HMS Viper was launched at Cowes in 1805 as the mercantile schooner Princess Charlotte. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1807. Lieutenant William Towning commissioned her. On 9 (or 18) February 1809 she sailed from Cadiz for Gibraltar. She never arrived and was presumed to have foundered with all hands.[1] [2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Princess Charlotte |
| Builder | Cowes |
| Launched | 1805 |
| Fate | Sold 1807 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Acquired | 1807 by purchase |
| Fate | Foundered February 1809 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Tons burthen | 81 (bm) |
| Length | 57 ft 10 in (17.6 m) (Keel) |
| Beam | 18 ft 7 in (5.7 m) |
| Depth of hold | 8 ft 5 in (2.6 m) |
| Sail plan | Schooner |
| Complement | 25 |
| Armament | 4 × 12-pounder carronades |
She was carrying as a passenger Robert Arbuthnot, the former Chief Secretary in Ceylon.[3]
Citations
edit- ^ a b Winfield (2008), p. 371.
- ^ Hepper (1994), p. 128.
- ^ "MARINE INTELLIGENCE". 14 February 1810, Aberdeen Journal (Aberdeen, Scotland) Issue: 3240.
References
edit- Hepper, David J. (1994). British Warship Losses in the Age of Sail, 1650–1859. Rotherfield: Jean Boudriot. ISBN 0-948864-30-3.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-246-7.