Name of Vessel:

St. Peter

Master of Vessel:

Commander Samuel Chase

Rig of Vessel:

Ship

Date of Capture:

13 January 1778

Place of Capture:

Near Barbados, British West Indies

Captor:

HM Frigate Aurora

Home Port:

[St. Pierre, Martinique, French West Indies]

From What Port:

[St. Pierre, Martinique, French West Indies]

To What Port:

Cargo:

Tonnage:

200

Battery:

18-22

Crew:

107-130

Owners:

Hutchinson, possibly by Philip Moore, [with Nathaniel Shaw, Jr. of New London, Connecticut]

Prize master:

First Lieutenant William Burchell

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

Barbados, British West Indies

Into What Port:

Barbados, British West Indies

Date Arrived:

14 January 1778

Date Tried:

Date Sold:

Action:

No

Recaptured:

No

Comments: The 200-ton Maryland Privateer Ship St. Peter was a privateer operating out of Martinique, French West Indies in the fall of 1777. It was thought she was mostly owned in Martinique, certainly by one Hutchinson, possibly by Philip Moore, with Nathaniel Shaw, Jr. of New London, Connecticut perhaps being associated with the vessel. Her first commander may have been John Lamb, but if so he was soon succeeded by Samuel Chase [Chace, Chiste].

St. Peter was sailing to the windward of Barbados, on 13 January, a cloudy winter day. She was searching for a large English convoy coming to the West Indies from London. Instead St. Peter found one of the convoy escorts, HM Frigate Aurora (Captain James Cumming), twenty-eight guns. Aurora had been sent ahead of the convoy to scout on 12 January and proceed to Barbados. At 1430 Aurora sighted St. Peter and chased. At 2000 the British frigate caught up with the big privateer. Chace showed no fight at all. Aurora’s cutter was sent over to the prize with First Lieutenant William Burchell as prize master and the prisoners were removed. While laying to and performing this operation Aurora’s mizzen mast carried away. Cumming described St. Peter as armed with eighteen 6-pounders and as having a crew of 130 men.

Aurora and her prize arrived at Carlisle Bay, Barbados on 14 January. The convoy had already arrived, and the prisoners were distributed among the other warships for passage to Antigua. Eight prisoners were sent to HM Sloop Hound. Nunn described St. Peter as having twenty guns. Other observers reported the prize as having twenty-two guns and 115 men, and as twenty guns and 107 men. St. Peter sailed with the convoy and arrived at English Harbor, Antigua, on 20 January 1778. She was then reported as having eighteen guns and 119 men.

The news of St. Peter’s capture had arrived in Martinique by 3 February 1778. The capture was reported in New York on 16 March 1778, where St. Peter was listed as having twenty guns and 107 men. Her former commander was listed as John Lamb, and it was said she was mostly owned in Martinique.

Finally, St. Peter was described in Young’s prize list as a 200-ton ship, with eighteen guns and twenty-three swivels, and a crew of 119 men. She was sent into English Harbor, Antigua. Young notes she was sailing out of Maryland.

[NDAR, X, 197 and notes; XI, 115 and note, 131 and notes, 132 and note, 278 and note, 284-285 and 285 notes, 329 and note, 634-636 and 636 note, 644-645, 660 and notes; Jamieson, Alan G., “American Privateers in the Leeward Islands, 1776-1778,” in The American Neptune, [volume unknown], 26-27, reprinting a list of Admiral Young’s in ADM 1/310, and 28-29]