British captured her in December 1780 she was taken to Southampton. French records do not mention whether or not she was a former British privateer.[7] Marquis de Seignelay, from Le Havre, was a 280-ton ("of load") privateer under François Cottin, with 160 men, twenty 8-pounder guns and 8 swivel guns. Between 1779 and December 1780, she captured 40 ships totaling 117 guns and 418 prisoners. After the British captured her and recommissioned as the 14-gun sloop Marquis de Seignelay (or Marquis de Seigniary). She was eventually sold in March 1786.[8]

Citations

1. LR (1800). Seq.№H63.
2. LR (1779), Seq.№H301.
3. LL№1041.
4. LL №1067.
5. LL №1132.
6. LL №1224.
7. Demerliac (2004), p. 182, n°1775.
8. Demerliac (2004), p. 181, n°1770.

References

• Demerliac, Alain (2004). La Marine de Louis XVI: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1774 À 1792 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN 2-906381-23-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)