Built as a brig-sloop by the George & John Parson’s yard at Warsash for the Royal Navy.
01 October 1806 ordered.
April 1807 keel laid down. 26 April 1808 launched under the name HMS PERUVIAN, one of the Cruizer Class of which 105 were ordered between 1802-1813
Sir William Rule designed the class.
Tonnage 383 ton bm., dim. 100.6 x 30.6 x 12.9ft.
Armament 16 – 32pdrs. carronades and 2 – 6pdr. guns.
Crew 121
May 1808 under command of F.Douglas.
1811 Under command of F.Dickinson in the West Indies. 1812 Command taken over by A.F. Westropp still in the West Indies.
24 October 1812 the PERUVIAN captured off Sombrero the American privateer schooner YANKEE, armed with 7 guns and a crew of 44 men, 38 days out of Salem.
1813 Under command of George Kippen on the American Station. While he was beating up to his station from St Thomas, and was seventy-nine miles East by North of Sombrero, he fell in with the American privateer JOHN and chased her fifteen hours. During the last two hours the privateer kept up a continuous fire from her stern guns but after PERUVIAN got within pistol shot, an exchange of fire from the bow guns and shots from the marines she surrendered. The JOHN was armed with 16 guns and had 100 men crew.
Early September 1814 the PERUVIAN took part in an expedition up the Penobscot River in Maine.
08 April 1815 she sailed from Bermuda homeward bound together with the ALBION, ASIA and HAVOC.
1816 Under command of James White and bound for St Helena and the Cape.
15 October 1815 she arrived at St Helena.
When Napoleon was banned to St Helena, Ascension Island was still uninhabited, and the British Government afraid that the island became a possible base of a group to effect Napoleons escape, and they send two sloops of war the PERUVIAN and ZENOBIA to Ascension Island.
The two vessels arrived at Cross Bay, Ascension Island at 05.00 pm on 22 October 1815 and dropt anchor.
The logbook of the PERUVIAN gives for that day:
At 5 slackened sail at 5.10 anchored in 8 fathoms, Crucifix Hill, N.E.
ZENOBIA in company. 5.30 Captain White in company with Captain Dobree went on shore and took formal possession of the island in the name of his Britannic Majesty. At 7 sent a boat on shore to catch turtle.
After the island was fortified with one 12 pounder cannon the following day, a small garrison was left behind, the two vessels heaved in their anchors and sailed away. How long the two vessels stayed at the island I could not figure out.
1817 At Plymouth till broken up in February 1830.
The other ship on the stamp is HMS ZENOBIA built by Brindley at King’s Lynn as a brig sloop for the Royal Navy.
01 October 1806 ordered.
March 1807 laid down.
07 October 1807 launched, also one of the Cruizer Class.
385 ton bm, dim. 100.6 x 30.6ft.
Armament: 16 – 32pdrs carronades, 2 – 6pdr guns.
1808 Under command of A.R. Mackenzie, serving in the North Sea, 1811 stationed at Lisbon.
11 May 1812 under command of Richard Foley, on station off the coast of Spain and Portugal.
From June 1814 stationed at Lisbon.
Command taken over by Captain N.C. Dobree and she arrived under his command on 15 October 1815 at St Helena, together with the PERUVIAN.
Most probably from St Helena she were ordered to sail to Ascension Island, her log book gives for 20 October 1815:
At 5 anchored in Cross Bay in 8 fathoms. At sunset hoisted the Union on shore and took possession of the island in the name of His Majesty.
1820 At Plymouth, and August 1835 sold for breaking up.
The stamp of Ascension commemorates the arrival of the two vessels at Ascension, it is not a good design, first the ships were brig-sloops, two masted vessels and the design has two full rigged vessels, and it looks of the yards are slung on the after side of the masts.
Ascension 1975 2p sg 195, scott 192, 9p sg 197, scott 194.