HMS Canceaux (1764)

Canceaux was a 16-gun hydrographic survey sloop of the Royal Navy conducting a coastal survey of North America. The ship left the Saint Lawrence River estuary in 1771 to survey the coast of the Maritimes, and became involved with rebellious colonists of New England during the early part of the American Revolutionary War.

December 1774
Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 13 December 1774 to organize a raid on Fort William and Mary on New Castle Island off Portsmouth. Colonists removed sixteen cannon and about one hundred barrels of gunpowder before Canceaux arrived from Boston on December 17 to protect the fort. The local maritime pilot then guided Canceaux into shallow water where it was stranded in the Piscataqua River estuary for several days.

February 1775
Canceaux seized the brigantine Brothers, which was suspected of smuggling.

May 1775
Canceaux anchored in Casco Bay in March 1775 to prevent colonists from enforcing the First Continental Congress boycott of all goods from Britain. Samuel Thompson's militia of Brunswick, Maine attempted to capture the ship commanded by Lieutenant Henry Mowat. After a militia boarding party in small boats had been deterred by grapeshot from Canceaux cannon, the men kidnapped Mowat on May 9 while he was ashore arranging church services for his crew. The first lieutenant aboard Canceaux warned the colonists to release Mowat by discharging two cannon (loaded only with gunpowder, but no shot) toward Portland, Maine. Thompson responded by threatening to cut off one of Mowat's fingers for each cannon shot striking Portland. When word of cannon fire reached surrounding communities, local minutemen converged on Portland and looted the homes of loyalists. Portland residents convinced Thompson to release Mowat, but refused to allow Mowat to take Thompson into custody. The minutemen threatened Mowat and the crew of Canceaux until the ship left for Boston on May 15. Canceaux then captured the sloop Elizabeth smuggling provisions from New York to Portsmouth on May 21.

August 1775
Canceaux impressed five crewmen from Elisabeth of Newburyport returning from France.

October 1775


To suppress rebellious activities along the New England coast, Mowat was ordered to undertake a punitive mission to "chastize" the seaports of Marblehead, MA, Salem, MA, Gloucester, MA, Ipswich, MA, Newburyport, MA, Portsmouth, NH, Saco, ME, Portland (Falmouth),ME and particularly Machias, ME. Mowat left Boston aboard Canceaux on 6 October 1775 in company with the 20-gun ship Cat, the 12-gun schooner HMS Halifax, the bomb sloop HMS Spitfire, and the supply ship HMS Symmetry. Canceaux sailed past the southern seaports to anchor off Portland and avenge insults to her captain's authority. Mowat's flotilla conducted a nine-hour bombardment with incendiary ammunition on October 18 and sent raiding parties ashore to start additional fires. These parties captured four small vessels and destroyed eleven more.