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} |} HMS ''Skylark'' was a British Royal Navy 16-gun brig-sloop of the ''Seagull'' class launched in February 1806. She served primarily in the Channel, capturing several vessels including a privateer, and taking part in one notable engagement. She grounded in May 1812 and her crew burnt her to prevent the French from capturing her. ==Career== Commander Henry Evelyn Pitfield Sturt commissioned ''Skylark'' in May 1805. On 19 May she captured the ''Anna Sophia'', Diercks, master. ''Skylark''s baptism of fire came on 7 November 1807 when she captured a French privateer lugger. When ''Skylark'' approached, the French privateer abandoned the collier brig she had been taking possession off, and fled. ''Skylark'' gave chase for almost two hours before she succeeded in capturing the ''Renarde'' (or ''Renard'', Lennel, captain), of 14 guns and 39 men. ''Renarde'' did not surrender until ''Skylark'' had fired on her, severely wounding the captain and bringing down the mainmast, and after having tried to board ''Skylark''. ''Skylark'' shared the capture with and the hired armed cutter ''Countess of Elgin'', with whom she was in company. The next day ''Skylark'' recaptured the ''Dolphin'', Westlake, master, though this may have been the collier brig she had saved the previous day. On 28 February 1808 ''Skylark'' recaptured the ''Peggy'', John Scotland, master. Two months later, on 25 April 1808, ''Skylark'' captured the French privateer ''Furet'', which was pierced for 14 guns but only had six on board. ''Furet'' and her crew of 48 men were two days out from Boulogne and had not made any captures. was in company with ''Skylark''. ''Skylark'' was in company with the gun-brig and the hired armed cutter ''Princess Augusta'' when on 20 August they captured the Dutch fishing vessels ''Meermia'' (or ''Mermoné''), ''Johanna'' and ''Stadt Oldenberg''. Commander James Boxer recommissioned ''Skylark'' in December 1808. ''Julia'' participated in the unsuccessful Walcheren Expedition, which took place between 30 July and 9 August 1809. Prior to the expedition, on 2 January 1809, Boxer reconnoitered Flushing in advance of the expedition, reporting on the number of Dutch vessels there. However, he did so on the hired armed cutter ''Idas'', rather than on ''Skylark'', as he thought that he could get closer in ''Idas''.〔Melville (1810), pp.43-44.〕 On 13 August she was part of a squadron under Sir Home Riggs Popham that pushed up the West Scheld, but saw no action. The squadron's task was to sound the river and emplace buoys to permit the larger vessels to navigate the river safely. She was among the myriad vessels listed as qualifying for the prize money from the campaign. ''Skylark'' and the hired armed cutter ''Gambier'' were in sight on 31 December when captured the ''François''. They therefore shared in the prize money. On 27 February 1810, ''Skylark'' recaptured the ship ''Ann''. When recaptured the brig ''Enterprize'', of Newcastle, on 13 December, ''Skylark'' shared in the prize money by agreement. That same day ''Skylark'' recaptured the ''Iris'', and ''Cordelia'' shared in the prize money by agreement. ''Skylark'' supported the boats of on 2 February 1811 when they cut out a merchant bring from on shore under the guns of two French batteries near Dieppe. Two days later ''Theban'' (in company with ''Skylark''), recaptured the ''Athill'' (or ''Atherid''). Five days after that, ''Skylark and captured the ''Pietre and Amelia''. On 10 November, ''Skylark'' and engaged the Boulogne flotilla. ''Skylark'' was seven miles NNE of Cape Gris Nez when Boxer sighted twelve French gun-brigs to his east, sailing along the coast. He gave chase and during the morning ''Locust'' appeared and joined in. Together, the two British vessels forced the French flotilla to shelter in the Calais roads. The British succeeded in cutting out gun-brig No. 26, which was armed with four 24-pounder guns and which had a crew of 60 men under the command of ''Enseigne de vaisseau'' Boucher, despite small-arms fire from the beach and cannon fire from shore batteries. The British also succeeded in driving the commodore of the flotilla on shore but Boxer called off his attempt to capture the commodore and his vessel when Boxer saw that a great number of troops from Calais had boarded the French vessel. Boxer credited Lieutenant John Gedge, captain of ''Locust'', with being the principal cause of the British success.〔''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 26, p. 494.〕 A prize money notice credited ''Skylark'' and ''Locust'' with capturing the French privateer ''Cannoniere'' the next day. However, this may have been gun-brig No. 26 given a generic name and mis-identified as a privateer. For his conduct, Gedge received promotion to the rank of Commander. Furthermore, in 1847 the Admiralty awarded the surviving claimants from ''Skylark'' and ''Locust'' the Naval General Service Medal with clasps "Skylark 11 Novr. 1811" and "Locust 11 Novr. 1811". ''Skylark'' was then in company with and ''Royalist'' when ''Royalist'' captured the French privateer ''Rondeur'' on 19 December.〔 ''Royalist'' captured her quarry after a two-hour chase in the Dover straits. ''Rodeur'', of 14 guns and 60 men, resisted capture, suffering one man killed and 11 wounded, and killing one man and wounding seven on ''Royalist'', before she surrendered. On 28 March 1812 ''Skylark'' seized the ''Ann of Weymouth''. 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 Skylark (1806)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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