Hired armed cutter Courier
His Majesty's hired armed cutter "Courier" appears twice in the records of the British Royal Navy. The size and armament suggests that both contracts could represent the same vessel, but other information indicates that the second "Courier" had been captured from the French in the West Indies. On the first contract the captain and crew were awarded clasps to the Naval General Service Medal, one for a boat action and one for a single ship action in which they distinguished themselves. First contract. The first contract for "Courier" was from 6 June 1798 to 1  November 1801. She was of 116 tons (bm) and carried an armament of twelve 4-pounder guns. She had a crew of 40 men. In 1799 she was under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Searle, in the North Sea. On 15 April he recaptured the "Nelly" from the French privateer "Vengeur". On 16 April, "Courier" was in company with , and when they captured the Prussian hoy "Dolphin". Then on 2 May, , with "Courier" in company, captured "Vreeda". On 12 May, while off Winterton on the coast of Norfolk, "Courier" engaged a French 16-gun privateer. The French brig was attacking  a British merchant sloop when "Courier" intervened. The brig was armed with 16 guns, mixed 6 and 9-pounders. After an hour and forty minutes of fighting, the privateer chose to take advantage of the wind and her better sailing qualities and escaped in the darkness and thick weather. "Courier" tried to chase her but lost her after midnight. "Courier" had five men wounded in the action. "Latona" and "Ranger" assisted in the action. The next day "Courier" captured the French brig's consort, the privateer schooner "Ribotteur", off the Texel. "Ribotteur" had a crew of 26 men and was  pierced for six guns but carried four 3-pounders, having thrown two overboard during the chase. "Ribotteur" did not resist. During the action "Courier" observed another privateer, a lugger, in the distance, that remained aloof from the action. On 26 June "Courier" and captured "Twee Gesisters". On 1 July, "Courier" captured the brig "Frederick". Then on 10 July "Courier" was a part of a small squadron consisting of "Circe", , , and the hired armed cutter "Nancy", all under the command of Captain R. Winthrop of "Circe". The boats of the squadron rowed for 15 or 16 hours into the Watt at  the back of Ameland. There they captured three merchant vessels carrying sugar, wine, and brandy, and destroyed a galliot loaded with ordnance and stores. Between 18 July and 1 August, "Courier", "Circe", "Pylades", "Espiegle", and "Nancy" captured "Marguerita Sophia", "Twee Gesister", "Twee Gebroders" (Master, Vink) "Twee Gebroders" (Master, Nolholt), "Jussrow Maria Christina", "Vrow Henterje Marguaritha", "Stadt Oldenburg", "Vrow Antje", "Vrow Gesina", "Endraght", and "Frederick". Between 11 and 12 August, "Pylades", a 16-gun sloop under the command of Adam Mackenzie, accompanied by the 16-gun brig-sloop "Espiegle", and "Courier", attacked the former British gun-brig , moored between the island  of Schiermonnikoog and Groningen. "Courier" started the action, which resulted in "Crash" surrendering after the two sloops joined in. "Pylades" lost one man killed and two wounded. "Crash" had a crew of 60 men and was armed with 12 carronades. The British also captured a schooner, which MacKenzie armed with two carronades and named "Undaunted". The boats of the squadron, now including boats and men from "Latona" and , then attacked the 6-gun Dutch schooner "Vengeance" and a battery on Schiermonnikoog. The British were able to burn the schooner on the second attempt and to spike the guns of the  battery. The squadron's boats also captured a number of Dutch schuyts. During the attack "Courier" grounded and was only saved with some difficulty. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issue to the surviving claimants of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Schiermonnikoog 12 Augt. 1799". "Latona", "Astrea", "Cruizer", "Pylades", "Ranger", , "Courier", hired armed lugger "Speculator", and the hired armed cutters "Fox" and "Diligent" captured "Aeolus", "Jonge Picter ", "Vrow Alyda", "Verwagting", "Vinnern", and "Almindeligheden". The same British vessels were also involved in the capture of "Neptunus", "Sen Soskende", "Bornholm", "Fabius", "Zee Star", and "Frou Eagle". On 21 November, "Courier  sailed from Yarmouth and on the afternoon of the following day saw a suspicious sail stopping a bark. Searle passed the bark, which reported that the other vessel was an enemy. Courier" gave chase and came up with her the next morning 10 or 12 leagues off Lowestoft. After a close action of 50 minutes "Courier" captured the French privateer cutter "Guerrier". "Guerrier" carried fourteen 4-pounder guns, had a crew of 44 men, and was commanded by Citizen Felix L. Sallemand. During her five days out of Dunkirk she had captured "Nile", a brig from London carrying coal. "Courier  lost her master, Mr Stephen Marsh, who was killed at the start of the action, and also had two seamen wounded. The French had four killed and six wounded. Searle later received a promotion to Commander dated 23 November. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp Courier 23 Novr. 1799" for this action. In December 1800 "Courier" was obliged to quit her station between the Humber and Flamborough Head after an action with a French privateer a few days earlier. Second contract. The contract for this "Courier" was from 23 July 1804  to 18 August 1806. She was a cutter of 114 tons burthen and carried twelve 4-pounder guns. Her commander throughout the contract was Lieutenant James Boxer. "Courier" served off Boulogne, Ushant and Rochester. At the end of her contract she was returned to her owners. On 12 December 1804 "Courier" was with the hired armed cutter "Countess of Elgin" and the hired armed schooner "Charlotte", when they recaptured the ship "New Concord". Then on 2 September 1805, "Courier" alone captured the French schooner "Angelique". During the second half of 1805, "Courier" returned to the Downs in a battered state  after having engaged a shore battery. While on patrol, she had recovered a warship's boat, together with a lieutenant and 16 men. Shortly thereafter she spotted a French privateer lugger sheltering under the protection of a shore battery. "Courier" attempted to cut out the lugger but came under fire from the battery's 24-pounders and a 12-pounder field piece on shore. Because of the shallowness of the water and the lack of wind, "Courier" was unable to proceed further. Having sustained serious damage she gave up the attempt. During the action Lieutenant Nainby from the sloop was  killed, as were two other men, and one man was wounded. (Presumably the men that "Courier" had earlier recovered were from "Megaera"). Letters of marque. Three letters of marque were issued to a ship or ships named "Courier". The first may have been the same vessel as the first contract hired armed cutter "Courier". The second and third letters of marque appear to have been issued to the same vessel, which however was neither the first letter of marque nor the hired armed cutter of the second contract above. For all three letters below, the vessel is described as being  armed with twelve 3-pounders. Notes, citations, and references. Notes Citations References