Windsor Castle was launched at Yarmouth in 1804. She spent her entire 11-year career as a Falmouth packet, primarily on the Falmouth–Halifax–New York–Halifax–Falmouth route and the Falmouth–Leeward Islands–Falmouth route. She also sailed on some other voyages. She was involved in two notable single-ship actions. In the first, in 1807, she captured her attacker, a French privateer schooner, in a sanguinary encounter. In the second, in 1815, an American privateer captured her. A prize crew took her into Norfolk, Virginia, where she was sold at auction.
Career
Windsor Castle first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1804 with R. Sutton, master, Sutton, owner, and trade Yarmouth-Falmouth. R. Sutton was Robert Shuttleworth Sutton, who had been appointed her captain on 20 June 1804.
On 15 September 1804 Windsor Castle sailed from Falmouth for Jamaica.
1805
Windsor Castle arrived at Falmouth on 6 January 1805 after a 46-day journey from Jamaica. She then sailed for Jamaica on 12 February; she arrived at Barbados on 14 April.
On 15 April Windsor Castle left Jamaica. She arrived at Falmouth on 9 June, after a voyage of 56 days.
Captain Sutton sailed from Falmouth on 8 July 1805 and arrived at Halifax on 6 August. Windsor Castle apparently sailed the same day and arrived a New York on 21 August. She remained in New York until 3 October. She then arrived in Halifax on 5 October, left shortly thereafter, and returned to Falmouth on 8 November.
While Windsor Castle was on this voyage LL reported on 27 August that Windsor Castle had been captured while outward bound and taken to Corruna. On 24 September LL reported that Windsor Castle had in fact arrived at Halifax.
On 11 December Windsor Castle sailed from Falmouth to Barbados and Jamaica.
1806
On 20 January 1806 Windsor Castle arrived at Jamaica.
Captain Sutton sailed from Falmouth on 12 May 1806. Windsor Castle left Halifax on 7 June and arrived at New York in June. She left New York on 7 August and left at Halifax on 19 August. She arrived back at Falmouth on 4 September.
On 7 October Captain Sutton sailed from Falmouth, bound for Halifax and New York. She arrived at Halifax on 24 November and New York on 13 December.
1807
Windsor Castle sailed from New York on 27 January 1807 and arrived at Falmouth on 4 February.
On 12 March Windsor Castle sailed from Falmouth, bound for Jamaica. She was off Jamaica by 28 April, and arrived back at Falmouth on 11 July, after a voyage of 55 days.
On 28 August Windsor Castle sailed from Falmouth, bound for the Leeward Islands. Sutton remained at Falmouth on this occasion and her master, William Rogers, sailed her as acting captain.
Jeune Richard
Lloyd's List reported on 10 November 1807 that Windsor Castle, of eight guns and 28 men and boys, had on 2 October captured the privateer Jeune Richard, of 14 guns and 96 men, after a two-and-a-half hour engagement. Jeune Richard had 56 men killed and wounded; Windsor Castle four killed and eight wounded. Windsor Castle carried her prize into .
The encounter had taken place at . The French tried to board Windsor Castle, but her crew repelled the boarding attempt while inflicting heavy casualties on the French attackers. Eventually, the British were able to board Jeune Richard, drive her crew below deck, and capture her.
When Windsor Castle arrived at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, Rogers wrote an after-action letter to Admiral Alexander Cochrane, the commander of the Leeward Islands Station. Rogers listed his casualties as amounting to three killed and ten wounded. He gave French casualties as 21 killed and 33 wounded. He described Jeune Richard as having a crew of 92 men, and an armament of one 18-pounder gun and six 6-pounder guns. After he had captured Jeune Richard, Rogers had her crew come on deck one by one and placed irons on them as the survivors still outnumbered his own men. Cochrane wrote a highly complementary letter of transmission to the Admiralty. The victory was widely reported in contemporary papers and journals, and Rogers and his crew were hailed as heroes and lavishly rewarded for their valour.
Windsor Castle arrived at Barbados on 3 October. She arrived back at Falmouth on 20 December, after a voyage of 42 days from Tortola.
1808
On 26 January 1808 Windsor Castle sailed for the Leeward Islands.
Captain Sutton sailed from Falmouth on 7 June 1808. Windsor Castle arrived at Halifax on 26 July and left on 1 August. She arrived at New York on 10 August and left on 10 September. She left Halifax on 27 September and arrived back at Falmouth on 18 October.