HMS Thistle (1812)

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

HMS Thistle was a 12-gun Bold-class gun-brig built by Mary Ross at Rochester, Kent. She was launched in 1812 and broken up at Portsmouth in July 1823.

Thistle
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Thistle
Ordered	16 November 1811
Builder	Mrs Mary Ross, Rochester, Kent
Laid down	March 1812
Launched	13 July 1812
Commissioned	12 September 1812
Fate	Broken up at Portsmouth July 1823
General characteristics [1]
Class & type	Bold-class gun-brig
Tons burthen	18639⁄94 bm
Length	84 ft 4+1⁄2 in (25.7 m) (overall) 70 ft 9+1⁄2 in (21.6 m) (keel)
Beam	22 ft 3 in (6.8 m)
Depth of hold	11 ft 0+1⁄2 in (3.4 m)
Sail plan	Brig
Complement	50
Armament	10 × 18-pounder carronades + 2 × 6-pounder bow chasers

Design and construction

The Bold class were a revival of Sir William Rule's Confounder-class gun-brig design of 1804. They were armed with ten 18-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder bow chasers. Built at Rochester, Kent by Mary Ross, Bold was launched on 13 July 1812 and commissioned on 12 September 1812 under Commander James K White.^[1]

Service

In early January 1814 during the War of 1812, some crew volunteered to reinforce the squadron on the Great Lakes, together with men from Fantome and Manly. Seventy men left Halifax; they reached Kingston, Ontario on 22 March, having traveled some 900 miles in winter, almost entirely on foot.^[2] Mathew Abdy, Master of Thistle was one such volunteer, but he died of exposure in Woodstock, New Brunswick in February 1814.^{[citation needed]} She was subsequently commanded by Lieutenant I. Burch during the operations in the Chesapeake, and was present during the actions at Washington and Baltimore.^[3] She was subsequently captained by Commander James Montague in autumn 1814.^[4]

Under the rules of prize-money, Herald shared in the proceeds of the capture of six American vessels in the Battle of Lake Borgne on 14 December 1814.^{[Note 1][Note 2]} After the Battle of Lake Borgne, Nymphe with Thistle, Herald, Pigmy and two bomb vessels, went up the Mississippi River to create a diversion.^[6] These latter five ships were to take part in the Siege of Fort St. Philip (1815).^[7] She returned to Great Britain after the end of the War of 1812, and was paid off on 7 August 1815.^[1]

Thistle was recommissioned in May 1819,^{[citation needed]} and was commanded by Lieutenant Robert Hagan, and deployed to the African station, under whose command he captured 40 sail of vessels and liberated 4000 slaves.^[8] She was broken up at Portsmouth in July 1823.^[1]

Notes

1. A first-class share of the prize money was worth £34 12s 9+1⁄4d; a sixth-class share, that of an ordinary seaman, was worth 7s 10+3⁄4d.^[5]
2. 'Notice is hereby given to the officers and companies of His Majesty's ships Aetna, Alceste, Anaconda, Armide, Asia, Bedford, Belle Poule, Borer, Bucephalus, Calliope, Carron, Cydnus, Dictator, Diomede, Dover, Fox, Gorgon, Herald, Hydra, Meteor, Norge, Nymphe, Pigmy, Ramillies, Royal Oak, Seahorse, Shelburne, Sophie, Thames, Thistle, Tonnant, Trave, Volcano, and Weser, that they will be paid their respective proportions of prize money.'