John O'Gaunt (1809 ship)

	"Off Dover, The Merchantman John O'Gaunt in Two Positions", by Robert Dodd, 1811
History
United Kingdom
Name	John O'Gaunt
Namesake	John O'Gaunt
Owner	Worswick & Co.
Builder	John Brockbank, Lancaster, Lancashire
Launched	1809
Fate	Scuttled December 1813
General characteristics
Tons burthen	419, or 426, (bm)
Complement	1809:18; 1810:20;
Armament	1809:16 × 12-pounder guns; 1810:12 × 12-pounder guns; 1814:7 × 12-pounder carronades;

John O'Gaunt was a merchant ship launched in 1809 that traded with the West Indies. The French frigate Clorinde captured and scuttled John O'Gaunt in 1813.

On 7 July 1809, Captain Robert Gibson received a Letter of marque for John O'Gaunt.^[3] Under his command, and later under the command of James Moon, who received a letter of marque on 23 March 1810,^[3] she made several voyages as a West Indiaman. On 1 November 1811, as she was sailing from London to Cork and Barbados, she lost an anchor in The Downs.^[4]

On 27 November 1813 John O'Gaunt, P. Inglis, master, and four other merchant vessels left Portsmouth in a convoy under escort by HMS Severn. The other four were:

Blendon Hall, 473 tons (bm), Barr, master, which had been sailing from London to Bermuda;
Lusitania, 245 tons (bm), Johnston, master, which had been sailing from London to Suriname;
Aurora, Scheidt, master, which had been sailing to Amelia Island; and,
Superb, 130 tons (bm), R. Roberts, master, which had been sailing from Gibraltar to England.

Due to a heavy storm, the five merchantmen lost contact with the convoy and its escort. On 6 December Clorinde captured all five merchant vessels,^[5] in the Atlantic Ocean (44°30′N 10°30′W / 44.500°N 10.500°W / 44.500; -10.500). The French took off the crews of four vessels and scuttled three. In their haste, they failed to sink Blenden Hall properly, leaving her floating. They kept Lusitania as a cartel and put all their captives aboard her. They then permitted Lusitania to sail to a British port.^[5] She arrived at Plymouth on 18 December.^[6]