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
NamePrincess Charlotte
BuilderCowes
Launched1805
FateSold 1807
United Kingdom
Acquired1807 by purchase
FateFoundered February 1809
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen81 (bm)
Length57 ft 10 in (17.6 m) (Keel)
Beam18 ft 7 in (5.7 m)
Depth of hold8 ft 5 in (2.6 m)
Sail planSchooner
Complement25
Armament4 × 12-pounder carronades

She was carrying as a passenger Robert Arbuthnot, the former Chief Secretary in Ceylon.[3]

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b Winfield (2008), p. 371.
  2. ^ Hepper (1994), p. 128.
  3. ^ "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.