HMS Wagtail (1806)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Wagtail.

History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Wagtail
Ordered11 December 1805
BuilderJames Lovewell, Great Yarmouth
Laid downFebruary 1806
Launched12 April 1806
FateWrecked 13 February 1807
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeCuckoo-class schooner
Tons burthen751⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 56 ft 4 in (17.2 m) (overall)
  • 42 ft 4+1⁄8 in (12.9 m) (keel)
Beam18 ft 3 in (5.6 m)
Draught
  • Unladen: 5 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.6 m)
  • Laden: 7 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.3 m)
Depth of hold8 ft 5 in (2.6 m)
Sail planSchooner
Complement20
Armament4 × 12-pounder carronades

HMS Wagtail was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner launched in 1806 by James Lovewell at Great Yarmouth.[1] Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.

She was commissioned in 1806 under Lieutenant William Cullis.[1] She was wrecked on 13 February 1807 at Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel in the Azores, three hours after her sister ship Woodcock was wrecked, and near Woodcock's water-logged remains.[2] Both vessels had been anchored in the shelter of an islet off the town when a gale came up. Because of the storm they were unable to clear the land.[2]

Wagtail's cables held until 8 pm. Then her cables parted, and with waves breaking over her, Cullis ran her ashore. One man of the 18 men in her crew drowned.[3]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Winfield (2008), p. 361.
  2. ^ a b Gosset (1986), pp. 56–7.
  3. ^ Hepper (2023), p. 248.

References

  • Gosset, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.
  • Hepper, David J. (2023). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1649-1860. Seaforth. ISBN 9781399031028.
  • Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-246-1.