HMS Grouper was a Royal Navy Ballahoo-class schooner, launched in 1804 and constructed by Goodrich & Co. in Bermuda. She was a relatively small vessel, armed with four 12-pounder carronades and crewed by approximately 20 men, designed primarily for patrolling and escort duties in the Caribbean. As the only Royal Navy ship to bear the name Grouper, she played a notable role in the West Indies during her service. Commissioned at Bermuda under Lieutenant Provo Hughes, Grouper operated primarily in the Leeward Islands. Her early service included capturing various vessels, such as the schooner Sophia on 8 June 1807, and the schooner Atlantic alongside the schooner Maria on 26 July 1807. By 12 August 1809, command had shifted to Lieutenant James Atkins, under whom she participated in the successful capture of Guadeloupe and its dependencies in February 1810. Throughout her service, Grouper was engaged in protecting trade routes and asserting British naval presence in the region. Her crew's efforts in these operations earned them the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Guadaloupe" in 1847, recognizing their participation in the campaign. The vessel met her demise on 21 October 1811 when she was wrecked on a reef off Guadeloupe, three miles northwest of Carret Island. The incident occurred early in the morning at around 5 a.m., when she struck the reef. Her crew managed to construct rafts from the wreckage and abandoned the schooner. While one marine drowned, the remaining crew survived; notably, Lieutenant Atkins was rescued after being knocked about for over five hours and was found insensible from his injuries. The court martial that followed in February 1812 attributed the loss to the neglect of Midshipman Angus McLeod, the officer of the watch, for failing to post a lookout and for continuing to sail despite orders to lay-to. McLeod had deserted along with the quartermaster of the watch, and thus was not punished. Grouper's wreck marked the end of her service, but her involvement in key naval operations in the Caribbean highlights her maritime significance during the Napoleonic Wars era.

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