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Name | Betsey |
Owner | The DeWoolf family (1768-1777) [1] |
Builder | Liverpool [2] |
Launched | 1768 |
Fate | Sold 1777 |
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Name | HMS Comet |
Acquired | 1777 by purchase |
Out of service | Paid off in August 1778 |
Fate | Sold 15 September 1778 |
General characteristics [3] | |
Tons burthen | 140, [1] or 200, [4] [2] or 250 bm |
Length |
|
Beam | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
Depth of hold | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Sail plan | Sloop |
Complement | 100 |
Armament | 10 [5] or 14 [6] x 4-pounder guns |
Betsey was a Guineaman (slave ship), launched at Liverpool in 1768. Between 1768 and 1777, she made eight voyages in the triangular trade, transporting enslaved people from West Africa to the Caribbean. In 1777 the British Royal Navy purchased her at Antigua, named her HMS Comet, and armed her as a sloop-of-war. She sailed to England in 1778, where the Navy sold her.
1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1768–1769): Captain Samuel Conway sailed from Liverpool on 31 May 1768, and returned on 17 March 1769. Betsey had gathered captives at Bonny, and delivered them to Antigua. [4]
2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1769–1770): Captain Conway sailed from Liverpool on 6 June 1769. Betsey acquired captives at Bonny and delivered 380 to Antigua in 1770. At some point Captain Parkinson replaced Conway. Betsey returned to Liverpool on 27 April 1770. [7]
3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1770–1771): Captain Conway sailed from Liverpool on 29 June 1770. Betsey embarked 440 slaves at Bonny and arrived at Antigua with 423, for a 4% mortality rate. Betsey returned to Liverpool on 5 April 1771. [8]
4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1771–1772): Captain Conway sailed from Liverpool on 19 May 1771. Betsey acquired her slaves at Bonny and arrived at st Kitts on 9 January 1772 with 400. She had left Liverpool with 35 crew members and had 25 when she arrived at St Kitts. She arrived back at Liverpool on 6 March 1772. [9]
5th voyage transporting enslaved people (1772–1773): Captain Conway sailed from Liverpool on 25 April 1772. She acquired her slaves at Bonny and brought them to Jamaica. She had left Liverpool with 32 crew members and she had 25 when she arrived at Jamaica. At some point Captain William Stephenson replaced Conway. Betsey left Jamaica on 8 March 1773 and arrived back at Liverpool on 15 May. In all, she had suffered eight crew deaths on her voyage. [10]
6th voyage transporting enslaved people (1773–1774): Captain John Washington sailed from Liverpool on 15 June 1773. Betsey acquired her slaves at Bonny and delivered them to Jamaica. She had left Liverpool with 41 crew members and arrived with 33. She sailed from Jamaica on 12 April and arrived back at Liverpool on 2 June. In all, she had suffered eight crew deaths on her voyage. [11]
7th voyage transporting enslaved people (1773–1774): Captain Jere Limeburner sailed from Liverpool on 17 July 1774. She acquired her slaves at Bonny and brought them to Jamaica. She returned to Liverpool on 8 July 1775. She had left Liverpool with 41 crew members and she suffered eight crew deaths on her voyage. [12]
The 1776 issue of Lloyd's Register is the first issue available online that lists Betsey. It showed her trade as Liverpool-Africa, and her master changing from Limeburner to Simmons. It also recorded that in 1774 she had damages repaired. [2]
8th voyage transporting enslaved people (1776–1777): Captain John Simmons sailed from Liverpool on 12 June 1776. [1] Betsey arrived in Dominica in 1777 from New Calabar. She had embarked 336 captives and disembarked 272, for a 19% mortality rate. [13]
Vice-admiral James Young purchased the Guineaman Betsey at Antigua for £1500, and renamed her Comet. On 30 May 1777 he appointed Lieutenant William Swinney (or Swiney), First Lieutenant of Portland, to command Comet. [6]
On 19 March 1778 Lieutenant William Peacock, First Lieutenant of Portland, replaced Swinney, who transferred to Cygnet to replace her previous commander, Lieutenant Robert Stratford, who had died. [14]
In April Young sent Shark and Comet back to England as escorts to a convoy that also included Yarmouth, which Young was sending back for repairs following her engagement with the American privateer Randolph. [15]
Comet was paid off in August 1778. [16] The navy sold Comet on 15 September 1778. [5]
Will was a ship launched at Liverpool in 1797 for Aspinal & Co., who were one of Liverpool's leading slave-trading companies. She made numerous voyages between West Africa and the Caribbean in the triangular trade in enslaved people, during which she several times successfully repelled attacks by French privateers. Will apparently foundered in a squall in July 1806, shortly before the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807 abolished the slave trade for British subjects.
Princess Royal was launched at Liverpool in 1790. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French captured her in 1794 at the beginning of her fifth enslaving voyage.
Elliott was launched at Liverpool in 1783. She made ten voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade, carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. Next, she made one voyage as a whaler. She then became a merchantman, sailing between England and South America. In November 1807 French privateers captured her.
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.
Hercules was launched at the Province of Georgia in 1777. She appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1782 as a West Indiaman. From 1786 she made three voyages from London as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in 1792 as she was returning to England after having delivered captives at Jamaica.
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.
Old Dick was launched at Bermuda in 1789. She sailed to England and was lengthened in 1792. From 1792 on she made two full voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her second she recaptured two British merchant ships. She was lost in 1796 at Jamaica after having landed her third cargo of captives.
Vulture was built in France 1777 and captured. By early 1779 she was sailing as a privateer out of Liverpool. She then became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She made 10 voyages transporting enslaved people and was captured in 1795 on her 11th such voyage.
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.
HMS Garland was a frigate of the British Royal Navy, launched at Sheerness in 1748. She had an apparently uneventful career in the Royal Navy, not being listed as participating in engagements or battles. She did capture some French and American merchant vessels. Her most important capture in 1782, was that of the privateer Fair American, which had in some two years captured over 40 British vessels. The Navy sold her in 1783 and she became a slave ship, making six full voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was wrecked as she started for home having delivered the captives from her seventh voyage.
Alexander was launched in France or Spain in 1797, probably under another name, and taken in prize circa 1799, when she was lengthened and raised. She was registered at Liverpool in 1801 and proceeded to make six voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then sailed to Brazil and the West Indies and was last listed in 1809.
Fly was a ship launched in 1772 in Liverpool. She then made three voyages to Africa as a slave ship. Circa 1780 she was renamed Tartar. She then made six more slave trading voyages. From circa 1789 she became a local trader. She was last listed in 1794.
Mentor was the former HMS Wasp. The British Royal Navy sold Wasp in 1781 and she became the mercantile Polly, which traded with Africa. In 1784 Polly became the slave ship Mentor. Mentor made eight full slave-trading voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She carried captives from The Gambia to the West Indies. French privateers captured her in late 1795 as she was on her way from West Africa to the West Indies on her ninth voyage.
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.
Thomas was the ship Sally that James Jones acquired in 1785. Thomas made seven voyages from Bristol as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. On her fourth such voyage,Thomas and five other enslaving ships, bombarded Calabar for more than three hours to force the local native traders to lower the prices they were charging for captives. The French captured her in 1794 as she was on her way for her eighth voyage.
Tonyn was launched in 1766 at Philadelphia, as Hyacinth. Between 1772 and 1775 Hyacinth made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was renamed Tonyn in 1779. An American warship captured her in 1781 after a single-ship action.
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.
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.
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.
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