| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Elizabeth |
| Launched | 1798, Lancaster |
| Captured | 1805 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 310, [1] or 327 [2] (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
Elizabeth was launched at Lancaster in 1798. She made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 while she was on her sixth slave voyage after she had embarked slaves.
Elizabeth first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR), in 1798. [1]
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1798 | H.Bond C.Kinseale | J.Bolton | Liverpool–St Vincent Liverpool–Africa | LR |
Captain Henry Bond acquired a letter of marque on 19 March 1798. [2]
1st slave voyage (1798–1799): Captain Charles Kneal acquired a letter of marque on 9 October 1798. Captain Kneale sailed on 12 November. He acquired slaves at Bonny and arrived at Martinique on 26 July 1799 with 455 slaves. Elizabeth left Martinique on 31 August and arrived back at Liverpool on 12 October. She had left on her voyage with 53 crew members and she had suffered nine crew deaths on her voyage. [3]
2nd slave voyage (1800–1801): Captain John Mill acquired a letter of marque on 1 March 1800. [2] He acquired slaves at Iles de Los and sailed from there on 20 September. Elizabeth arrived at Suriname on 7 November with 313 slaves. She sailed from Suriname on 15 February 1801 and arrived at Liverpool on 20 April. She had left the United Kingdom with 3 crew members and had suffered 34 crew deaths on her voyage. [4]
3rd slave voyage (1801–1802): Captain James Giles acquired a letter of marque on 26 May 1801. [2] He sailed on 4 June 1801 and acquired slaves first on the Gold Coast, and then at Bonny. Elizabeth arrived at Demerara on 25 December. She arrived back at Liverpool on 7 June 1802. she had left the United Kingdom with 49 crew members and had suffered four crew deaths on her voyage. [5]
4th slave voyage (1802–1803): Because he sailed during the Peace of Amiens, Giles did not sail with a letter of marque. He sailed on 6 August 1802 and acquired slaves at Cape Coast Castle. Elizabeth sailed from Africa on 6 February 1803 and arrived at Demerara in March. She sailed from Demerara on 20 April and arrived back at Liverpool on 31 May. [6]
5th slave voyage (1804–1803): When Captain Giles sailed again, war with France had resumed. He acquired a letter of marque on 10 January 1804. [2] He sailed from Liverpool on 26 January and acquired slaves at Bonny. Elizabeth left Africa on 24 May and arrived at Havana on 22 July with 334 slaves. She sailed from Havana on 18 September and arrived back at Liverpool on 2 November. She had left Liverpool with 45 crew members and had suffered eight crew deaths on her voyage. [7] [lower-alpha 1]
6th slave voyage (1805–loss): Captain Samuel Hensley acquired a letter of marque on 9 January 1805. [2] He sailed from Liverpool on 29 January. [8]
On 2 February Elizabeth repelled an attack by a French privateer at 48°2′N12°15′W / 48.033°N 12.250°W in a single ship action. The privateer had "Swift of Norfolk" painted on her stern and was armed with twenty 24-pounder carronades on her main deck and lighter guns on her quarterdeck. ''Elizabeth had one man killed and six wounded, and suffered extensive damage. [9] [10]
She acquired slaves at the Congo River and sailed from there on 14 August. [8]
In December 1805 Lloyd's List reported that Elizabeth, Hensley, master, and Nelly, Selden, master, had been captured at Angola. [11]
Elizabeth and Nelly were among the seven vessels off the Congo River that had fallen prey to a privateer. [lower-alpha 2] The privateer was described as being of 22 guns and 350 men. Nelly's captor sent her to the River Plate. [12] A second report named the captors as L'Orient, of 14 guns, and Dromedario, of 22 guns. The captured vessels arrived in the River Plate before 12 November. [13] Elizabeth arrived at Montevideo on 17 October with 128 enslaved people. [8]
Spanish records report that in June 1805, Viceroy Sobremonte, of Argentina, issued two letters of marque, one for Dolores (24 guns), Currand, master, and Berro y Errasquin, owner, and one for Dromedario (20 guns), Hippolito Mordel, master, and Canuerso y Masini, owner. The two sailed for the African coast, looking to capture enslaving ships. In three months of cruising Dolores captured three ships and one brig, carrying a total 600 enslaved people. Dromedario captured five ships, carrying a total of 500 enslaved people. [14]
In 1805, 30 British slave ships were lost. Thirteen were lost on the coast of Africa. [15] During the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or slave resistance, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British slave vessels. [16]
HMS Duguay-Trouin was an 18-gun French privateer sloop launched in 1779 at Le Havre. Surprise captured her in 1780 and the British Royal Navy took her into service under her existing name. It sold Duguay-Trouin on 30 October 1783. She then became the West Indiaman Christopher. She captured several French merchant vessels. Later she became a Liverpool-based slave ship, making five voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost at Charleston in September 1804 in a hurricane.
Otway was a French or Spanish vessel built in 1799 that became a Liverpool-based slave ship in 1800. She made four voyages in the triangular trade in enslaved people, delivering captives from West Africa to the West Indies before the French Navy captured her in 1806. She became the Guadeloupe-based privateer Alerte and captured a number of British merchantmen before the Royal Navy captured her i October 1807.
Lord Nelson was launched in 1798 at Liverpool and subsequently made five voyages carrying slaves from West Africa to the West Indies in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her first voyage she helped suppress a revolt on another slave ship by that vessel's captives. This gave rise to an interesting case in salvage money. A French naval squadron captured her off Sierra Leone on her sixth voyage, before she had embarked any captives.
Otter was launched at Liverpool in 1797, initially as a West Indiaman. She made seven voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. During her career she captured one merchantman and recaptured another. She was lost in 1807 on her way back to Britain from her seventh enslaving voyage.
Sarah was launched at Liverpool in 1797. She then made six voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the West Indies. A French privateer captured Sarah in 1804 in a single-ship action on her seventh voyage after Sarah had gathered her slaves but before she could deliver them to the West Indies.
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.
Goodrich was a brig launched in Bermuda in 1793. She made three voyages between 1795 and 1799as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then became a general merchantman and was wrecked in 1808.
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.
Resource was launched at Bermuda in 1792, possibly under another name, and sailed from Liverpool from 1798 on. She made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. The French Navy captured her in 1805 at the very beginning of her fifth voyage. However, the British recaptured her when her captors sent her into the Cape of Good Hope, not realising that the Royal Navy was capturing the Cape.
Ellis was a French prize, captured in 1797, possibly built that year also. Liverpool merchants purchased her. She made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade carrying enslaved people from West Africa to the British West Indies. She was lost at sea on 23 April 1806 on her sixth voyage before she could take on any captives.
Beaver was launched in 1796 at Liverpool. She made seven complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. She was captured and retaken once, in 1804, and captured a second time in 1807, during her eighth voyage.
Active was built in Chester in 1781. Initially, she traded with the Baltic and North America. From 1798 she made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved persons. A privateer captured her on 1 September 1805 during her fifth slave voyage, after she had embarked her slaves, and took her into the River Plate.
Ann was launched at Chester in 1792 as a West Indiaman. From 1796 she made eight complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She participated in several single ship actions. On her first voyage she repelled an attack by a French privateer. On her second a privateer captured her but she was recaptured. On her ninth voyage a French privateer again captured her, but this time her captor plundered and then released her. She sank on 24 May 1810 in the Old Dock at Liverpool, but was salvaged.
Dart was launched at Plymouth in 1787. Dart initially traded with Newfoundland and then the Mediterranean. From 1797 she made four voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was condemned at Barbados in 1802 as she was returning to London after having delivered captives to Demerara.
Louisa was launched in France in 1794, probably under another name. She was taken in prize and between 1798 and 1804 she made five complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Her fourth voyage gave rise to an influential, and exaggerated, estimate of the profitability of trading in enslaved people. She was lost in 1804 on the coast of Africa on her sixth voyage.
Nelly was launched at Liverpool in 1798. She initially sailed as a West Indiaman. From 1803 she made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Spanish privateers captured her in 1805 while she was on her third slave voyage after she had embarked slaves.
Clarendon was launched in France in 1788, under another name. She was taken in prize in 1804. In 1805, Clarendon began a voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people but fell prey to Spanish privateers after she had embarked slaves.
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.
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.