|
HMS ''Phipps'' was the Dutch privateer ''Two Lydias'', launched in 1807, that the British Royal Navy captured in 1808 and took into service as HMS ''Phipps''. ''Phipps'' captured two privateers, took part in a notable action, and her crew was subjected to mercury poisoning. She was sold for breaking up in 1812. ==Career== Commander Christopher Bell commissioned ''Phipps'' in Jamaica in January 1808.〔 On 12 April, ''Phipps'' captured the ''Heywood''. ''Phipps'' sent ''Heywood'', M'Intosh, master, which had been sailing to Liverpool from Haiti, into Jamaica.〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4258.()〕 On 15 June ''Phipps'' captured the ''Rolla'', Thompson, master, which had been sailing from Malta to Haiti, and sent her into Jamaica, where she arrived on 19 June. On 19 June ''Phipps'' captured the American vessel ''Alert'', Davidson, master, which had been sailing from Cuba to Alexandria, and sent her too into Jamaica.〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4276.()〕〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4280.()〕 ''Phipps'' arrived at Portsmouth on 10 October. There she was coppered and fitted.〔 On 4 February 1809, ''Phipps'' returned to Portsmouth after she was dismasted in a gale while escorting a convoy from Cork to the West Indies.〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4325.()〕 Between February and May 1809 ''Phipps'' was converted from a schooner to a sloop. Then on 19 May she sailed for Portugal.〔 On 4 March 1810 she was off Cadiz when a storm damaged a number of Spanish and French vessels. ''Phipps'' and the 74-gun third-rate captured the Spanish vessel ''Purisima Concepcion'', which had been wrecked on the tidal flats of the San Pietro River. She was carrying quicksilver, 130 tons of which the British removed and stored aboard the two vessels. The quicksilver was in kidskin bladders, which started leaking, either because of water damage or attempts by the crew to steal what they thought was silver. As a result, mercury vapor proceeded to disseminate throughout both vessels, causing extensive mercury poisoning among the crew, and killing animals aboard the vessels. Both went to Gibraltar where they underwent cleaning. In the case of the ''Phipps'', the cleaning included boring a hole through the bottom of her hull to let the quicksilver drain out.〔Doherty, Michael j, MD. (27 December 2011) "The quicksilver prize: Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps".()〕 Just before midnight on 15 November 1810 Bell chased a French privateer lugger so close inshore off Calais that, after firing some grape-shot into her, he had to let her go. However, having previously noticed two other luggers to windward and decided to try to come up on them unnoticed by beating along the shore. The pilot, Mr Richard Sickett, undertook the task and by about 5 o'clock in the morning ''Phipps'' was close enough to start an action with one of the luggers. For a quarter of an hour the lugger's crew fired small arms at ''Phipps'' and tried to run her ashore. Bell decided that as the water was only three and a half fathoms deep, the only way to capture the lugger was by boarding. Lieutenant Robert Tryon led the boarding party. The lugger surrendered after a few minutes fighting during which a seaman was killed and Tryon was dangerously wounded.〔 Tyson died eight weeks later in London of complications from his wounds, which were the result of his being hit by a cannonball accidentally discharged from ''Phipps''.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 25, p. 175.〕 The French lost six men killed and eleven wounded out of a crew of sixty. The lugger's captain, Francois Brunet, was wounded, as were all but one of her other officers. The lugger was the 16-gun ''Barbier de Seville''. She was a brand new vessel that had left Boulogne two days previously.〔 At daylight , Commander Francis George Dickens, came up. ''Zephyr'' assisted with the removal of the prisoners. ''Phipps'' then took ''Barbier de Seville'' in tow. Unfortunately, the lugger had taken shots between wind and water. These let in water, causing her to founder; in doing so the lugger took a seaman of the prize crew with her. Goddard Blennerhassett was appointed to ''Phipps'' in December.〔 However, he took command of .〔Marshall (1832), Vol. 3, Part 2, p.370.〕 In January, Commander Westby Perceval took command of ''Phipps''.〔 On 2 March 1811, the master of the ship ''Mercury'' wrote a letter to newspaper ''The Pilot'' that on 28 February his ship had fought off three French privateers near Dungeness. Bell wrote a letter to the newspaper, and reprinted in the ''Naval Chronicle'', that the supposedly French privateers vessels involved were ''Phipps'' and the cutter , and that the master had continued firing even after the British vessels had identified themselves. The fire from ''Mercury'' had wounded the sergeant of marines on ''Phipps''. The only shots the naval vessels had fired were two musket shots to get ''Mercury'' to stop, and the only reason that the naval vessels had not fired their guns was because of the chance that ''Mercury'' was a British ship. Bell admonished all merchant captains to be a little more circumspect in the future.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 26, p.138.〕 In the summer of 1811 Commander Thomas Wells was appointed to command ''Phipps''.〔 On 11 March 1812 ''Phipps'' captured the French privateer lugger ''Cerf'' by boarding. ''Cerf'' carried five guns and eight swivels, had a crew of 31 and had sailed the same day from Calais. ''Cerf'' was armed with five guns and eight swivel guns, and had a crew of 31 men. ''Cerf'' resisted before surrendering with the result that she sustained two men dangerously wounded, while ''Phipps'' had three men wounded.〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4648.()〕 Some two months later, and were blockading the French coast between Cape Gris Nez and Étaples when at 3am or so on the morning of 3 May a thick fog descended. Both grounded.〔Hepper (1994), p. 140.〕 All efforts to free them failed and in the morning shore batteries started firing on them as French troops started to gather. Her crew set fire to ''Skylark'' as they left.〔 The French captured ''Apelles'', and her captain and a small number of her crew who were still aboard. The French succeeded in refloating ''Apelles'', however the next day and arrived and were able to drive ''Apelles'' on shore again. Then and ''Phipps'' arrived. Gunfire from the British squadron drove the French off, permitting boats from ''Bermuda'' to recapture ''Apelles''. The British brought ''Apelles'' into the Downs on 5 May, together with the entire crew of ''Skylark'' and all but Captain Hoffman and twelve of his crew from ''Apelles''.〔''Lloyd's List'', no.4663.()〕 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 Phipps (1808)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|
