HMS Bold (1812)
{{short description|Brig of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Bold}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=12-gun gunbrigs RMG J4686.jpg |Ship caption=Bold }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=United Kingdom |Ship flag=File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg |Ship name=HMS Bold |Ship ordered=16 November 1811 |Ship builder=Tyson & Blake, Bursledon |Ship laid down= |Ship launched=26 June 1812 |Ship acquired= |Ship completed= |Ship commissioned=July 1812 |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship honours= |Ship captured= |Ship fate=Wrecked on 27 September 1813 |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption={{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=365}} |Ship class={{sclass|Bold|gun-brig}} |Ship tons burthen=182{{small|{{frac|35|94}}}} (bm) |Ship length=*{{convert|84|ft|4|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (overall)
|Ship beam={{convert|22|ft|1+1/2|in|m|1|abbr=on}} |Ship draught= |Ship hold depth={{convert|11|ft|1|in|m|1|abbr=on}} |Ship sail plan=Brig |Ship complement=60 |Ship armament=10 × 18-pounder carronades + 2 × 6-pounder bow chasers |Ship notes= }} |
HMS Bold was a 14-gun {{sclass|Bold|gun-brig}} built by Tyson & Blake at Bursledon. She was launched in 1812 and wrecked off Prince Edward's Island on 27 September 1813.
Design and construction
The Bold class were a revival of Sir William Rule's {{sclass|Confounder|gun-brig}} design of 1804. They were armed with ten 18-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder bow chasers. Built at Bursledon by Tyson & Blake, Bold was launched on 26 June 1812 and commissioned in July 1812 under Commander John Skekel, who sailed for North America in her on 17 April 1813.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=365}}{{efn|For more on Commander John Skekel see: {{Cite NBD1849|wstitle=Skekel, John}}}}
Service
On 18 or 26 May 1813 (records differ), while in the company of the Halifax privateer Sir John Sherbrooke, the two vessels recaptured {{ship||Duck|1812 ship|2}}, which the American privateer General Plummer had taken shortly before.{{sfnp|Parkinson|Fayle|2006|p=246.}} Duck had been traveling from Waterford to Newfoundland.{{London Gazette|page=20|issue=16837|date=1 January 1814}}
Fate
On the morning of 27 September 1813, Bold grounded on the north end of Prince Edward's Island between 3 and 4am. Some accounts emphasize that this occurred during a strong NE gale.Marshall (1831), Vol. 3, Part 1, pp.223-5. However the court martial account does not mention this.{{sfnp|Hepper|1994|p=148}} Despite efforts to lighten her, Bold remained stuck and ultimately had to be abandoned. In the morning it was clear that she was a cable-length (i.e., a little more than an eight of a mile) from shore. The crew established a line to the shore through the surf and this enabled a boat to go back and forth between vessel and shore. The result was that her entire crew of 67 officers and men were saved.{{sfnp|Hepper|1994|p=148}}
A small party went overland to Charlottetown to seek help while the remainder of the crew attempted to salvage what it could. Lieutenant Governor C. D. Smith sent the transport Agnes, which had recently arrived at Charlestown, with ordnance stores for the garrison, to assist Bold and recover stores.Naval Chronicle, Vol. 30, p.430.{{efn|The Naval Chronicle gives the name of Bold{{'}}s captain as Sackwell, but this is incorrect.}} Agnes took Bold{{'}}s crew to Halifax.Alexandria Gazette. Commercial and Political (Alexandria, Virginia), 9 November 1813, p.3.
The subsequent court martial reprimanded Skekel and the master for having neglected to instruct the watch to take frequent depth soundings. It also fined the local pilot for not having warned Skekel about the currents in the area.{{sfnp|Hepper|1994|p=148}} John Skekel went on to another command and in time became an admiral.
Notes
{{notelist}}
Citations
{{reflist|30em}}
References
- {{cite book |last1=Hepper |first1=David J. |year=1994 |title=British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859 |publisher=Jean Boudriot |location=Rotherfield |isbn=0-948864-30-3}}
- {{cite book |editor-last1=Parkinson |editor-first1=C. Northcote |editor-first2=Charles Ernest |editor-last2=Fayle |year=2006 |title=The Trade Winds: A Study of British Overseas Trade During the French Wars ... |location=London |publisher=Taylor & Francis}}
- {{cite book |last1=Snider |first1=C.H.J. |year=1928 |title=Under the Red Jack; Privateers of the Maritime Provinces of Canada in the War of 1812 |location=London |publisher=Martin Hopkinson & Co.}}
- {{cite book |first1=Rif |last1=Winfield |title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates |publisher=Seaforth Publishing|year=2008 |isbn=9781861762467}}
{{1813 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bold (1812)}}
Category:Brigs of the Royal Navy
Category:Maritime incidents in 1813