| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain | |
| Name | Hannah |
| Launched | 1795, Liverpool [1] |
| Fate | Wrecked 9 December 1802 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 389 [2] (bm) |
| Complement | |
| Armament | |
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.
Hannah first appeared in Lloyd's Register (LR) in 1796 with Livingston, master, Robert Bent, owner, and trade Liverpool–Africa. [3]
1st voyage transporting enslaved people (1796–1797): Captain John Livingston acquired a letter of marque on 1 February 1796. [2] He sailed from Liverpool 23 February. [4] In 1796, 103 vessels sailed from English ports, bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 94 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [5]
Hannah arrived at Ambriz. She started acquiring captives on 29 April. She delivered the captives she had gathered there to Kingston, Jamaica, where she arrived on 29 November. She had embarked 523 captives and she landed 515, having lost only eight on the voyage. She sailed from Jamaica on 7 February 1797 and arrived back at Liverpool on 26 March. [4]
After the passage of Dolben's Act in 1788, masters received a bonus of £100 for a mortality rate of under 2%; the ship's surgeon received £50. For a mortality rate between two and three per cent, the bonus was halved. There was no bonus if mortality exceeded 3%. [6] Dolben's Act was the first British legislation passed to regulate slave shipping. [lower-alpha 1]
2nd voyage transporting enslaved people (1797–1798): Captain Thomas Given acquired a letter of marque on 4 May 1797. [2] Hannah sailed from Liverpool on 15 June 1797. [8] In 1797, 104 vessels sailed from English ports, bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 90 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [5]
Captain Given died on 23 November 1797. [9] Hannah acquired captives at "Alecuba", and arrived at Kingston on 31 January 1798. [10] There she landed 535 captives. She sailed from Kingston on 19 February, and arrived back at Liverpool on 9 April. She had left Liverpool with 72 crew members and she suffered nine crew deaths on her voyage. [8] Hannah, Livingston, master, arrived at Gravesend from Jamaica on 9 April. [11]
Dolben's Act also limited the number of enslaved people that British slave ships could transport, based on a ship's tons burthen. At a burthen of 389 tons, the cap would have been 528 captives. It is not clear how rigorously the cap was enforced.
3rd voyage transporting enslaved people (1798–1800): Captain Andrew Arnold acquired a letter of marque on 28 August 1798. [2] Hannah left Liverpool on 29 October 1798. [12] 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 largest number of vessels in the 1795–1804 period. [5]
Hannah acquired captives at Malembo, and arrived at Kingston on 22 September 1799. There she disembarked 481 captives. She left Kingston on 30 October 1799 and arrived at Liverpool on 6 April 1800. She had left Liverpool with 51 crew members; 13 crew members died during the voyage. [12]
On her return, Lawson fired a salute, for which he was fined £10 per gun fired. A shot fired by a vessel on 7 October 1798, had killed two men on shore, and badly wounded a third. Thereafter, vessels were forbidden to fire salutes in the river near the town. [13]
4th voyage transporting enslaved people (1800–1801): Captain Arnold sailed from Liverpool on 1 September 1800. [14] In 1800, 133 vessels sailed from English ports, bound for Africa to acquire and transport enslaved people; 120 of these vessels sailed from Liverpool. [5]
Arnold died on 27 December 1800. [15] Captain Andrew Lawson replaced Arnold. Hannah arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, on 30 July 1801, where she landed 338 captives. She had left Liverpool with 51 crew members and suffered 12 crew deaths on her voyage. [14]
Hannah, Lawson, master, was wrecked on the Hog Sties on 9 December 1801, while returning to London from Jamaica. A great part of her cargo was saved. [16] Lloyd's List also reported that the crew was saved and taken into New Providence, in the Bahamas. [17]
In 1801, 23 British enslaving ships were lost. The source for this datum does not show any vessels being lost on the homeward leg. [18] However, there is nothing in the press reports about Hannah's loss that would have signalled that she was a homeward-bound Guineaman. Still, during the period 1793 to 1807, war, rather than maritime hazards or resistance by the captives, was the greatest cause of vessel losses among British slave vessels. [19]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Caroline was a ship launched in France in 1792, possibly under another name. She was taken in prize in 1794 and sailed first as a West Indiaman, then as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery, and finally as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She was lost in 1801, after she had delivered her captives to Kingston, Jamaica on her second voyage from Africa.
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.
Agreeable was launched in 1786 in Liverpool, possibly under another name. Between 1798 and 1802 she made three voyages as a slave ship. A French privateer captured her in 1803 as she was sailing from Africa to the West Indies on her fourth slave trading voyage.
Nimble was built in Folkestone in 1781, possibly under another name. In 1786 Nimble was almost rebuilt and lengthened. Between 1786 and 1798 she made nine voyages as a whaler in the British Southern Whale Fishery. Between 1799 and 1804 she made four voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On her first voyage as to gather captives she detained a neutral vessel, an action that resulted in a court case. On her second voyage to gather captives, a French privateer captured her, but the Royal Navy recaptured her. She was wrecked in 1804 or so after she had delivered her captives to St Thomas.
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.
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.
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.
Ranger was launched in Liverpool in 1789. She made four complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her in 1796 in a single ship action during her fifth voyage transporting enslaved people. She was recaptured, but thereafter disappears from online records.
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.
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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