Sinking of HMS Peacock - Battle

Battle

On 24 February, Lawrence pursued a British merchant brig into the mouth of the Demerara River. As evening drew on, Lawrence then noted a British brig sloop, HM Brig Espiegle, at anchor in the river, and another, the Peacock, approaching from seaward.

The Hornet beat to windward, and gained the advantage of the windward position. Lawrence then tacked, and the Hornet and Peacock passed each other on opposite tacks and exchanged broadsides at "half pistol shot". Even at this close range, the British fire went high. Some American sailors were killed and wounded at the mastheads. The Peacock suffered heavy damage to the hull.

Captain Peake of the Peacock wore ship i.e. turned downwind to bring his opposite battery to bear, but Lawrence had carried out the same manoeuvre more rapidly. The starboard bow of the Hornet came up against the stern of the Peacock from where the British could bring no guns to bear, and from this position, the Hornet's gunners shattered the Peacock in a mere four minutes. Peake was killed, and his First Lieutenant surrendered and almost immediately made a distress signal. The British lost 8 men killed and 30 wounded; the Americans lost only one man killed and two wounded, all to Peacock's first broadside.

An American prize crew went aboard the Peacock, anchored and tried to plug the holes below the waterline and throw the guns overboard to lighten the brig, but the Peacock sank suddenly. Three Americans and nine British sailors were trapped below deck and drowned. The Peacock sank in only 33 feet (10 m) of water, and four British sailors saved themselves by climbing the foremast, the top of which remained above the water. Four others escaped to the shore in a boat in the confusion.

Although the Peacock was more lightly armed than the Hornet, mounting eighteen 24-pounder carronades to the Hornet's eighteen 32-pounder carronades, the overwhelming defeat was more probably due to poor training and lack of practice at the guns. It was said that Captain Peake had concentrated on the appearance of his command rather than its fighting efficiency.