Rossie capturing Princess Amelia, 1812
History
United Kingdom
Name	Princess Amelia
Namesake	Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom
Launched	1799
Fate	Captured September 1812
United States
Name	USS Georgia
Namesake	Congressman George Troup of Georgia
Acquired	By purchase of a prize
Renamed	USS Troup
Fate	Sold, 1815
General characteristics
Type	Brig
Tons burthen	179 (bm)
Sail plan	Brig
Complement	28 (British service)
Armament	British service: 4 × 6-pounder guns + 2 × 9-pounder guns US service: 4 × 18-pounder carronades + 4 × 12-pounder carronades + 4 x 6-pounder carronades[1]

Princess Amelia was launched in 1799 and became a packet for the British Post Office Packet Service, sailing from Falmouth, Cornwall. She sailed to North America, the West Indies, Mediterranean, and Brazil. In 1800 a French privateer captured her, but she returned to the packet service later the same year. Joshua Barney, in the American privateer Rossie , captured her on 16 September 1812, at the start of the War of 1812. The United States Navy took her into service as HMS Georgia, but then renamed her USS Troup. She served as a guardship at Savannah; the Navy sold her in 1815.

Packet

As a packet, Princess Amelia sailed from Falmouth on numerous voyages to Jamaica, to the Mediterranean, and to Brazil.

On 14 May 1800 a French privateer captured Princess Amelia packet, Richard Stevens, master, as she was returning from the Leeward Islands, and took her into Bordeaux.^[2] The privateer was Decide, or Grande Decide of Bordeaux.^{[lower-alpha 1]} On 12 October 1800 the Danish vessel Two Sisters, Gardrund, master, came into Falmouth from Bordeaux, in ballast. Two Sisters was the former Princess Amelia packet.^[4] The Packet Service took Princess Amelia back into service. On 17 December 1800 Princess Amelia, G. Bryant, master, sailed from Falmouth for Jamaica.

On 18 December 1800 Grantham Packet, Bull, master, was going to Jamaica from Falmouth was wrecked on the Mendham Shoals off Barbados. The people aboard her were rescued.^[5] The Post Office hired Caroline to carry the passengers and mail that Grantham Packet was to carry to England, but Caroline was wrecked at Jamaica before she could leave for England. Princess Amelia Packet, Bryant, master, took the passengers and mail to Falmouth, leaving Jamaica on 8 February and arriving at Falmouth on 22 March.^[6][7]

Princess Amelia twice had to go into quarantine at Falmouth because of deaths due to fever. Princess Amelia, Richard Stevens, master, left Tortola on 19 January 1805 and arrived at Falmouth on 10 February. Because two crew members had died of fever on the passage she went into quarantine on her arrival.^[8] In 1807 Captain Stevens and eight crew members died of yellow fever at Jamaica. Princess Amelia arrived at Falmouth on 11 January 1808.^[9][10]

Princess Amelia Packet arrived in Falmouth on 2 July 1811, having sailed from Jamaica in April. In August 1812 she left Bridgetown, Barbados,^[11] for St. Thomas. From there she sailed for England. It was on this voyage back to Falmouth that she encountered Rossie.

Rossie was armed with ten 12-pounder guns and one long 9-pounder on a pivot, and had a crew of 95; Princess Amelia was armed with four 6-pounders and two 9-pounders, and had a crew of 27 or 28. Princess Amelia had to strike after she had lost three men killed, including her captain, Isaac Moorsom, and her sailing master, John Nankivell, and 11 men wounded.^[12] (Some of the wounded may have died later as a report on her arrival in Savannah gives her casualties as six dead and six or seven wounded.) American casualties were seven men wounded, one of them, the first lieutenant, severely.^{[13][14][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]}

Rossie sent her prize into Savannah, Georgia. American sources reported that Princess Amelia's passengers had expressed their thanks for the polite treatment they received from Captain Barney.^{[17][lower-alpha 4]}

USS Troup

At Savannah the United States Navy bought Princess Amelia Packet and named her Georgia. The US Navy then changed her name to Troup, naming her after Congressman George Troup of Georgia who had written to Secretary Hamilton urging her purchase.^[19]

The US Navy used Troup as a guard and receiving ship at Savannah for the remainder of the War of 1812, under the command of a Captain Walpole. She was sold at Savannah in 1815.

Notes

Citations

Sources

• Brannan, J. (1823). Official Letters of the Military and Naval Officers of the United States, During the War with Great Britain in the Years 1812, 13, 14, & 15: With Some Additional Letters and Documents Elucidating the History of that Period. Library of American civilization. Way & Gideon.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Demerliac, Alain (1999). La Marine de la Révolution: Nomenclature des Navires Français de 1792 A 1799 (in French). Éditions Ancre. ISBN 2-906-38124-1.
• Dudley, W.S.; Crawford, M.J.; Hughes, C.F.; Naval Historical Center (U.S.) (1985). The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History. The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History. Naval Historical Center, Department of Navy. ISBN 978-0-945-27406-3.
• Garitee, Jerome R. (1977). The Republic's Private Navy: The American Privateering Business as Practiced by Baltimore During the War of 1812. Mystic Seaport.
• 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.
• Norway, A.H. (1895). History of the Post-office Packet Service Between the Years 1793-1815. Macmillan and Company.
• Olenkiewicz, John S (2018). "British Packet Sailings West Indies" (PDF). Retrieved 31 January 2022.
• Silverstone, P.H. (2006). The Sailing Navy, 1775-1854. The U.S. Navy warship series. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-97872-9.