HMS Canceaux (1764)

History
Great Britain
NameHMS Canceaux
OperatorRoyal Navy
AcquiredFebruary 1764
Commissioned1764 under Lt. Henry Mowatt
Recommissioned1776 under Lt John Shank
Out of service1782
RefitFebruary–May 1771
FateSold out of service, Quebec, 1783
General characteristics
Tons burthen183 77⁄94 (bm)
Length
  • 80 ft 6 in (24.5 m) (overall)
  • 64 ft 10 in (19.8 m) (keel)
Beam23 ft 1 in (7.0 m)
Depth of hold10 ft 9 in (3.3 m)
PropulsionSail
Complement55
Armament
  • 6 ships' guns (unknown poundage)
  • 8 × 1⁄2-pdr swivels

HMS Canceaux was a sloop active in both the hydrographic exploration of the Atlantic Canada and New England coastline and in the American Revolutionary War. She played an integral role in the battle for control of Maine, in particular at the Burning of Falmouth.[1] She began her life as a merchant vessel and would eventually be transformed to a military vessel for the Royal Navy, equipped to command the razing of major settlements. After leaving the Saint Lawrence River estuary in 1771,[2] Canceaux actively shaped the maritime history of the American Revolution.

  1. ^ Conforti, Joseph Creating Portland: History and Place in Northern New England (2007) pp. 31&55–58
  2. ^ Robertson, John Ross The history of freemasonry in Canada, from its introduction in 1749 (1900) p. 253