Driver, 1796
Type: Sloop ; Armament 16
Launched : 1796 ; Disposal date or year : 1834
Notes:

6 Jan 1799 Harwich, arrived from the Downs, and remains.

30 Nov 1799 with the Vigilant hired cutter in company, captured the French privateer Barras, 14 guns, 57 men, of Dunkirk, out 4 days from Ostend, off the Texel.

2 Mar 1801 departed Leith Roads yesterday forenoon, in quest of a privateer that appeared off Berwick, where it had captured the Berwick smack Ceres, bound to London, off Sunderland, the crew making their escape in a boat. The Addison, also a smack, was boarded by the same privateer, after running her ashore off Sunderland, but were unable to get her off and abandoned her. Similar problems had been experienced of Whitby in recent weeks.

11 May 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth.

26 May 1801 departed Sheerness, the Driver, Capt Dunbar, with a convoy to the Northward.

2 Aug 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the sloops Driver, and Favourite, and cutter Trial, from a cruise.

9 Aug 1801 departed N. Yarmouth, the Shannon, frigate ; Phoenix, lugger ; and Ready, Safeguard, gun brigs, Veteran, 64 ; Driver, and Inspector, sloops ; and Speedwell, brig.

19 Aug 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the Prosperina, E.G. Corn, from Cronstadt, to Amsterdam, with goods, sent in by the Driver.

20 Aug 1801 sent into N. Yarmouth the Johanna, Capt Martin, with timber and deals, from Norway ; and the Hope and Vissau, Capt Klentenburg, with salt fish for Embden, both detained by the Driver, Capt Dunbar.

1 Sep 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth from a cruise the sloop Driver with her prize, the Enterprise, Pasterius, from Amsterdam, with goods for Lisbon.

15 Sep 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the Norden, from Amsterdam, laden with goods for Lisbon, detained by the Driver.

5 Oct 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the Vrow Nowdres, Jan Depher, and Antonus, C. Guit, from London, bound to Rotterdam, laden with sugar and coffee, sent in by the Driver.

16 Oct 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the Anna Catherina, F.J. Wiper, from Hamburgh ; and the Brien J. Arinons, from Amsterdam, detained and sent in by the Driver.

18 Oct 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth the Carolina Wilhelmina, Derk Henilken, master, from Archangel, to Amsterdam, with rye and linseed, sent in by the Driver.

19 Oct 1801 departed N. Yarmouth, with the lugger, Speculator, and the Ruby, 64, for a cruise off Goree.

22 Nov 1801 arrived N. Yarmouth with the sloop Ranger and remains with the Blenheim and fleet. Wind NNW.

21 Jan 1802 arrived N. Yarmouth the Driver sloop, from a cruise.

25 Jan 1802 an inquiry was held on board into the accusation of embezzlement of stores etc., which was stated to have been unfounded.

16 May 1802 the frigate Amphion and sloop Driver were joined by the sloop Lynx in the Roads at N. Yarmouth, from a cruise, and remain. Wind ENE.

28 May 1802 arrived N. Yarmouth Roads.

29 Jun 1802 arrived Sheerness from a cruise.

Circa 13 Jul 1802 Captain Fane, apptd to the Driver.

13 Aug 1802 a Court Martial was held at Chatham, on board the Tamar, on the Boatswain and his Mate, belonging to the Driver, of 18 guns. The former was acquitted, and the latter sentenced to receive 200 lashes.

1 Nov 1802 passed through the Downs for N. Yarmouth.

2 Nov 1802 arrived N. Yarmouth, and departed on a cruise.

6 Nov 1802 remains in the Downs with the Immortalite, Topaze, Jamaica, Magicienne, Clyde frigates ; Snipe gun brig ; Diligent store ship.

10 Nov 1802 departed the Downs for the Westward.

18 Nov 1802 arrived in the Downs, the Driver, Capt Fane, from a cruise.

26 Nov 1802 departed the Downs for Sheerness.

3 Dec 1802 arrived Sheerness.

16 Dec 1802 arrived in the Downs from Sheerness and remains.

24 Dec 1802 remain in the Downs the Penelope, Capt Broughton ; Immortalite, Owen ; and Jamaica, Rose, frigates ; and Arrow, Vincent ; Driver, Fane, sloops.

5 Jan 1803 departed the Downs for Woolwich.

29 Apr 1803 arrived Sheerness, the Driver, Capt Fane.

6 May 1803 departed the Downs for Portsmouth.

7 May 1803 arrived Spithead from the Downs.

Circa 26 Jul 1803 the Leander, 50, departed Halifax, NS, with the Cambrian, 44 ; Driver, 16 ; and Lilly, 14 ; on a cruise.

Circa 12 Sep 1803 Capt Fare of the Driver, to be Sir A. Mitchell's Captain in the Leander. Lieut Compton, of the Leander, apptd pro tempore to the Driver.

May 1805 Bahamas

25 Apr 1806 the incident which brought about the case involving the American coasting-sloop Richard, Jesse Pierce, master, and the death of his brother John Pierce.

8-10 Feb 1809 Asp, Sup�rieure, Latona, Horatio, and Driver, cruising to the southward of the Virgin islands, captured the French 40-gun frigate Junon, which was taken to Halifax, repaired, and commissioned under the same name in the British navy.

Sierra Leone 20 Jun 1822 Is reported to have arrived from Portsmouth.

19 Aug 1822, detained, after a chase of 20 hours, in lat. 3� 0' N. long. 6� 35' E., the Spanish slave vessel Josefa, alias Maracayera, Josef Mayona, Master, 90 tons, 1 x 24 pdr gun, 28 men, 216 slaves embarked in the R Bonny, bound for Havannah, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Spanish Mixed Court of Justice, Sierra Leone, and sentenced to be condemned.

7 Sep 1822, detained in the River Cameroons the Portuguese slave vessel Commerciante, 249 tons, 30 men, 4 guns, Domingos Ribeiro Folha, master, Francisco Nasa del Nobie, owner, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and sentenced to be condemned on 7 Dec 1822, and 167 slaves were emancipated, 13 having died on the passage down to Sierra Leone from the date they embarked.

May 1823 While the Bann remained at the Island of Ascension, His Majesty's sloop Driver arrived at the same place, from the African station, in perfect health ; the latter vessel had previously been in the river of Sierra Leone, subject to the same causes as the Bann, so far as Captain Phillips, Capt of the Bann, knows ; but he is not acquainted whether she had communication with the Caroline timber-ship. Soon after her arrival at Ascension two clerks were sent on board the Bann, one of them to act as purser, and the other to make up the accounts of Captain Phillips ; one died with fever, the other was seized with a bilious attack, of which he recovered ; while Lieutenant King and Mr. Sinclair, who visited the Bann at the same time, both escaped. It appears, by the official returns from the Driver, however, that three in the whole were taken ill with the prevailing fever, two of whom were sent on shore, and one died on board; and the captain very properly put to sea, and used every precaution ; and with these three cases the disease ceased."

Jul 1830 Convict Ship, Deptford