Nimble (1802 ship)

Nimble was built in Kingston upon Hull in 1802. She traded with Portugal, first from Hull and then from Liverpool. She was lengthened in 1806. Later, she traded between London and Brazil, and then London and the West Indies. An American privateer captured her in 1814. She was recaptured and then disappeared from ship arrival and departure (SAD) data.

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

History
United Kingdom
NameNimble
BuilderHull
Launched1802
Captured7 January 1814 and recaptured
General characteristics
Tons burthen
  • Originally: 188[1] (bm)
  • 1806: 257[2] (bm)
Sail planSchooner
Complement20,[1] or 15 at capture
Armament10 × 6-pounder guns[1]

Career

Nimble first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1802.

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1802 T.Bentley Capt. & Co. Hull–Lisbon LR
1803 T.Bentley
R.Cudd		 Capt. & Co.
J.Tomlinson		 Hull–Lisbon
Liverpool–Viana		 LR

Captain Richard Cudd acquired a letter of marque on 10 June 1803.[1]

On 24 January 1806 Lloyd's List reported that Nimble, Cudd, master, from Oporto to Liverpool, was on shore at Carnarvon Bay and waterlogged.[3]

Later in 1806 Tomlinson & Co. had Nimble lengthened.[2]

Year Master Owner Trade Source
1807 Cuddy Tomlinson Liverpool–Lisbon LR; lengthened 1806
1812 J. Cudd Tomlinson London–Havana LR; lengthened 1806
1813 J. Cudd Tomlinson London–Bahia LR; lengthened 1806

As Nimble was returning to Liverpool from Brazil in 1813, her pumps failed. Cudd constructed a new one by taking a spar top-mast, cutting it in half, and chiseling out the interior to the bore of the pump. He then put the two sides together, caulking them with oakum, and sealing them with tar. He then reinforced the tube by binding it tightly. The result was a serviceable pump. Cudd wrote a letter, published in a newspaper, that described his expedient so that other mariners might learn from his experience.[4]

On 8 November 1813 Nimble sailed from St Thomas with the fleet returning to England. However, she was among a small number of vessels that had not yet arrived in England by January 1814. In March she still had not been heard from.

Fate

Lloyd's List reported that an American privateer had captured Nimble, Cudd, master, in January 1814 and sent her into Santa Cruz de Tenerife.[5]

Nimble's captor was the United States privateer Invincible.[lower-alpha 1] That is clear; however, what happened next is more confusing. Numerous accounts, using the same wording, state that Invincible had sent Nimble into Tenerife where her cargo was sold as Nimble was not seaworthy.[9][10]

In July 1814 Lloyd's List reported that Nimble, Chubb, master, which had been taken into Tenerife, had been recaptured and taken into Bermuda.[11] Online resources do not identify the recaptor, or how Nimble came to be at sea. The answer is that Captain Destebecho, of Invincible had captured Nimble, of 10 guns and 15 men, Cudd, master, on 7 January. She had been carrying sugar and coffee from St Lucie to Liverpool. Destebecho took off part of her cargo and then put a prize crew on Nimble, sending her to the United States.[12]

On 27 January Destebecho captured Lion, Jackson, master, which had been sailing from Bristol to the West Indies. Destebecho took out part of Lion's cargo and then put 18 prisoners aboard her, after which he permitted Lion to proceed.[12] Lion arrived at Palma.[13][lower-alpha 2] Destebecho took the most valuable parts of her cargo and then gave her up.[14]

Despite her recapture, and although Lloyd's Register and the Register of Shipping continued to carry Nimble, Cudd, master, for a number of years with unchanged data, she did not reappear in Lloyd's List's SAD data.

Notes
  1. Invincible, of 331 or 362 tons (bm), Peter Destebecho, Jr., master, was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 60 men.[6] HMS Armide captured Invincible on 16 August.[7] Endymion and Pique were in company with Armide at the time.[8]
  2. Lion, or Lyon, was a cutter carrying dry goods, hardware, and the like.

Citations
  1. "Letter of Marque, p.80 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. LR (1807), Seq.No.N342.
  3. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 4291. 24 January 1806. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735022.
  4. "Multiple News Items" (13 March 1813), Lancaster Gazetter (Lancaster, England) Volume 12, Issue: 613.
  5. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. 13 April 1814. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  6. Kert (2015).
  7. "No. 16938". The London Gazette. 24 September 1814. p. 1914.
  8. "No. 17003". The London Gazette. 15 April 1815. p. 701.
  9. Coggeshall (1856), p. 227.
  10. Good (2012), pp. 110 & 146.
  11. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. 19 July 1814. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  12. "Marine and Naval" (7 May 1814), Providence Patriot, Columbian Phenix (Providence, RI, United States) volume 12, issue 17.
  13. "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. 22 April 1814. hdl:2027/uc1.c2735026.
  14. Good (2012), pp. 58 & 147.

References
  • Coggeshall, George (1856). History of the American Privateers, and Letters-Of-Marque. New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Kert, Faye M. (2015). Privateering: Patriots and Profits in the War of 1812. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9781421417479.
  • Good, Timothy S., ed. (2012). American privateers in the war of 1812: the vessels and their prizes as recorded in Niles' weekly register. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786466955.
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