Talk:HMS Surprise (1794)
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HMS Surprise (1794) page reads "She was sold out of the Service in 1802."
However, in 1814 Francis Scott Key was held captive aboard the HMS Surprise during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, when he was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner".
Wikipedia references subsequent vessels named "HMS Surprise", but the next one was reportedly launched in 1856.
So, which HMS Surprise was at the 1814 bombardment? I assume it must be the original vessel launched in 1794, which means it couldn't have been sold out of military service in 1802.
I have not been able to find anything definitive about this.
Mark Rizo 06:31, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
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- That would be HMS Surprise (1812) - a 38-gun frigate. I have no information on her besides her year of launch, number of guns, and that she was hulked in 1822. Martocticvs 17:55, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Clarify number of guns
"...converted by the British into a 28-gun sixth-rate, carrying 24 32-pound carronades on her main deck, eight more of the same on her quarter deck and forecastle, as well as 4 six-pound long guns as chasers...."
Not sure if this is a mistake or a convention of classifying ships. If it's correct that a ship carrying (24 + 8) 32-pounders and 4 6-p[ounders would be classed as a 28 gun ship, then a note clarifying this might help? Tt 225 19:07, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
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- She may have been officially rated as a 28, but in practise carried more guns - it was not unheard of or even that uncommon. Officially Victory is a 100 gun ship, but she currently carries (as she did at Trafalgar) 104 guns (carronades do not count in the rating of ships either, except where it is the primary armament). It may be a slight quirk of the system that the 24 carronades on her main deck are counted, but the 8 on the quarter deck are not. Martocticvs 21:34, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
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- Thanks for clarifying, I suspected I was missing something! Tt 225
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