HMS Childers (1778)
HMS "Childers" was a brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy, initially armed with 10 carriage guns which were later increased to 14 guns. The first brig-sloop to be built for the Navy, she was ordered from a commercial builder during the early years of the American War of Independence, and went on to support operations in the English Channel and the Caribbean. Laid up for a time after the end of the American War of Independence, she returned to service shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. She had an active career in  both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, capturing numerous French privateers and during the Gunboat War participated in a noteworthy single-ship action. The navy withdrew her from service at the beginning of 1811, at which time she was broken up. Construction and commissioning. James Mentone, a notable builder of fast vessels at Limehouse, built "Childers", one of only two vessels he built for the navy. Although the design was nominally attributed to the Surveyor of the Navy, Sir John Williams, it was approved beforehand on 16 July 1778 as "adopted from a current merchant ship design" and was probably  prepared by Mentone before Williams adapted it to meet Admiralty needs. The lines and hull form were those normally found in cutters rather than in the conventional ship-rigged sloops with three masts then prevalent in British naval service. She was initially described as simply a "brig", but was re-registered and established as a sloop on 6 August 1779. Launched in September 1778, she was commissioned in October under Commander William Peacock. After the Admiral Rodney's victory at the battle of Cape St. Vincent, "Childers", under the command of Captain M'Bride, brought back the dispatches to Britain. However , although she left ten days before , which was carrying the duplicates, "Hyaena" arrived two days earlier. French Revolutionary War. Commander Robert Barlow recommissioned "Childers" in January 1791. At this time she was employed in the suppression of smuggling. In 1793 "Childers" was involved in what became known as the "Childers" Incident at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. "Childers" was the first British warship to be involved in hostilities with the Revolutionary French regime. On 2 January 1793, she was sailing the roadstead of Brest when the forts there fired on her, though only one shot struck her. The  48-pound shot hit a gun and split into three parts, but did not cause any casualties. France did not declare war on Britain until 1 February. "Childers" captured the French privateer "Patriote" off the Graveline on 15 February. One month later, on 14 March she destroyed the French privateer "Triton". In June 1793 Commander Joshua Mullock took command of "Childers". Commander Robert Warburton replaced Mullock in March 1794. In March 1795 the newly promoted Commander Richard Dacres assumed command of "Childers". , , , "Childers", and the gun-brigs and shared in the proceeds of the capture on 6 July of the  Latitia. In August Dacres and "Childers" sailed "with the squadron which was sent to convoy the transports to Quiberon Bay". On 8 September 1795 "Childers" rejoined Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith in "Diamond" off the Rock Douvre, about eight leagues S by SW from Saint Martin's Point, Guernsey. On his way, Dacres captured the French Coast guard cutter "Vigilant" (or "Vigilante"), of six guns, in the Bay of Saint Brieux. This was on 3 September. The day before, "Diamond" had destroyed the French corvette "Assemblee Nationale", and as part of Smith's squadron, "Childers" shared in the head money  for the corvette. Dacres was promoted to post captain and command of on 31 October. In December Command Stephen Poyntz assumed command of "Childers". On 10 April 1796 "Diamond", , "Childers", "Camilla", and "Syren" captured "Smuka Piga". Nineteen days later, , "Diamond", , "Syren", "Magicienne", and "Camilla", were together when "Acquilon" captured "Mary". "Childers" shared in the prize money by agreement with "Acquilon". On 16 September "Childers" captured the French privateer "Bon Esperence", off Cape Barfleur. "Bon Esperence", of two swivel guns and 23 men, was three days out of Cherbourg and had captured the sloop "Mary Ann", of Queenborough, sailing from Plymouth  to London and Woolwich with naval stores and ordnance. Shortly thereafter, "Childers" was able to recapture the "Mary Ann". Poyntz sent both "Bon Esperence" and "Mary Ann" into Portsmouth under escort by the cutter . Towards the end of the month, on the 28th, "Childers" captured the ship "Anna Louisa". Commander James O'Brien (or O'Bryen) was appointed captain of "Childers" on 5 December, and took command in January 1797. On 11 May "Childers", in company with , , and the hired armed lugger "Duke of York", captured the "Nouvelle Eugénie". She was a razee privateer of 16 guns and carried a crew of  120 men. She was four days out of Nantes on a 30-day cruise, but had taken no prizes. , , , "Melpomene", and "Childers" shared in the proceeds of the capture on 10 September 1797 of the "Tordenskiold". "Childers" brought into Portsmouth on 28 October the French privateer schooner "Furet", pierced for 14 guns but carrying only four 4-pounders, and having a crew of 50 men. "Childers" had been in company with the frigate when they captured the remarkably fast sailing "Furet" four days earlier as she was sailing between Île de Batz and Alreverak her way back to Tregnier. The  privateer had been out three weeks and had made only one capture before herself falling prey to the British. Then on 11 January 1798, "Childers" was in company with "Indefatigable" and when they captured the French privateer schooner "Vengeur", of 12 guns and 72 men. She was quite new and only eight days out of Ostend without having made any captures. Sir Edward Pellew, of "Indefatigable", sent her into Falmouth. Between 15 October 1797 and 27 May 1798, "Childers" captured another privateer, a merchant vessel, and recaptured two merchant vessels as well. The privateer was the "Tartare", and the merchant  vessel was the "Twee Gysberts". The recaptured ships were the "Racehorse" and the "Helen". On 4 August "Aventurier" was under the command of Lieutenant René-Guillaume Raffi (or Raffy) and anchored in the port of Corréjou or Corigiou. Here the boats of and "Childers" cut her out. British casualties were one man killed, one missing and four wounded. The French casualties were 16 wounded, several mortally. The attack took place at night and in bad weather. To get "Aventurier" out of the port took two hours because of the weather conditions and took place under fire from the forts that  protected the port. All-in-all, the operation was a daring and arduous one. The subsequent court martial of Lieutenant Raffi, who had been wounded at the start of the attack on his vessel, acquitted him for the loss. She was brought into British service as HMS "Aventurier". In March 1799 Commander James Coutts Crawford assumed command of "Childers". On 4 May "Childers" and the frigate arrived at the Bay of Cadiz and notified Vice-Admiral Lord Keith, commander of the British fleet there, that the French fleet had sailed from Brest and that the Spanish fleet had sailed from  Ferrol. The next day the French fleet arrived off Cadiz and Keith sailed to meet them. However no engagement developed and Keith sailed into Gibraltar on 9 May. In the meantime, "Childers" had arrived at Gibraltar on the 4th. Lord St Vincent gathered his forces with a view to pursuing the French, who had traversed the Straits of Gibraltar on the 5th. "Childers" returned to Plymouth. On 8 October she escorted the " East India store ship" from Plymouth to The Downs. On 26 April, "Diamond" and "Childers" captured the French brig "St Charles". Five days later, "Childers" and were in  sight when the gun-vessel recaptured the brig "Adventure", of London, while . That same day they also recaptured the "Amy". On 24 October, "Childers" captured the Spanish privateer lugger "Diligenté". "Diligenté" was armed with two 4-pounder guns and four swivel guns, and had a crew of 30 men. She was three days out of Vigo and had taken no prizes. "Childers" came into Portsmouth in February 1801. She had left Lisbon three weeks earlier, escorting 12 merchant vessels and transports. As she went into Portsmouth the convoy sailed on to the Downs. Seven plus months later, on 11 September , "Childers" captured the French brig "Sally". "Childers" shared the proceeds with and . Crawford received promotion to post-captain on 29 April 1802. Commander John Delafons replaced Crawford briefly as he took command in July, and she was paid off in November. When Earl St Vincent and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the Commissioners' yacht visited Plymouth on an inspection tour on 27 August, and "Childers" fired a salute. The two vessels then moved to Cawsand Bay to remain there for the duration of the visit. They were still there on 5 September. Napoleonic Wars. Commander Sir William Bolton  commissioned "Childers" in August 1803 for the Mediterranean.