[1] The British Admiralty gave notice in April 1777, that they were ready to issue letters of marque for privateers against the Americans.

Along with owner Peter Baker and ship's carpenter John Baxter, Dawson sailed Mentor south in a privateering cruise to attempt to intercept French vessels coming from the Indian Ocean that were not aware of the outbreak of hostilities.

On 28 October 1778 Mentor encountered the French East Indiaman Carnatic, which was sailing from India to France.

Dawson was initially hesitant to pursue the Carnatic, which on first impression vastly outgunned Mentor 74 to 28.

This made Carnatic the richest prize ever taken and brought safe into port by a Liverpool privateer.

[7] Late in the afternoon two privateers from Bristol, Lyon and Tyger, came up and together with Mentor they set off after the French vessel, but without consulting with Whiteside.

[8] A gale in the night between 1 and 2 August 1781 at Jamaica drove Mentor and a number of other vessels, including Carnatic, Gibbons, master, on shore.

During the 1782 Central Atlantic hurricane in September 1782, Mentor foundered in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland with the loss of 31 of her 34 crew.