HMS Recruit ( 1806 ) HMS " Recruit " was an 18 - gun " Cruizer " class brig - sloop of the Royal Navy , launched in 1806 at Sandwich , Kent . She is best known for an act of pique by Cmdr . Warwick Lake , who marooned a seaman , and for an inconclusive but hard fought ship action under Cmdr . Charles John Napier against the French corvette " Diligente " . She captured a number of American vessels as prizes during the War of 1812 before being laid up in 1815 and sold for breaking up in 1822 . " Recruit " was ordered on 27 January 1806 from the shipwright Andrew Hills , of Sandwich , Kent . She was laid down in April 1806 and launched on 31 August 1806 . Napoleonic Wars . The marooning of Seaman Jeffery . " Recruit " was commissioned under Commander George Ackholm in March 1807 , and then in July sailed to the Caribbean under Commander Warwick Lake . During the voyage , a young sailor named Robert Jeffery was discovered to have stolen the midshipmen ' s beer and Lake furiously ordered him to be marooned on the island of Sombrero . ( Jeffery had been born at Fowey but moved to Polperro before becoming a merchant seaman and was then pressganged into the navy . ) Some months later , Lake ' s commanding officer Sir Alexander Cochrane discovered what had happened and immediately ordered Lake to retrieve Jeffery . When " Recruit " arrived at Sombrero , Jeffery could not be found . Eventually the story got out and a court martial dismissed Lake from the service for his actions . As it turned out , Jeffery had been picked up by an American ship and was eventually discovered in Massachusetts three years later , working as a blacksmith . He returned to Britain and received compensation . Captain Charles Napier . Command passed to Commander Charles Napier , who led " Recruit " into action against the French corvette " Diligente " , under Jean - François Lemaresquier , on 6 September 1808 . The action was fierce and resulted in " Recruit " losing her mainmast and suffering heavy casualties , including Napier , whose leg was broken by a cannon shot . " Diligente " was only driven off after a lucky shot from " Recruit " ignited an ammunition store . " Recruit " lost six killed and 23 wounded , half of them mortally , out of a crew of 106 . Following repairs , " Recruit " participated in the invasion of Martinique in January 1809 . Napier observed that Fort Edward at Fort Royal Bay appeared abandoned . He took a gig and with four men , landed , scaled the fort ' s walls , and hoisted a British flag . Sir Alexander Cochrane immediately landed marines to occupy the fort and turn its mortars , which had not been spiked , against the French . In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp " Martinique " to all survivors of the campaign . Shortly thereafter , Napier received promotion to Post - captain and appointment to command of " Jason " , but remained with " Recruit " for a few more months , participating in the defeat of a French reinforcement squadron in April . During the engagement , Napier was instrumental in maintaining contact with the French force , harrying their flagship " D ' Hautpoult " continuously at some great risk to " Recruit " that only Napier ' s skillful ship handling mitigated . " Recruit " was present at the surrender of the " D ' Hautpoult " and Napier was temporarily appointed to command the captured ship of the line , but then transferred to " Jason " and sailed her back to Britain . However , on his arrival the Admiralty confirmed his rank but not his appointment , and he was put on half - pay . " Jason " s new captain was the Hon . Captain King , who had been Napier ' s passenger on " Jason " . Napier protested to the Admiralty that had he not stayed on " Recruit " and contributed to the capture of the " D ' Hautpoult " he would have received a command , but to no avail . In June 1809 command of " Recruit " transferred to Commander James Murray and then in May 1810 to Commander John Cookesley . War of 1812 . In December 1810 Commander Humphrey Senhouse took command and later sailed " Recruit " back to Britain . In 1811 , " Recruit " was at Spithead . She sailed for North America on 9 November 1811 . She was at Halifax , Nova Scotia at the outbreak of the War of 1812 . In 1813 , " Recruit " was trapped in ice off Cape Breton where over half her complement were taken ill with sicknesses related to a lack of fresh vegetables . When Lieutenant George Pechell ( acting commander ) took command of " Recruit " for his first cruise that summer , she had only half her normal crew . In May , " Recruit " drove the letter of marque schooner " Inca " ashore off Georgia . " Inca " was armed with six guns and carried a crew of 35 men . On 10 July " Recruit " captured the privateer " Yorktown " , and eight days later she captured the privateer " Lavinia " . Then on 20 August she captured the American brig " King George " . On 4 January 1814 she captured the merchantman " Mary Ann " . Commander Thomas Sykes assumed command in February , and on 10 August she captured the American merchantman " Federalist " . Sykes ' successor in 1815 was Commander John Lawrence . Fate . On 13 June 1815 , " Recruit " was paid off into ordinary at Plymouth . She was sold to R . Forbes on 7 August 1822 for ₤1 , 050 .