The Royal Navy used several vessels that were described as His Majesty's hired armed cutter King George. Some of these may have been the same vessel on repeat contract.
The first King George was a cutter of 128 tons (bm), carrying twelve 4-pounder guns. She served from 24 June 1796 to 1799.[1] In 1797 she was under the command of under Lieutenant James Rains.[2] May saw her participating in the capture of the French privateer Adolphe, together with and . King George had led the chase with Nautilus and Seagull joining in for another four hours before Nautilus succeeded in capturing Adolpe. Adolphe was pierced for 12 guns but had thrown some overboard during the chase. When the British captured her, Adolphe had five guns, eight swivels, and a crew of 35. She was new, nine days out of Boulogne on her first cruise and had not taken any prizes.
On 2 July Nautilus, Seagull, King George and the hired armed cutter Fox captured the Dutch privateer Klyne Sperwer, of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. Klyne Sperwer was armed with six 3-pounder guns, swivel guns, muskets, and the like. She had a crew of 28 men, 20 of whom escaped in boats. She had been out a month fromAmsterdam but had taken nothing.
Three weeks later, on 23 July, after a three-hour chase, King George and Seagull captured the French privateer Captain Thurot near Christiansand. Captaine Thurot was a small French privateer cutter armed with two brass 6-pounders and four swivels, and had a crew of 22. She had already captured the ship Tom, of Liverpool, from Riga, with timber, and the brig Bachelor, of Saltcoats in Scotland. Nautilus shared with Seagull by a private agreement.
On 9 October King George sailed from Yarmouth for the Texel and on 11 October participated in the Battle of Camperdown. On 12 February 1798 prize money resulting from the sale of Dutch ships captured on 11 October 1797 was due for payment. In 1847 the surviving members of the crews of all the British vessels at the battle qualified for the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Camperdown".
The second King George may well have been the same vessel. She was of 133 tons (bm), and mounted twelve 12-pounder carronades. She served from 22 November 1799 until 23 October 1801.[3] On 16 February 1800 King George recaptured the brig Perth.
On 28 January 1801, while under the command of Lieutenant William Isaac Pearce, she captured the French privateer Flibustier in the Downs station. Flibustier was two days out of Dunkirk, had made no captures, and carried a crew of 16, armed with muskets and pistols. Prize money resulting from the capture of Flibustier was due to be paid on 18 April 1803.
Earlier that month, King George had detained the Vrow Jesina, Diericke, master, which had been sailing from Hambro to Liverpool. Vrow Jesina was lost off Dover, but part of her cargo was saved.[4]
In late 1801 King George, under the command of a Mr. Yawkins, served under Nelson at Nelson's failed attack on Boulogne.
