PW7998

HM schooner 'Hornet' 4 guns Long Caption: Port view of a small two masted vessel with fore and aft rig on both masts, the fore mast also having square rig top sails. The Union Jack is flying from the main mast yard. A small tender is tied to the stern. Nine people are visible on the deck. The 'Hornet' is at anchor. The coastline is visible in the background and there is a stern view of another vessel to the left of the image. The 'Hornet' appears to have 4 guns as there are 2 gun ports on the port side - this helps to identify the vessel as the 4-gun ex-Dutch hoy of 1794 rather than the 6-gun schooner of 1831. The inscription on the back of the portrait suggests the Hornet was a schooner of 4 guns. However, the 4-gun 'Hornet' was a 60-ton Dutch hoy, purchased by the Navy in 1794 as a gunboat but broken up at Sheerness in 1795. The schooner HM 'Hornet' was 181 tons, had 6 guns and was launched at Chatham in 1831. This vessel was used for coastguard service before being broken up at Chatham in 1845. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: PAF7998 Artist: John Thomas Serres Date: 18th century - early 19th century Medium: watercolour Size: 404 mm x 557 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.