British gun-brig 'Piercer' (1804)

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Piercer
Nominal Guns	12	BWAS-1793
Nationality	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Operator	Royal Navy
Ordered	9.1.1804	BWAS-1793
Keel Laid Down	4.1804	BWAS-1793
Launched	29.7.1804	BWAS-1793
How acquired	Purpose built	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Topsham - Devon	BWAS-1793
Ship Class	Archer Class (1800)	BWAS-1793
Designed by	William RuleBritish Designer Ship Builder Dockyard Staff Service 1778-1813	BWAS-1793
Constructor	Obidiah AylesBritish Ship Builder Service 1804-1805	BWAS-1793
Category	Unrated	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Gun-brig	BWAS-1793
Given Away	1817	BWAS-1793
Becomes	Hanoverian brig 'Piercer' (1814) (12) 1814-1814 Hanoverian 12 Gun Unrated Brig

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck80' 0"Imperial Feet24.384
Length of Keel65' 10 ¼"Imperial Feet19.8184
Breadth22' 6 ¾"Imperial Feet6.7247
Depth in Hold9' 5"Imperial Feet2.8702
Burthen178 ³⁰⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

29.7.1804Broadside Weight = 108 Imperial Pound ( 48.978 kg)BWAS-1793
Gun Deck10 British 18-Pound Carronade
Bow Chaser2 British 18-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
12.180050Design Complement

5 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
9.1804 - 1805LieutenantBWAS-17931805 - 6.1805LieutenantBWAS-17931.1807 - 6.1811Lieutenant†BWAS-17936.1811 - 12.1.1814LieutenantBWAS-179312.1.1814 - 6.1814CommanderBWAS-1793

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
1805 - 17.4.1805Seamanref:1851

Service History

DateEventSource
22.8.1804Began fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1793
24.11.1804Completed fitting at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1793
9.6.1808Action off Saltholm
12.1.1814Refitted as a 12 gun Unrated Unknown

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

ref:1851 Book

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Date posted	By	Page
Monday 15th of June 2026 16:06	Jon Miller	British Merchant east indiaman 'Wellesley' (1801) (Unknown) 1801-1804 British Unknown Gun Merchant East Indiaman
Monday 15th of June 2026 16:00	Jon Miller	British Third Rate ship of the line 'Nassau' (1785) (64) 1785-1799 British 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Monday 15th of June 2026 15:58	Jon Miller	British Second Rate ship of the line 'Impregnable' (1786) (98) 1786-1799 British 98 Gun 2nd Rate Ship of the Line
Monday 15th of June 2026 13:51	Jon Miller	British schooner 'Redbridge' (1798) (14) 1798-1803 British 14 Gun Unrated Schooner
Monday 15th of June 2026 13:46	Jon Miller	British Merchant east indiaman 'Brunswick' (1792) (Unknown) 1792-1805 British Unknown Gun Merchant East Indiaman

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