Name of Vessel:

William

Master of Vessel:

John Lamb

Rig of Vessel:

[Ship]

Date of Capture:

[15] November 1776

Place of Capture:

Captor:

[unknown] Privateer

Home Port:

From What Port:

New York, New York

To What Port:

Portsmouth, England

Cargo:

Tonnage:

238

Battery:

Crew:

Owners:

Prize master:

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

Into What Port:

Date Arrived:

Date Tried:

Date Sold:

Action:

No

Recaptured:

Yes

Comments: The 238-ton British Army Transport [Ship] William (John Lamb) was captured by an unknown American privateer about November 1776. She was sent off to some port in America with a prize crew of nine men. On 20 November 1776 she was about 660 miles southeast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey when, at 1430, she was sighted by HM Frigate Fowey (Captain George Montagu). With moderate weather and cloudy skies Fowey began to chase. At 1900 she began firing at the William, which brought to at 2000. Montagu sent seven men aboard to assist the master, and removed the “Rebels” to his ship. On 22 December 1776 Fowey, anchored at Spithead, England, and rventually sent the prisoners to HMS Centaur and Culloden.

[NDAR, VII, 223 and note, 797; communication and transcripts from R. Brooks 8 August 2011 [the identification of the William that was captured with the William noted above is likely, but not certain]]

Posted 10 August 2011

web counter