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USS ''Rattlesnake'' was a brig built in Medford, Massachusetts as a privateer that the United States Navy purchased in 1813. ''Rattlesnake'' captured numerous British merchant vessels before captured her in mid-1814. The Royal Navy apparently purchased her at Nova Scotia, but there is no record of her subsequent career. ==Career== She sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire 10 January 1814, under the command of Master Commandant John O. Creighton, and sailed with cruising the Caribbean. The two ships took three prizes prior to their separation which was forced by a more heavily gunned British ship on 25 February. ''Rattlesnake'', fleeing back to more friendly waters, put into Wilmington, North Carolina on 9 March. together, ''Rattlesnake'' and ''Enterprise'' had taken five prizes:〔''Lloyd's List'',().〕 *Brig ''Rambler'', which had been sailing from Cap-Français to St thomas with a cargo of coffee before the Americans captured and burnt her; *A Spanish brig, retaken from , which arrived in Wilmington; *Swedish ship ''Societe'', Martison, master, had been bound to St Amelia and went into St Marys; *''Mars'', a privateer, of Nassau, arrived at Wilmington; and *Schooner ''Eliza'', which had been sailing from Nassau to Pensacola. ''Rattlesnake'' was soon back at sea under the command of Lt. James Renshaw. She apparently captured some eight merchant vessels in the eastern Atlantic, north of the equator. On 31 May she encountered a British frigate, but escaped by throwing all but two of her guns overboard. She then captured two more merchant vessels. In June she captured and destroyed the ''John'', Geddes, master, which had been sailing from Liverpool to Oporto.〔''Lloyd's List''() - accessed 24 November 2014.〕 Before 11 July she captured and destroyed the ''Crown Prince'' of Poole, Street, master, which had been sailing from Newfoundland to Alicante.〔''Lloyd's List'', 12 August 1814() - accessed 24 November 2013.〕 ''Rattlesnake''s depredations ended (arguably) on 22 June when the 50-gun British frigate ''Leander'' captured her off Cape Sable, the southern point of the island of the same name which lies off Nova Scotia. ''Leander'' was renowned for her speed, especially in the heavy weather conditions on the day of Rattlesnake's capture. The letter from Captain George Collier of ''Leander'' is dated 11 July and states that ''Rattlesnake'' was armed with 22 guns, all of which she had thrown overboard during the chase, and that she had a crew of 131 men. The records of the Vice admiralty court at Halifax give the date of capture as 7 July, which is more consistent with the letter reporting the capture than is 22 June. It is also more consistent with the report in ''Lloyd's List'' that ''Rattlesnake'' went into Halifax on 13 July.〔''Lloyd's List'', 12 August 1814() - accessed 24 November 2013.〕 In any case, the Halifax Dockyard reported on 31 July 1814 that the Royal Navy had purchased the vessel. However, no further record exists.〔Winfield (2008), p.323.〕 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「USS Rattlesnake (1813)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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