HMS Nimrod was a brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1812. She spent her war years in North American waters where she captured one small privateer, assisted in the capture of another, and captured or destroyed some 50 American vessels. After the war she captured smugglers and assisted the civil authorities in maintaining order in Tyne. She was wrecked in 1827 and so damaged that the Navy decided she was not worth repairing. A private ship-owner purchased Nimrod and repaired her. She then went on to spend some 20 years trading between Britain and Charleston, the Mediterranean, Australia, and India. She was last listed in 1851.
HMS Nimrod
War of 1812
Commander Nathaniel Mitchel commissioned Nimrod in August 1812. He then sailed her for North America on 22 September. On 4 January 1813 Nimrod was at while sailing from Newfoundland to Bermuda. She had parted from her convoy in bad weather.
On 23 January Nimrod left Barbados with the trade for St Vincents, Grenada, and Jamaica.
On 12 or 15 March 1813, Nimrod captured the American "private ship of war" Defiance off Morant Bay, Jamaica, and sent her into Port Royal, Jamaica. Defiance, of three guns and 80 men, was under the command of a Frenchman.
Maidstone, , and Nimrod captured the brig Victor, of 52½ tons (bm), Swedish lasts, Carl Fred Hallberger, master, on 13 May. She had been sailing from Haiti to New London with 140 hogsheads (hhds) of sugar.
On 17 July Maidstone, with Poictiers and Nimrod in company, captured the American privateer Yorktown, of 20 guns and 140 men, after a four-hour chase. Yorktown, under Captain T. W. Story, had taken 11 prizes before Maidstone captured her. The British sent Yorktown and her crew into Halifax.
Nimrod recaptured the sloop Mary, F. Glawson, master, on 27 July. Mary went into Halifax. Four days later Nimrod recaptured the sloop William & Ann, of 77 tons (bm), W. Eadie, master. William and Mary had been sailing from Scotland to Ireland with a cargo of coals and glass when captured.
On 11 August, Nimrod captured the ship Republican, A. Baupen, master, which was sailing from New York to Port-au-Prince. She was carrying provisions, lumber, tobacco, fruit and dry goods. Nimrod sent her into Halifax.
, in company with and Nimrod, captured several vessels. 13 August: brig Anna, of 125 tons, Diego Martinez, master, sailing from Newhaven to La Guaira. 18 August: ship . Manchester was a Falmouth packet brig, R. Elphinstone, master, and represented a recapture. Manchester, of 180 tons (bm) and 16 guns, had been a prize to the American privateer Yorktown. The squadron also recaptured Lavinia, which Yorktown had captured as Lavinia, of Greenock, had been sailing from Newfoundland to Lisbon.
Nimrod and captured the ship Chili, 260 tons, R. Gardner, master, of Nantucket, on 2, or 7 December. Chili was returning from a whaling voyage with 500 barrels of sperm oil. Nimrod put 500 barrels of flour on her, flour that Nimrod had earlier taken out of a sloop. Chili and Nimrod arrived at Halifax on 13 December, reportedly after Nimrod had cut her out of Tarpaulin Bay, now known as Tarpaulin Cove. A later report has Chili carrying 1210 barrels of sperm oil.
On 13 December, Nimrod captured the sloop Manhatton, D. Gladding, master.
Nimrod bombarded the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts on 29 January 1814.
Nimrods boats destroyed a Swedish brig of unknown name on 31 May in Eastern River, Rhode Island, now known as the Sakonett River.
On 2 June, the schooner towed into Newport, Rhode Island, the brig Little Francis. Little Francis had been sailing from St Barts with molasses and sugar when she encountered Nimrod. Nimrod had run Little Francis on shore, and a landing party had set fire to her. However, the crew had refloated her, enabling Vigilant to take her under tow. On 3 June Edmond arrived at Halifax after Nimrod ordered her off as Edmond was sailing from St Bartholomew's to America.
On 4 June, Nimrod captured the brig Francisca De Paula, of 90 tons (bm), Frederica Arenos, master. She had been sailing from Havana to Boston with 145 hhds of molasses. Two days after that, on 6 June, Nimrod captured the brig Herculaneum, of 111 tons, Andrew Smith, master. She had been sailing from Haiti Hayti to Boston or Madeira with 19801 gallons of molasses and 19 hhds of sugar.
Commander George Hilton assumed command on 7 June 1814.
On 13 June, Nimrod bombarded Fairhaven, Massachusetts, after the townspeople refused to surrender some cannons. After exchanging fire with the local militia dug in at Fort Phoenix, Nimrod disengaged and sailed off.