Massachusetts Navy Captain
John Foster Williams received command of the new 20 or 28-gun
frigate Protector in the spring of 1780, and took her to sea in June. In accordance with instructions from the
Board of War, the new warship cruised in the vicinity of the Newfoundland Banks, on the lookout for British merchantmen. Her vigilance was rewarded early in June. At 0700 on 9 June 1780,
Protector spotted a strange ship bearing down on her, flying British colors. At 1100,
Protector, also flying British colors, hailed the stranger and found her to be the 32-gun
privateer Admiral Duff, bound for
London from
St. Kitts. When the ship's identity had been ascertained,
Protector hauled down British colors and ran up the Continental flag—opening fire almost simultaneously. The action ensued for the next hour and one-half, until
Admiral Duff caught fire and exploded, leaving 55 survivors for
Protector to rescue soon thereafter. In May 1781, ''
Lloyd's List reported that the rebel frigates and Protector
had captured John'', Ashburner, master, from Lancaster to St. Kitts, and a ship sailing from Glasgow to Jamaica with 900 barrels of beef and a quantity of dry goods, and had taken them into
Martinique. In June, ''Lloyd's List
reported that the American privateer Protector
, of 28 guns and 179 men, had captured Sally'', Townsend, master, which had been sailing from St Kitts to New York. Notification of these captures took some months to get to Britain. In the meantime, on 5 May 1781, and captured
Protector off
Sandy Hook,
New Jersey. The Royal Navy took her into service as the
sixth-rate HMS
Hussar.
Royal Navy The Royal Navy commissioned
Hussar under Captain
Thomas Macnamara Russell. On 3 May 1782,
Hussar captured the brig
Boston Packet, which was carrying flour and rum.
Hussars most famous engagement was the action with the French frigate
Sybille. In the action
Hussar emerged victorious, having lost only two men killed and five or six wounded. However, the actions of the French captain gave rise to controversy.
Hussar arrived at Deptford on 3 June 1783, and was paid off. The Royal Navy sold
Hussar on 14 August 1783, for £1540, at Deptford.
Danish ownership Frédéric de Coninck, who was a Dutch trader with a fleet of 64 ships operating from Copenhagen, purchased her. At purchase, the ship was already fitted with a
desalination plant which was ideal for the long voyages envisaged to the East Indies and the Danes made contemporary technical drawings of the distilling machine. Her captain was A. M'Intosh (or Mackingtosh, or MacIntosh), and her trade was initially London-Copenhagen. Danish records show
Hussaren as making only one voyage for De Connick.
British ownership ''Lloyd's Register'' for 1787, shows a new master, R. Wilson, a new owner, and a new trade, Honduras-Bristol. ''Lloyd's Register
did not publish in 1788, and the relevant pages are missing from the volume for 1789. Hussar'' is not listed in the volume for 1790. ==Notes==