Harriot was launched in 1784, on the Thames as a West Indiaman. Her owners may have intended to send her to the South Seas as a whaler in 1786, but there is no evidence that she actually made such a voyage. A new owner renamed her Dominica Packet around 1787. She then spent her career primarily sailing between Britain and the West Indies. During her career she, together with two other Liverpool letters of marque, captured a valuable Spanish merchantman. Later, Harriot captured a Dutch East Indiaman. A Baltimore privateer captured Dominica Packet in 1813, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She foundered circa January 1821.
Although Lloyd's Register showed Harriet sailing to the South Seas Fishery, and two sources on the trade, probably drawing on Lloyd's Register, says the same thing,[3][4] there is no evidence in Lloyd's List's ship arrival and departure data, or in any other newspaper of the period available online, of any such voyages for Harriot, or Harriet.
Captain John Banks purchased Harriot and renamed her Dominica Packet. He then sailed her between England and Dominica.[lower-alpha 1]
Captain John Ferguson acquired a letter of marque on 16 July 1798.[1] On 13 November 1798, Dominica Packet came upon the hulk of a schooner at 24°N63°W / 24°N 63°W / 24; -63. The schooner had lost her masts and her crew had abandoned her. On her stern she bore the legend "Sam, Trackle, of Baltimore".[5]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source & notes
1799
J.Ferguson
J.Bennett
Liverpool–Barbados
LR
1801
J.Ferguson
J.Bennett
Liverpool–Barbados
LR
Capture of Galga:Alfred, Dominica Packet, and Intrepid, all Liverpool letters of marque, were sailing in company with Captain John Pettigrew of Intrepid serving as commodore of the squadron, when on 22 June 1801, they encountered the Spanish frigate-built ship Galgo at 18°25′N40°10′W / 18.417°N 40.167°W / 18.417; -40.167. Galgo had visited several ports but was most recently from Rio de Plate. The British gave chase and after an engagement of almost two hours succeeded in capturing Galgo. Galgo, of 600 tons (bm), was armed with twenty-four six-pounder guns and had a crew of 78 men under the command of Francisco de Pascadeilo. Intrepid had one man killed and sustained some damage. Alfred and Dominica Packet had no damage or casualties. The three British ships and their prize arrived at Barbados on 4 July. Galgo was carrying a cargo of hides, cocoa, indigo, and bar copper. She had been carrying her cargo to Cadiz or any other Spanish port.[6][7][8][lower-alpha 2] One report put the value of Galgo at £60,000.[lower-alpha 3]
On 28 November Dominica Packet was at Cork when a storm capsized Dumfries, which had her master and four men aboard. Boats from Dominica Packet and four other vessels rescued the men, but at great risk to themselves and not without great difficulty. Dominica Packet's boat overturned but the men were able to right her and bail her out.[12]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source
1804
Ferguson R.H.Caitcheon
J.Bennett J.G.Foderingham
Bristol–Barbados
LR
Captain Caitcheon, in May 1804, delivered to Liverpool 29 tons of dyewood, 157 hogsheads and 22 barrels of sugar, 238 bales of cotton, 145 pieces of lignum vitae, 27 casks and 189 bags of coffee, three bags of ginger, seven casks of tamarind, 2 casks cocoa corder.[13][lower-alpha 4]
On 12 May 1805, as Dominica Packet was sailing from Liverpool to Barbados, she sighted a French fleet near Martinique. One frigate briefly gave chase but then returned to the fleet.[14]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source & notes
1805
R.H.Caitcheon Gillespie
J.G.Foderingham
Liverpool–Barbados
LR; repairs 1804 & damages repaired 1805
1807
Gillespie J.Cowell
J.G.Foderingham
Liverpool–Barbados
LR; repairs 1804, damages repaired 1805, large repair 1807
In 1807, Dominica Packet, Cowall, master, captured a Dutch East Indiaman sailing under American colours and brought her into Trinidad.[15]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source & notes
1808
J.Cowell T.Rising
Taylor & Co.
London–Trinidad
LR; large repair 1807
Captain J.Rising acquired a letter of marque on 24 October 1808.[1] In 1809, Dominica Packet sailed up the Pará River to the port of Parra. She was the first British vessel ever to call there. Her captain fired a salute and the inhabitants greeted her with great hospitality.[16] When Dominica Packet, Rising, master, returned to Liverpool from Para she fell over in the dock and proceeded to fill with water at every tide.[17]
Year
Master
Owner
Trade
Source & notes
1810
T.Rising T.Hea
Taylor & Co.
London–Trinidad Liverpool–Brazils
LR; large repair 1807
1811
T.Hea
Gladstone
Liverpool–Newfoundland
LR; large repair 1807
1813
T.Hea
Gladstone
Liverpool–Newfoundland
LR; large repair 1807 & repair 1813
Capture and recapture: on 6 March 1813, Dominica Packet, of Liverpool, was sailing from Demerara bound for St. Thomas with rum, sugar, cotton, and coffee when she encountered the Baltimore privateer Comet. Comet captured Dominica Packet in sight of St Thomas.[18][lower-alpha 5]HMS Variable recaptured Dominica Packet on 13 March.[20]Dominica Packet, Hex, master, arrived at Nassau on 28 March.[21]
Dominica Packet sailed from New Providence on 18 May, together with some other merchantmen, all under convoy by HMS Variable. Dominica Packet arrived at Liverpool on 3 July.
As Dominica Packet was sailing from Londonderry to New York she had to put into Strangford leaky. She then moved about a mile to Portaferry where she was to unload her cargo and repair.[22]
Fate
Dominica Packet foundered in the Atlantic Ocean in January 1821. Midas, of the United States, rescued her crew and passengers, and delivered them to Lisbon on 27 January. Dominica Packet was on a voyage from Londonderry to New York.[23]
Notes
↑ One source misnames the vessel as Dunning Packet.[4]
↑ The British vessels had a combined heavier broadside and larger crew than Galga. Intrepid's letter of marque showed her with twenty 9&18-pounder cannons and 50 men.[9]Alfred's letter of marque showed her with eighteen 9&24-pounder cannons and 16 men.[10]
↑ Prize money was paid to Alfred in January 1812.[11]
↑ For Captain Thomas Boyle's account of the cruise in which he captured Dominica Packet, among numerous other vessels, see the extract from Comet's log book.[19]
↑ "Multiple Advertisements and Notices". Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. (Lancaster, England), 11 January 1812; pg. [1]; Issue 552.
↑ "Multiple News Items". Lancaster Gazetteer: and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. (Lancaster, England), 28 November 1801; Issue 24
↑ "SHIP NEWS." Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c. [Lancaster, England] 2 June 1804; Issue 155.
↑ "The Marine List". Lloyd's List (5568). 13 February 1821.
Related Research Articles
Several vessels have been named Harriet, or Harriot:
Aurora was launched at Chester in 1793 as a West Indiaman. During her career first the French (twice) and then the United States' privateer captured her, but she returned to British hands. Between 1801 and 1808 she made four voyages from Liverpool as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Afterwards, she continued to trade widely until 1831.
Adventure was a vessel built in France that the British captured c.1799. New owners immediately sailed her as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then made a voyage as West Indiaman during which a French privateer captured her, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She made a second slave trading voyage. Thereafter she became a general trader, trading primarily with the Baltic. She was wrecked in October 1814. Although she was refloated and taken into Copenhagen, she disappeared from subsequent ship arrival and departure data.
Pitt was launched at Ulverston in 1799 and proceeded to sail to the West Indies and New York. A French privateer captured her in 1806 but she quickly returned to British ownership and sailing as a West Indiaman. She continued trading with the West Indies and North America until she was last listed in 1833.
Alexander was launched in 1801 in the United States, possibly under another name. She became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people, sailing from Liverpool. A French privateer captured her after she had landed her captives at Berbice. Alexander returned to British ownership and became a West Indiaman, and then a transport. She was last listed in 1816 but may have been sold or broken up in 1815.
William Heathcote was launched in Liverpool in 1800. She made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. Next, a French privateer captured her in a single-ship action, and the British Royal Navy recaptured her. She became a West Indiaman before she again made an enslaving voyage, one of the last such legal voyages. After British participation in the trans-Atlantic slave trade ended, she became a West Indiaman again; she then sailed to Brazil and as a transport. She was wrecked in July 1816.
Westmoreland was launched in Yarmouth in 1783. Between 1800 and 1804 she made two voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. A French privateer captured her during her second voyage but the Royal Navy recaptured her and she completed her voyage. The registers continued to carry her for a few years but with stale data.. She actually made a voyage in 1805 to Demerara. On her way a privateer captured her.
Harriot was launched in Liverpool in 1786. For many years she was a West Indiaman, sailing between Liverpool and Barbados. In 1796 a French frigate captured her, but the British Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She became a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. At the beginning of her of her first slave trading voyage a French privateer captured her, and again the Royal Navy quickly recaptured her. She made five slave trading voyages in all. Thereafter she traded with South America. She was last listed in 1814 with stale data.
Agreeable was launched at Bermuda in 1786, probably under a different name. French owners acquired her at some point and sailed her as Agréable. In 1793 the British captured her. Subsequently, between 1793 and 1808, she made six voyages as a slave ship, alternating between the triangular trade in enslaved people, and sailing as a regular West Indiaman. French privateers captured her between the second and third voyages, and the third and fourth voyages, but each time the British Royal Navy recaptured her. In the case of the second capture she was in French hands long enough for them to send her out as a privateer. She herself captured an American vessel in 1808 as she was returning to Liverpool from her last enslaving voyage. After the end of British participation in trans-Atlantic enslaving trade, Agreeable traded more widely, particularly to South America. She was condemned at Buenos Aires in 1814 after running aground in the River Plate. She was repaired and continue to sail to Brazil until she returned to Liverpool in June 1819.
Thames was launched in 1807 in Howden. She first sailed as a West Indiaman, and later traded with Brazil. Privateers captured her twice. The first time the British Royal Navy was able swiftly to recapture her. The second time Thames's American captor sent her into Portland, Maine after a single ship action.
John Tobin was a ship launched in 1809 at Hull. In 1810 she recaptured a British vessel and in November 1812 she repelled an attack by an American privateer in a single ship action. From 1816 John Tobin made three voyages to India, sailing under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She then sailed to Calabar, West Africa. She left there on 28 November 1821 and was never heard of again.
Nimble was built in Kingston upon Hull in 1802. She traded with Portugal, first from Hull and then from Liverpool. She was lengthened in 1806. Later, she traded between London and Brazil, and then London and the West Indies. An American privateer captured her in 1814. She was recaptured and then disappeared from ship arrival and departure (SAD) data.
Intrepid was launched in 1776, almost surely under another name. She appeared as Intrepid in British records from 1787; missing volumes of Lloyd's Register (LR) and missing pages in extant records obscure her earlier name(s) and history. She made one voyage as a whaler in the British southern whale fishery and two as a Liverpool-based slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She also captured a Spanish merchant ship in a notable action. Otherwise she traded widely as a West Indiaman, transport, and to North and South America. She was wrecked in November 1816.
Dick was a French vessel built in Spain, almost certainly sailing under another name, that the British captured circa 1798. She made a voyage to the West Indies during which she repelled two attacks, and captured three prizes. She then became a slave ship that made three voyages transporting enslaved people. Her first voyage was cut short when a French privateer captured her and the Royal Navy recaptured her. She then made two complete voyages. After her return in 1803 from her third voyage she became a West Indiaman. She grounded in 1804 after another vessel had run into her. She was last listed in 1809.
Thetis was launched in 1801 at Lancaster as a West Indiaman. In 1804, in single ship action, she repelled an attack by a French privateer. Between 1806 and 1808 she made two complete voyages as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. On the second, in early 1808 as Thetis was coming to Barbados from Africa, she again drove off a French privateer in a single ship action. With the end of the slave trade, Thetis returned to trading, first with the West Indies and then with Bahia. She was wrecked in December 1815 near Sunderland.
Commerce was a French vessel launched in 1798 and taken in prize in 1800. Initially she sailed as a West Indiaman. Then between 1801 and the end in 1807 of British participation in the triangular trade in enslaved people, Commerce made four voyages as a slave ship and also spent some time in 1803 cruising as a privateer. Afterwards, she continued to trade between Liverpool and West Africa. During one voyage in 1811 a French privateer captured her, but Commerce was recaptured. She was wrecked in November 1813 while returning to Liverpool from South America.
Mary Ann was launched in 1807 at Liverpool. She made one voyage as a slave ship in the triangular trade in enslaved people. She then became a West Indiaman. From 1811 she became a Falmouth packet. In 1813 a United States privateer captured her.
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 voyage after she had embarked captives.
William Dawson was launched at Lancaster in 1812 as a West Indiaman. In 1818–1819, she made one voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter William Dawson sailed to North America, primarily Canada from homeports such as Liverpool and later Alloa. She suffered several relatively minor mishaps and was last listed in 1859.
William Ashton was launched at Lancaster in 1810 as a West Indiaman. In 1810 she repelled a French privateer in a single ship action, and in 1813 she captured a ship. Then in 1818–1819 she made one voyage to India, sailing under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). Thereafter she traded widely until she was wrecked on 9 August 1830 at Newfoundland on her way from Dublin to Quebec.
References
Clayton, Jane M (2014). Ships employed in the South Sea Whale Fishery from Britain: 1775–1815: An alphabetical list of ships. Berforts Group. ISBN9781908616524.
Williams, Gomer (1897). History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque: With an Account of the Liverpool Slave Trade. W. Heinemann.
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