MARS 1761/62

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shipstamps
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Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:12 pm

MARS 1761/62

Post by shipstamps » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:41 pm


The information on this ship is confusing, at 1781 two ships were at St Eustatius both under the name MARS, one a frigate, the other a ship-of-the-line, according the Filainfo of the Netherlands Antilles Post, is the ship depict on the stamp the ship-of-the-line, by searching on the net, info on both ships are mixed together, and even the http://www.scheepvaartmuseum.nl/index.php?PageID=1253 gives info that is complete wrong, they give that she was later renamed HMS ORESTES but the Dutch privateer MARS taken in the same year by the HMS ARTOIS near Flambourghead was renamed HMS ORESTES and commissioned in the Royal Navy July 1782. Also that her commander was Van Bylandt, but he was the commander of the frigate MARS also taken in St Eustatius in 1781 by the British Navy.

The Dutch ship-of-the-line MARS was built at the Admiralty yard in Rotterdam in 1761/62 for the Dutch Navy.
Length 160 x 44 x 19 ft. (most probably Amsterdam ft.)
Armament 60 guns under Dutch flag.

The only thing I could find that she made a cruise to the Mediterranean as flagship of Rear-Admiral Willem Crul, http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/collectie/zoe ... 76&lang=nl before she headed to the West Indies.
When the British Admiral Rodney 03 February 1781 arrived off St Eustatius with 13 ship-of-the-lines and many smaller ships, the only Dutch warship there the frigate MARS had to defend the island, and after a short battle Van Bylandt struck his colours, and St Eustatius surrendered.
150 Merchant ships were captured and all the merchandise in the warehouses were declared a prize, while many rich merchants were robbed from there cash money and valuables.

At St Eustatius Admiral Rodney got the information that a convoy of 23 Dutch merchantmen had left the island just before he arrived, he ordered the HMS MONARCH, SYBILLE and frigate PHANTER after the slow sailing convoy, escorted by the MARS, flagship of Crul.
Crul had not received any information that the fourth war between the Netherlands and Great Britain had broken out, and when the British vessels were seen on 04 February Crul expected that the British Navy wanted to try to inspect the merchantmen.

But when in hauling distance the British ordered to surrender, Crul did not want to surrender and a short but heavy gun duel took place, till Crul by a shot from a British mariner from out the mast was wounded on the shoulder, and the next shot hit his hart and killed them.
After a battle of 40 minutes wherein 11 men were killed and 16 wounded the captain of the MARS struck his flag.

I found her fate in British Warships in the Age of Sail 1714-1792 by Rif Winfield.

After taken by the Royal Navy, she was commissioned in the West Indies in February 1781 and renamed HMS PRINCE EDWARD.
Tonnage 1.075 ton (bm), dim. 142.8 x 41.8 x 16.0ft, length of keel 116.3ft.
Armament 26 – 24pdrs. lower deck, 24 – 12pdrs. upper deck, 8 – 6pdrs. quarter deck, forecastle 2 – 6pdrs.
She was later reduced to 56 guns.

Under command of Capt. George Pulteney, later Capt. James Macnamara.
02 May 1781 with a homeward convoy of prizes from St Eustatia she had an encounter with the La MOTTE PICQUET.
06 August 1781 arrived at Chatham, and paid off.
Around 31 December 1781 surveyed there.
June 1782 recommissioned under command of Cmdr. Thomas Arthur Ley as receiving ship at Blackstakes for newly raised men.
Between 30 April and 18 September 1783??? fitted out as a receiving ship.
Later under command of Capt. James Orrok.
May 1783 paid off.
December 1783 till January 1984 fitted out at Chatham to receive men and stores.
24 March 1802 sold at Chatham for £680 most probably for scrapping..


The inscription of Z.M. (Zijner Majesteit) on the stamp is not correct; the Netherlands at that time were a Republic and around 1805 when a brother I believe of Napoleon got King over the Netherlands, a kingdom.
1815 The Netherlands was declared a kingdom under King Willem I, and the same year the Dutch Royal Navy was founded. Before the ships were called Admiraliteit (Admiralties) ships.

On Netherlands Antilles 2001 110c sg?

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: MARS 1761/62

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:38 am

Nederlandse Antillen 2001 110c sg?, scott?
Attachments
2001 Mars. ZM jpg.jpg

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