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} |} HMS ''Grasshopper'' was a ''Cruizer''-class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1806, captured several vessels, and took part in two notable actions before the Dutch captured her in 1811. She then served The Netherlands navy until she was broken up in 1822. ==British naval service== Commander Thomas Searle commissioned ''Grasshopper'' in November 1806. He then sailed her for the Mediterranean on 1 February 1807.〔 Early in the morning of 7 November, boats from ''Renommee'' and ''Grasshopper'' cut out a Spanish brig and a French tartan, each armed with six guns, from under the Torre de Estacio. The prize crews were not able to prevent winds and tides from causing the two vessels to ground. The boats and the two vessels were under a constant fire from the tower that wounded several prisoners. After about three hours the British abandoned their prizes as they could not free them and were unwilling to set fire to them as the captured vessels had prisoners and women and children aboard, many of whom were wounded. The British had two men badly wounded in the action; although the enemy suffered many wounded, they apparently had no deaths. That same day ''Grasshopper'' captured the American schooner ''Henrietta'', Joseph Dawson, master. Then in December ''Grasshopper'' and ''Renommee'' were detached to sail off Carthagena to monitor the Spanish squadron there. ''Grasshopper'' was on lookout on 11 December and sailed ahead, leaving ''Renommee'' behind. While off Cape Palos, Searle observed several enemy vessels at anchor. His Catholic Majesty's brig ''St Joseph'', of twelve 24-pounders guns, with a crew of 99 men under the command of ''Teniento de naviro'' Don Antonio de Torrea, got under weigh, and sailed towards ''Grasshoper''. Two more naval vessels, ''St Medusa Mestrio'' (ten 24-pounders and 77 men), and ''St Aigle Mestrio'' (eight 24-pounders and 50 men) followed ''St Joseph''. ''Grasshopper'' brought ''St Joseph'' to action. Within 15 minutes ''St Joseph'' had struck and run onshore, at which many men of her crew abandoned her and swam for shore. At this point the two other vessels sailed away. The British were able to recover ''St Joseph'', which Searle described as being of 145 tons burthen (bm), six years old, copper-fastened, well-found, pierced for 16 guns, a "remarkably fast sailer", and suitable for service in the Royal Navy.〔 In the engagement ''Grasshopper'' had two men wounded. Searle had no estimate of enemy casualties, but believed that many men had drowned when they jumped overboard to avoid capture.〔 The head and prize money was remitted from Gibraltar and ''Renommee''s share was paid out to her officers and crew in December 1813. On Christmas Day, ''Grasshopper'' captured the ''Industry''. ''Grasshoper'' captured the ''Neutrality'' on 4 February 1808.〔 She shared the proceeds of the capture with . The next day she captured the ''Eliza''. (詳細はRota near Cadiz, Spain, began when the Royal Naval frigates and , and ''Grasshopper'', intercepted a large Spanish convoy, protected by twenty gunboats and a train of shore batteries. The British destroyed two of the escorts and drove many of the merchants ashore. They also silenced the shore batteries. Marines and sailors of the British ships subsequently captured and sailed seven back out to sea. ''Grasshopper'' was badly damaged and had one man mortally wounded and three others slightly wounded. The prizes were loaded with timber for the arsenal at Cadiz. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Off Rota 4 April 1808" to all surviving claimants from the action. On April 23 ''Grasshopper'' and the gun-brig encountered two Spanish vessels from South America, sailing under the protection of four gunboats. After a short chase, the convoy anchored under the guns of a shore battery near Faro, Portugal. Searle anchored ''Grasshopper'' within grapeshot (i.e., short) range of the Spanish vessels and commenced firing. After two and a half hours, the gun crews of the shore battery had abandoned their guns, and the British had driven two gunboats ashore and destroyed them. The British also captured two gunboats and the two merchant vessels. ''Grasshopper'' had one man killed and three severely wounded. Searle himself was lightly wounded. ''Rapid'' had three men severely wounded. Spanish casualties were heavy, numbering some 40 dead and wounded on the two captured gunboats alone. Searle put 14 of the wounded on shore to Faro as he did not have the resources to deal with them as well as his own casualties. Searle estimated the value of the cargo on each of the two merchant vessels at £30,000.〔If Searle's estimate was correct, the capture would have made him a wealthy man. A conservative estimate would put his share at in excess of £7,500.〕 This action also resulted in the Admiralty awarding clasps to the Naval General Service Medal marked "Grasshopper 24 April 1808" and "Rapid 24 April 1808". Lieutenant Henry Fanshawe received promotion to Commander and the appointment to command of ''Grasshopper'' on 2 May 1808;〔Marshall (1829), Supplement, Part 3, pp.302-4.〕 in June 1808 he took command. She remained in the Mediterranean in 1808 and 1809.〔 Between 4 and 11 August 1809, the merchant vessel ''Thetis'', Clark, master, arrived at Gibraltar. As she was sailing from Cagliari, a French privateer had captured Thetis, but ''Grasshopper'' had recaptured her.〔(''Lloyd's List'', n°4387 - accessed 28 September 2015. )〕 ''Grasshopper'' escorted a convoy to Quebec, sailing on 21 June 1810. She then escorted another convoy, of 25 vessels, back from Quebec, arriving in British waters around mid-October.〔(''Lloyd's List'', n° 4504 - accessed 29 September 2015. )〕 ''Grasshopper'' served in the North Sea in 1811.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMS Grasshopper (1806)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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