Caldicot Castle (1794 ship)

Caldicot Castle (or Caldecot Castle, or Caldecott Castle), was built in 1794 at Caldicot, Monmouthshire. The French captured her twice, the second time she engaged her captor in a single ship action. She also survived the perils of the sea in 1803, 1807, and 1819. She was wrecked in October 1828 and was last listed in 1832.

History
Great Britain
NameCaldicot Castle
NamesakeCaldicot Castle
Owner
  • 1794:H. Wife[1]
  • 1796:M'Iver
  • 1797:Timperon
  • 1798:Litt & Co.
  • 1799:Timperon
  • 1803:Jones & Co.
  • 1806:Dowson
  • 1820:Hart
  • 1823:Laings
  • 1829:S. Keene
  • 1830:Isabella Skee[2]
Launched1794,[2][lower-alpha 1] Caldicot[1]
FateWrecked October 1828; last listed in 1832
General characteristics
Tons burthen262, or 266,[3] or 268,[2] or 270,[3] or 292[1] (bm)
PropulsionSail
Complement
Armament
  • 1796:16 × 6&4-pounder guns[3]
  • 1799:16 × 6&4-pounder guns[3]
  • 1800:16 × 6-pounder guns[3]

Career

Caldicot Castle appears in the 1794 volume of Lloyd's Register with P. Driscoll, master, and trade Bristol—Quebec.[1]

On 18 March 1795, as Caldecot Castle, Driscol, master, was sailing from Barcelona to Guernsey, a French squadron of six ships-of-the-line, two frigates, and a corvette captured her off Cape St. Vincent. However, on 30 March Robust, of Admiral Colpoy's squadron, recaptured her and took her into Falmouth.[4][5] Ten British warships, Astraea, London, Colossus, Robust, Hannibal, Valiant, Thalia, Cerberus, and Santa Margarita, shared in the proceeds of Caldicot Castle's recapture on 28 March.[6][7]

In January 1803 Caldicot Castle was returning to Liverpool from Quebec when she had to put in at Crookhaven. She had lost her mizzen mast and rudder, and sustained other damage.[8]

Lloyd's List reported on 4 May 1804 that privateers had captured Sarah, Cannell, master, Caldicot Castle, Skerrett, master, and Hector, Williams, master, and taken them into Guadeloupe.[9][lower-alpha 2] Captain Richard Sherrat wrote a letter from Barbados on 14 April in which he described the attack. He had sailed Caldicot Castle from Demerara on 27 February and by 8 March was about 200 miles east of Guadeloupe when at 8 pm two privateers, a schooner and a ship, came up and opened fire. After about 15 minutes, the schooner had sustained damages and had sheered off. By 9:20 the ship also sheared off but remained in sight. Next morning at 6am the ship recommenced the engagement. After about 15 minutes Sherrat had to strike. Caldicot Castle's rigging had been cut to pieces and he and two other men had been wounded, one mortally. The privateer was Grand Decide, which was armed with twenty 9-pounder and two 12-pounder brass guns, and had a crew of 160 men.[10][lower-alpha 3]

Year Master Owner Trade Notes
1796 Thompson M'Iver Bristol—London
London—Jamaica		 10 × 4-pounder guns
1797 Thompson
Oxton		 M'Iver
Timperon		 London—Jamaica Captain Thomas Oxton acquired a letter of marque on 24 April 1797[3]
1798 Oxton Litt & Co. Liverpool—Jamaica 8 × 6-pounder guns + 8 × 4-pounder guns
1799 T. Oxton
John Williams		 Timperon Liverpool—Jamaica Captain John Williams acquired a letter of marque on 25 February 1799
1800 Williams Timperon Liverpool—Jamaica
1801 Williams
Smith		 Timperon Liverpool—Jamaica Captain William Smith acquired a letter of marque on 18 October 1800
1802 W. Smith Timperon Liverpool—Jamaica
1803 W. Smith
Sherret		 Timperon
Jones & Co.		 Liverpool—Jamaica
1804 R. Skerrett Jones & Co. Liverpool—Barbados

Caldicott Castle returned to British hands, though how is not clear. Her entry in Lloyd's Register for 1805 is marked "captured", but also shows a change of master.

Year Master Owner Trade Notes
1805 R. Sherrad
D. M'Neil		 Jones & Co. Liverpool—Barbados Six guns
1806 A. M'Neil Dowson & Co. London transport

On 18 November 1817 Lloyd's List reported that Caldicot Castle had arrived at Portsmouth, having sailed from Malta via Gibraltar in company with several other transports until heavy weather had separated them.[12]

Year Master Owner Trade Notes
1816 Carr Dowson London transport
1817 Lloyd's Register unavailable/not published
1818 Carr Dowson & Co. London transport
1819 Carr
J. Hait		 Dowson & Co. London transport
Hull—"Klnda"

On 4 December 1819, Caldicott Castle ran aground and was severely damaged at Sunderland, County Durham.[13]

Year Master Owner Trade Notes
1820 J. Hart Capt. & Co. Hull-"Kanda" Large repair 1820
1821 J. Hart Capt. & Co. Hull-"Kinda"
1822 J. Hart
Charlton		 Captain & Co. Hull—"Kinda"
Plymouth-Quebec
1823 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1824 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1825 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1826 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1827 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1828 Charlton Laings Plymouth-Quebec
1829 Hicks S. Keene Dublin—Dantzig
1830 Hicks S. Keene Dublin—Dantzig

Fate

It was reported on 20 October 1828 that Caldicot Castle had struck a rock and sunk at Milford but by 15 October had been raised and pulled up on Laurenny Beach.[14] Caldicot Castle was last listed in 1832.

Notes
  1. Lloyd's Register for 1794 gives a launch year of 1792.[1] However, she does not appear in either 1792 or 1793, and subsequent entries say 1794.
  2. Sarah and Hector were slave ships. Hector had disembarked her slaves and was returning to Liverpool when she was captured. Sarah was captured on her way from Africa to Demerara.
  3. Grand Décidé was a privateer under Mathieu Goy, commissioned in Guadeloupe in January 1804. She had a crew of 220 men and was armed with twenty-two 8-pounder guns.[11]

Citations
  1. Lloyd's Register (1794), Seq. №549.
  2. Correct list... (1830), pp.12–3.
  3. "Letter of Marque, p.54 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  4. "No. 13770". The London Gazette. 14 April 1795. p. 339.
  5. Lloyd's List №2706.
  6. "No. 13960". The London Gazette. 13 December 1796. p. 1210.
  7. "No. 13956". The London Gazette. 29 November 1796. pp. 1159–1160.
  8. Lloyd's List №4314.
  9. Lloyd's List №4450.
  10. Williams (1897), pp. 390–1.
  11. Demerliac (2003), p. 321, №2745.
  12. Lloyd's List №5230.
  13. "Ship News". The Hull Packet and Original Weekly Commercial, Literary and General Advertiser. 14 December 1819.
  14. "SHIP NEWS", 20 October 1828, Morning Post (London, England), issue: 18049.

References
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