Amacree (1788 ship)

Last updated

History
British-Red-Ensign-1707.svg Great Britain
NameAmacree
NamesakeAmachree I (d.1800), first king of the Kalabari Kingdom
BuilderLiverpool
Launched1788
FateDisappeared from press reports after 1801
General characteristics
Tons burthen205, [1] or 212, [2] or 215, or 229 [2] (bm)
Length88 ft 0 in (26.8 m) [1]
Beam23 ft 8 in (7.2 m) [1]
Complement
Armament
  • 1794: 12 × 9-pounder guns [2]
  • 1800: 18 × 9&12-pounder guns [2]
NotesTwo decks & three masts

Amacree or Amachree, was launched in 1788 in Liverpool. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa and primarily to Dominica. On her fourth such voyage, she and five other slave ships bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for slaves. The last press mention of Amacree occurred in 1801.

Contents

Career

Dolben's Act, passed in 1788, limited the number of enslaved people that British ships could transport, based on the ships' tons burthen. It was the first British legislation passed to regulate slave shipping. One of the provisions of the act was bonuses for the master (£100) and surgeon (£50) if the mortality among the captives was under 2%; a mortality rate of under 3% resulted in a bonus of half that. Dolben's Act apparently resulted in some reduction in the numbers of slaves carried per vessel, and possibly in mortality. [3]

1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1788–1789): Captain Edward Deane sailed from Liverpool on 27 May 1788, bound for New Calabar. On 10 August Amacree, Dean, master, was well off the coast of Africa, with 100 captives. Amacree arrived at Dominica in December 1788 with 410 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 510 captives, and delivered 407. [4] ) Captain Dean died on 12 December, [5] at St George, Grenada, and John Sperling, Jr., replaced him as captain of Amacree. She arrived back at Liverpool on 8 February 1789. She had sailed from Liverpool with 37 crew members and she suffered four crew deaths on her voyage. [6]

Amacree first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1789. [7]

YearMasterOwnerTradeSource
1789R.LeeWm.HarperLiverpool–AfricaLR

2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1789–1790): Captain Roger Lee sailed from Liverpool on 16 April 1789, bound for New Calabar. Amacree arrived at Dominica on 16 September with 282 captives. (A source using records from Dominica does not have data for this voyage. [8] ) She sailed for Liverpool on 26 November and arrived back at Liverpool on 7 January 1790. She left Liverpool with 31 crew members and suffered two crew deaths on her voyage. [9]

3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1790): Captain Lee sailed from Liverpool on 20 April 1790, bound for Cape Grand Mount. Amacree arrived at Dominica on 5 October with 300 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 336 captives, and delivered 300. [8] ) She sailed on 9 November and arrived back at Liverpool on 25 December. She had left Liverpool with 27 crew members and she suffered three crew deaths on her voyage. [10]

4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1791–1792): Captain Lee sailed from Liverpool on 13 April 1791, bound for West Africa. Amacree started acquiring captives on 24 July. [11]

On this voyage Lee, together with five other captains of slave ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. The bombardment by some 66 guns killed and wounded 50 or so of the local inhabitants and resulted in the traders agreeing to the prices the captains offered. [12] [lower-alpha 1]

Amacree sailed from Africa on 16 February 1792 and arrived at Dominica on 14 April with 406 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 336 captives, and delivered 300. [8] ) She sailed from Dominica on 19 May and arrived back at Liverpool on 26 June. She had left Liverpool with 27 crew members and she suffered eight crew deaths on the voyage. [11]

5th voyage transporting enslaved people (1792–1793): Captain William Platt sailed from Liverpool on 28 September 1792. [13]

Captain Platt died on 11 October, [lower-alpha 2] and Thomas Bourke replaced him as captain. Amacree acquired captives at Calabar and Bonny. She arrived at Dominica on 30 June 1793 with 217 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 268 captives, and delivered 217. [16] ) She arrived back at Liverpool on 1 October 1793. She had left Liverpool with 27 crew members and suffered 10 crew deaths on her voyage. [17]

6th voyage transporting enslaved people (1794–1795): Captain John Hewan acquired a letter of marque on 16 June 1794. [2] He sailed from Liverpool on 8 July, bound for Loango. Amacree began acquiring captives on 27 September and departed Africa on 9 January 1795, having embarked 351 captives. She arrived at Havana on 26 March with 347 caaptives , for a mortality rate of about 1%, [13] which would have qualified master and surgeon for bonuses. She sailed for Liverpool on 13 May, in company with Sarah, M'Gee, master, and Chaser, Galbraith, master. Sarah separated from Chaser on the 20th through the Gulf of Mexico, and from Amacree on the 29th, north of Bermuda. [18] Amacree arrived at Liverpool on 4 July. She had left Liverpool with 34 crew members and suffered seven deaths on her voyage. [13]

7th voyage transporting enslaved people (1797–1798): Captain Thomas Mullion sailed from Liverpool on 6 June 1797, bound for Bonny. [19] In 1797, 104 vessels sailed from English ports bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 90 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [20]

Amacree arrived at Dominica on 25 December with 349 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 431 captives, and delivered 349. [16] ) She left for Liverpool on 19 January 1798 and arrived there on 26 February. She had left Liverpool with 43 crew members and suffered one crew death on her voyage. [19]

8th voyage transporting enslaved people (1798–1799): Captain Richard Kendall sailed from Liverpool on 14 June 1798, bound for Bonny. [21] In 1798, 160 vessels sailed from English ports bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 149 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. This was the highest annual total during the 1795–1804 period. [20]

Amacree arrived at Dominica on 28 November with 345 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 426 captives, and delivered 345. She was the only vessel transporting enslaved people to arrive in Dominca in 1798. [16] ) She sailed for Liverpool on 10 March 1799 and arrived there on 19 April. She had left Liverpool with 47 crew members and suffered 10 crew deaths on her voyage. [21]

9th voyage transporting enslaved people (1799–1800): Captain William Maxwell sailed from Liverpool on 1 August 1799, bound for New Calabar. [22] In 1799, 156 vessels sailed from English ports bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 134 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [20]

Amacree arrived at Dominica on 27 January 1800 with 325 captives. (A source using records from Dominica reports that Amacree had embarked 402 captives, and delivered 325. [16] ) She sailed for Liverpool on 24 April and arrived there on 22 June. She had left Liverpool with 35 crew members and suffered seven crew deaths on her voyage. [22]

10th voyage transporting enslaved people (1800–1801): Captain Thomas Houghton acquired a letter of marque on 4 September 1800. He sailed from Liverpool on 20 October, bound for Cape Grand Mount. [23] In 800, 133 vessels sailed from English ports bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 120 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. This was thighs anual total during the 1795–1804 period. [20]

Amacree arrived at Martinique on 12 June 1801 with 211 captives. She arrived back at Liverpool on 27 September. [23] Her cargo to Liverpool consisted of ivory, pepper, sugar, cotton, wine, "noyeau" (nuts), and succades. [24] On her way back from Martinique she had to put into Cork, in distress.

Fate

Although LR continued to carry Amacree for a number of years with stale data, she did not again appear in any ship arrival and departure data after her return to Liverpool in 1801.

Notes

  1. ↑ The other five were Betsey, Martha, Recovery, Thomas, Phillips, master, and Wasp, Hutchenson, master.
  2. ↑ The date of death comes from Stephen D. Behrendt, who places Platt on Venus, not Amacree. [14] The database on trans-Atlantic slave voyages does not show Platt as master on Venus for any voyage transporting enslaved people. In February 1793, Lloyd's List reported that Bell had spoken Amacree, Pratt late master, off Madeira. [15]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Craig & Jarvis (1967), p. 127.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Letter of Marque, p.49 - accessed 25 July 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Klein et al. (2001), p. 8.
  4. ↑ Campbell (2007), p. 26.
  5. ↑ Behrendt (1990), p. 133.
  6. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80207.
  7. ↑ LR (1789), Seq.No.A504.
  8. 1 2 3 Campbell (2007), p. 27.
  9. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80208.
  10. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80209.
  11. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80210.
  12. ↑ Wilberforce (1899), pp. 25–26.
  13. 1 2 3 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80212.
  14. ↑ Behrendt (1990), p. 134.
  15. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2479. 12 February 1793. hdl:2027/uc1.c3049067.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Campbell (2007), p. 29.
  17. ↑ Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80211.
  18. ↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List. No. 2727. 23 June 1795. hdl:2027/mdp.39015050998221.
  19. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80213.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Williams (1897), p. 680.
  21. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80214.
  22. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80215.
  23. 1 2 Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database – Amacree voyage #80216.
  24. ↑ "LIVERPOOL, OCT. 1" (3 October 1801), Lancaster Gazetter (Lancaster, England) issue: 16.

Related Research Articles

Tarleton was built in France under another name in 1778. The partnership of the Tarletons and Backhouse purchased her in 1779. She first traded as a West Indiaman, sailing between Liverpool and Jamaica. She then became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made three complete voyages from Liverpool transporting enslaved people and was lost in November 1788 at the outset of her fourth voyage.

Banastre, was built at Ringsend, Dublin, in 1759, though under what name is unclear. By 1787 she was in the hands of the Tarletons and Daniel Backhouse of Liverpool. She made five complete voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade, transporting enslaved people from West Africa to the Caribbean. On her first voyage an incident in which one enslaver fired on her led to a landmark court case. A French warship captured her in 1793 as she was on her way from West Africa to Jamaica on her sixth voyage transporting captives.

Plover was launched at Liverpool in 1788. Her whereabouts between 1798 and 1802 are currently obscure. She became a Liverpool-based slave ship in 1802. She made three voyages in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West indies. The French Navy captured her in 1806 as she was starting her fourth voyage to acquire captives. The French Navy may have commissioned her as a corvette, but if so her service was brief.

Iris was launched at Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. In all she made eight voyages (1783-1800) transporting captives from West Africa to the Caribbean. She also made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) to Bengal and back (1795-1796). She was condemned in Jamaica in December 1800 as unseaworthy.

Eliza was launched in America in 1780 and taken in prize in 1782. She entered the Liverpool registry in 1783, 1786, and again in 1792. She made nine voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in an explosion on her tenth voyage after she had already embarked her captives. All the captives died, as did her captain and most of her crew. The explosion occurred during a single ship action on 17 December 1797, with a French privateer.

Hannah was built in Liverpool in 1795. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade of enslaved people. She was lost in 1801 as she was returning home after having delivered her captives on her fourth voyage.

Windsor Castle was launched at Whitby in 1783. Initially she was primarily a West Indiaman. Then from 1797 she made five voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She foundered off Bermuda in 1803 after having disembarked her captives.

Prince was launched at Bristol in 1785 as Alexander and then made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Her owners changed her name to Prince in 1787. As Prince, she made six more complete voyages as an enslaving ship. She sailed on enslaving voyages for owners in Bristol, Liverpool, and London. She foundered in 1800 as she was returning to England from her ninth, having delivered captives to Jamaica.

Bolton was launched at Liverpool in 1792. She then made 10 voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During her career she repelled one attack by a French privateer, was captured on a later voyage by another before being recaptured by the Royal Navy, and then was captured on her tenth voyage by yet another privateer after Bolton had gathered her captives but before she was able to deliver them to the West Indies. Bolton returned to British ownership, first sailing as West Indiaman, before embarking on an 11th enslaving voyage. She blew up on the African coast in 1806 after some of the captives aboard her succeeded in taking her over and setting fire to her.

Betsey was launched in 1790 at Liverpool as a slave ship. She made six complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second such voyage she, together with five other slave ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. A French privateer captured her in 1799 after she had delivered her captives on her seventh voyage.

Liverpool Hero was built in France in 1777, probably as Jeune Emilia. She was taken in prize in 1780. In 1781 she entered into the triangular trade in enslaved people. From 1781 she made six complete voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship. On her fourth enslaving voyage she suffered an exceptionally high mortality rate among the captives she had embarked. Her third voyage had been marred by high mortality, but on the fourth 330 captives, 59% of the number she had embarked, died. She was lost in 1794 off the coast of Africa on her seventh voyage, probably with her crew and captives.

Bell was launched in 1788 in Liverpool. Between 1788 and 1795 she made five voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1798 on her sixth enslaving voyage after she had embarked her captives. In 1798, the Royal Navy destroyed her.

Princess Amelia was launched in 1798 at Liverpool. She made eight complete voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. After the end of British participation in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, she became a merchantman. She was probably the Princess Amelia, from Liverpool, that was lost in 1810.

Molly was launched at Liverpool in 1778 as a slave ship. Between 1778 and 1807 she made 18 complete voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. During this period she also suffered one major maritime incident and captured two ships. After the end of Britain's involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Molly became a merchantman trading with the West Indies, Africa, Brazil, Nova Scotia, and Africa again. She was last listed in 1832, giving her a 54-year career.

William was launched in Spain in 1788, almost certainly under another name. She was taken in prize in 1797. William sailed as a West Indiaman until 1800 when new owners started to sail her as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made four complete voyages as a slave ship. A report of her fourth voyage provides insight into the decision making over the planning of the voyage. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 on her fifth slave voyage.

True Briton was launched at Liverpool in 1775. She made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During the second of these voyages there was an unsuccessful insurrection by the captives she was carrying. Then in 1777–1778 she made another enslaving voyage, this time under the name John. On her return to Liverpool, she became the privateer Bellona, and succeeded in taking several prizes. Bellona then made three enslaving voyages. In 1786 her ownership changed, and so did her name. She became Lord Stanley, and under that name proceeded to make 11 more enslaving voyages. In 1794, at Havana, a deadly fever spread through the vessel, apparently after she had landed her captives. On her last voyage the captain acted with such brutality towards a black crew member that the man, who providentially survived, sued the captain when the vessel arrived at Liverpool and won substantial damages.

Aeolus was built in Liverpool. Between 1787 and 1806 she made 13 voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On one voyage she repelled an attack by a French privateer in a single ship action. She was last listed in 1808.

Lucy was a Spanish vessel built in 1789, probably under another name. She came into British ownership in 1799. As Lucy, she proceeded to make three complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On the second of these she rather unusually assisted the British commander at Gorée in an operation to destroy a Spanish vessel at Senegal before the French could arm it as a privateer. However, a few days later a slave revolt resulted in the death of Lucy's captain. The French captured Lucy in 1806 on her fourth enslaving voyage as she was approaching the West Indies after she had embarked her captives. The capture involved a single ship action that left most of Lucy's crew dead or wounded. Her captors took Lucy into Guadeloupe, together with her captives.

Doe was built in 1780, in the Thirteen Colonies, possibly under another name. She was taken in prize. Between 1783 and 1786 Doe made three complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. New owners in 1787 renamed Doe to Ellen. Ellen was registered in Liverpool in 1787. Between 1789 and 1792, she made two complete enslaving voyages. A French privateer captured her in 1793 as she was on her way to the West Indies having embarked captives in Africa on her sixth slaving voyage.

Bud was launched at Liverpool in 1783. Between 1783 and 1800 she made 12 complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. In 1796 she repelled an attack by a faster, better armed, and more heavily crewed French privateer in a single ship action. Then in 1798, a French privateer captured her in another single ship action after Bud's short but sanguinary resistance. The Royal Navy quickly captured her, and her captor. On her 13th enslaving voyage she was condemned at Kingston, Jamaica after she had arrived with her captives.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.