HMS Laura (1806)

HMS "Laura" was an of the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Bermuda. "Laura" served during the Napoleonic Wars before a French privateer captured her at the beginning of the War of 1812. She was briefly an American letter of marque before the British recaptured her in 1813. Despite having recaptured her, the British did not return "Laura" to service.
Adonis-class schooners.
"Laura" was built at Bermuda of the pencil cedar . The "Adonis"-class schooners were a little larger and much better armed than the "Ballahoo"- and "Cuckoo"-class schooners that they followed. The Admiralty's intent was to improve survivability of these dispatch boats.
Service.
In March 1806 "Laura" was commissioned under Lieutenant Joseph R.R. Webb, for the Channel.
In 1807 Lieutenant Robert Yetts took command and on 28 March he sailed "Laura" for the Leeward Islands. On 4 August 1807, "Laura" was in company with the schooner "Ballahoo", of four guns, when they encountered the French letter of marque brig "Rhone" some 16 miles north of Tobago. After a running fight of several hours, they captured "Rhone" after she had suffered two dead and five wounded out of her crew of 26; the British had no casualties. "Rhone", under the command of Francis Goureu, was of 90 tons (bm), mounted six long 6-pounder guns, and was 10 days out from Martinique, having captured nothing.
In 1809 Lieutenant Charles Newton Hunter took command in the Leeward Islands. On 6 February 1810 "Laura" was present at the surrender of Guadeloupe. In 1847 the Admiralty the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Guadaloupe" to all surviving claimants from the campaign.
Capture.
In August 1812 "Laura" was escorting convoys but on 8 September she encountered the French privateer brig "Diligent", under Alexis Grassin, off the Delaware River. "Laura" had just captured three American prizes and was in the process of taking a fourth when "Diligent" arrived on the scene. Hunter recalled his boat and her men from the prize and sailed to engage, even though he knew from his third prize that "Diligent" out-manned and outgunned "Laura".
"Laura's" crew had been reduced to 41 men because of the need to man the prizes she had taken, and she was short of officers for the same reason. The need to guard 25 American prisoners further reduced her effective strength. At the time of the engagement, "Laura" carried two short 9-pounders in addition to her ten 18-pounder carronades, while "Diligent" normally carried 16 French 24-pounder carronades and two long 12-pounder guns. However, "Diligent" had stowed three of her cannon in the hold for stability in a recent gale. She also had a crew of 97 men rather than her usual 120.
The two vessels exchanged fire for an hour. Fire from "Diligent" wounded Hunter and the sole remaining officer, Midshipman John Griffith, and killed or wounded 13 of "Lauras" crew of 41. Consequently, the crew hardly resisted when the French finally were able to board. "Lloyd's List" reported that "Laura" had lost one man killed and six wounded out of her crew of 48 men, and that "Diligent" had lost one man killed and nine wounded out of her crew of 78 men.
Captain Grassin of "Diligent" took his prize to Philadelphia. One of "Laura"s prizes was the "Rising States", which "Diligent" recaptured and sent into Philadelphia; "Rising states" arrived there on 12 September.
At his court martial at Halifax the Board acquitted Hunter for the loss of "Laura". The combination of "Laura"s loss and the belief "Diligent" had also had heavy casualties of nine killed and 10 wounded provided clear evidence that Hunter had done his utmost. However, the board condemned Seaman James Cooper, who had surrendered "Laura" while Hunter was having his wounds dressed, to death. Later his sentence was reduced to seven years transportation.
The month before her encounter with "Laura", "Diligent" had captured the schooner "Whiting", one of the smaller "Ballahoo" class schooners.
Fate.
"Laura" became the American letter of marque "Hebe", John Picarare (or Picarrere), master, of two guns and 15 men. In April 1813, the British fifth-rate frigates and recaptured her as she was sailing to Bordeaux or Nantes. However, the Admiralty did not take her back into service.
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