The HMS Sylph with the HMS Maidstone close behind by B. J. Phillips
The H.M.S. Sylph was constructed in Bermuda in 1812, but was not the first ship to have the name Sylph. Although rated an '18' (based on the number of cannons aboard a traditional sloop-of-war) she was actually armed with sixteen 24-pounder carronades, two long 12-pounders and two 12-pound carronades.
During the months of June and July 1814 the Sylph was extensively active in the interruption of commerce and the capture or destruction of merchant vessels on Long Island Sound. On May 11th the Sylph captured the merchant sloop Grace and took her cargo of iron and dismantled her for fuel. On the 18th the Sylph along with the Frigate H.M.S. Maidstone fired upon a Swedish vessel prior to joining the remainder of the British squadron in blockading the Sound. The blockade, in addition to the Sylph and Maidstone, included the H.M.S. Bulwark and Nimrod. On May 25th the Sylph and Maidstone were engaged in a battle with about a dozen small gunboats under the command of Commodore Lewis. After a three hour battle the American gunboats succeeded in their task of allowing a large contingent of small merchant packets and coasters to pass unmolested past the British warships. At the conclusion of the battle two 74 gun British ships arrived on site and the American forces retreated towards Guilford. The Sylph continued throughout June to make trouble on the Sound. She joined the Maidstone and Belvidera, another frigate, along with the La Hogue, one of the 74 gun ships that had arrived in the Sound in attacking more and more vessels.
In early June the Sloop Nancy was located along near Northville, Long Island when the British arrived, attempting to land marines to destroy the vessel. They were beaten off by the local militia under Capt. John Terry who shot at the marines from the bluffs. Soon after the Sylph arrived and bombarded the cliffs with cannon fire. She was joined by another ship, likely the Maidstone, and together they attempted to drive off the American militia and take the ship, but in the end were unable to capture the Nancy.
The HMS Sylph from a Model—Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England
On June 23, 1814 an early submarine, called the "torpedoe boat" was forced ashore near Horton Point, Southold after her line was cut in an effort to save a man who went overboard. The boat arrived on shore and over the course of the next few days her crew tried to get her off the beach. In the meantime, word was received by the Sylph and Maidstone of the boats arrival and they set course for her. On Sunday, June 26th, 1814 the Sylph and Maidstone arrived off of Horton Point and launched several small barges (or skiffs) with armed men intent on destroying the "torpedoe boat." Several members of the Sag Harbor militia who were present fired upon the British, who took at least four men either killed or wounded. The militia was forced to retreat and the British succeeded in landing on the Beach and burning the "torpedoe boat." The boat was one of the earliest forms of submarine to be engaged in naval battles.
HOW TO HELP
HOW TO HELP
HOW TO HELP
ACCESIBILITY STATEMENT
Southold Historical Museum is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the broadest possible audience, regardless of ability. We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability of our website and in doing so, strive to interpret many of the available standards and guidelines in level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
These guidelines try to explain how to help make the web more user-friendly for all people.
The site has been tested using free software available through NV Access called NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) for use with computers running on Windows. The non-profit NV Access was founded by two fully blind friends to help improve the accessibility of computers for blind and vision impaired people. While most readers can cost a lot of money, NV Access wanted to make sure the software was entirely free and available to all. It can be downloaded at: NV Access Download
Apple’s IOS system also offers a range of options to assist those with challenges in accessing web content. Contact Apple support or follow the link here to access a broad range of options: Apple Accessibility link. Android accessibility tools are available at: Android Accessibility Suite on Google Play link.
Southold Historical Museum is continually seeking out solutions in accessibility and usability that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility. In the meantime should you experience any difficulty in accessing Southold Historical Museum website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Phone: 631-765-5500
Email: info@southoldhistorical.org
Address: 54325 Main Road
PO Box 1
Southold, NY 11971