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The Deerhound RYS was a British yacht. It was built in 1858 and was owned by John Lancaster. The ship was present at the Battle of Cherbourg where it rescued survivors of the CSS Alabama. It was later involved in smuggling during the Carlist Wars in Spain.

History
The Deerhound was constructed in Birkenhead, England in John Laird shipyard for George Osborne, 8th Duke of Leeds. Shortly afterwards, he sold her to John Lancaster who later became a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Battle of Cherbourg
In 1864, the Deerhound was in the port of Cherbourg, France after the Lancaster family were visiting a new casino in the town. The CSS Alabama was also in port but due to Alabama preparing for battle, they declined the Lancasters an opportunity to board for a visit. The family voted, with Lancaster's 9 year old daughter casting the deciding vote, to follow the Alabama in Deerhound and witness the battle from a safe distance.

Following the battle with the USS Kearsarge, the Alabama was sinking and survivors abandoned ship into the waters. As the Deerhound passed the Kearsarge, the Kearsarge's captain John Ancrum Winslow called out: "For God's sake do what you can to save them". The Deerhound rescued 42 survivors from the Alabama including her captain Raphael Semmes. When Winslow demanded the Deerhound hand over the Confederate sailors, Lancaster refused citing that "an English ship is English territory" and wrapped Semmes in a Union Jack and challenged the Kearsearge to try and take him as the Deerhound sailed away. Winslow allegedly declined to pursue or fire on the Deerhound on the grounds that he did not believe a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron would behave so "dishonourably". The Deerhound sailed to Southampton and allowed the Confederate crew to disembark. Lancaster would recieve a letter of thanks from the President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Congress passed a resolution of gratitude as well.

American newspapers fiercely criticised the Deerhound for her actions in refusing to hand the survivors over, especially as she had only intervened after Winslow's exhortation for assistance. Some even accused the Deerhound of going to sea specifically to assist the Alabama. Lancaster wrote a rebuttal the the New York Times's correspondent in London. He stated that he was not obliged to hand over rescued sailors to their wartime enemies to be imprisoned and possibly executed as they were not prisoners of war as they had not been captured.

Later service
In 1873, the Deerhound along with fellow steamer Queen of the Seas were involved in gun-running for the Carlists during the Third Carlist War. They were unloading a shipment of rifles when they were approached by a Spanish corvette. During pursuit, the Deerhound was seized and the crew imprisoned on charges of piracy. Lord Granville pressured Spain to release them on the grounds that the capture had taken place in French waters and thus they had no right to charge the crew of a British ship with piracy in neutral waters. The crew were initially released but not the ship. Three days later, the Deerhound was released as well. Following this, Captain Travers who was commanding the Deerhound tried to claim £5,000 from the British government for illegal imprisonment. The request was denied by the government due to the activities he was engaging in and stated Travers could not look to the government for assistance if his actions turned out badly.