HMS Haddock (1805)

HMS Haddock was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner of 4 12-pounder carronades and a crew of 20. The prime contractor for the vessel was Goodrich & Co., in Bermuda, and she was launched in 1805.

On Thursday 21st inst launched off the stocks at Mr Isaac Skinner's shipyard his Majesty's Schooner "Haddock". The above schooner is said (by every merchant and shipbuilder) to be the completest vessel ever built in Bermuda

Haddock only sailed for some three to four years before the French captured her in 1809 in the Channel. This schooner was the only Royal Navy ship ever to use the name.

Service
She was commissioned in April 1805 under Lieutenant John Buddle. Between 9 October and 15 November she was in Portsmouth, refitting. At this time the Admiralty had her lines taken. She would then act as the model for the subsequent Cuckoo-class schooners.

Haddock sailed for Jamaica on 11 December. In 1806 she was under Lieutenant Edward Foley. On 22 May she captured the Arrogante, for which head money for 19 men was paid in March 1828. In 1808 Lieutenant Charles William Selwyn took command.

On 6 September, the American vessel Nancy, Ringhaven, master, arrived at Jamaica. She had been sailing from Havana to Jamaica when Haddock detained her and sent her in.

Fate
On 12 November 1809 the 18-gun square-rigged brig Génie captured Haddock, which was under the command of Lieutenant Henry Edwards.

Hadddock was on her way from Jamaica with dispatches, when at 1:30pm she sighted a brig that began to give chase. In her attempt to escape, Haddock threw her guns, shot and stores overboard. Still, the brig gained. Haddock surrendered at 8:30pm, having first thrown her signals and dispatches overboard.

The encounter occurred in the Atlantic, or the Channel. Lloyd's List gives the approximate location as Latitude 48° 56' Longitude 16°, which would put the capture in the Atlantic. Génie was an Abeille-class naval brig, built at Dunkerque and launched 23 July 1808. Her armament consisted of eighteen 24-pounder carronades, and she was under the command of lieutenant de vaisseau Degrave.

On 16 November Genie captured two more vessels. One was the Lusitania, Carmen, master, which had been sailing from Grenada to London. The second was the Fortune, of Bristol, Hare, master, which had been sailing from St Croix to London. The Frenchmen plundered Lusitania and then put the captured crews on board her. Next the Frenchmen sank Fortune and Haddock and let Lusitania depart. Lusitania arrived at Portsmouth on 25 November.