1808 - Stately and Nassau with Prindts-Christian-Frederic

Contents

Next Page

Previous Page

10 Pages >>>

10 Pages <<<

1808 Stately and Prindts-Christian-Frederic 31

Out of her 94 men and boys, the Seagull lost her second lieutenant (Abraham Harcourt White), master (Andrew Martin), three seamen, and three marines killed, her captain (severely), first lieutenant (Villiers T. Hatton, dangerously), boatswain (Thomas Wilson), 11 seamen, and six marines wounded. Scarcely could the wounded and the remaining survivors of her crew be removed, ere the Seagull went down ; thereby affording an incontestable proof, that her damages had been of the utmost magnitude, and that, in protracting their resistance so long, her officers and crew had acquitted themselves like British seamen.

The Lougen out of her 160 men and boys, appears to have had one man killed and 13 wounded, and was much damaged. The loss sustained by the gun-boats cannot be ascertained. The Seagull was afterwards weighed by the Danes, and added to their navy. For his gallant defence of her, Captain Cathcart, as soon as he returned home, was promoted to post-rank.

On the 22d of March, at 2 P.M., the British 64-gun ships Stately, Captain George Parker, and Nassau, Captain Robert Campbell, proceeding towards the Great Belt, descried and chased a strange sail. At 4 p.m., Greenall on the Jutland coast bearing north-west by west distant 40 miles, the stranger was made out to be an enemy, and at 5 p.m., a Danish ship of the line, having evidently the intention, if no other mode of escape offered, of running herself on shore.

At 7 h. 40 m. p.m. the Nassau got up with, and opened her fire upon, the Danish 74-gun ship Prindts-Christian-Frederic, Captain Jessen ; and, in a few minutes afterwards, the Stately closed and did the same. A running fight was thus maintained, with great obstinacy on the part of the 74, until 9 h. 30 m. p.m., when the Prindts-Christian-Frederic struck her colours. At this time the latter was within less than 500 yards of the shore of Zealand ; and, before the first lieutenant of the Stately, Mr. David Sloan, who had gone on board to take possession, could cut away her anchor, the prize grounded. The two British ships, fortunately for them, had already brought up near her. The remaining part of the night was employed in removing the prisoners ; but it was found impossible to get the captured ship afloat. On the 23d, in the evening, as the Danes were preparing their artillery on the coast, and as the wind blew strong on the shore and a good deal of sea was running, the Prindts-Christian-Frederic was set on fire by her captors, and in a short time blew up.

The loss on the part of the Stately was two seamen and two marines killed, and one lieutenant (Edward Cole), the boatswain (John Liming), one master's mate (James Davis), 23 seamen, and two marines wounded. The Nassau had one seaman killed and one missing, and one first-class volunteer (Edward J. Johnson), 10 seamen, and five marines wounded ; total, on the side of the British, five killed and 45 wounded and missing. The

^ back to top ^