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History
France
Name	Inconstant
Launched	1811
United Kingdom
Name	Swiftsure
Acquired	1813 by purchase of a prize
Fate	Wrecked 4 July 1829
General characteristics
Tons burthen	326, or 337 tons (bm)
Draught	14 ft (4.3 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Ship-rigged
Armament	4 × 9-pounder guns + 10 × 32-pounder carronades

Swiftsure was built in 1811 in France as Inconstant. In 1813 British owners purchased her and renamed her. An American privateer captured her in 1814 but she was quickly recaptured. Swiftsure was wrecked off the coast of Queensland in 1831.

Note: This is not the Inconstant that carried Napoleon from exile on Elba to the Hundred Days.^[2] That was another brig Inconstant, of roughly the same size as Swiftsure, and also launched in 1811. However, the vessel that transported Napoleon belonged to the French Navy, and was broken up at Brest in 1843.^[3]

History

Swiftsure was built in 1811 for a French owner as the single-decked brig-rigged Inconstant.^[4]

Swiftsure first entered Lloyd's Register in 1813 with J.Banner, master, Crawford, owner, and trade Greenock–Newfoundland.^[1]

On 4 August 1814, Swiftsure, Lester, master, arrived at Newfoundland from Glasgow. Lloyd's List (LL) reported on 21 October 1814 that Swiftsure, Lester, master, was one of four merchantmen that American privateers had captured. (The other three were James, McNeil, master, Emulation, and Sir John Sherbrooke. Their crews were landed at Viana.^[5])

Swiftsure's captor was the American privateer schooner Saratoga.^[6] Swiftsure was in the company of the schooner James off the Azores. The British vessels engaged Saratoga, which nevertheless prevailed.^[7] U.S. records describe Swiftsure as being armed with twelve 32-pounder carronades and two 9-pounder guns, and James as being armed with six 12-pounder carronades and two 18-pounder carronades. Both vessels were carrying fish. The two British vessels initially resisted, but then struck.^[8]

Lloyd's List reported on 13 December that Swiftsure, Lester, master, from Newfoundland to Oporto, had been retaken and sent into Bermuda.^[9]

Year	Master	Owner	Trade	Source
1815	T.Leslie	Crawford	Greenock–Newfoundland	LR; raised 1814; "captured"
1820	T.Nicholls	Nicholls & Co.	Greenock-St Thomas.	LR; raised 1814 & small repairs 1820^[10]
1825	Bromfield	Andrew	London	LR; raised 1814 & small repairs 1820

By 1828 Swiftsure was sailing between the United Kingdom, New South Wales, and Van Diemen's Land.^[11]

Year	Master	Owner	Trade	Source
1830	Johnson	Gilmare	London–New South Wales	LR; raised 1814 & good repair 1825^[4]

Loss

On 4 July 1829 Swiftsure was wrecked at Cape Sidmouth, New South Wales (modern Queensland). Resource rescued all aboard. Swiftsure was on a voyage from New South Wales to Mauritius.^[12]^[13] The survivors, and part of the cargo, arrived at Mauritius on 17 August.

She was wrecked in the Torres Strait 3.8 nautical miles (7 km) off the Cape York Peninsula, near the mouth of the Lockhart River.^[2]^[14]^[15]

The wreck of Swiftsure was discovered in November 2014. The discovery was officially announced in June 2015.^[2]

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c LR (1813), Supple. pages "S", Seq.№S154.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ferrier, Tracey. "Napoleon's getaway ship 'found in Queensland'". MSN News Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
^ Winfield & Roberts (2015), p. 218.
^ ^a ^b "Lloyd's Register of Shipping". Lloyd's of London. 1830: 584. Retrieved 16 June 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ LL.
^ LL 29 November 1814, №4927.
^ [1] Strum, Harvey (May 2011), "Now a Yankee Prize: The Voyages of the Privateer Saratoga during the War of 1812". War of 1812 magazine, Issue 11.
^ Good (2012), p. 85.
^ LL 13 December 1814, №4930.
^ Lloyd's Register (1811), Seq. №S971.
^ "(advertisement)". The Times. No. 13608. London. 2 June 1828. col A, p. 1.
^ "Ship News". The Morning Post. No. 18412. 16 December 1829.
^ "(advertisement)". The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. 2 January 1830.
^ "(untitled)". Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser. 24 November 1831.
^ "Miscellaneous Notices". Asiatic Journal. February 1831.

References

Good, Timothy S., ed. (2012). American privateers in the war of 1812: the vessels and their prizes as recorded in Niles' weekly register. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-46695-5.
Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen S (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848322042.