Dart was a privateer sloop out of Saint John, New Brunswick during the War of 1812. Dart took 11 prizes in her five-month run and two cruises before an American ship captured her in October 1813. Dart is unique because a logbook of one of her voyages (22 May 1813 to 9 June 1813) survives at the Dalhousie University Archives along with full crew lists and the articles of agreement at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, which make Dart one of the best-documented privateer vessels of the War of 1812.[3][4]
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Actress |
| Captured | 18 July 1812 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Dart |
| Owner | Saint John, New Brunswick |
| Acquired | 1812 by purchase of a prize |
| Captured | 22 October 1813 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sloop |
| Tons burthen | 47 (bm) |
| Length | 60 ft (18.3 m) |
| Beam | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Complement | 25 |
| Armament | 4 carronades plus swivel guns. (Addition of a 12 pound carronade after her first voyage).[1][2] |
History edit
On 18 July 1812, HMS Spartan captured the American vessel Actress and took her to port in Saint John, New Brunswick as a prize, where she remained until being auctioned off to new owners. Her new owners renamed her Dart and fitted her out as a privateer. On 4 May 1813 she received her first letter of marque, and began stocking provisions for her first cruise under Captain John Harris. Dart met with success, bringing in three prizes by 10 June 1813.[5]
Dart received her second letter of marque on 14 July 1813 and undertook her second cruise this time under Captain James Ross. Again she met with success, taking eight more prizes. Dart continued raiding the seas off the coast of Maine and Massachusetts until 22 October 1813, when the U.S. revenue cutter Vigilant captured her and returned her to American ownership.[2]
Citations edit
- ^ "Privateer Sloop Dart 1813". Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ a b Snider (1928), pp. 52–83.
- ^ Nova Scotia Archives. "A Journal of the Proceedings on board the Sloop Dart Privateer of St. John New Brunswick, John Harris Commander, commencing May 22th [sic], 1813, Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections, William Inglis Morse Collection". Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ Kert (2005), p. 44.
- ^ Kert (2005), p. 49.
References edit
- Kert, Faye (2005). Trimming Yankee Sails: Pirates and Privateers of New Brunswick. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane Editions.
- Snider, C. H. J. (1928). Under the Red Jack: Privateers of the Maritime Provinces of Canada in the War of 1812. Toronto: Musson Book Company.