History of Lynx

The 2001 Lynx is an interpretation of the 1812 Lynx. Both are square tops'l schooners classed as "sharp-built" schooners based on the Baltimore pilot vessels of the early 19th century. They are considered by many to be the American thoroughbred of the fore and aft rigged vessels of the period. Because of their inherent speed, sea-worthiness, and ease of handling, these ships were used extensively as privateers during the War of 1812 against Great Britain.

As early as the navies of the world engaged in combat, privateers crossed oceans in search of prey. This practice became widely accepted during the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. These were not "pirate" ships, but armed and sanctioned vessels authorized to attack the enemy ships of whichever country their own nation fought. They were owned and operated by civilian -- private -- individuals, hence, "privateer." Their sanction derived from a document, called a "letter of marque and reprisal" issued by the national government of their country.

This "commission," or "letter of marque" as it became popularly known, entitled the owner to outfit a ship for one of two purposes: privateering or trading. If one chose the former, he built or bought a vessel, armed it, outfitted and crewed it, and sailed off in search of enemy merchant shipping which he could attack, capture, man with a "prize" crew, and sail into a friendly or neutral port for adjudication and ultimately, sale, of both the ship and its cargo. It was from this return that the owner and crew were paid; they received no wages during the course of the voyage and, should the "cruize of opportunity" prove fruitless, they received no compensation save the food they consumed aboard. These vessels, because of their need to man captured ships, often carried very large crews, far beyond the needs of their own ship. A vessel, which set out as a "letter of marque" trader, operated quite differently.

The owner of this ship was engaged primarily in, as the name implies, trading in cargo. The ship was loaded with a cargo bound for, say, Europe, and the captain had the responsibility of selling it for the best price, which often meant visiting several different ports before he would unload. Then he had to buy a cargo for the return voyage. The ship was armed but generally for its own defense. Occasionally, a "target of opportunity" would present itself and the captain might try to take an enemy merchant vessel, but at his own peril. His instructions usually included cautions about risking his cargo. In spite of the "caution" these traders were licensed to attack ships of their country's enemy, and often did. Two factors set the trader apart from the privateer: the trader carried enough crew to man his own ship (he generally did not need to make up prize crews), and his sailors and officers were paid a regular wage. They were given a bonus should they capture a fair prize, but they were not dependant on success in that direction for their livelihood.

It stands to reason that a vessel used in either pursuit would need to be fast, agile, and easily handled. The Baltimore schooners filled the bill perfectly; their speed was impressive, derived from the preponderance of sail they carried and their narrow design which made them especially agile and fast. Once the British blockaded the eastern seaboard, the only ships to slip through were these schooners; they regularly out sailed the ponderous 3rd and 4th rate British ships assigned to the blockade. And they came and went -- especially from the Chesapeake Bay -- with regularity that quite vexed the British.

The American schooner privateers created such havoc among the merchant ships of England that insurance rates more than doubled and the owners of the merchants demanded -- and got -- Royal Navy escorts for their convoys. This, of course, took those warships away from fighting American warships and from the blockade. But still the American privateers were able to account for the loss of 2500 English merchant ships. They are also credited with the capture or sinking of three British warships! It is interesting to note that the American Navy seized or destroyed 15 British men-of-war.

Should a "target" vessel, after a long chase, turn out to be a warship, the privateer's speed would enable to retire quickly before getting into a situation beyond its capabilities. But in most cases, as the numbers demonstrate, the American privateering fleet attacked and captured merchant vessels, thus enriching her owners and crew. A beneficial by-product of their activities was the destruction and interruption of enemy commerce, which proved most useful to our young republic.

These Baltimore schooners enjoyed a great reputation for their swiftness and tenacity. They were said to be modeled on the French luggers of the Revolutionary War and, while not ships of burden, could carry a profitable amount of cargo. In fact, merchants in both France and America often specified that their cargo be carried in "sharp-built" Chesapeake schooners. The cargoes were often small but highly prized shipments of fine cloth, wine, and, occasionally, war materiel.

Among these fast, rakish, and beautiful-to-behold schooners was one named Lynx. Named for the group of wildcats found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the Lynx -- also known as a wildcat or bobcat -- was renowned for its stealth and speed. These characteristics were imbued into the design of the 1812 Lynx.

Lynx was built at Fell's Point, Baltimore during the opening days of the War of 1812 for owner-investors James Williams, Amos Williams, and Levi Hollingsworth by noted shipbuilder Thomas Kemp*. Long respected for his skill and innovation, Kemp pioneered the development of new ship designs, ones that stressed greater creative freedom and relied less on European traditional designs.

Lynx was commissioned on July 14, 1812 -- not one month after war was declared == and was larger than most privateers then being built. Kemp had increased her size to 97' long by 24'4" wide and 225 tons. She was fitted out as a trader and not for the taking of prizes; she carried a crew of 40 men and was armed with six 12-pounder long guns. She was, of course, schooner-rigged with a square tops'l and t'gallant on the foremast and the usual gaff-headed fores'l and mains'l. The square sails aloft gave her not only increased speed downwind, but greater maneuverability by their braking action when required for stopping or turning quickly. Her captain was Elisha Taylor. And her cost was between $9,000 and $10,000!

Lynx saw service as a trader for less than a year. She made a voyage to Bordeaux France and returned with a cargo typical of that being shipped in fast tops'l schooners: luxury goods including perfume, wine, stockings, and gloves. While waiting with three other sharp built schooners to run a blockade maintained on several Virginia rivers and commence her next voyage, the four were captured by the boats of a British naval squadron. None of the four, which also included Arab, Racer, and Dolphin, were able to fight off the 17 armed boats that attacked them. Their famous speed was of no use as there was no wind and the boats, propelled by oars and manned by Royal Marines, attacked. Fearing capture, many of the American sailors jumped overboard and swam ashore, where they disappeared into the Virginia countryside. Edgar Stanton Maclay, in his A History of American Privateers published in 1899 wrote:

"As soon as these (American) vessels were made out from the enemy's mastheads, the British sent seventeen boats with a large force of men under command of Lieutenant James Polkinghorne, against them. Unfortunately for the privateers, it was calm at the time and, as their vessels were too far apart to be within supporting distance of each other, the British were able to attack them separately. They selected the Arab as being further down stream and made a dash for her. This boat was not surrendered, however, without a desperate struggle in which both sides sustained the heaviest losses of the day. The British then made for Lynx, whose people, observing the fate of the Arab and seeing that resistance was hopeless, hauled down their colors at the first summons. Some resistance was made in the Racer, but that vessel also was carried after a short struggle. There now remained only the Dolphin, on which craft the enemy turned the guns of their prizes. For two hours (Dolphin) Captain W.S. Stafford responded gallantly, but in the final boat attack he was compelled to surrender. In this affair, the British admitted a loss of two killed and 11 wounded, including Lieutenant Polkinghorne (and the one-armed Lieutenant Brand whose other arm was severed during the assault.) Stafford placed his losses at six killed and 10 wounded."

Lynx joined the British fleet blockading the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay at Lynnhaven Bay (just inside the Virginia Capes) and began her Royal Navy service as Mosquidobit. Named for a town 30 miles northeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the schooner was subsequently stationed in Nova Scotia and commanded by Lieutenant John Murray. After the hostilities ended with America, the ship remained on that station. Elisha Taylor, her first American skipper, was given another, smaller privateer, Wasp, to command and, with this ship, took a total of three prizes during the war.

After Napoleon's defeat and the end of Britain's war with France, Mosquidobit was sent to Deptford, England where her lines were taken off and is thought to have served in the Mediterranean, sailing between Toulon and Marseilles. By 1820, she had been decommissioned and, on January 13, 1820, was sold to a Mr. Rundle who placed her in private service.

Lynx's design was recognized as superior and was taken, with some modifications, to build a six-gun U.S. Naval schooner of the same name. She was built by James Owner in 1814 at the Washington Navy Yard and had just finished building in August of that year when the British burned the capital. The schooner was unharmed even though Captain Thomas Tingey, in charge of the navy yard, ordered most of the ships moored there to be burned to prevent their falling into the enemy's hands. Several days after the British departed the smoldering ruins of the nation's capital, Lynx lost her foremast in a fierce thunderstorm. While she did not face the British during the hostilities, she did sail with William Bainbridge's squadron to the Mediterranean in 1815 to quell a problem with the Dey of Algiers who was violating the treaty signed in 1805 at the end of the Barbary Wars. No shots were fired, however. The schooner subsequently examined the coast of New England and then cruised the Gulf of Mexico on pirate patrol; she is credited with three captures during this assignment. In January 1820, having departed from St. Mary's, Georgia, she was lost with all hands in a hurricane off the coast of Jamaica. Interesting to note that both the original letter of marque trader Lynx and her naval namesake ended their military service at almost the same moment!

In spite of efforts to locate records detailing the ultimate fate of Mosquidobit, nothing further is known; records which might have proved helpful were lost during the bombing of a storage facility in Liverpool during the Blitzkrieg of World War II.

But wherever she might have ended her career, the 1812 Lynx lives on in the 2001 interpretation and continues to inspire all who see her rakish design and witness her legendary swiftness. Naval architects continue to study her power and grace and artists, moved by her beauty, attempt to transfer her billowing canvas onto their own canvas. While that inspirational original remained silent for more than 180 years, the designation of the 2001 schooner as a living history museum gives new life to her spirit, bringing her to a vibrant new source of inspiration for a new generation and those to follow, with her eternal beauty, elegant grace, and resolute splendor.

* Kemp had built an earlier Lynx, a 99 ton schooner, in 1806 for Henry Craig and is known to have made repairs, including caulking, a year later for her captain, Tom Tenant. Unfortunately, nothing further is known of this early vessel.

For further background on the ship and the 1812 era, click on the titles below and the papers will launch as .html or pdf files.

	1812 Privateers: The First Defense of American Freedom
	Privateering and National Defense: Naval Warfare for Private Profit - Sechrest
	Three Schooners Named Lynx

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