History
The Vernieler was a gunboat in the service of the Batavian navy.
In September 1799, remnants of the Batavian navy were stationed in Frisian waters to guard the Frisian coast. The gunboats Schrik and Vernieler, the launch De Ruijter and the galley Zeeduivel were stationed here.
Two weeks after the surrender of the squadron of rear admiral Samuel Story in the Vlieter (see the Vlieter Incident), an English squadron of eleven vessels sailed into the Zuiderzee. Their intent was to conquer the Batavian Holland and Friesland.
On September 25th, the Schrik, the Vernieler and the Zeeduivel were near Lemmer. The crew was rebellious and several rabble-rousers were arrested. The unrest mainly seems to have been caused by unpaid wages.
On September 27th, British frigates came into view of the port. Captain Bolton demanded the surrender of the town and when an answer was not forthcoming, Lemmer was bombarded on September 29th 1799.
The gunboats, under the command of Lieutenant Scheler, tried to escape. In the end, Scheler decided to burn the Schrik and sink the Vernieler, to keep them out of enemy hands (see de Jonge V, p. 496). The crews caused much trouble in the villages later. Lemmer was shortly occupied by the English.
Description
| Master | Gerrit Scheler |
|---|