HMS Magpie was a 4-gun Magpie-class schooner of the Royal Navy, launched at Jamaica in June 1826 as the lead vessel of her class. The Magpie-class consisted of three vessels, designed based on HMS Assiduous, a pirate schooner captured by the Royal Navy in 1823 and repurposed to combat piracy in the West Indies. The class was constructed by McLean of Jamaica, with dimensions measuring approximately 53 feet 3 inches along the gun deck, 40 feet 8½ inches at the keel, and a beam of 18 feet. The vessels had a hold depth of 7 feet 3 inches and a burthen of 70 tons. Armed with two 9-pounder long guns and two 18-pounder carronades, Magpie was crewed by 35 men. She was commissioned in early June 1826 under Lieutenant Edward Smith. Her early service included rescuing the crew of the wrecked merchant ship The Brothers near Havana in June and participating in anti-slavery patrols, notably chasing the slave ship Minerva in August, though unable to seize her due to local authorities' refusal. Tragically, Magpie's service ended on 27 August 1826 when she capsized during a squall off the coast of Cuba while searching for pirates near the Colorados Archipelago. The ship was becalmed when a sudden storm struck, causing her to list and sink rapidly through open hatchways. Of her 35 crew members, only nine survived the initial wreck, clinging to spars and a boat. The survivors experienced shark attacks, with some killed and others suffering severe injuries, including Lieutenant Smith, who was fatally bitten. The remaining six men drifted in a boat suffering from heat and dehydration until they were rescued on 29 August by the American brig Aspasia, and subsequently transferred to the British merchant brig Laura. Magpie's sinking was a notable event, highlighting the perils of naval service in the West Indies and underscoring the dangers faced by early 19th-century schooner vessels operating in treacherous maritime environments.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.