View source for HMS Adonis (1806)

{{Short description|1806 Adonis-class schooner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag=[[File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px|Royal Navy Ensign]]
|Ship name=HMS ''Adonis''
|Ship ordered=2 April 1804
|Ship builder=[[Bermuda]]
|Ship original cost=
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|Ship launched=1806
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|Ship commissioned=October 1806
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|Ship fate=Sold 1816
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| Ship country=United Kingdom
| Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|civil}}
| Ship name = ''Adonis''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship owner =*1823:J. Reed
*1835:Blythe & Son
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| Ship acquired =1814 by purchase
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| Ship fate = Wrecked June 1835
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption={{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=361}}
|Ship class=[[Adonis class schooner|''Adonis''-class]]
|Ship tons burthen=110{{small|{{fraction|75|94}}}}, or 139<ref name=LR1821/> ([[Builder's Old Measurement|bm]])
|Ship length=*{{convert|68|ft|2|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (gundeck)
*{{convert|50|ft|4+5/8|in|m|1|abbr=on}} (keel)
|Ship beam={{convert|20|ft|4|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
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|Ship hold depth={{convert|10|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=[[Schooner]]
|Ship complement=35
|Ship armament=8 × 18-pounder [[carronade]]s + 2 × 6-pounder [[chase gun|bow chasers]]
|Ship notes=
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|}
'''HMS ''Adonis''''' was the name vessel of her class of [[schooner]]s of the [[Royal Navy]] during the [[Napoleonic War]]. She was built at Bermuda using [[Bermuda cedar|Bermudan cedar]] and completed in 1806. She had a relatively uneventful career, primarily on the [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] station, before the Admiralty sold her in 1814. She then became the mercantile ''Adonis'' and sailed to Africa and the Indian Ocean until she was wrecked in June 1835 on the [[Maldive Islands]].

==Career==
''Adonis'' was commissioned in March 1806 under the command of Lieutenant John Manton. In 1807 ''Adonis'' was commissioned at Newfoundland under the command of Sub-Lieutenant J. White.<ref name="NMM-WH-379405">{{cite web|url=http://www.nmm.ac.uk/upload/pdf/Warship_Histories_Vessels_v.pdf|title=NMM, vessel ID 379405|work=Warship Histories, vol v|publisher=[[National Maritime Museum]]|accessdate=30 July 2011|archive-date=2 August 2011|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110802041628/http://www.nmm.ac.uk/upload/pdf/Warship_Histories_Vessels_v.pdf|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> Between 30 November 1807 and 30 January 1808 she was at Portsmouth undergoing conversion to a schooner.

Her only capture occurred while she was in port at Portsmouth. In November 1807 Lieutenant John M'Killop was in command.

Earlier, on 26 October 1807 Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia]] declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive in the United Kingdom until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. ''Adonis'' was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate ''Speshnoy'', then in Portsmouth harbour.{{efn|An able seaman's share of the prize money was 14[[shilling|s]] 7½[[pence|d]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16195|page=1460|date=25 October 1808}}</ref>}} The British seized the Russian storeship ''Wilhelmina'' at the same time.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16276|page=1129|date=15 July 1809}}</ref>

M'Killop's replacement in March 1808 was Lieutenant William Gibbons. He sailed her for Newfoundland on 16 June and again in April 1809.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=361}}

In 1810 Lieutenant [[David Buchan]] became captain of ''Adonis''. In autumn 1810 he conducted an expedition to the [[Exploits River|River of Exploits]]. From there he and his men marched inland for 130 miles to establish contact with the dwindling native [[Beothuk]] population, one of the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]] in the region. Unfortunately, the expedition resulted in the death and decapitation of two marines at their hands.{{sfnp|Pedley|1863|pp=262-4}}{{sfnp|Howley|Howley|2000|pp=70-87}}

In 1813 ''Adonis'' and the [[sailing frigate|frigate]] {{HMS|Rosamond|1807|2}} escorted the Newfoundland fishing fleet back to Great Britain. The voyage was stormy and the vessels separated near the English Channel. ''Adonis'' regained the convoy but as they approached the [[Isles of Scilly]] they encountered a French fleet. ''Adonis'' was too small meaningfully to defend the convoy and only escaped by jettisoning all her guns.{{sfnp|Howley|Howley|2000|p=177}}

'''Disposal:''' ''Adonis'' was placed in [[Reserve fleet|Ordinary]] at Portsmouth in 1814. (Buchan transferred to {{HMS|Pike|1813|2}} on 26 March 1814.) In September 1814 the Admiralty put ''Adonis'' up for sale at Portsmouth.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16928|page=1709|date=23 August 1814}}</ref> She sold there for £400 on 1 September 1814.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=361}}

==Mercantile career==
''Adonis'' first appeared on ''[[Lloyd's Register]]'' in 1821 with J. Carfa, master, J. Reed, owner, and trade London–Africa.<ref name=LR1821>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015005690477?urlappend=%3Bseq=19 ''Lloyd's Register'' (1821), Seq.№153.]</ref> Her burthen was substantially greater than it had been when she was sold, raising the possibility that she had been lengthened between the time of her purchase and her appearance in ''Lloyd's Register''. The entry does carry the notation L.O.& C for live oak and cedar, which would be consistent with extensive refurbishment.

The following data is from ''Lloyd's Register''

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Master
! Owner
! Trade
|-
| 1825
| E. Bunnell
| J. Reed
| London
|-
| 1830
| W. Major<br>Bridge
| J. Reed
| London–[[Cape Coast Castle]]
|-
| 1835
| Hawks
| Blyth & Son.
| London–Mauritius
|-
|}

==Fate==
On 29 June 1835 ''Adonis'', Hawks, master, was sailing from [[Mauritius]] to China when she wrecked on a reef near the Maldives and her crew abandoned her. The specie she was carrying and her crew were saved.<ref>''Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany'' (March 1836), Vol. 19, p.231.</ref> Lieutenant J.A. Young and Mr. W. Christopher, both of the Indian Navy, were in residence at [[Malé]]. When they heard that an English vessel had wrecked, Mr. Christopher set out in a local boat on 7 July. He returned to Malé on 29 July with the rescued men.{{sfnp|Low|1877|pp=77-78}}

The Government of India thanked the Sultan of the Maldives for the "humane and liberal conduct" that he and his subjects extended to the crews of ''Adonis'' and {{ship||Vicissitude|1830 ship|2}}, which was wrecked in 1836. The Sultan accepted some presents as marks of friendship, but declined any payment, though the Government made a liberal offer.{{sfnp|Bell|1882|p=130}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |last=Bell |first=Harry Charles Purvis |year=1882 |title=The Máldive Islands: An Account of the Physical Features, Climate, History, Inhabitants, Productions, and Trade |location=Ceylon |publisher=F. Luker, acting government printer}}
* {{cite book |last1=Howley|first1=James P. |last2=Howley |first2=James Patrick |author-link=James Patrick Howley|year=2000 |title=The Beothucks Or Red Indians: The Aboriginal Inhabitants of Newfoundland |publisher=CUP Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Low |first=Charles Rathbone |authorlink=
Charles Rathbone Low |year=1877 |title=History of the Indian Navy: (1613-1863) |publisher=R. Bentley and son}}
* {{cite book |last=Pedley |first=Charles |year=1863 |title=The history of Newfoundland: from the earliest times to the year 1860 |publisher=Longman}}
* {{cite book |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-1-86176-246-7}}

{{WarshipHist}}
{{Adonis class schooner}}
{{1835 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adonis (1806)}}
[[Category:1806 ships]]
[[Category:Adonis-class schooners]]
[[Category:Age of Sail merchant ships of England]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in June 1835]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bermuda]]
[[Category:Napoleonic-era ships]]