HMS Badger (1777)

HMS "Badger" was a brig in service with the Royal Navy in the late eighteenth century. She is famous as the first Royal Navy ship to be commanded by Horatio Nelson.

Career

The "Badger" was one of a number of ships purchased for service on the North American and West Indies Station during the American Revolutionary War. She was previously an American merchant vessel, the "Defence", and had been purchased in Jamaica in November 1777 for the sum of £1,540.cite book |last=Winfield |title=British Warships of the Age of Sail |pages=p. 320] She replaced an earlier HMS "Badger" that had been bought the previous year but condemed as unfit for service in 1777. Little is known about her specifications, but she probably carried 12 guns, and was apparently 'capable of carrying 16 guns'.

Her first commander was Commander Michael Everett, who brought with him the crew of the earlier "Badger". On 8 December 1778 the commander of the North American and West Indies Station, Sir Peter Parker, transferred a young lieutenant named Horatio Nelson, who had previously been serving aboard his flagship HMS "Bristol", to the command of the "Badger".cite book |last=Sugden |title=Nelson — A Dream of Glory |pages=p. 131] This was Nelson's first experience of command of one of the Royal Navy's commissioned warships, and he duly took command in January 1778. Nelson spent 1778 and half of 1779 cruising the Caribbean, ranging off the Spanish colonies in Central America in search of prizes.cite book |last=Sugden |title=Nelson — A Dream of Glory |pages=p. 135] Nelson did not have much success, but on 11 June 1779 Parker promoted Nelson to Post-Captain and gave him the command of the 28-gun frigate HMS "Hinchinbroke".cite book |last=Sugden |title=Nelson — A Dream of Glory |pages=p. 142] On 20 June Nelson duly handed "Badger" over to Commander Cuthbert Collingwood.

Collingwood commanded "Badger" until early 1780, and in March that year he was succeeded by Commander Samuel Walker. Walker was replaced in September that year by Commander Richard Storey, who was commander in an acting capacity. It had been planned that Commander Donald Sutherland would take over command, but he had died on 9 September, after only two days in command. In December 1780 Commander James Cornwallis took over. "Badger" was temporarily under Lieutenant William Sykes between January 1781 and possibly March 1782. "Badger" was paid off at Jamaica in May 1782, and was sold there in June the following year for £2,050.

Notes

References

*Colledge
* Winfield, Rif, "British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates", pub Seaforth, 2007, ISBN 1-86176-295-X
*citebook|author=Sugden, John|title=Nelson — A Dream of Glory|location=London|publisher=Jonathan Cape|year=2004|isbn=0-224-06097-X