Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

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sgtfox
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Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by sgtfox »

I've been researching this privateer. According to what I've found, she was built in Baltimore in 1811. She was captured and sold to private parties in 1813. She's listed as either 258 or 276 BM. She is also registered as carrying nine 12# carriage guns. Being a schooner, I doubt that she would have carried 12# carriage guns. An informed guess would be, one 12# long gun and eight 12# carronades.

I tried to match her with letters of marque and privateers from Baltimore in "Men of Marque: A History of Private Armed Vessels out of Baltimore During the War of 1812," but can't pin her down. In the same book, she was erroneously reported to be the ex-USS Argus, but she was a much larger brig, which served for many years in the Royal Navy.
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

Hi!

I have 1810-1818 Baltimore registers.

Perhaps have you some more additional data.

The US measurment system was nearly similar as that to UK, but the resulting numer was divided by 95 not by 94.

It is the same VITTORIA listed in 1814 register as a ship rigged sharp American Prize
330t built 1812 master Mathews owner Kemp
voyage PlBilboa 2x12guns 2x12 carronades
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

There should be some additional data in Guernsey Registers
In Guernsey were registered
1813 - 84 ships with 9755 tons and 869 men
1814 - 65 ships with 6928 tons and 529 men
1815 - 61 ships with 6662 tons and 508 men

TNA Kew (The National Archives)
BT162/04 p.197 Guernsey (BT=Board of Trade) 30 September 1813-30th September 1814
VITTORIA was registered #24 in 1813
but was noted : Lost. Register not saved.
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

There is a book

DESIGN MAKES A DIFFERENCE: SHIPBUILDING IN BALTIMORE, 1795-1835
BY AHRENS, TONI

Which listed (not all) vessles built at Baltimore with they data taken from builders certificates
These data could differ form thos given by register of ships.

None of ships built in 1811 matched VITTORIA

In 1812 there is a candidarte
CASHIER built by John Price in 1812 247bm 79.08 keel 'x25.50'x12.13' sail rndtkpilbt schooner owner Girard Wilson

Data from Baltimopre Register from NARA (National Archives, Washington)
She was registered at Baltimore #169 on 29 December 1812 at Baltimore to Gerard Wilson (also master)
295 86/95 bm 100ft5in x 25ft6in x12ft3inch

Data from database of Dr. Faye Kert (it is also available in net)
Cashier
[586] [LoM] (George Wilson; 1st Lt = William Stiles); comm. req. 30 December 1812 to Bordeaux)
(Captured in Bay of Biscay 3 February 1813 by HMS Iris & Reindeer and to Dartmoor.)
Baltimore, MD To Bordeaux Owners = George P. Stevenson, Gerrard Wilson
295t 36men 6 guns 0 prises

Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser - Monday 10 May 1813
The American Schooners CASHIER and ROi.LA, which were included in this Advcrtisement, have been DISPOSED OF by Private Contract.
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

COURIER
Another candidate of 1812
Built by James Cordery in 1812
222t 74.00 keel 'x24.02'x11.66'
sail sharp schooner
owners John Gooding, Willam Kricham

Data from database of Dr. Faye Kert (it is also available in net)
Courier
[548] [LoM] (Robert Davis; 1st Lt = John Way); comm. 29 September 1812.
(Captured off Nantes14 March 1813 by HMS Andromache & to Dartmoor.)
107 Courier [548] [LoM] (Robert Davis; 1st Lt = John Way); comm. 29 September 1812.
(Captured off Nantes14 March 1813 by HMS Andromache & to Dartmoor.) Baltimore, MD
Owners = John Gooding, James Williams, W.T.Graham
251t 35 men 6 guns 0 porises
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

In Baltimore were registered in 1811 205 ships,
not all of course built there.

Database by Faye Kert included nearly 700 ships,
but there were over 1000 licences (some two or three times for one ship)
Cy
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by Cy »

AvM wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:29 am Data from database of Dr. Faye Kert (it is also available in net)
Do you have a link for this?
OK, it was me, probably!
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

sgtfox
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by sgtfox »

Hi, AvM,
Thank you very much for your replies. As I mentioned, I searched "Men of Marque: A History of Private Armed Vessels out of Baltimore During the War of 1812" by John Philips Cranwell and William Bowers Crane before I sent in my question. I also searched the register of British privateers. I think I'm resigned to the fact that I will not solve the mystery of which Baltimore letter of marque or privateer the Vittoria used to be. I was interested in her since she captured the LM "Pilot" on January 28, 1814. She had also captured the LM "Eliza." It seemed fitting to me that you would "Use a thief to catch a thief," in that Vittoria came from the same port originally. Aside from that, I recall corresponding with you on the voy.com/39735 site, before it was lost to us. You had the whole collection of "Tres Seculos..." and I was inspired, by you, to buy most of them too. My wife and friends think I'm a fanatic about the Age of Sail, but I pale in comparison to that group of brilliant people on the voy.com site. I hope the book you were writing was published and that everything is well with you.
AvM
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Re: Guernsey privateer "Vittoria," c. 1813

Post by AvM »

Another 1812 there is a candidarte
PRICE built by William Price in 1812 not listed by Anti
From register : builder certificate dated 27th March 1812

Data from Baltimore Register from NARA (National Archives, Washington)
She was registered at Baltimore #50 on 31 March 1812 at Baltimore to John Smith Hollins
235 30/95 bm 96ft x 25ft4in x10ft11inch

Dr. Faye Kert database
Price
[641] [LoM] (Enoch Staples; 1st Lt = John Hollins); comm. 4 February 1813:
(Captured 13 April 1813 by HMS Iris.)
New York, NY
Owners= ( all Baltimore, MD) John Smith Hollins, John Hollins, Michael McBlair, George Hollingsworth, John Gooding
235tons 40men 6 guns 1 prize
NOTE: She was not re-registerd at New York
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