HMS Wagtail was a Royal Navy Cuckoo-class schooner launched in 1806 by James Lovewell at Great Yarmouth.[1] Like many of her class and the related Ballahoo-class schooners, she succumbed to the perils of the sea relatively early in her career.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Wagtail |
| Ordered | 11 December 1805 |
| Builder | James Lovewell, Great Yarmouth |
| Laid down | February 1806 |
| Launched | 12 April 1806 |
| Fate | Wrecked 13 February 1807 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type | Cuckoo-class schooner |
| Tons burthen | 751⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 18 ft 3 in (5.6 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Depth of hold | 8 ft 5 in (2.6 m) |
| Sail plan | Schooner |
| Complement | 20 |
| Armament | 4 x 12-pounder carronades |
She was commissioned in 1806 under Lieutenant William Cullis.[1] She was wrecked on 13 February 1807 at Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel in the Azores, three hours after her sister ship Woodcock was wrecked, and near Woodcock's water-logged remains.[2] Both vessels had been anchored in the shelter of an islet off the town when a gale came up. Because of the storm they were unable to clear the land.[2]
Wagtail's cables held until 8 pm. Then her cables parted, and with waves breaking over her, Cullis ran her ashore. One man of the 18 men in her crew drowned.[3]
Citations edit
- ^ a b c Winfield (2008), p. 361.
- ^ a b Gosset (1986), pp. 56–7.
- ^ Hepper (2023), p. 248.
References edit
- Gosset, William Patrick (1986). The lost ships of the Royal Navy, 1793-1900. Mansell. ISBN 0-7201-1816-6.
- Hepper, David J. (2023). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1649-1860. Seaforth. ISBN 9781399031028.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-246-1.