HMS Garland (1800)

HMS Garland was the French privateer Mars, launched in 1798; HMS Amethyst (1799) captured her in 1800. The Royal Navy took her into service and sent her out to the Jamaica station. There she had a brief, uneventful career before she was wrecked in 1803.

Capture
Late on 31 March 1800, Amethyst, with HMS Nymphe (1780), captured Mars. Mars was armed with twenty 12-pounder guns and two 36-pounder carronades, and carried a crew of 180 men. She had taken several prizes and was returning to port when she was captured. Captain John Cooke described her as being "one of the finest Privateers fitted out of Bourdeaux." The British took Mars into service as Garland, there being a HMS Mars (1794) in service, and a Garland having been wrecked in 1798, freeing the name.

Career
Garland was commissioned in September 1800 under the command of Commander John Acworth Ommanney. This was a temporary appointment that Earl Spencer arranged for him while he was convalescing from an illness. On 16 October Spencer sent him a commission as post captain. Captain Robert Honyman replaced Ommanney that month, for the Channel. At some point Garland recaptured the brig Swan. Also, on 6 April, Garland brought into Portsmouth a French brig with a cargo of wheat.

Then on 21 June 1801 Honyman and Garland conveyed Admiral Robert Montague to Jamaica. There Honyman transferred to the HMS Topaze (1793), which he sailed back to England, returning on 12 October 1801. His replacement was Captain James Carhew.

On 27 January 1803 Captain John Serrel was made post captain into Garland. His replacement, in May 1803 or so, was Captain Frederick Cotterell.

Loss
In November Garland was cruising with a squadron off the northern coast of Santo Domingo. Sent to investigate a strange sail, she made little headway in the light winds. Unfortunately, towards evening, a current caught her close to shore and she grounded on the Caracole reef off Cap François. Despite efforts to lighten her, she took on water and fell on her side. The other vessels of the squadron came to her aid and took off her crew and such stores and provisions as could be saved. On 11 November, the day after she grounded, she was set on fire and destroyed.