HMS Surinam (1805)

HMS Surinam was a Cruizer-class brig-sloop built by Obadiah Ayles at Topsham, Exeter and launched in 1805. She captured two prizes during her twenty-year career and took part in one campaign before she was broken up in 1825.

War service
In March 1805 Commander Alexander Shippard commissioned Surinam for the Channel and then the Mediterranean. He was promoted to post-captain on 22 January 1806. However, he was still aboard Surinam when she captured the Juliana on 28 February. Her next captain was briefly Commander H. Higman, and he was soon replaced by Commander John Lake in February 1806.

On 11 May 1806. Surinam captured three vessels: Pacifico, Tomasa and Alexandro. Then six days later she captured the San Domingo. On 28 July she was present or in sight at the capture of the French frigate Rhin.

On 11 December, while Surinam west of Belle Île watching for the French fleet under Admiral Willaumez, lightning struck her. The strike killed two men, wounded four, destroyed a mast and damaged her badly.

In 1807 Surinam was attached to Admiral Lord Gardner’s fleet off southern Ireland. Surinam left the fleet for Plymouth on 15 November. On 17 November, some 17 leagues north of Ushant, she fell in with a French privateer. After a ten-hour chase Surinam captured the French vessel, which turned out to be the Amiral Dacrés (or Amiral Decrés). The privateer was armed with fourteen 6-pounder guns and carried a crew of 76 men under the command of Jean G. Michel. She had sailed from St Malo the day before on her first cruise and had made no captures. At the time of the capture, Pomone was in sight.

On 22 October, Surinam captured the Jane and Eleanor.

On 30 January 1808, Surinam captured the French sloop ''Sta. Anna or Sta. Joseph Marie''. On 20 July Surinam was in company with HMS Shannon (1806) and HMS Eclair (1801) when Shannon captured Comet.

Then on 21 August, Surinam was in company with Shannon and HMS Martial (1805) when Shannon captured Espoir.

On 9 November Surinam captured the sloop Jeune Henry. The next month, on 15 December, Surinam sailed for the Leeward Islands.

She was at the capture of Martinique in February 1809. In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Martinique" to all naval survivors of that campaign.

On 17 February 1810 Suriname, HMS Frolic (1806), and HMS Superieure (1803) joined Captain William Charles Fahie of HMS Abercrombie (1807) and his force at the surrender of Saint Martin. He then entrusted Surinam with the despatches to Vice-Admiral The Honorable Alexander Cochrane.

In 1810, Commander A. Hodge (or Hedge) took command, and the next year she visited her namesake country of Suriname, in South America. His replacement, in 1811, was A. Kennedy. In 1812, Commander John Ellis Watt took command on the Leeward Islands station and sailed her for the coast of Guyana.

In August 1812 Surinam was in company with HMS Swaggerer (1809) when they captured four American vessels: Watt died in September 1813 on his passage home after eight years in the West Indies.
 * General Hamilton (11 August), lying at Paramaribo, Suriname, carrying a cargo of molasses;
 * Mary (11 August), lying at Paramaribo, Suriname, in ballast;
 * Pochohantes (12 August), lying at Braams Point, Suriname, and carrying a cargo of salt; and
 * Mercator (24 August), bound to Baltimore, laden with molasses.

On 6 September 1812, Surinam was near Surinam when she encountered the American privateer Montgomery, which was under the command of Captain Upton. Montgomery was armed with two long 12-pounder guns and ten 6-pounders. Surinam gave chase until a shot from Montgomery struck and so weakened Surinam's foremast that she gave up the pursuit.

Surinam encountered the American privateer Governor Tompkins, of ten 9-pounder guns and 90 men, on 20 May 1813 off the coast of Surinam. After an engagement of some 45 minutes, Governor Tompkins was able to escape. Earlier, on 8 May, Governor Tompkins had captured the Hartley, Grayson, master, which was sailing from Gibraltar to Bahia. The privateer burnt the Hartley, and on 24 May deposited Captain Grayson and his crew at Grenada. Governor Tompkins then sailed for America, having been cruising for some three months.

In 1814 Surinam returned to Britain. From October 1815 she was in ordinary at Sheerness.

Post-war
Between 1817 and 1820 Surinam was at Chatham. On 18 November 1820 Commander William Mackenzie Godfrey took command and sailed for the West Indies. He was promoted to post-captain on 19 July 1822 and Commander Alfred Matthews replaced him. Commander Charles Crole succeeded him from April 1823. By 1825 Surinam was back at Chatham.

Fate
On 22 June 1825 the Navy Office offered her for sale. She was sold on 20 July 1825 at Chatham for £1,450 to John Small Sedger for breaking up.