Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master MarinerRogers, Woodes
History
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner
Rogers, Woodes
Privateering -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Many a modern pleasure yacht would exceed the tonnage of the frigates
"Duke" and "Dutchess," the "Duke" being 320 tons, with 30 guns and
117 men, and the "Dutchess" only 260 tons, with 26 guns, and 108
men. "Both ships," says Rogers, "well furnished with all necessaries
on board for a distant undertaking weigh'd from King Road Bristol
August 2nd 1708 in company with the 'Scipio,' 'Peterborough Frigate,'
'Prince Eugene,' 'Bristol Galley,' 'Berkley Galley,' 'Bucher Galley,'
'Sherstone Galley,' and 'Diamond Sloop,' bound to Cork in Ireland."
These "galleys" must not be confounded with the lateen rigged vessels
of that name in the south of Europe; being simply small, low, straight
ships of light draught easily moved by oars or sweeps in calms. In
Rogers' time a ship was said to be "Frigate built" when she had a poop
and forecastle rising a few steps above the waist, and "galley built,"
when there was no break in the line of her deck and topsides. But the
use of oars was not confined to these Bristol[2] galley built ships,
for Rogers speaks of using them on several occasions in the "Duke" and
"Dutchess." While in old draughts of small vessels of this class, of
even a later date, row-ports are often shown.
Between the Holmes and Minehead the little fleet came to "an Anchor
from 10 to 12 at night, when all came to sail again, running past
Minehead with a fine gale at S.E. at six in the morning." No time was
lost before an attempt was made to add to the number of the fleet,
for the same day, at 5 p.m., the "Dutchess," like a young hound,
breaks away from the pack in chase of what seemed a large ship, which
they lost sight of again at 8 o'clock. But "having been informed at
Bristol that the 'Jersey,' a French man-of-war, was cruising betwixt
England and Ireland, the ships sailed all night with hammocks stowed
and cleared for a fight. Though it was well for us," says Rogers, "that
this proved a false alarm, since had it been real we should have made
but an indifferent fight, for want of being better manned."
[Sidenote: _An incompetent Pilot._]
[Sidenote: _Arrival at Cork._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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