HMS Rattler was the mercantile Hope that the Royal Navy purchased at Leith in 1797. It initially named her GB No.41, and then renamed her HMS Rattler. The Navy sold her in 1802. She returned to the name Hope and became a merchantman trading with Hamburg, Gibraltar, and lastly, Cowes. She was last listed in 1816.
The Royal Navy commissioned Rattler in September 1797 under Lieutenant John Gibbs. He died, probably before but possibly after Lieutenant Samuel Wickham took command of Rattler in June 1798, for the North Sea. On 18 July 1801 she arrived at Elsinor, having escorted the Leith fleet. The Navy sold Rattler on 31 May 1802, shortly after the Peace of Amiens took effect.
Rattler returned to her original name, Hope, and first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1802.[1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1802 | M.Tate | Captain & Co. | London–Hamburg | LR; raised 1802 |
| 1804 | M.Tate | W.Witham | Liverpool–London London–Toning | LR; raised 1802 |
| 1807 | P.Tate | Captain & Co. | London–Hamburg | LR; raised 1802 |
| 1809 | P.Tate W.Gibson | Walton | London–Hamburg | Register of Shipping |
| 1810 | W.Gibson M.Lewish | Walton Vickerman | London–Gibraltar | Register of Shipping |
| 1811 | M.Lewish Vickerman | Vickerman Lavers | Plymouth London–Gibraltar | LR; raised 1802 |
| 1812 | M.Lourish | N.Lavers | Cowes–London | LR; raised 1802 |
Hope was last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1816 with data unchanged since 1812.