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HMS Poictiers (1809)

HMS Poictiers was a 74-gun Royal Navy third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 9 December 1809 at Upnor. During the War of 1812 she was part of the blockade of the United States. She was broken up in 1857.

Active service
On 28 July 1810 Poictiers shared with Seine and in the recapture of the Starling. On 22 April 1811, Poictiers, and the hired armed cutter Nimrod captured the French vessel Auguste. They removed her cargo of casks of wine and destroyed the ship. On 24 March 1812, Poictiers was in company with , , and when they captured Emilie. On 14 August Poictiers accompanied Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, who was sailing to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on , together with , , and . Magnet disappeared during the voyage and was presumed foundered with all hands. On 18 October 1812, Poictiers participated in an action where she rescued by capturing , commanded by Jacob Jones. Four hours after Wasp had captured Frolic, Captain Sir John Poer Beresford hove in sight and captured Wasp and recaptured Frolic. He then brought both to Bermuda. Frolic returned to duty and Wasp became HMS Loup Cervier. In November 1818 the proceeds of the sales of ordnance stores and head-money for the men captured on board Wasp, also for ordnance stores recaptured on board Frolic was paid. Thereafter, Poictiers captured a number of merchant vessels, alone or with other ships. • 29 October: the brig Little William, of the Isle of Mayo and sailing to Philadelphia; • 3 November: the brig Logan, from Boston, sailing to Baltimore; • 25 November: the ship Rebecca, from Philadelphia and sailing to Madeira; • 11 December: schooner Betsy, from Providence (Rhode Island), sailing to Norfolk; • December: ship Pekin, from Boston sailing to Alexandria (Poictiers in company with ). One of these may or may not have been a ship from Brazil carrying a cargo of hides and tallow that had captured. Poictiers recaptured the ship off the Virginia Capes in mid-December and sent her into Bermuda. On 28 December Poictiers and Acasta captured the American letter of marque Herald, of 18 guns (10 mounted), and 50 men, as Herald was sailing from Bordeaux to Baltimore. Herald, prior to herself being captured, had taken a ship, a brig, and a schooner. The cargo of the ship Friendship alone had an estimated value of US$400,000. Poictiers was in company with Acasta and . Under the command of Captain Jeremiah Grant, Highflyer, of Baltimore, had captured two ships, four brigs, one schooner and one sloop; three of these vessels had been armed. The Royal Navy took Highflyer into service under her existing name. In early January 1813, the warships of the squadron blockading New York, of which Poictiers was one, captured a number of vessels: • Schooners Syren and Tropic, sailing from New York to Charleston; • Sloop Almira, New York to Fredericksburg; • Brig Industry, Rhode Island to Virginia; and, • Brig Caroline, Charleston to New York. The British armed Syren with one gun and gave her a crew of 40 men. She then captured American Eagle, Herlitz, master, which had been sailing from Cadiz to New York. • 24 February: American brig Hannah (Poictiers with the same six other British ships). • 13 March 1813: Swedish brig, from Martinique. • 29 March 1813: American ship Montesquieu (Poictiers in company with and the actual captor, the schooner ). • 17 April: Portuguese schooner Alliance, sailing from Philadelphia to Jamaica with a cargo of flour, and sent in to Bermuda; Poictiers was part of a squadron of 12 ships that shared in the capture on 13 and 14 March of Christina and Massatoit. On 4 (or 5) July 1813 the American smack Yankee captured the brig Eagle, which was serving as a tender to Poictiers. The Americans put 40 militiamen on board Yankee and sailed her where Eagle was known to be patrolling. The militiamen concealed themselves while on Yankees deck there were three men dressed as fishermen, and a calf, a goose, and a sheep were tethered. When Yankee encountered Eagle, Eagle fell for the bait of fresh meat and came alongside. The Americans, under Sailing-Master Percival, came out of hiding and fired their small arms. Although Eagle carried a brass 32-pounder howitzer loaded with canister, she was unable to get off a shot. The Americans then took Eagle into New York. Eagle had two men killed, including her commander Master's Mate H. Morris, and Midshipman W. Price mortally wounded. The remaining eight seamen were taken prisoner. Poictiers, with Poictiers and Maidstone in company, captured Yorktown, of 20 guns and 140 men, on 17 July. Yorktown, under Captain T. W. Story, had taken 11 prizes, including Manchester, before Maidstone captured Yorktown after a four-hour chase. The British sent Yorktown and her crew into Halifax, Nova Scotia. Poictiers in company with Maidstone and captured several vessels. • 13 August 1813: brig Anna, of 125 tons, Diego Martinez, master, sailing from Newhaven to Laguira. Poictiers alone captured: • 29 August: brig Mariner; In November 1813 Poictiers was at Halifax, Nova Scotia, preparing to escort a convoy of merchant vessels to England when a gale hit the city. It destroyed or damaged many vessels, though Poictiers was able to ride out the gale. Poictiers was at Chatham in 1814. ==Post war and Fate==
Post war and Fate
Poictiers underwent a "Large Repair" at Chatham between April 1815 September 1817. She was fitted at Sheerness as a guard ship between March 1836 and September 1837. She remained in that role at Chatham until March 1848 when she became a depot ship until 1850. In 1857 she was sold out of service and broken up, the breaking up being completed on 23 March 1857. ==Notes==
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